Is a 600 grain wood arrow adequate for a 50# recurve for hunting deer and wild hog....thanks

The weight of the arrow is about fourth on the priority list but yes.

What would be the other three on the priority list

My guess would be broadhead sharpness, shot placement and bow silence. I doubt most of Papa Bear's arrows weighed even close to that.

DDave

If my memory serves me correct most of his arrows ( hunting) were about 9 gp#. So 9X65 will give you 595 .

Sorry, I am wrong. George S. can figure it out for you. My chemo is at it again!!

Your 600 grain arrow is 12 grains per inch. That 600 grain arrow will likely be plenty for up to and including thick skinned African game. The weight isn't the only issue as mentioned.

First priority is getting perfect arrow flight, or the weight is pretty much meaningless as a factor. A very sharp broadhead would be my second in line, and my accuracy a third. That is not dismissing a good heavy arrow, it just allows that weight to be utilized to best advantage. You're good to go if your arrows are flying well...even if you're hunting Eland, or anything else, save for elephant, rhino and cape buffalo.

Thing is...every one says if your arrows are light to 'keep your shots close'. But with a 12 Gpp arrow, you've got a rainbow trajectory and will need to 'keep your shots close' :)

9 gpp is a great sweet spot for me

One year after shoulder surgery I killed 3 mature deer and two coyotes with a 42# Widow and an arrow that weighed 325 grain total so less then 8 gpi. I passed through all 3 deer. One of the coyotes was facing me and I shot through him and it came out his right ham. 600 grains is plenty and depending on the bow the trajectory won't be too bad. Sorry I find it funny when guys say you will get a rainbow trajectory with a 50# recurve and a heavy arrow, well that depends a lot on the recurve!! Shawn

Doesn't matter all that much WHAT your trajectory is, as long as YOU KNOW what it is. A faster arrow is generally easier to hit with, but if you know what you're doing, you can drop an arrow precisely onto your target at ranges where a 20-fps difference in initial velocity has almost no demonstrable effect. You just have to be really good. And a lot of people hunt at such close range that it doesn't matter much there, either.

And FWIW, when you're getting down to considerations such as arrow flight, BH sharpness and shot placement… I don't think it makes any sense to try to rank them in order. No amount of "perfect" in one respect will entirely offset a real failure in one or more of the others. And if you do a reputable job all the way around, life will treat you pretty well.

Yes, it's more than plenty.

But consider this. Folks on here ALL the time are constantly trying to cahnge their anchor, or arrow length to decrease their point on. Not many seem to realize that by using a heavier arrow, you can do the same ting, and not chage your anchor OR your arrow length.

Just thinkin' out loud.

As for trajectory, my 46# Hoyt recurve will shoot a 11.5 gpp arrow, at 55 yards point on with my split-finger anchor. It's quiet as a mouse fart too, so the second or so it takes to get there doesn't matter much. For my shooting, a decreased point- blank isn't in the picture, or even wanted.

So let me get this straight.....if we 'know what we are doing' we can drop heavy arrows exactly where we want...but a faster arrow is generally easier to hit with.

So tell me why we want to make our shot harder by shooting a heavy arrow? To make up for a potentially less than perfect shot? (which is more likely with a heavy arrow).

If you know what you are doing, you will shoot even better with a lighter arrow. The people trying to reduce their point on with heavy arrows are shooting known distance. 20 yards.

And Scooby..you're the one that killed 3 deer and 2 coyote with less than 8gpp. What was wrong with that setup? (hint...nothing?) ;)

As for me I don,t like shooting over 20 yards, my bow is a 50# black widow, I figure at 20 yards and under...600 grain arrow should shoot thru my florida whitetail and hogs... I bare shafted my arrows they fly straight no left or right kick!!

Inside 20, you'd likely be fine for 'hunting accuracy'. But if you THOUGHT you were at 20, and turned out to be really at 23, you would likely miss low. But if you were shooting 9gpp instead of 12, you would likely still get a decent hit.

9 gpp that would only be a 450 grain arrow, I don,t know about that...it seems light to me!!!

The arrow you can hit with is the right one. If I were hunting hogs (I havent but want to), I would use a heavier bow and would shoot lighter. I have a 60# that shoots great at 8gpp.

Justsomedude, sorry but you just don't get it. Its not hard to figure out. If your brain or minds eye is accustomed to shooting a certain speed with heavy arrows that person will be just as accurate at a long distance as the guy shooting super flat shooting arrows. I myself seem to like an arrow going around 180 fps. I actually set my bows up and shoot the right arrow to achieve that. Shawn

"Just as accurate"? Nope. Will you get better penetration with a heavier arrow? Most likely.

I know it is possible to shoot well with heavy arrows. But I also know it is harder. And I have no reason to shoot heavier arrows.

I expect a 4" group at 30 yards. yesterday I shot a couple of practice rounds at unknown distances on uneven ground, different sized targets, obstructions etc.

I was shooting just under 10 gpp. I have shot thousands of arrows with that setup. I stepped up to a target that was bigger than I am used to. I misjudged the yardage by about 6 feet and hit a kneecap. Had I been shooting 8-9gpp I would have had a decent hit.

20 yards and in, I don't have an advantage shooting lighter arrows. But from 22-30 I do.

