HEAVY VS LIGHT ARROWS: Arrow weight is NOT the most important FACTOR! 

I bought your carbon hybrid 8 degree grip. Very well made grip highly recommend anyone interested in a grip to replace engage grip. Is there a different feel between the carbon hybrid and the just polymer grip?

As a midwest hunter going after jumpy animals, I have and always will be middle of the road. 490-540 gr w/ high FOC tends to be my go-to whether it's compound or traditional. That's what gives me the trajectory I like. I will say, the broadhead has always been the limiting factor. I refuse to shoot mechanical or anything with a chisel tip anymore. Cut on contact (preferably single-bevel) w/ a good mechanical advantage (2/1 or better) and scalpel sharp.

I hate hearing the argument about heavy at distance. 99% of people can not shoot accurately to 40. Bowhunting is about seeing how close you can get not how far. I spend a lot of time at the range and most guys I see shouldn’t shoot an animal past 30. I shoot 560 grains out to 80 with no problem but my limit on deer is 30 and in. That has been my limit for 24 year, to much can happen past that.

I believe that whatever gives a pass thru on your target animal is what counts.So an arrow or bolt in the 425-490 grains is perfect.Shot placement is key as well.Practice,practice and more practice is VERY important.All these things combined is what is needed.

The 2 camps are actually on the same page. I have heard Troy same time and again " just get to 550gr". JD is hunting with 530gr arrows. So, no difference.

I will give you my take. I have been a traditional bowhunter for 4 decades. As most people know Longbows and Recurves have no where near the energy of a compound. Now when I started for the most part lightweight arrows were not much of an option. Seems like the old Beeman Carbon arrows were the only light option. I shot mostly aluminum arrows and some wood arrows. Usually a 2 blade broadhead in the 100 to 125gr weight. Shot through Elk, Shot through Wild Hogs. And whitetail deer. I went to carbon about 10 years ago still with the same broadheads. Shot through Elk, Hogs and deer. A good sharp cut on impact head with good arrow flight plus Shot placement is most important.

We need to think about and talk more about SHARP broad heads and less about arrow weight , it’s the broad head that kills the animal not the arrow, there’s are many non ethical broad heads on the market that should not be used . Razor sharp steel broad head blades I think are the most lethal ones on the market ,, they don’t get sharp in the air or entering an animal !

I believe you said it best in the opener. Arrow weight is dependent on shooter equipment and what your target animal will be

Taken a bunch of elk with ~440 grain arrows. I now shoot a heavier arrow with most up front and have been very happy with the switch. This is due to seeing arrow deflections going through the ribs (I only shoot fixed head high quality heads). I believe that with most or nearly half of the weight being in the arrow, it contributes more to the deflections. Think of it this way, if I throw a rock with a string attached, it has no affect when the rock hits the target, if it is a stick it will contribute more. I want the broadhead to help pull the arrow into the target. As for increased trajectory with increased weight, well it is archery and it by default takes more skill in both hunting and shooting. If you want flat trajectory there is always rifle season. But I say to each there own, I just like being out there and I wish everybody luck in their pursuit.

This debate is never ending. Most people hunt whitetail deer. You do not need a 600 gr arrow to kill a white tail, hopefully we can all agree on that. If you’re hunting pigs or going to Africa, maybe consider some of the Dr Ashby stuff.

I switched to heavy arrow set up I’ve also use single bevel razor sharp heads, with a well tuned set up knock tuned, insert tuned arrows, tuned bow makes all the difference !!! I’m only shooting 65 lbs took a deer at 45 yards last season I believe my set up arrow weight around 640 250 spine with three hundred grains up front… That’s what I run may not work for everyone but I’m glad I switched and Troy Fowler has helped me a bunch…

It’s nice to hear someone talking about the benefits or a middle ground arrow. And the fact that broadheads matter more than arrow weight. Why does everyone forget that arrow diameter matters a ton too? Elk shape and day six gear have talked about the advantages they provide but I’ve never heard anyone else. Ranch fairy likes to say archery targets are designed to stop arrows so they can’t be used to test penetration. But then I ask why do my 4mm arrows penetrate and extra 4-5” further than my old standard diameter arrows even tho my old arrows weight about 40grs more.

