Heavy vs. Light Arrow For Deer Hunting - What Is The Best Weight?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- In today's video, Christian Babcock walk through some of his experiences with using heavy, light, and moderate arrows for bowhunting. There isn't a one size fits all or a perfect solution to the question of arrow weight, so we just outline our experiences. You should build the right arrow for YOUR setup!
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Intro: 0:00
Pros of Heavy Arrow: 1:10
Cons of Heavy Arrow: 4:45
Pros of Light Arrow: 7:43
Cons of Light Arrow: 9:32
Outdoor Shooting Testing: 10:33
Final Thoughts: 13:28
Outro: 15:42
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This was a very well balanced presentation and respectfully done. You made it very clear this is what you do and prefer.
Thanks for the kind comment brother!
I’m shooting a Mathews VXR. 28” draw @ 70# .. My arrows are 605 gr. Without a lighted knock. On the chrono they are repping 235fps.. the difference in time between a setup shooting 300fps or even 200fps is very minimal. Especially when it comes to shots 30 yards and in. I decided to go heavy because I typically shoot forward (close to shoulder, not in it) and i want that peace of mind incase I pull my shot, the animal moves, etc .. here’s my theory. Shoot what your comfortable with and PRACTICE! … great video!
Couldn’t agree with you more! Thanks for the support too 💪🏻
Time?? How about trajectory
@@austinphillips9966 I can speak for trajectory on my own setup. I am shooting a 339 fps ibo rated bow (we all know how accurate that truly is, but it at least gives a general baseline for speed). 27.5” draw length and shooting 580 gr arrow. Last season I was shooting 420-450 gr hunting arrows. My trajectory at HUNTING distances hasn’t changed drastically. My 20 yard pin didn’t move at all, 30 yard was maybe 2” low from old setup, and 40 was roughly 6” low from the initial placement. Yes the trajectory is slightly more extreme with heavier arrows but it’s not a deal breaker to me coming from a location where 30 yards on a deer is a longer shot
I think heavy arrows are okay but it needs to depend I believe on 3 things 1. Draw length 2. Draw Weight and 3. Would be tuning all 3 of them should factor in on you shooting a heavier arrow
I think that’s a wise perspective to have my friend!
@@HUNTERSADVANTAGE thanks I appreciate it
I shoot no more than 20 yds with 61#. I was sick of not getting pass throughs with a light arrow and expandables. I went to a 490 gr. With 14% foc and same expandables(G5 deadmeats) now I'm driving my arrow deeper at 40 than my buddy does with his 390 gr. At 70 #!
I used to have penetration issues with my old bow and mechanicals (rage). It was a 60 lb bow and I was only getting 260fps with a 430 gr arrow (it had a long brace height). Once I got a new bow I knew I wanted to go heavier. Bc I shoot a 31 inch draw I’m able to get a 508 gr arrow to go 270 now at only 63 lbs. IMO it’s a reasonably heavy arrow without going crazy and still get decent speed. I added fixed blades to the mix but I’m also testing sevr broadheads this year as well. I don’t see myself having anymore penetration issues in the future 😂
Having a long draw length sure helps! It sounds like you’ve found a good balance of heavy while still getting decent speed. That was one of my reasons for making this video!
Great information.
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for taking the time to make this video. Pros and cons are presented nicely. I would like to see the test done a little differently though. Would it be possible to zero your sight with light arrow at 20 yards, then shoot your target at 25 yards but keep your sight at 20 yards; and zero your sight with heavy arrow at 20 yards then shoot target at 25 yards and keep your sight at 20 yds?
I am curious how much drop you get.
Im shooting 65lb bow with a 462gr arrow and coming out of my bow at 280fps. Works for me!
Sounds great. Gotta find what works for you as individual. Sounds like you have!
The heavy arrow movement is finally being questioned by a lot of people. Balance is key between trajectory and penetration. You definitely touched on this. I've taken 2 bull moose, a bull elk, and countless large whitetails with arrows substantially lighter than what you presented in your video (355 grains total weight). Penetration was not an issue with any of them as my KE was very high and I chose small diameter fixed blade heads. I kept an offside shoulder blade of one of the moose that my arrow smashed through at 55 yards. Overkill is just that, balance and results are key.
