# whats more important speed with a smaller dia head or slower



## willie123 (Sep 24, 2005)

although i have heard the many different things on the subjects to come up with modern technolgy. i have my own opinions but am interested what u guys think. so here is my question would u prefer a faster arrow speed with a smaller dia lighter broadhead, or would u prefer a slower heaver arrow with a larger dia broadhead. i would prefer the slower arrow for various reasons. a slower arrow is in the deer longer cutting longer and deeper the bigger broadhead does more damage faster and causes a great deal more shock faster. those are just a few of the reasons why i prefer the slower arrow. i often wonder about this question cause i have hit a couple deer threw both lungs and lost them. i have heard of this happening to other guys who shoot the carbon arrows and teny tiny broadheads. i do not understand how a deer can go for so long with a solid double lung hit. but i have seen it happen and helped guys track deer which were hit in both lungs. on more than one occassion the next day we found the deer alive and standing. a final shot and it was over. (there was no doubt the arrow was razor sharp and passed completely threw both lungs) let me know what u think


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

IMO
Speed is important, (kinetic energy) I would much rather have a one+ inch complete pass-through than take the chance of a good shot bigger potential cut and an incomplete pass-through. As you know the shot placement is the key to a successful harvest regardless of what setup you use. A properly placed double lung shot with a complete pass is quickly fatal. A single lung shot with an embedded arrow is a slow miserable death. I shoot a 3 year old PSE 70 lb @ around 320 fps with carbon express arrows tipped with 125 rocket steelhead expandables. They don't typically get very far away before the stagger and fall. I will not hunt with a used broadhead, I always put a fresh tip on every time out. If you get consistant positive harvest results using bigger cuts with less speed go with what works best for you. I prefer the extra zip and punch.

Just my 2 cents

Bob


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

> on more than one occassion the next day we found the deer alive and standing. a final shot and it was over. (there was no doubt the arrow was razor sharp and passed completely threw both lungs)


every deer I've ever hit with a double lung shot (well over 100) was dead in a minute or two at most, usaually a lot less. Maybe they just looked like a double lung shot, deer can't breathe with two lungs full of blood.

I think arrow speed is a relatively small factor, a 45 # recurve will shoot clean though a whitetail and thats not a fast bow by todays standards. Arrow sharpness, arrow weight, and where you hit it are the big issues IMHO.

I read a study in Bow hunter magazine once explaining that the difference in arrow speed at 20 yards and beyond is very small( no matter how fast they start out) in all hunting weight bows, because all arrows slow down rapidly. Similar to birdshot ballistically, you can load a hot shell but forty yards out the difference isn't that great.

Heavy arrows always out penetrated the lighter arrows in the medium they used for the study. A lot of guys that hunt african big game used to insert a smaller diameter aluminum shaft into the arrows the were using to get a much heavier arrow and better penetration on real big game like buffalo.

I see alot of people that are over bowed that would probably be more effective with a bow weight they can handle without straining, not worry about speed and keep the distance reasonable.


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## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

Bob has some great points.

Ted Nugent is very vocal (I know, hard to imagine) about arrow weight and speed. He says that he shoots about 220FPS with heavy arrows and razor sharp broadheads and gets complete pass throughs.

My dad still shoots a Jennings Forked Lightning (circa 1000BC!!!) set at 43 pounds and large diameter Graflex arrows and 125gr Satelite 3 blade broadheads. Again complete pass throughs. We never chronographed it, but I'm guessing around 170 fps.

I shoot a 301gr (total weight) CX200 w/ 75 grain Miniblaster 3X (1.75 cut) broadhead around 250-260 fps. Pass throughs on both deer. Both broadside, one at 10 yards (last year) and 30 yards (1-1/2 weeks ago).

A friend of mine, shoots almost the same arrow as me, but his bow is set at 70 pounds, chronographed at 305 fps. Same broadhead. His freezer gets packed with 10 deer a year with this set up. (BTW, there are 4 counties in MD where you can take an UNLIMITED number of antlerless deer with archery)

So we have 4 very different set-ups but with 2 common themes....RAZOR sharp broadheads and shot placement. IMHO, you should shoot the biggest cutting broadhead that you can shoot accurately and still get complete pass throughs. Having a second "drain" hole in the deer makes traking much easier.

