First trip to africa. How to build a heavy arrow

[bruceb]

I am making my first trip to Africa bow hunting. My whitetail set up is a bowtech 101st airborne at 53 lbs at 28 inch draw. I am shooting 360 gr 500 spine arrows including the 100 gr stinger broadhead at 255 fps.
Have been doing a lot of reading on this forum and watching a lot of videos. Seems most folks would like to shoot heavier arrows.
How do you go about finding the right heavy arrow setup without buying a lot of arrows?

 

[BourbonTrail]

Start here:

- Ashby Bowhunting Foundation
-Ranch Fairy videos on YouTube

Your current arrow setup won’t get enough penetration on larger plains game or dangerous game.

 

[Phil Giordano]

My advice is not only to use an eavy one, but also work on the FOC and built a good, sturdy, nose eavy, cut on conctat arrow. You'll find the FOC formula easily on the web. There are plenty of super tough and high quality shaft on the market, once you'll buy a dozen they will last you a long time of proficent traning and hunting.
It depends by the game you're after, 53# can be enough or not - anyway I would use a bit more horsepower.
Choose a top quality broadhead, all steel, cut on conctat - mine are Slick Trick Vipertrick - and a solid, heavy, brass insert.
Let us know...

 

[mdwest]

Go heavier than you think you need...

Ive only taken 1 African animal with a bow.. a blue wildebeest back in 2016...

My bow was set to 65lbs and I was shooting 500gr arrows...

Shot placement was extremely good.. right on the shoulder (where it belonged) at a distance of just under 20 yards..

My broadhead struck a forward rib and deflected rearward (all caught on video).. leaving me with only about 8" of penetration, barely clipping a lung and taking out the liver..

He died.. but we ended up having to track him for a LONG distance over a LONG period of time..

Looking back I wish I had gone with a heavier broadhead and overall heavier arrow...


Im considering taking my bow back to SA again in 2023.. If I do I'll be cranked up to 70lbs and will be shooting at least 600gr arrows.. Im not too worried about speed.. you don't see a lot of "jumping the string" out of the larger PG like you do with whitetail... Im much more concerned about big bones, thick muscles, etc.. and making sure the arrow gets a straight line pass through..

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I tried doing business with my local archery shop. The owner is a light arrow, high velocity believer. He basically doesn't believe in the high weight argument. I think he is wrong. So I ended up ordering 200 grain, two bladed, single bevel broadheads from 3 different makers (VPA, Iron Will and GrizzlyStik.) I also ordered 6 arrows from GrizzlyStik to make 650 gr total weight arrows. Very pleased and have ordered 6 more arrows. I am doing an archery elk hunt in 2023.

Arrow & BH Packages - Arrows - Shop the Good Stuff

Get 6 arrows, 6 broadheads, and 6 field points, while saving 20% with GrizzlyStik Arrow and broadhead high FOC Dr. Ed Ashby packages!

www.grizzlystik.com

 

[joker2400]

I am making my first trip to Africa bow hunting. My whitetail set up is a bowtech 101st airborne at 53 lbs at 28 inch draw. I am shooting 360 gr 500 spine arrows including the 100 gr stinger broadhead at 255 fps.
Have been doing a lot of reading on this forum and watching a lot of videos. Seems most folks would like to shoot heavier arrows.
How do you go about finding the right heavy arrow setup without buying a lot of arrows?

The easiest way is to order the HMR from vector custom shop. They are a heavy build with good FOC. You can then slap any decent fixed blade head on there and handle most animals.

I took my buffalo with the HMR.

I’ve shot a couple dozen animals in Africa with my bow and 500 grains TAW is plenty

 

[Dee S]

Most bow shops, especially in Texas, do not believe in heavy, high FOC arrows topped with a single bevel broadhead. Mine doesn't, but that's okay, they know I drink the kool-aide and leave me alone.
Go heavy, or go home.
I want to buy one of the t-shirts from Ranch Fairy. on the front it reads SHOOT ADULT ARROWS

 

[bruceb]

The easiest way is to order the HMR from vector custom shop. They are a heavy build with good FOC. You can then slap any decent fixed blade head on there and handle most animals.

I took my buffalo with the HMR.

I’ve shot a couple dozen animals in Africa with my bow and 500 grains TAW is plenty

How do you know your bow will shoot these type of arrows?

 

[bruceb]

Unfortunately at my age and build I just cant draw much over 55 lbs so I have to adapt to that.

 

[Dee S]

Unfortunately at my age and build I just cant draw much over 55 lbs so I have to adapt to that.

No worries, my daughter pulls 52 lbs and shoots a 550 grain arrow. A GrizzlyStik arrow topped with a 200 grain single bevel broadhead. Complete pass through on her kudu, impala, and warthog. She hit the front shoulder on her blue wildebeest and broke the bone, only getting about ten inches of penetration. It made it about 80 yards before going down and left a massive blood trail a blind man could follow.
She was 17 on that hunt.