Finding Backcountry Podcast - Jeremy Duggar did the data collection on effectiveness of a hunting arrow... give it a listen. As an industry guy who has hunted primarily elk and mule deer in the west, with a variety of other animals, there's a reason bow companies rate their bows the way they do. It is about efficiency of energy delivery, and accuracy. Don't buy into the hype, find the arrow that flies the best out of your bow and use it. Accuracy kills faster than having a safety net of an overweight arrow.

I lean towards the heavy side at close to 500gr on a 65lb draw. You mention accuracy quite a bit and yes I agree that is important but I would rank arrow flight as the most important item when it comes to shooting a bow. If your arrow is coming out of the bow sideways its doesn't matter if it is coming out at 250 ft/sec or 350 ft/sec it is not going to work. But overall I agree there is a sweet spot in the middle and when watching the Ranch Fairy's videos he really emphasizes that finding that sweet spot is so important which is why he teamed with Sirius with his tests kits so you can figure out what that is. Cheers and happy hunting!

A broad head that stays sharp is really overlooked. The reason a lot of mechanicals and cheap broad heads don’t penetrate well is because halfway through the animal they stop cutting and no arrow has enough energy to forced a blunt 2” wide object through an animal. The shaper something is the less force it takes to cut thus if you have a sharp enough broadhead on a 400gr arrow it will out penetrate a 650gr arrow with a very dull broadhead.

I shoot 455 grains on 70lb w/a Magnus Stinger. Zero complaints

Yep, started out watching this video then bears decided to walk through the back yard. So my attention went to shoot a video of them. But definitely a balance, I used to shoot light arrows out of an 80 pound black max 2 and that bow would rattle your teeth even with silencers and dampeners. I could have also sworn that the arrow was so light it would shift left and right in flight. Had a few jump the string so I though speed was the answer. School of hard Knox for me for sure, spend a whole year thinking about that bruiser buck you shot and couldn’t find, I hate that feeling. Great information without a doubt.

I’m so over this heavy VS light argument! Obviously a heavy object is harder to stop but if the animal isn’t there when the arrow gets there it doesn’t matter how hard it hits. Most archers are in that 27-29” draw 70lb bow a 400-465grain arrow is all you need. One thing i learned when I started shooting target is most people (myself included) don’t know how to shoot a bow. You might be shooting a 3”-4” group in your backyard with your buddies but that doesn’t mean your not torquing the bow which has a huge impact on how the arrow flys and if your arrow is still trying to recover when it hits your target even if it’s great shot placement your going to see poor penetration.

Shooting 68bs with 370g arrows…buzzing at 308fps…shoots thru deer like butter.

I feel your hunting style and terrain has more influence on arrow weight than many would like to admit. I exclusively hunt thick, topographicaly challenging terrain here in the shadows of the Appalachian mountains. If I would make an educated guess, I'd say 97%-98% of my shots are inside of 25 yards, with the majority being under 20 yards. A 500-550 grain arrow with an FOC north of 17% fits that bill perfectly. I have more than enough momentum to pass through a large whitetail from any angle and shatter shoulder bone on a quartering to shot. On the flip side, if I were to hunt the eastern side of my state, where there are a lot of ag fields, a 450ish grain arrow would be better suited for the longer shot opportunities. In the end, the most important thing is to know the limitations of, and have confidence in your equipment. Put a 350gr arrow with a sharp broadhead through the ribcage of a broadside buck, and he'll be just as dead as the one you put a 600gr arrow through with the same shot. The biggest difference for me is the fact that most of my animals are quartering one way or the other. I have small windows that I can shoot through, so a heavier arrow provides me with more shot opportunities over having to wait for the perfect shot angle.