Thanks for this video! Does anyone have any suggestions for a girl w/ 25.5" draw length & 45# draw weight?
Neighbors must love that you're using their house as a backstop😅
I shoot those same fmj arrows! Figured out the hard way how much of a difference 5 yards makes when the deer moves and you shoot underneath!!!
I’ve learned that the hard way which is why I talk about it in the video! If you’re shooting FMJs you better have the exact yardage.
Yeah no kidding on that!!! Well at least now I know!
Yeah no kidding on that!!! Well at least now I know!
Yeah no kidding on that!!! Well at least now I know!
I’m probably going to get a lot of hate for this, but I shoot 60lbs at 28”, and my arrow is roughly 345gr and I shoot a mechanical broadhead. I’ve only killed one deer with a bow but that setup was deadly. I shot a doe slightly quartering away at 30 yards and I punched through a rib and broke the off side shoulder.
I see the THORN CROWN BROADHEAD IN THE BEGINNING AND WHATS ANYONES THOUGHT ON THORN BROADHEADS ? I love the thorn rift 2.2” but thought about trying the thorn !
Heavier arrows to like 550 with fixed heads are a great option. But IMO, you need 70#’s draw weight. My son uses this combo and nearly every time it’s a full in the dirt pass thru. Elk too!
That’s awesome! Yeah I shoot 70lbs and 30” draw and get a lot of pass throughs. There are definitely trade offs too.
I’m “Sold” on Hornadys SST in 200gr 460xvr
Those are pretty heavy 🤣🤝
I shoot a 545gr arrow 29.5" draw 75 lb weight. I don't notice alot of arrow drop untill you go past 30 yds. 20-30 yd pin gap isn't bad 30-40 is a huge gap. Love the setup for my whitetail hunts in IL but it becomes difficult when I mule deer hunt in SD . You have to be sure of your range when you shoot long distances
Absolutely! The heavier the more you need to be accurate with your ranges. But that sounds like a great setup for whitetail!
@@HUNTERSADVANTAGE yeah im not building another arrow set up for one week in SD. I just try to stalk into 40yds or less. I can shoot accurate out to 70 but that's a hell of alot of time for an animal to react
I have been shooting since i was 5 when i got my first bow. the heavy arrow topic has caught my attention here lately. This video makes good points but i have more questions. Not to pick on anyone but someone put their numbers up in the comments so it gave me some data to work with. 605g arrow moving at 235FPS comes out at 74.21 Ft/lbs. Not bad. My current set up is a PSE decree TI (IBO 355) and im shooting 378g Gold tip velocitys at 310FPS per my crono and my shops crono agrees. Now with that being said, if i run the numbers on that, that comes out to 80.68 ft/lbs. SO in my eyes fast and light vs Slow and heavy still result in the same energy. I went with a faster set up because where i hunt tends to be thick. so shooting though a hole in the brush, less arch in the arrow flight tends to have less chance of hitting that limb that i didn't see. Also, with that being said, Ive only failed to get a pass through one time. It was with a rage xtream that happened to hit a rib on both sides. Since then ive shot the black hornets and this season will be the montecs. Hornets never failed to go through and usually find a root to stick in.
Sounds like what you are doing is working well for you. From how I understand it, momentum is the best way to judge energy and ability to pass through when encountering an opposite force. We just did a podcast with the ranch fairy and we talked about some of these things. Thank you for the thoughtful comment and openmindedness!
I shot 246 fps with a 575 grain arrow. Old school now. Shot a lot of deer with it. The only reason I was cool with that was my hunting ranges were all sub 25 yards. I wouldn’t recommend that fps in other circumstances though.