 

[BRICKBURN]

I am making my first trip to Africa bow hunting. My whitetail set up is a bowtech 101st airborne at 53 lbs at 28 inch draw. I am shooting 360 gr 500 spine arrows including the 100 gr stinger broadhead at 255 fps.
Have been doing a lot of reading on this forum and watching a lot of videos. Seems most folks would like to shoot heavier arrows.
How do you go about finding the right heavy arrow setup without buying a lot of arrows?

This starts with:


What are you hunting?

How are you hunting?

 

[bruceb]

This starts with:


What are you hunting?

How are you hunting?

Hunting plains game mostly from blinds I would guess t spot and stalk is a possibility.

 

[firehuntfish]

I am making my first trip to Africa bow hunting. My whitetail set up is a bowtech 101st airborne at 53 lbs at 28 inch draw. I am shooting 360 gr 500 spine arrows including the 100 gr stinger broadhead at 255 fps.
Have been doing a lot of reading on this forum and watching a lot of videos. Seems most folks would like to shoot heavier arrows.
How do you go about finding the right heavy arrow setup without buying a lot of arrows?

Hi @bruceb ,

I would have to agree that your current set-up will not be ideal for consistent, adequate penetration on most medium to large plainsgame. I would also recommend an arrow build with at least 500 grains of total arrow weight with at least 20% of that weight front of center.

When you increase your total arrow weight that significantly, you will probably also need to increase your arrow spine, so buying some new arrows is probably inevitable.

Girzzlystiks are a great, but pricey option. The advantage of Grizzlystiks is that you can buy a couple of test arrows from them to see which spine/component combination tunes the best from your bow. When you find the right combo, they will apply what you have spent toward your purchase of more arrows. The disadvantage is of course the cost. However, when you consider the cost of a dozen of the right arrows is likely much less than the trophy fee of the smallest plainsgame animals you are likely to shoot, they are worth it.

Without breaking the bank, you should also consider Easton FMJ's or Carbon Express Pile Driver Hunters both coming in at 11.5 to 12 grains per inch. My wife also draws 52lbs. with a 27" draw length and she gets excellent penetration on most African plainsgame with the 250 Pile Drivers built out with a 125 grain brass inserts and a 100 grain Muzzy Trocar broadheads. You can also forego the inserts and shoot a heavier broadhead up to 200 grains to get your total arrow weight up above 500 grains.

 

[bruceb]

www.ashbybowhunting.org is unresponsive. All I get is the swirley and an infinite wait.

 

[bruceb]

ok rebooted my computer and now the site is available

 

[joker2400]

How do you know your bow will shoot these type of arrows?

They build the arrows based upon your bows specs. So you tell them the bow, draw weight, etc and they build you the arrow

They make a quality product. Tough and heavy arrows

 

[bruceb]

They build the arrows based upon your bows specs. So you tell them the bow, draw weight, etc and they build you the arrow

They make a quality product. Tough and heavy arrows

So from that you have to tune your bow?
Will you always be able to tune your bow to these arrows?

 

[joker2400]

So from that you have to tune your bow?
Will you always be able to tune your bow to these arrows?

They are no different than any other arrow in that regard. They tuned well in my bow

 

[Tra3]

+1 for grizzlystik arrows. I use a 650 grain total setup. They shoot very well and I find them more accurate at longer distances too.

My buddy’s son nearly had a pass through with a 500 grain grizzlystik at 20 yards with a 40 lb draw. He shot a 140 lb whitetail doe and watched it go down. It is worth the time to really read Ashby’s research. I believe it to be correct and have experience the benefits of a heavy arrow/broadhead combo.
@rookhawk should chime in here. He has had youth shooting lighter draw bows with good results
Your 50+ lb draw will work fine with a heavy arrow. It is probably more important to go heavy with the lighter the draw.
The side benefit, the grizzlystik arrows are tough and hold up to errant practice shots.

 

[Pavel U]

Hi, for next safari I am too contemplating the way of the bow ... but I am just starting with archery so I began with doing some research first and found this:

Bow hunting regulations in South Africa is what the law says

Bow hunting regulations South Africa. Bow hunting regulations in South Africa are there for a reason. Regulations as per trophy animal.

huntinginafricasafaris.com

Draw weight bow hunting African game with the bow hunting fanatics

Draw weight to bow hunt African game. Draw weight African plains game. Draw weight dangerous game. Draw weight for your dream bow hunt.

huntinginafricasafaris.com

Seems like pretty nice guide of what arrow build you need for particular animal, even though some things does not seem right to me (KE 50 for nyala???).

What do You, experienced bowhunters, think of this? Is it somehow useful?

According to the data Your setup gives KE 52 ft/lbs (if I am not mistaken) so suited only for the smallest of antelopes. Below is the data from the web and calculated arrow weights according to the DW multiplied by coeficients normal/heavy game.