None of it matters if you can’t hit your target. I care way more about where I’m putting that arrow rather than weight. I think most of the data points are used as scapegoats for poor shots. Let’s just take a medium range shot like 35 yards. 70lbs 370-500 grains if you put that arrow in the crease it’s going to blow through it. And the conversation on penetration should probably be focused around the thing that slows your arrow down more than anything else and that’s the broadhead when it hits the animal.

Arrow mass and broadhead choice does not matter until you hit something hard. Time to target I think has been proven to be negligible.. trajectory is a definite concern once you get past 50yds or so. My concern with the heavy arrow thing is, we are preaching a 650gr bone break threshold when a longbow was being used mostly for testing. If you look up the stats on the equipment used at the time and build an arrow that matches those numbers. For instance my bow IBO’s at 320fps with 70lbs and 30.5in DL and with Dr.Ashby shooting 650gr out of a longbow I hit his momentum number at about 526gr. And blow his KE out of the water, with probably close to 100fps faster. I’m not sure if any of that is comparable, but it is interesting.

shooting a 150 grain arrow with a 300 grain head and 240 spine. lets go!

I think you definitely have a common sense approach. However i will say this discussion needs to go on. This very discussion has helped me find my perfect happy medium at 510 grains at 64 lbs. Itw will help a lot more as well.

I shoot 715 grains, 25%FOC, going 253 FPS. All the whitetail I killed over the years will tell you it was too fast for them.

Personally, I could care less about arrow weight. I couldn't tell you what my arrows weigh, & I don't really care what they weigh. I simply buy quality arrows that are spined correctly for my set up. I have brass inserts installed to add a little extra FOC. For me I prefer Victory arrows, because they come spine aligned from the factory. I buy their Elites (.001 straightness) in the standard size shafts. I have them cut to the proper length & have the brass inserts installed. I prefer two holes (penetration) over a wide cut. I think the most important factor for this is the blade angle. Most 2-blade mechanicals have terrible blade angles for penetration. Keep in mind, a tiny Slick Trick Standard (1" 4-blade) has the same total cut (1" + 1" = 2") as that 2" mechanical. 2" mechanicals must swing those blades way out there to get that cut, and they usually require a long ferrule to house those blades in flight. Compare the ferrule length of a Swhacker to a QAD Exodus. An Exodus ferrule is no longer than a field point. A 2-blade single-beveled fix blade is going to be hard to beat for penetration, but I prefer a 3 or 4 blade cut. Slick Trick Magnum, Standard, & Xbox use the exact same ferrules. 1" Standard & 1 1/8" Magnum/Xbow blades are interchangeable. As I have become a worn out old geezer, (dropped to 60 pounds) I shoot the Slick Trick Viper Tricks. Why? Better blade angle = better penetration. My last buck took five jumps & piled over dead 35 yards from my stand. I sharpen the broadhead that goes on my rest weekly during the season. The arrow weight argument seems silly to me. Shoot a quality arrow with a good broadhead for your particular set up.

I shoot a 675 grain arrow at 70 pounds, I don’t see where I have given up any accuracy whatsoever. There is no huge rainbow in my arrow flight like you guys claim. Don’t knock the heavy arrow until you try it. As far as my experience with heavy arrows I have not given up anything. Since switching to a heavy arrow I have not lost an animal.

I’m shooting 400 grains in a 55lb bow. I don’t know or care if it’s heavy or light just as long as it fills my freezer 😁

I’ve killed a pile of elk with 390 gr arrows at over 300 fps. Don’t plan on changing anything anytime soon. If it ain’t broke, I ain’t fixin it…….

