I’m just curious how many have hunted with an arrow that is 15grpp or above. If so, how did it work out for you? What are the bow and arrow specs? I have two different arrow setups for my 33@28 BW PCH. One is a 345gr arrow and the other a 470gr arrow. I’ve decided on the 345gr arrow for now but that is subject to change.

I’m not looking for debate on this but am wanting input from anyone who shoots an arrow that is 15grpp or more and how did it work out? Did you limit your shots to 15 yards and under? Was trajectory hard to adjust to? Did you shoot 3D with it? Thanks

Personally I think that’s insane I only use between 8-9 grs you don’t need that for any deer

RayJ this is basically the same discussion you have been prompting for over a month, that's ok but the responses aren't going to change. Some will say it's the berries, some Will say it's nuts.

Just use what YOU are comfortable with.

Like me!!

NEVER !

I imagine with the shorter draw length I had awhile back I had knocked on the door of 15gpp. As far as performance on whitetails though I saw no difference in results when using very heavy arrows versus around 10gpp (which some consider heavy). The only differences experienced by me were the feel of the shot and the trajectory.

They will drop like a rock shooting at a moose at 30 yards

Just me but,. Not sure why you would want to bog down a 30# bow The optimal formula has been laid out to you 8-10.. Shooting that weight bow I don't think you have the luxury of anything else..

hiray i've shot a 1000 grain arrow out of 65 lbs super recurve for cape buffalo. i shot the buff at appox 18 yds broadside. the arrow penetrated to the opposite side of the buffalo stopped on the rib. i also shot the same grain weight arrow at a sable complete pass through. i don;t know how that grain weight would work on your bow lbage but give it a try. . good luck

Every deer, hog,rabbit, squirrel, coon etc… have been killed with , between 10 to 15 gpp. Each one was killed plum to death unless I missed. Don’t know what else you want to know since you’ve posted multiple threads on this subject.

JL. Post apic of the Buffalo. That is cool.

FWIW,

I started with a very heavy arrow. They work just fine for very short shooting scenarios 20y and under as you can adjust the length to get pretty close to PO at short distances.

I have experimented with arrows from 8-15 GPP. You can always get them to tune by adding or subtracting tip weight.

What I’ve found; I’m overall more accurate with the lighter arrows. No surprise trajectory plays a big part, especially if you shoot out past 30y.

I have not seen any performance difference on Deer and Hogs with lighter arrows using a sharp 2 blade head- those heads turn almost any arrow into a penetrating monster.

Thus, I’m currently shooting a hair under 8gpp with a 9gpi shaft 435g in a 53# bow.

When I shot those lighter 8gpi shafts, they weren’t very durable, didn’t hold up well so 9gpi or more is the sweet spot IMO.

I like a heavy arrow I'm used to it it's not for everyone. I'm shooting around 50# with a 640 to 690 grain arrow. I'm good out to 25 yards. Most deer I've killed have been around 12 to 19 yards. Good luck

My feet aren’t that big, but they’re too long to shoot 15 GPP safely without steel-toed boots, and those get really cold in a tree stand….

Seriously, though…..

You’re at the point where you really need to just get access to a chronograph and test YOUR bow, YOUR arrows, YOUR release, string, etc….. Do The Math. Mass X Velocity will tell All.

The rest is up to you and your tune, but if you’re set on getting a “definitive” answer, that’ll be it.

Personally, I can make good use of some velocity, so accuracy is probably a fair trade- off for a small mathematical advantage…. If I were to take the time to figure it….

You’ll be fine either way. Or at least as good as your shooting. Though if you’re after wired-up, jumpy deer, it’s probably worth considering time-in-flight and their reactions. Bottom line is that everything has costs and everything has benefits, and you’ve pretty much gotta make the compromises you think you can live with.

Change the name to "Ray"

I call that a light Spear.

I shot one deer with a 15 gpp arrow. 650 gr. total arrow weight from a 43# bow. Shot it at 8-9 yards, kind of just to do it because sooner or later that might be my max hunting draw weight. Have since changed those arrows to 590 gr. but not hunted with them. Do not expect any difference in outcome though.

The thing is you are drawing 33#. To my way of thinking you need to...

Reduce max shot distance

Shoot a more efficient bow

Both (completely doable where I hunt)

Then you could shoot whatever gpp you like.

I have posted this on one of your other threads about a 33lb bow. Try what you have ,and see if you like it. If not buy a SUPER RECURVE ,and shoot a 450 gr arrow. No more concerns. Grab your bow, and arrows, and kill with no problems. You really do sound unsure of your set up. Good luck.

I have shot 13.6 gpp from my 71# Kota Badlands mild D/R longbow. Close range at hogs, shots were all under 12 yards. The running shots were a bit challenging to get the arrow and pig at the same place. Great impact and pass through shots. My bows shine at 10- 11 gpp.