Ok, so that was a year ago when you did this video. Since then, a lot of bowhunters have been shifting to the heavier arrow setup and fixed blade heads. Instead of personal experiences, I think its's because of what they see on TH-cam videos and channels like The Hunting Public, (which I love and support everything they say and do!!), and some others channels also. After 50+ years of bowhunting experience and killing many whitetails, from young to old and from small to large, I can tell you for a personal fact, that if you make a bad hit, it doesn't matter one hoot if the arrow is light or heavy. Arrow placement and tracking skills is what matters. Today's hunters are trying to tip the scales of recovery in their favor by using large cut expandable's and recover deer that were marginally hit, sometimes intentionally. YES, intentionally. This is a very bad precedence to be teaching our new hunters. For the record, I shoot a 500gr arrow, fixed blade head (from the beginning since 1970), from a 58 lb compound bow, and I get complete pass through on broadside deer, ONLY. I use a single fixed sight pin zeroed at 20 yards. At 30 yards it drops 8". So don't get hung up on light or heavy arrows. Be responsible and learn to control your nerves so that, at the second of truth, you can make a good hit.
Well said my friend
How many animals have you taken with the Crown? I took a hog with it went about 40 or 5o yards.
None yet! Just got them a few weeks ago. Really excited to try them out this season 👍
I love the Ranch fairy, i love ashby’s reports but i do not agree that you can ignore weapons.
I really do believe from my own studies i think and feel 0.7 slugs of momentum is all you need for everything.
Some weapons do it better than others. My 50lb bow requires 600 grains to do it my crossbow requires 500 to do it. My crossbow does it with 280 ish fps my bow does it at 170 ish fps.
Both will pass through 50 yards and in probably even past it.
Especially if using a mechanical head. Now a fixed requires 0.4 to pass through.
I shoot 54# @ 30”. 430 grain arrow at 266 fps strikes a nice balance for me. I’ll be trying some Sevr 1.5’s this year. Heavy arrows require additional tuning and drop considerably at my draw weight. Anybody talking about shooting through shoulders needs to have their bow taken away.
We have a lot of people who tell us they try to shoot through shoulders. I just think you are flirting with disaster when you try to do that. There are a lot of vitals there, but a lot of bone too.
I shoot a 515 grain arrow 390 fps over 600 slugs of momentum.
That is faster than most bow IBO speed. Are you using a cross bow? Cause that is wicked fast! That is also a ton of momentum to put em' down!
Elite Enkore
I just noticed that I wrote 390 fps,my bad,290 fps is more like it.
This is why I shoot a fixed with a 420 gr arrow. No problems at all
Shoot an ezv sight. No range finder needed. I shoot 642gr with an 3zv. 257fps with a 70lb xp3dition xcursion 6. I r3gularly shoot 9ut to 50 yds. Always pass through everything I shoot.
550 gn arrows 28.5 DL 65lb DW and they shoot like darts 30yrds and in and hit hard.
That is a good balance! Good stuff.
i shoot a 400gr arrow and cant remember the last time i didnt get a pass thru on a whitetail (since i been shooting fixed heads) with a BUNCH of wasted energy with the arrow buried deep in the ground. i used to shoot heavy aluminum arrow in the 80's and 90's before carbon arrows were a thing, i DO NOT miss those heavy arrows one bit. you cant have momentum and energy without speed..... they all work together. if i was hunting elephants or rhinos in africa i would consider a heavy arrow and close range shots. but i have no desire to leave the usa.
I remember the old heavy aluminum arrows. I’ve used them many of times! Heavy suckers
@@HUNTERSADVANTAGE right i am going to try shooting swhacker 1 3/4" heads this season total weight 400gr, i feel like i am wasting a lot of valuable energy when my fixed heads bury so deep in the ground, all that extra energy could be used for making a bigger cut. ill find out how they do in october......wont be long now 😁
@@yourmomma2995 Seasons going to be here soon! Can't wait. Good luck this season and shoot straight my friend!
Amen . 407 grain at 262 fps. I’ve had very few hits that didn’t pass thru and they were hanging far out the far side on deer. Pigs to like 175 usually get a pass thru. Larger ones had the shaft hanging out the far side. I have some 456 grain that will give me a pass thru nearly every time. All with either 100 grain slicktrick standards or Magnus Black Hornets serrated.