I agree with a lot of this video. MFJJ opinion about light arrows kills me about faster to the animal because crossbow hunters with 400fps bolts still miss and animals duck even that 😅

People in these videos will often say heavy penetrates way better, but they never show a test and back it up. Every test I've seen heavy arrows only barely penetrate better. Like an inch or less on ballistic gel. Which means the benefits of a light arrow far outweigh the penetration issue. I shoot a 350 gr arrow and i hunt elk, mule deer and moose. I've never had a penetration issue.

if you have at least 450 ill respect you as a plan b archer hunter as long as your not shooting mechs. Mechs fuck everything up when animal reacts and the trajectory to open normally becomes screwed.

It’s all personal choice. Up close, the difference in KE between a light and heavy arrow is next to nothing with modern bows. Trajectory and flight time are also next to nothing between the two up close. At distance, KE is higher on the heavy arrow and trajectory is worse. You have to be very good at distance calls with a heavy arrow and you have to be very good at accuracy and shot selection with a light arrow. If you make a mistake with either, it’s a bad day. Both sides take similar skill levels but of slightly different things. Anyone who pretends one arrow or the other fixes all your problems isn’t being objective or they are trying to sell you something.

I just shoot for 278-289 fps whatever weight that come out to is fine your sight tape really drops off if you go below 280’s I’m at about 480 grains I have outserts and 125 grain broadheads also accuracy is not in your arrows I was in a league and we shot a round I used range arrows not tuned to my bow not the same length or weights and at 20 yards I shot a 286 which is great same score as my normal arrows at distance it definitely matters but not as much as we think it does get your spine right and fire away

Heavy drinking heavy women heavy arrows. Let’s go!!!!!!

Chris bee with his 80 pound bow 450 grain arrow, making pin cushions out of water buffalo all over Australia just entered the chat.

Heavy poundage + Heavy arrow =Balance for me😂😂😂

Im more for a arrow with integrity, accurate, with a sharp broadhead. Currently shooting Rip Tko 300 spine, 50gr titanium insert, and a 200gr single bevel total arrow weight 515gr with a 23% foc Was shooimg this setup with a 125gr and out to 30yards dont even have to adhust my sight POI is literally the same they group within an 1' of each other time to target is .0001 difference 😂at 20yards. I look at it like this if your hunting within 30 yards out of a tree, upgrade your inserts to SS or titanium and shot whatever broadhead youve been successfull with, and dont worry about the posable 20-50gr extra weight for more integrity. Stop trying to go for light or heavy just look for perfect flight and structural integrity period, i dont care if your 400gr or 600 grain if thats what youve been successfull with keep it going but recommend gettimg rid of aluminum. But the whole 4" of penitration from 15yards is a f*cking joke btw and ive been seeing plenty of that. If your getting bs penitration change something naybe your bows not tuned properly, maybe to light, might be rhat cheap aluminum bending and losing momentum could be a number of things. These are rhe ones RF are trying to help, hes not telking eveyone to up the weight, hes giving a solution to those people having penitration issues and looking for help, kinda like AA for hunter struggling. I dont worry about weight, i focus on perfect arrow fligt, structural integrity, and broadhead sharpness, ive been everywhere from 415ish-515ish and never had any issues with how i do my arrow setups. Ive pryed arrows out of trees and still spin perfect, with aluminum bs you aint doing this, titanium inserts are light of your worriied about weight, $$$ but its worth it out of 12 arrows from 2 years im only down 1 as it hit a concreat block, letting down and accidentally hit the trigger 😂 opps. But other than that its resharpen and reuse or put a new feildpoint on it and its good as new, trees, roots, dirt, animals, everything but concrete

This doesn't even need to be that big a deal with a compound !!! If your bow is shooting 230-300fps then you should be able to blow through alot of game with zero issues using a 400+ grain arrow... This heavy vs light arrow makes way more sense when your shooting a recurve or longbow and your lucky to hit 160fps. Thats where its been proven time and time again that a heavy arrow reins Supreme, hands down !!! This argument in the compound world is comical because your bows are so technologically advanced that a lighter arrow works just fine with all that speed !!! This isn't rocket science.... Holy cow !!!