:2cents:


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## tmonster (Jan 27, 2005)

don't get too picky on broadheads (besides being sharp of course), just shoot them well. you don't necessarily need to have more weight or speed in the broadhead to get a good kill. people have been killing deer with archery equipment long before any of this equipment we use came out. I'd take a well placed shot to some fancy gadgets and technological mumble-jumble any day. :2cents:


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## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

I hunt out of a stand probably 90% of the time and won't shoot beyond 35 yds. That's just me. I hunt in thick woods and most of the time can't even see a deer beyond 35 yds. I guess my point is, getting close range shots from my stand often means sharper downward angles. I don't need a big hole in the deer, I just need two. One hole through the vital and the other out the bottom half for good blood drainage. Very little blood will drain out of a hole that enters towards the top half, but put it through that animal and now we have something draining with gravity in my favor. I shoot a Mathews standard at 55lbs. with Easton ACC's (aluminum carbon composite) and Rocky 125 supremes. This is what works well for me and the two hole pass through is a definate must IMO. Internal bleeding doesn't help me when the tracking starts.


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## Whelen35 (Mar 9, 2004)

I would agree that lost of people try to shoot more bow than they really need. Back 20 years ago when just out of college I worked in a sporting goods store and could not believe all the people who just had to shoot a 75-80lb bow. Then I would tell them to sit down in a chair and pull the bow back. If they could without grunting, greatly moving the bow about while letting great gasps of air out, then they indeed could shoot a bow of this weight out the door they went. Most of them purchased a bow that they could draw and shoot with a minimum of effort. Also, isn't a slower bow more fowgiving to tune? I now shoot a 55lb bow with carbon arrows, but still shoot heavy by todays standards 125gr broadheads. I like 3 or more blades cut on contact if possible but can be happy with chisel points if the materal is steel and hard. If a majority of my bowhunting was for game larger than deer, I think some gym time and 75lbs is what I would try to be at. As it is now, if I was going to shoot an elk next week, 60lbs would be just fine.


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## Jim Scott (Dec 19, 2005)

I have always looked at it this way: would you rather be hit in the head with a ping pong ball doing 300 fps, or a baseball doing 220 fps? I have used both aluminum and carbon arrows and am not very satisfied with the carbon shafts. We shoot bows 55 to 60 lbs with heavy Easton aluminum arrows and have had complete pass throughs on Elk. I have never had that happen with a carbon shafted arrow. But, that's just my opinion.

Jim


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## Remington 7400 (Dec 14, 2005)

Stay away from carbon shafts, shoot Easton Aluminum. Use fixed blade broadheads, a minimum of 100 grains. You won't have any problems with penetration.


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## bowshot (Feb 15, 2006)

im all for heavy arrows, i hunt in the brush though, cant hardly see a deer past 60 yards most of the time in bow season


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

Whelen35

I hear you. When I was younger, not that young, I shot an 84 pound York. No problem, I could pull it sitting flat on the ground right handed or left handed. But then as I paced 100 yards to my arrow (after passing through a deer) I started questioning my wisdom. Part of the reason for the heavy bow is when your young friends want to barrow your equipment, and I didn't want to loan out my bow. Just to personal.

Then I dropped to 70 lb, and after shoulder surgery I dropped to 60 lb. Still getting pass through, but shooting is more fun. I ordered a new bow last night, another 50 to 60lb.

Out of 60 or a few more deer I have only shot ten from a tree stand. Most have been ambushed or stalked on the ground. The arrows were going a long way past the deer. I just decided I didn't need 100 yards after pass through.


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## mossy512 (Jan 7, 2006)

Personally I will sacrifice speed for the harder hit of a heavier arrow. I like some shock on impact. :lol:


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## Starky (Mar 15, 2006)

I've gone both ways with speed and kinetic energy and I don't see an advantage of one over the other in a hunting situation. It comes down to what you can shoot acurately. Now shooting targets or 3-D is a whole different animal. Light arrows and speed are the only way to go but again, only if you can shoot them acurately.


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