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Best hunting arrow?

Good info 102! ;)

102 said:
All the arrows mentioned are good arrows.

I started with Easton 2213 XX75 aluminum arrows MANY years ago. I've shot plastic vanes, feathers, 2,3,4,and 5 inch.

For my BEST results, I now shoot 2 different carbon arrows. One for 3-d and target practice up until the broadheads go on, (just before the season begins). This is a 7.2 gpi arrow (carbon maxx 250) that is noticably flatter flying and distance forgiving than my hunting 8.8 gpi arrows. Both are EASTON. I also interchangably hunt with the Beman 340 arrow (now owned by Easton).

THe target arrows are 4 inch feathered. The hunting arrows are Blazer vanes.

As an experiment, (and since I LOVE to tinker with equipment), in 2007, I hunted with the lighter, 7.2 gpi arrow with 4 inch feathers. (For years pryor to this experiment I tested MANY different broadheads on real deer in live hunting situations)
I recorded TEN separate bow kills on deer.

Then, last season, (2008), I switched to the heavier arrow, which while a little slower, had more weight and therefore KE. Again, TEN bow killed deer.

(Of course ALL TEN kills (for each set-up, 20 total in 2 years for the test data) were with the same Kinetic Energy (KE). Speed of the arrow increased or decreased in proportion with the weight of the arrow. At 62 pounds, both the heavy arrow and light arrow delivered the same KE.)

My results were enough to convince me that while the KE of both arrows was the same, penetration was DEFINITELY NOT! THe lighter of the two arrows, with identical matching broadheads, and VERY similar double lung shots, did NOT penetrate NEARLY as well as the heavier arrow.

The end result of an arrow that stays in a double lung shot deer as it runs off...EXPENSIVE! It almost always got broken.

TO make a bunch of boring data easy to summarize...it took me SEVEN of the lighter arrows to kill 10 deer. While I killed EIGHT deer with ONE of the heavier arrows, and also a coyote, and 2 turkeys. In fact, the arrow is still in my quiver and ready for next year!

THe lesson learned here is that I would choose my hunting arrow based on durability and accuracy while my target arrow on speed and accuracy!

(as an aside, I'll add that the blazer vanes were VERY durable and required only a gentle washing while the feathered arrows needed re-fletching)

Hope this helps!

102
Click to expand...
 
102 said:
All the arrows mentioned are good arrows.

I started with Easton 2213 XX75 aluminum arrows MANY years ago. I've shot plastic vanes, feathers, 2,3,4,and 5 inch.

For my BEST results, I now shoot 2 different carbon arrows. One for 3-d and target practice up until the broadheads go on, (just before the season begins). This is a 7.2 gpi arrow (carbon maxx 250) that is noticably flatter flying and distance forgiving than my hunting 8.8 gpi arrows. Both are EASTON. I also interchangably hunt with the Beman 340 arrow (now owned by Easton).

THe target arrows are 4 inch feathered. The hunting arrows are Blazer vanes.

As an experiment, (and since I LOVE to tinker with equipment), in 2007, I hunted with the lighter, 7.2 gpi arrow with 4 inch feathers. (For years pryor to this experiment I tested MANY different broadheads on real deer in live hunting situations)
I recorded TEN separate bow kills on deer.

Then, last season, (2008), I switched to the heavier arrow, which while a little slower, had more weight and therefore KE. Again, TEN bow killed deer.

(Of course ALL TEN kills (for each set-up, 20 total in 2 years for the test data) were with the same Kinetic Energy (KE). Speed of the arrow increased or decreased in proportion with the weight of the arrow. At 62 pounds, both the heavy arrow and light arrow delivered the same KE.)

My results were enough to convince me that while the KE of both arrows was the same, penetration was DEFINITELY NOT! THe lighter of the two arrows, with identical matching broadheads, and VERY similar double lung shots, did NOT penetrate NEARLY as well as the heavier arrow.

The end result of an arrow that stays in a double lung shot deer as it runs off...EXPENSIVE! It almost always got broken.

TO make a bunch of boring data easy to summarize...it took me SEVEN of the lighter arrows to kill 10 deer. While I killed EIGHT deer with ONE of the heavier arrows, and also a coyote, and 2 turkeys. In fact, the arrow is still in my quiver and ready for next year!

THe lesson learned here is that I would choose my hunting arrow based on durability and accuracy while my target arrow on speed and accuracy!

(as an aside, I'll add that the blazer vanes were VERY durable and required only a gentle washing while the feathered arrows needed re-fletching)

Hope this helps!

102
Click to expand...

this is why i never switched to carbons, the breakage factor. i shoot xx78 super slam selects 2512 with 125gr head. a double lung rib shot and i can reuse the arrow. if i miss my mark and shoot thru the shoulder scapula, the arrow will still penetrate and bury the fletching on the opposite side. this only happened once and the arrow broke but the deer was dead 30 yards later!!

a couple weeks ago i pulled on a shot at my targe and shot it into the frozen ground. pulled the arrow out, the field tip was toast but the arrow and insert were undamaged.
 
Aluminum arrows do bend. I do like aluminum arrows. I used them for many years. But the main reason I went to carbon arrows is to get flatter trajectory with an arrow of VERY consistent spine and weight. My 2213 arrows would actually begin to warp after years of use. I found out that the walls of the aluminum became weak after hard use and would cause straightness to become a factor. I still think they are good arrows, but availability is an issue now.

As I said before, my 340 arrows (8.8 grains per inch) go through YEARS of use including MULTIPLE pass throughs on deer and MANY practice sessions. I have NEVER had a 2213 aluminum arrow make it as long or be as tough as my carbon 340 arrows.

102
 
I'll never make the switch back to aluminum arrows . Carbon arrows are so much more durable , especially for allot of target practice . Aluminum arrows can be bent just by pulling them out of the target with too much side pressure . I have also used the same carbon arrow to kill more than one deer with after inspecting it for damage .

Penetration is just as good , if not better because of the smaller diameter of my carbon arrows than the 2413 logs I was shooting . If a heavier mass weight is desired , carbon arrows up to 13gpi can be used . Carbon Express makes several models at a heavier gpi . I like arrows that average around 8 gpi for hunting .
 

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