Even my Red balau at 660 grains raw shaft 29 1/2" only turn out to 12.7+ gpp with a 190 grain head.

I guess I could get higher gpp if I backed down from 65-71# bows. But I don't want to. ;-)

If you are shooting that Point on stuff and string walking and using the point of your arrow. Distance shouldn't matter too much IMO. Just know the yardage and dial it in.

I shoot only 30lbs and my arrows are 400-440 grains depending on which point I use. I no longer hunt but compete in 3D events regularly and do well with them. I will add that I am a point of aim shooter and I "MUST" guess yardage accurately. If I estimate a shot at 21 yds and it is 23, that will be the difference between an 10 and a 5 or possibly a miss low. They drop fast past about 18 or so. At past 25 is a real challenge.

Since when is a 470gr arrow heavy? Much less a light spear? I would consider 470 gr about bare minimum. That's just me, maybe that's plenty for little Texas deer.

For those wondering why I’m shooting such a light weight is shoulder problems in both shoulders. I’m probably stressing over this arrow situation way too much but with such a low bow weight, arrow weight is probably more important than in a heavier bow. I know it’s up to me. I don’t like the idea of shooting an arrow so heavy from a light bow because they drop hard after 15 yards, actually even before that. I don’t think the usual 8-11 grpp is applicable here. At even 9grpp the arrow would be under 300gr.,That is way too light for hunting.

470grs. is heavy for a 33lb. bow in any state.

What John Sullins said

“ I have shot 13.6 gpp from my 71# ”

At #71 you could shoot half that GPP without a care in the world, but what relevance that has to a question about #33….???

Basically, GPP is somewhat meaningless for the same reason that poundage is equally meaningless… It really depends on the individual bow.

Mass X Velocity is really all there is. You can quantify it or you can put your faith in mostly Common Sense…..

FWIW, the only arrow mass regulation I ever say was 350. That was part of an equation involving the ability to throw those 350 grains a minimum 150 yards… I don’t know what velocity that translates to, but there’s probably a hundred websites out there dedicated to helping with Physics homework which can make that a pretty easy problem to solve….

Looks like about 125 fps will do it on that 150 yard reach requirement, but that probably assumes less drag than you get on an arrow. Strictly speaking, it’s 38.34 m/sec to reach 150m…

Me bein’ me, I’d probably tune a 400 grain arrow and call it good….

Line in the sand.

Just for perspective... Some think you need a 30-06 with a 180gr. projectile for deer, I like a 222rem. with a 50gr Barnes.

John Sullins is a competitive shooter. He's proven a person can shoot arrows 13-15 gpp accurately from a 30 lb bow out to 23 yards as he stated. If you practice, limited your shots to 17 yards and under at "relaxed" deer you should be ok. Yes, your arrows will be slow, 33 lbs is marginal weight for hunting, but can you be successful? Absolutely, practice a lot and good luck.

I'm pretty sure a .222 Rem is not even legal for deer in SD. A deer doesn't care how many GPP your arrow is or how much weight your bow draws, it only cares about how heavy the arrow is and how fast it's going.

I appreciate the input. I have ordered some GT Warrior .600 that I plan to add a 50gr weight to the insert and put 125-145gr up front to have an arrow in the 380-400gr range.

at 33# an arrow at 380-400 grains would be more than adequate. Provided that accuracy was there.

I would like to see the bare shaft results of those 600's at 33 lbs. I would think they would be too stiff. 700-800 seem to be more in line. 700's and 200 grains upfront bare shaft for me 35 lbs at my 27.5 inch draw. I do shoot a b55 string. I am going to order some 800 Big Timbers this week so I can shoot 145 grain broad heads and have an arrow weight of 385 grains. Good luck.

Kansasclipper, I would have thought the very same about the .600’s. But, I got some full length GT Traditional.600’s and put a 50gr insert with 125 gr point and they tuned well. They were just too heavy at 7.9gr per inch. I’m currently shooting GT Warriors.700 with 145 up front and full length . They tune great bare shaft. I could cut some off of them and add point weight but I like a full length shaft. The Warriors weigh 5.4gr per inch. The 3 Rivers spine calculator confirms what I’m shooting. That Calculator doesn’t have Warrior shafts but they have Fleetwood, which are a similar in weight to the Warriors.

I have only build/used one arrow that would be like that. I took a 1913 Aluminum shaft & inserted it into a 2219 Shaft. That arrow with BH, 29"= right at 900 grains total. I built it for a water Buffalo bowhunt out of a 70# Bow.. After being charged 3 different times & nearly trampled I use the Guides Rifle my last day & last aftenoon to take this one. I was never offered a bow shot.

