A solid arrow

[XQZMEB4UP]

When I first got into archery a few years back I did bare minimum research and figured it out as I went. Since my interest in archery has gone from that, to an obsession, to a compulsion that I don’t even try to control anymore, I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of arrow weight and broadheads several times.

I know that it really boils down to personal preference. For me, I shoot a 600 (ish) total weight arrow with a fixed broadhead. My Bear Alaskan is set at 70lbs with a 31” draw.

What do you bow hunters on here shoot and why? Is FOC and single bevel blades a factor? Or maybe not so much since the odds of shooting a Cape buffalo in Iowa are mighty slim?

 

[gunrunr]

If it shoots good stick with what you know. I see so many people coming into the shop striving for super high weight, massive FOC, Heavy expensive single-bevel heads, etc that cant shoot that combo well enough to hit a pie plate consistently. No cape buffalos in Iowa (at least ones not in a zoo where they from on us shooting things). Shoot a combo that is consistent and accurate on a repeatable basis. Shoot one arrow a day with a broadhead from 25 yards and track your results, - that should let you know right away if that combo is going to work in a hunting situation.

 

[XQZMEB4UP]

Oh for sure man. I guess I was curious as to what other people are shooting out in the whitetail woods.

 

[Darrin]

Just right at 500gn for me with Magnus black hornets 125s. Last year was the Sirius .204s, but I switched to the Victory v1s due to some supply shortages last summer. I really like this setup. With only shooting 60lbs I do have to think about pin gaps and balancing that with weight. 30 yards is my absolute max for live animals and even that makes me nervous so the vast majority of my setups are 20 and under.

Disclaimer...I've fallen into the ranch fairy rabbit hole the last couple of years. While I'm not going full-on heavy arrow + high foc + single bevel I feel that his videos and Ashby's research have brought the subject to light to some of us that used to not give one thought to it. I think the Magnus broadheads are a nice balance of quality and cost. I still can't stomach $100+ for a 3 pack of heads.

I don't really build them with FOC in mind. I've calculated it in the past, but it is what it is if the arrow flies well for me.

Last year I had an unfortunate shot that had a direct hit on the offside femur. (I hit the big artery so he died within a minute). Below are some pics of the damage and the broadhead. This made me a big believer in putting some effort into increasing the structural integrity of my arrow. Who knows what would have happened with the mechanicals I used to shoot, but I do know what is possible now with this setup when things don't go as planned. Yes, shot placement is king, but sometimes sh*t happens.

 

[gunrunr]

I shoot an Easton Axis 4mm Match Long Range Arrow with Titanium Outserts and an Exodus 100 Swept Broadhead.
430 grains with 15% FOC
Very hard to stop it - blows through almost all my broadhead targets - amazing penetration.

 

[Tmayer13]

I also went down the Ashby rabbit hole. Here are my findings and results:
My original goal was to shoot a 650g arrow with high FOC. I went with a Gold Tip Hunter XT(same arrow I've shot for YEARS). I cut it a little longer, put a 100g weight in the front, no arrow wrap and no lighted nocks to keep all weight up front. And then I went with a 200g head. Total arrow weight was 624g with 19% FOC. Boughr a brand new V3X 33, max out 70lb limbs(probably around 74lbs). That was shooting at 258fps.
So I sighted the bow in at 20 just as normal.

Noticed immediately how quiet everything was and at the distance it seemed to be fast enough.

I then go back to 30 yards. Now I start to notice the speed...arrows are considerably slower, can already see the arch on arrow flight. From 20 to 30 my arrow is dropping roughly 4"....quite a bit

I move back to 40. Now my arrow is dropping 15". Arrow is soooo slow to get there. I immediately and unhappy with the results.

I keep the same arrow setup but instead just use a 100g head, so now my total arrow weight is 524g with 15% FOC. This is what I am currently to this day.

So now we move to the broadheads. I decided on shooting Iron Will single bevel heads. I like the idea of SB as well as the warranty and being able to resharpen my heads.

I shot my buck at 8.4 yards through lungs and top of heart. Perfect 10 ring. He ran 40 yards stopped, I put the binos on him and just remember thinking that he wasn't bleeding well. He stood there for 30 seconds then ran another 20 yards and died. Upon tracking the animal there was VERY little blood. Interstingly enough when I gutted the animal the lungs looked like I shot it with a smokeless muzzleloader, absolutely destroyed on the inside but nothing on the outside...I didn't think much of it at the time. Well a good friend was also shooting the same head. He shot multiple does with them and same results. Dead deer quickly, destroyed on the inside but no blood on the outside(he can chime in on those results)...

So I contacted Iron Will and told them our findings and they recommended trying the wide series heads. So I ordered one head and shot a doe with it. She only made it 10 yards so my test wasn't great BUT there was significant blood on the ground from her. I ordered more Iron Will double bevel wide heads

So if I could do it all over again (which I will be)...

I think the Iowa Whitetail hunter(compound bow) should be shooting 275-290 fps with as much FOC as you can at that speed all while having a total arrow weight of 480-515g. I still believe I am going to continue to shoot the wide series head but if not it will be some other fixed blade head. Also I believe shooting a micro diameter arrow is important which I will be switching arrows this next year.


Sent from my moto g power (2022) using Tapatalk

 

[Nightvision]

62lb PSE Carbon with GT Hunter XTs and Simmons Great White Heads. 536 grains TAW. 28” dl.

55lb Xpedition Xplorer SS GT Hunter XTs and Simmons 175 grain Swamp Sharks. 508 grains of TAW.