my wife shoots 40 pounds 25 inches with 585 grain arrows iron will single bevel shoots 25 and under blows through deer no issues she was shooting 350 grains and has lost several deer when hitting any bone so no way someone can tell me light arrows work as good cause they dont. I shoot 550 grains 29 inches 80 pounds 287 fps blows through whatever it hits. there is no such thing as a heavy arrow being less accurate your not giving up anything with accuracy thats bullcrap its called being sighted in wth so if you shoot a more heavy arrow your giving up accuracy?? no your not you may give up range but not accuracy just cause the animal moves does not mean you where not accurate. the only thing a flatter shooting arrow does is let you be lazy and not range the target if it moves or if you guess wrong well we owe it the the animal to be as perfect as we can so range the target if it moves and your not sure. its simple you just have to make up your mind to be ethical. its a free country so shoot what ya want but dont tell me light works as good as a heavy or that heavy is less accurate. if you sight your rifle in with 150 grain pills then toss 180 grain pills in the rifle is not less accurate its just not sighted in for the 180 grains if all other things are equal. one more thing it dont matter if you do everything right are the best shot shoot 500 arrows a day. once you loose that arrow its out of your hands and animals move so your everything right perfect shot just turned into a crap shot so its nice to have that extra to still get the job done..this is just my 2 pennies hope everyone fills there tags and is safe doing it no matter what they shoot good luck and God Bless

This whole thing is kinda a joke imo .for us older guys that have hunted since the 80s and really know what slow and heavy arrows are have not much problems with any equipment today..most people forget its far more important to shoot good and have a good broadhead thats razor sharp and holds together

420- 450 perfect arrow

You want to end the debate by starting a whole video on it and dropping the most basic knowledge possible? Lol you’re fueling the fire

Ok…cuz someone’s surely gonna ask. I went round n round with elk shape too on this. And turns out his own arrow was 20-30 grains different than mine 😂lol and his argument was that we don’t need a 700grsin arrow. Nobody ever said that. The guy was making a point with 700 My white tail setup is a 250 spine with a 100grain stainless insert and a 125 grain broad head. Preferably solid piece of steel like Montec. Or the Ozcut. I have a single bevel also that I trust the most, because it’s a bone breaker. My over all weight of the whole arrow is 540 grains, and that is not extreme. With a single bevel and 75 lb bow, a good shooting arrow that is tuned, a bow that is tuned , that arrow has no problem being accurate or getting to the target fast enough, and it will blow through anything even if the deer jumps and tries to avoid me. It’s already been established too. I broke off the humerus and still had enough momentum to slice the heart and burry my arrow 9 inches in the dirt behind him. And that was shooting at a moving buck at a steep angle and I had half a second to decide too. I think if I had a twizzler arrow, he woulda ran off with my arrow stuck in him, and no vitals cut. And I wouldn’t have this 9point on my wall today. Cuz I’ve experienced that as well in previous seasons with a twizzler arrow and a stupid mechanical broadhead

Just because ppl are having a discussion about something and sticking to the subject…don’t mean they don’t have an understanding about everything else. You made a whole video based on an assumption and you gave opinions on arrow performance and efficiency while ignoring the fact that old studies exist and newer studies are being conducted now. Science is ongoing. Nobody is spending way too much time on arrow weight. All those ppl are spending time on everything that’s essential. And you have no justification to suggest otherwise

Just because ppl are having a discussion about something and sticking to the subject…don’t mean they don’t have an understanding about everything else. You made a whole video based on an assumption and you gave opinions on arrow performance and efficiency while ignoring the fact that old studies exist and newer studies are being conducted now. Science is ongoing. Nobody is spending way too much time on arrow weight. All those ppl are spending time on everything that’s essential. And you have no justification to suggest otherwise