@@yourmomma2995 what’s your draw and poundage I’m at total of 380grain 60 pound at 28 in draw I was thinking I’m too light phew
For Whitetails I shoot 715 grains w/ 25% FOC going 241 fps chronographed. Last season I shot a big body 8 point quartering towards at 28 yards. With his left front leg behind his right front leg, I aimed at his heart and let the arrow fly. It blew through him like he wasn't even there, breaking both his front legs and cutting off the top of his heart. Suprisingly, he was still able to run 30 yards with his face and rack plowing the dirt. He weighed 244 lb dressed out. Heaviest deer I ever killed. Now, I have no doubt a 400 grain arrow could have zipped right threw him as well so long as I waited for him to present a more traditional broadside shot and avoided the shoulders.
Awesome story. Sounds like you have a balanced perspective too!
This test has me very confused? If I take a 4mm 500gr arrow and a 6.5mm 500gr arrow @20yrds the 4mm is going to penetrate further and have less wind drift which is the whole point of running a micro diameter arrow. Not debating a lighter vs heavier arrow but using the same target my 370gr rip xv penetrate deeper than my 420gr axis, 468gr carbon express maxima red and about the same as my 430gr rip tko @ 20 yds and my 390gr victory vforce 6.5mm are no comparison. My 370gr rip xv penetrate as deep as my 430gr rip tko's @ 60yds in my bag target as well, but I don't feel either is a good real world comparison. 370gr is probably light for hunting but Id prefer to have 400-500gr arrows. Easton axis and rip tko's have killed everything in north america and aren't ranch fairy heavy. For some of us pin forgiveness in the heat of the moment is important than a massively heavy arrow. Shot placement is still the most critical and shooting at distances of upto 40yrds I'd rather have an arrow with less drop.
Everyone has their own personal preference. Bag targets are not a good method for testing penetration. Every shot has a different placement and angle. I believe no two shots are ever the same. I can only speak from anecdotal evidence, exactly what I did in this video. Thank you for watching. I think you've got the right idea.
I shoot those 6.5s that were your target arrows 😂💀 with 100 grain heads
Nothing wrong with that. I’m shooting a much lighter arrow this fall too 😂🤣
I dont buy in on heavy arrows, i keep it simple. Standard dia carnivore 250 spine, 32 inch long standard insert, 100 grain magnus stinger, lite knock. 30.5 draw on v3x just under 300 fps. I dont need high foc and heavy slow arrows.
This year i'm shooting 600gr, 70lb at 28". At 40 yards, they shoot really good like darts. I was tired of no pass throughs so i'm okay losing some speed over it and trajectory. I do practice all the time guessing yardage distances and than checking them to help avoid mis-judged errors. But here in Michigan, typically there is nothing you can get a shot out past 25'ish.
I lost ranch fairy when he said in the thp podcast he doesn’t own a bow press… just tune the bow. Just go watch inside out prescions video about this
I'll check it out brother!
That middle deer listens to punk rock music lol
Lol
ACTUALLYYYYY there's some science apparently that is pretty convincing...LOL
Very few ever talk about the draw backs to a flatter trajectory, that lighter arrows have. I've had many instances where if my arrow was just a littler slower, it would clear the top of some brush then drop into the vitals. I'm 31/70 so speed is something I'm not self-conscious about. Not being able to clear brush has been a bigger issue, for me, than not being able to go under it.
That’s an interesting point! I guess that’s somewhat unique to each individual. That hasn’t been my experience, but definitely something to consider.
@@HUNTERSADVANTAGE you're probably right, a very unique, kinda situation.. I've said to myself so many time, " if I could just get over that limb". Maybe its sticks, grass, or rocks. Very few times have I said, " if I could just shoot under that" Hmm, super situational I suppose.
@@casanovafrankenstein8875 if that happened to me. I’d feel the same way you do.
