Heavy arrow help

[Devin Twitty]

Sue happy people. If I screw up its my fault period.

 

[mrpoindexter]

I stopped by the Alaska Bowhunting Supply booth and looked at the Grizzly Sticks there. I ordered a test kit with a 1,000 grain arrow and a 1,200 grain arrow and will choose which one I want and will buy 18 of them and a dozen of the 315 grain broadheads (six Ashby, six Nanook). I think from what I saw there that I will be much happier with them for the jumbo hunt than I would be with the Easton DG FMJ that I used on my buffalo as I need a little stiffer spine to get up to 1,000 grains.

I hope to have the test arrows shortly after the Vegas Shoot and will be training hard for my May safari. If you have not yet ordered your arrows, the Grizzly Stick arrows look like a real winner.

 

[DoubleLunger]

I stopped by the Alaska Bowhunting Supply booth and looked at the Grizzly Sticks there. I ordered a test kit with a 1,000 grain arrow and a 1,200 grain arrow and will choose which one I want and will buy 18 of them and a dozen of the 315 grain broadheads (six Ashby, six Nanook). I think from what I saw there that I will be much happier with them for the jumbo hunt than I would be with the Easton DG FMJ that I used on my buffalo as I need a little stiffer spine to get up to 1,000 grains.

I hope to have the test arrows shortly after the Vegas Shoot and will be training hard for my May safari. If you have not yet ordered your arrows, the Grizzly Stick arrows look like a real winner.

Let me know how they shoot. I'm about to embark on my first African safari and plan to bring my Mathews Creed currently adjusted to 70 pounds. My arrow set up is currently great for whitetails. Light and fast at approximately 350 grains total arrow with fixed broadhead.
It is to my understanding that my arrows may be too light for Kudu, Gemsbok, Warthog, and Zebra.

So let me know how your set up with the Grizzlies works out for you assuming that you may be taking similar game as to what I am.

Thanks and good luck over there

 

[Synergy]

Double lunger , you don't need grizzly sticks to hunt Gemsbok, Kudu and Zebra
Just use a heavier arrow with your bow, I think something in the 500 grains range

For plains game I'm using 480 grains of a 70 pounds bow , and the grizzly sticks (950) for my cape buffalo in a 80 pounder

 

[mrpoindexter]

The arrows came in the other day and they were 1,000 grains and 1,250 grains. They shoot well. Since they are fatter in the front than my current arrows, I will need to tune my bow a little for them but still have a lot of poundage to add back on (dropped down to 72lbs and need to build back up to 85lbs).

I went right through my Kudu with a 60lb No-Cam and a roughly 400 grain arrow. I didn't shoot a Gemsbok or warthog, but shot a couple zebra and they are tough - no pass throughs on them with my old PG rig. I am going to be shooting 500 grains or more for plains game from now on. I could get by with less on the tiny ten or impala & bushbuck, but for larger I would want the extra mass and momentum.

I am planning on getting the 1,250 grain arrows. Those will basically weight 937 grains without the arrowhead (but including the nockturnal) when cut down to my 28" draw, so if I want some extra speed and am willing to sacrifice a little FOC (from the 30% FOC it is at and go down to 20%), I can swap out the broadhead for a 100gn and get down to 1,037 grains. For lighter, I can use my existing Easton DG FMJ arrows.

One thing that was pointed out to me at the booth was how strong the Momentum arrows were up near the threads compared to the Easton arrows and they showed me how one of those arrows failed. It was very interesting because I had one of my Easton arrows also fail at that exact same point when hitting a Rinehart animal target. I think I hit something inside it like the rebar stake perhaps, but the arrow cracked and failed exactly like I was shown. I did well with the DG FMJ's and took a Cape buffalo with a pass through using a 150gn Silver flame BH from GrizzlyStik, but if I push up to 1,000 grains overall, the arrow is underspined and Easton doesn't make a 175 spine GD arrow.

As for my hunt coming up, if I didn't have a bunch of Carbon Express arrows (Maxima Blu RZ 350), I would consider switching my plains game arrows to the Momentums, but I would like to get my full set and see how well they group at 40-50 yards before I look to switch. I have big game in May. My PG hunt isn't until July. Maybe I will switch them over for that hunt and just make my Carbon Express for target shooting or small game in CA. The more I think about it, the more I think I may swap because I just don't want to lose another animal. I lost a Zebra last year and it cost more than the arrows would. I am pretty sure that more momentum would have fixed that because it was a good hit location but just didn't penetrate far enough.

 

[DoubleLunger]

The arrows came in the other day and they were 1,000 grains and 1,250 grains. They shoot well. Since they are fatter in the front than my current arrows, I will need to tune my bow a little for them but still have a lot of poundage to add back on (dropped down to 72lbs and need to build back up to 85lbs).

I went right through my Kudu with a 60lb No-Cam and a roughly 400 grain arrow. I didn't shoot a Gemsbok or warthog, but shot a couple zebra and they are tough - no pass throughs on them with my old PG rig. I am going to be shooting 500 grains or more for plains game from now on. I could get by with less on the tiny ten or impala & bushbuck, but for larger I would want the extra mass and momentum.