I like heavy arrows, myself. The bow is quieter, and bow hand shock is greatly reduced. And I just seem to shoot them more accurately. I killed two deer last year with over 15 grains per pound. I was shooting a 687 grain arrow out of a 41 pound Bear Takedown, and I shot the same arrow out of a 45 pound Black Widow. The arrows were actually tuned for the Widow. I wasn't shooting that great, but that really wasn't the fault of the arrows. I hit a lot of bone in the shoulder on the second deer. Right or wrong, I tend to give credit to the heavy arrow, for getting the penetration needed on the second deer.

Fast forward, to lately, I have been shooting a 46# Osage selfbow, with Doug Fir arrows, weighing 620 grains, and they flew good enough for me to take second in a buckle shoot, a couple of weekends ago. Since then, I ended up breaking about an inch off of one of my arrows, so I decided to re-taper it and added a heavier field point. now, I am shooting a 637 grain arrow, with a 190 grain point on it. I am shooting 50/55 spine arrows. Thats 13.84 grains per pound out of a 46# selfbow. I also after that, bare shafted the same arrow combo and it flew like a dart, as long as I made sure I drew to a proper anchor. It's a better tune for me, than the slightly lighter arrow, and the bow, seems to really like it better. I don't know how fast this combo is, but I am sure it's slow, but not so slow, that I wouldn't deer hunt with it. As a matter of fact, I intend to deer hunt with it this fall. I shoot sort of instinctive, secondary vision, but my point on is about 20 yards, This works really good for 3D at the normal ranges, where I have been shooting at.

I think maybe the heavy arrows are more forgiving. Adapting to the higher trajectory is not really a bid deal for me, but lighter arrows seem to be more twitchy or whatever, just not as forgiving for me, resulting in wider misses for me, overall. And I just like the smoother action of the bow, less twang and vibration it seems.

I am thinking maybe 15 GPP is a little too heavy, but 13 to 14, I like pretty good, on several of my bows. I am still experimenting.

And I can't explain it but I have been shooting up to 40 yards at home, with my selfbow lately with these fairly heavy arrows and even though they are slow and have a rainbow trajectory, I still shoot them better than some of my other bows with lighter arrows and flatter trajectory. I am starting to think that I am just not a good enough shot to shoot light arrows as accurately.

Years ago had read the following and added it to my notes: "12.5 - - 13.5 grains of arrow per pound of bow, which is the point of diminishing returns, or appropriate "tradeoff" between weight/speed"...

Zbone, I tend to agree with that. 12.5 to 13.5 just may be the sweet spot for heavy arrows.

"shoot light arrows accurately." Lastmohecken. Can not explain why that seems the case for me. My bows have wide handles, 1.5" or 1.35" wide on primitive bows, and I need low dynamic spine. Hence longer arrows.

And, I just find it easier to "split- vision" with a little less gap.

cant edit, so mean to say that

lighter arrows are a bit harder to be consistent with, with my set- up.

I cut my .700 to 29” and added 50gr to the insert. It weighs 390gr with an foc of about 24%. The bareshaft flew straight at 10 yards. I didn’t get a chance to shoot it much today. I hope I can shoot some tomorrow. I prefer full length arrows but I’ll try this for a little while. I’m sure I can adjust to 1.5” less of arrow pretty quick. I canceled my order for the .600’s for now. I’ll try this 29” .700 for a little while. 390gr is still on the light side but it’s 12.8grpp, which seems to be a good weight for reasonable trajectory. Thanks again to everyone for the input. I have truly considered all of it. I want an arrow that is ok for 3D and adequate for hunting, which isn’t an easy fix with a 33# bow.

I cut my .700 to 29” and added 50gr to the insert. It weighs 390gr with an foc of about 24%. The bareshaft flew straight at 10 yards. I didn’t get a chance to shoot it much today. I hope I can shoot some tomorrow. I prefer full length arrows but I’ll try this for a little while. I’m sure I can adjust to 1.5” less of arrow pretty quick. I canceled my order for the .600’s for now. I’ll try this 29” .700 for a little while. 390gr is still on the light side but it’s 12.8grpp, which seems to be a good weight for reasonable trajectory. Thanks again to everyone for the input. I have truly considered all of it. I want an arrow that is ok for 3D and adequate for hunting, which isn’t an easy fix with a 33# bow.

Stickmark, as far as gap goes, something about the way I shoot, I don't have much gap and my point on is closer than about everyone I know. I don't like much gap, and would rather hold over at the longer ranges.

I also like fairly long arrows, which closes the gap. I seem to get along with heavier arrows better, because I don't shoot past 40 yards anyway, and 90 percent of my shooting is 20 and under, with a little but of longer-range shooting. But anyway, My bows seem to be quieter with less handshock, vibration, noise, etc with heavier arrows.

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