Your brain and your instincts can do amazing things. But they don't overcome physics. If you shoot heavier/slower arrows they will arc more. This will magnify your mistakes.

450 isn't a light arrow. First of all, we can't even define light or heavy, or where either starts. Besides that, carbon, as an arrow material, is inherently light but will still do well penetrating due to it's recovery rate after striking game, so weight cannot be considered anymore as the major factor.

We tend to still beat that old horse about heavy is better. Hitting is better, and a balanced, perfectly flying arrow, is likely going plumb through a deer whether it weighs 300 grains or 600. Folks would do well to get deadly accurate then worry about how much their arrows weigh. I know one Leatherwaller who uses 380 grain arrows on whitetail and nearly always has pass through shots. He's damn accurate too and that's over half the battle.

There is no wrong answer here. Ever one is defending what works best for them. What ever works best for you is the way to go. If you run into a problem or hunt a much different terrain then consider trying something different.I hunted very thick woods in East Texas,where you usually heard a deer long before seeing him.I never shot a deer that wasn't less than 20 yards, many 1/2 that. Bow and arrow weight didn't matter so much. I moved out to West Texas where you often see deer over 100 yards a way and have to wait and watch many that never come close enough. It called for a little different tactics. Lighter and faster. Just as long as you don't go to extremes either way. 400 to 600 grains mentioned here are all deadly. >>>------> Ken

Dude -

It just depends how much time you're willing to spend shooting at unknown/un- marked distances. The less time you spend throwing long bombs, the worse you can expect to be at it.

Personally, I do a whole lot better between 25 and 35 yards when I shoot about 8 or 8 1/2 GPP.... because I don't get to spend as much time as I would like shooting between 35 and about 60. But for many years I shot 10-11 GPP at 10- 60 yards and almost never took the same shot twice in a row, and I did pretty well with that, if I do say so.

So yes… A faster arrow is easier to hit with when you don't know the exact range, but that doesn't mean anything other than faster is EASIER. It's nothing that sufficient skill and practice cannot equal or best.

You are supporting my point. Faster/Lighter=easier for EVERYONE to shoot regardless of method and regardless if the range is known or unknown.

When you were shooting well with 10-11gpp you would have shot better at 8 or 8 1/2 (once you learned the trajectory). There's nothing personal about it. It just works better.

So that begs the question...why shoot heavy if you don't need to? The stock answer is "to be more effective in the case of a less than perfect hit'. Well...heavy arrows increase the chances of your hit being less than perfect. No matter how much you practice.

Fred Bear espoused a 9gpp arrow for the record.

The only reason I care about this at all....new guys go on the internet and think they need heavy inserts and FOC and then wonder why they can't shoot past 15 yards,

I personally wasted 6 months shooting heavy arrows with stuffed with Weedeater line...DUMB. But I read about it here so it must have ben a good idea :)

To each his own. People always mention Fred Bear used 9gpp arrows. Yes, true but Mr. Bear also shot 65- 70# bows. So that puts arrows between 585-630 grains. Plenty of weight for most game excluding buffalo, elephant, etc. He also took 60, 70 yard shots while hunting. Something not as common with traditional arrows today.

He actually said shoot the draw weight you want to or are capable of shooting. Then multiply that draw weight by nine to maximize on that bow's efficiency

Seems like a lot of you guy,s shoot carbon arrows... and there is nothing wrong with that, but for me I like poc and I have never been able to finish a woodie that did not weigh 500 grains plus... and higher than that depending on where you get your shafts from... recently I got some from Wapiti that when finished weighed 585 plus these were tapered shafts and they shot and flew perfect out of my 50# widow and when they hit they rocked that 3D target punching thru the other side this was at 20 plus yards....

You don't have to use heavy inserts and all that stuff to get heavy arrows. You have to choose your shaft material to do what you want to do. You don't pick the lightest material (carbon shafting) to make the heaviest arrow you can assemble for your bow. Completely counter productive. You choose heavier arrow shaft material. That, or stigger spine so tht you use heavier heads to get them to spine correctly.

Justsomedude, you are truly world class if you shoot 4" groups at 30 yards with any traditional bow even using sights folks have trouble doing that. I would love to shoot with you sometime, cause I would have to see that to believe that! Absolutely one of the best shooters I know and who has won many tournaments and the Muzzy shoot several times would struggle to do that without a doubt. IBO 3D worlds you would win every time if you shoot that well! Shawn

I said I EXPECT 4" groups. Not that I always get them.

My standard target is 2" squares. I have spent many frustrated hours shooting in the 22-32 yard range making elevation errrors. If you don't estimate those distances well, you will miss

I shoot low to mid 50s at my 28" draw and like my arrows in the 600-650 range. Lighter shoot a little faster/flatter, heavier penetrates better. How much of either of those you need is up to you.

I shoot 420-440 gr arrows and NEVErR had a problem and I shoot bows between 55-63 lbs

600gr, wow. Your shooting a lot of draw weight and sticking inside 20yds, so you should be fine. Bs wood arrows? Impressive. With carbons i bare shaft out to 35yds. Ive had great flight at 20, then a ft weak at 25. As for the heavy vs light I agree with justsomedude. When Im competing 0-30yd 3d, I dont want a slow log.

Yeah as everyones said that's plenty. My preference would be to drop about 100 gns off of it.

it will work fine

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