I am planning on getting the 1,250 grain arrows. Those will basically weight 937 grains without the arrowhead (but including the nockturnal) when cut down to my 28" draw, so if I want some extra speed and am willing to sacrifice a little FOC (from the 30% FOC it is at and go down to 20%), I can swap out the broadhead for a 100gn and get down to 1,037 grains. For lighter, I can use my existing Easton DG FMJ arrows.

One thing that was pointed out to me at the booth was how strong the Momentum arrows were up near the threads compared to the Easton arrows and they showed me how one of those arrows failed. It was very interesting because I had one of my Easton arrows also fail at that exact same point when hitting a Rinehart animal target. I think I hit something inside it like the rebar stake perhaps, but the arrow cracked and failed exactly like I was shown. I did well with the DG FMJ's and took a Cape buffalo with a pass through using a 150gn Silver flame BH from GrizzlyStik, but if I push up to 1,000 grains overall, the arrow is underspined and Easton doesn't make a 175 spine GD arrow.

As for my hunt coming up, if I didn't have a bunch of Carbon Express arrows (Maxima Blu RZ 350), I would consider switching my plains game arrows to the Momentums, but I would like to get my full set and see how well they group at 40-50 yards before I look to switch. I have big game in May. My PG hunt isn't until July. Maybe I will switch them over for that hunt and just make my Carbon Express for target shooting or small game in CA. The more I think about it, the more I think I may swap because I just don't want to lose another animal. I lost a Zebra last year and it cost more than the arrows would. I am pretty sure that more momentum would have fixed that because it was a good hit location but just didn't penetrate far enough.

Excellent. Thank you for the feedback. What type of game will you be going after in May?

 

[mrpoindexter]

Elephant in Zimbabwe. There really isn't another reason to get a 1,250 grain arrow except maybe bow fishing. I am still working on getting my permit from Zim Parks, which is a real PITA. I have a hippo hunt booked in early July in Limpopo and then a Lion hunt in the Kalahari right after that. I already got my buffalo last August. I am hoping to get a Leopard as an "opportunity" while in Zim and want to bait every night to see if I can get lucky. If things break my way, I can be a croc and rhino short of the D7 inside 12 months.

 

[DoubleLunger]

Elephant in Zimbabwe. There really isn't another reason to get a 1,250 grain arrow except maybe bow fishing. I am still working on getting my permit from Zim Parks, which is a real PITA. I have a hippo hunt booked in early July in Limpopo and then a Lion hunt in the Kalahari right after that. I already got my buffalo last August. I am hoping to get a Leopard as an "opportunity" while in Zim and want to bait every night to see if I can get lucky. If things break my way, I can be a croc and rhino short of the D7 inside 12 months.

Ok I might be a little jealous lol. The heavier setup does make sense for that. Good luck and thanks for the insight

 

[mrpoindexter]

Don't get jealous yet. I haven't gotten my bow permit after many weeks of pushing Zim Parks and I don't know when or if that will happen. Worst case, I will have to use a gun. Best case, I get a pass through broadside or, if he won't turn around, hit him in the chest and hope it comes out his butt. I am guessing I will be 115 Ft-lbs and 1.13 slugs of momentum.

I agree with @Synergy, 500 grains and a 70lb bow really is plenty for plains game.

 

[Lee M]

That draw cycle must be tough. I shot a 60 lb version of that model at the Harrisburg show at thought it was extremely harsh compared to the other 6 bows I shot day. But the brace height is 5" and the IBO is 370... Good luck.

 

[DoubleLunger]

Hey guys, thanks for the info. The Kinetics look good, this is what I'm getting:

Is there a way to get them heavier with inserts etc? At the moment it's showing 667 gr with a 300 gr field point and the 24 gr Accu-Tough insert.

For the Rampages I can get it to a good place if I leave the shaft at 32", is this a bad idea? I know trad archers shoot long arrows, but I assume it's different with a compound. This is what I get at 32" with a 911 gr arrow, any shorter than this and it's pretty stiff:

Where did you find this program? Been looking all over for it online and can't find it.
Thanks

 

[mrpoindexter]

That is From Pinwheel software. The mac version is Software For Archers. The PC version has another name. I think the suite is called OnTarget.

Excellent program

 

[DoubleLunger]

That is From Pinwheel software. The mac version is Software For Archers. The PC version has another name. I think the suite is called OnTarget.

Excellent program

Thank you so much. I think I'll download it when I get home. Pretty accurate program?

 

[mrpoindexter]

Incredibly accurate, from what I have seen. I did a comparison of about 10 or so arrow weights against 4 different online calculators compared to my real world chrono results and all 4 of the online ones failed miserably but the SFA program was spot on.

 

[Devin Twitty]

I've used the back country online a few times and it was close on my bow but the wife's bow it was way off with heavy arrows. Bow 45lbs/24" shot 200fps with a 470grn arrow and calculator said 150fps.