But it goes both ways. Could be too much or not enough can't pick where the branches are just you arrow weight
Bow efficiency plays a big part in the mix. 70# with a wish brand bow isn’t the same as 70# with a flagship bow.
Thats a good point. Didn't consider that. What do you think the main differences are from a flagship to a cheaper option?
@@HUNTERSADVANTAGE should have said quality bows. Doesn’t have to be flagship just good quality.
I think so...I have an old Bear -truth 2 ..all metal, single cam...think it's 2004-2007. It shoots way better , quieter and straiter and little vibe than my diamond -edge sb1 2017 model with huge draw weight range . I suspect this bear is better than alot of the newer ones... will see what my next bow is..looking g forward to it
Would be nice to have more sample size shot vs just one.
I won’t go back to light arrows after I’ve done my research and experience with heavy arrows.
The heavier you go, the further and quicker the gap opens up between the POA, not just the distance. E.G. a 700 grain arrow might have 6 inches of drop at 20 yards compared to a 400 grain arrow. But a 500 grain might only have 2 inches of drop at 20 yards compared to a 400 grain arrow. That should be a key note to mention for your viewers considering the swap. Excellent, non biased info IMO.
Absolutely! There are a lot of different considerations when choosing an arrow weight. I think a lot of time everyone just talks about the pros and omits the cons. I wanted to give people a better look at Pros/Cons of both setups. Thanks for the kind words too!
Talk about difference in time to animal
First comment
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After 17 years of bow hunting I have learned a lot and most of it was by trial and error. Can an arrow be to heavy or to light? Absolutely. Early on I experienced the lack of pass throughs with the lighter stuff (380-400gr 302fps). 2016 I moved up to a 470gr arrow at 280fps and a pass through started to become common. Summer of 2022 I made the jump to a 540gr arrow with 200gr up front (9.5gpi arrow, 75gr insert, 125gr BH, 15.6% FOC). My 30" 74# draw slings that bad boy at 261fps. Oh man do they fly great. Not to mention my bow is noticeably quieter. HERE"S THE REALLY WIERD PART. I did not have to change sight tapes on my HHA Kingpin after moving up from a 470gr to a high FOC 540gr arrow. I found the happy place with momentum and the drastic reduction of speed erosion at distance, I guess. It blew my mind. I repeated the sight in process several times and my set up tape kept telling me to use the same yardage tape as I did with the 470gr arrow. No noticeable increase in trajectory either.. Pretty crazy
Soinds to me like some enterprising content creator figured out how to adapt the ages old "whats the best deer cartridge" controversy to arrow weight.
There is absolutely nothing a 500 grain let alone heavier arrow can do any better whatsoever than my 435 grain arrow going 368fps is already doing or will do.
I believe the term everyone is looking for in the average weight vs heavy weight arrow argument is "point of diminishing returns"
Science wouldn’t agree with you. There are many long term studies proving the efficacy of heavy arrows.
Just curious, what do you shoot your 435 gr arrow with to get 368 fps?
Ok but let’s talk about you shooting towards houses and cars with a fence as a back stop….
(see below)
The KE of the arrows weighing 425-525 had nearly the same KE. With this result I don’t see why you would go with anything over 425.
KE is a poor indication of penetration. Momentum is a more accurate figure. Heavier arrows have more momentum which results in more energy to continue to penetrate after encountering resistance.
just do me one favor...sight your first pin at 20 yds. shoot your 450 grn. arrow...now shoot the 540 grn. with the same pin and tell me how much difference there is in drop...if you really listen to Troy he always talks for the most part at whitetail ranges...the average whitetail range is 22 yds...tell me the results....i still have my stick bow with wooden arrows...they weigh 515 grns...they worked then...they'll work now.
2 inches is a lot..
That's a lot of drop, Batman!
More pros for light arrows
Anything over 500 is overkill bottom line for whitetail and most NA animals.
If your only gonna shoot 20 yards shit shoot 700 grains!!!!
Shooting a sharp broadhead is number 1 not arrow weight !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!