I don’t care about shooting them at long distance so heavy arrows don’t bother me. Vast majority of my shots are around 15 yards with one seldom being 30.

 

[XQZMEB4UP]

I also went down the Ashby rabbit hole. Here are my findings and results:
My original goal was to shoot a 650g arrow with high FOC. I went with a Gold Tip Hunter XT(same arrow I've shot for YEARS). I cut it a little longer, put a 100g weight in the front, no arrow wrap and no lighted nocks to keep all weight up front. And then I went with a 200g head. Total arrow weight was 624g with 19% FOC. Boughr a brand new V3X 33, max out 70lb limbs(probably around 74lbs). That was shooting at 258fps.
So I sighted the bow in at 20 just as normal.

Noticed immediately how quiet everything was and at the distance it seemed to be fast enough.

I then go back to 30 yards. Now I start to notice the speed...arrows are considerably slower, can already see the arch on arrow flight. From 20 to 30 my arrow is dropping roughly 4"....quite a bit

I move back to 40. Now my arrow is dropping 15". Arrow is soooo slow to get there. I immediately and unhappy with the results.

I keep the same arrow setup but instead just use a 100g head, so now my total arrow weight is 524g with 15% FOC. This is what I am currently to this day.

So now we move to the broadheads. I decided on shooting Iron Will single bevel heads. I like the idea of SB as well as the warranty and being able to resharpen my heads.

I shot my buck at 8.4 yards through lungs and top of heart. Perfect 10 ring. He ran 40 yards stopped, I put the binos on him and just remember thinking that he wasn't bleeding well. He stood there for 30 seconds then ran another 20 yards and died. Upon tracking the animal there was VERY little blood. Interstingly enough when I gutted the animal the lungs looked like I shot it with a smokeless muzzleloader, absolutely destroyed on the inside but nothing on the outside...I didn't think much of it at the time. Well a good friend was also shooting the same head. He shot multiple does with them and same results. Dead deer quickly, destroyed on the inside but no blood on the outside(he can chime in on those results)...

So I contacted Iron Will and told them our findings and they recommended trying the wide series heads. So I ordered one head and shot a doe with it. She only made it 10 yards so my test wasn't great BUT there was significant blood on the ground from her. I ordered more Iron Will double bevel wide heads

So if I could do it all over again (which I will be)...

I think the Iowa Whitetail hunter(compound bow) should be shooting 275-290 fps with as much FOC as you can at that speed all while having a total arrow weight of 480-515g. I still believe I am going to continue to shoot the wide series head but if not it will be some other fixed blade head. Also I believe shooting a micro diameter arrow is important which I will be switching arrows this next year.


Sent from my moto g power (2022) using Tapatalk

I got sucked into the high FOC thing as well. Then I got to thinking, in order to gain the necessary FOC for someone such as myself. I felt like I’d have to be under spined to achieve the 15-25%, or whatever he recommends. Currently I’m at 12% and have had only one issue with penetration. Go figure it was on a buck. I’m currently shooting a Magnus stinger killer bee 4 blade. Had a decent trail with a doe, but would like a wider wound channel. Easton Axis 5mm is my arrow of choice. I thought about 4mm, but heard they are hard to tune.

I’ve looked at Iron Will a lot for a broadhead. I may have to give them a shot. I would really like to use a mechanical. Rage or Sevr. My buddy shot a buck in the vital V and had a pass through. He shoots the exact same arrow set up I have. Talk about an easy blood trail. Ultimately though, I don’t want to have to worry too much about shot angles and whatnot in the moment of truth.

 

[2-bucks]

I went up in weight a few years ago getting ready for elk. Thought why not keep for deer. 60 lb draw. 27.5" gold tip xt with 100 grain insert and 100 gr magnus stinger or black hornet. 500 grain total and 240 fps (I have a short draw). Ended up quieter and more accurate. Trajectory out to 50 yards if fine for me, but I've never shot an animal over 35 anyway.

First deer I shot with this setup was at a quartering away alert buck at 35. I shouldn't have shot. He spun on the shot and I hit him in the back of his left ham with him going away just slightly quartering. Almost a Texas heart shot. Arrow went end to end on him and broadhead stopped at the brisket. Great penetration! Im sure this can be out done but I'm happy with this setup.

 

[Stoney]

My hunting arrows are close to 475 grains. When light arrows were all the rage I tried them with disastrous results. I rather get hit with a fast straw than a slow crowbar. Weight matters.

 

[IowaBowHunter1983]

Ok. I've been shooting FMJs for several years now. They hit like a freight train. I switched from SEVR mechanical to single bevel Iron Will. I was impressed with everything but the one thing that may matter the most. Little or no blood trails! I shot several does perfectly and in multiple cases watched them fall over dead. However, no blood trail. They shot perfect, penetrated like crazy, quiet, sturdy.... no blood.

Iron will wide is probably worth a try.

I won't ever go back to expandables

 

[Ishi]

Ok. I've been shooting FMJs for several years now. They hit like a freight train. I switched from SEVR mechanical to single bevel Iron Will. I was impressed with everything but the one thing that may matter the most. Little or no blood trails! I shot several does perfectly and in multiple cases watched them fall over dead. However, no blood trail. They shot perfect, penetrated like crazy, quiet, sturdy.... no blood.

Iron will wide is probably worth a try.

I won't ever go back to expandables

I’ve killed deer with the smaller IW and the wides. Both killed the deer just as quick but the wides have produced better blood trails.