Arrow grain/material/suggestions for black-tail?

[ljsommer]

Hello,

   On a 55lb draw what sort of grain/material would you suggest? I need to invest in some new arrows.

Thanks for your suggestions! I've done plenty of reading but it's a lot of "Well you *might* want this kind or you *might* want this kind, they're all sort of good!"
Looking for personal suggestions.

Thanks!

[Kvw4x4]

I’m not to experienced but have shot a bow for a couple years.  I find the carbon arrows to stay more true and accurate then the metal jacket arrows. The metal jacket arrows can get slight bends in them.  The carbon arrows seem to be more forgiving. I shoot an 80 lbs draw so not sure about actual grain and stuff. I’m currently shooting Easton axis arrows, Good luck.

[smithkl42]

FWIW, I'm shooting a 50 lb Hoyt PowerMax, with 27" 340-stiffness arrows, with 100 grain points. Can't remember the total grains.

[predatorG]

Spine and length is mainly related to tuning and arrow weight. For best flight you would want to cut your arrows as you tune, so that you get that perfect length. That’s a ton of work and not super necessary. Personally I would shoot a slightly stiffer spine with a heavier arrow if I was you. I think that momentum is a lot more important than speed. I think it makes better penetration helps punch through stuff that you might hit on a bad shot (they happen). I think that a heavy arrow with a mid to high FOC is best. There’s lots of work done by Dr. Ashby that talk about extreme FOC, which I don’t really think is necessary. Either way, Ashby’s theory is an absolute wormhole of a discussion and not worth getting into. To sum that up, if I was you I would shoot a heavy arrow. Maybe 15% FOC. Most Blacktail shots won’t be super long because of the thick stuff they live in, so speed and trajectory are a little less important than momentum IN MY OPINION. There are lots of people who will argue otherwise 

[SeaRun1]

Heavier the better in my opinion.  I have stiffer then necessary arrows with a 125 grain broad head traveling way slower then what the bow manufacturer says the bow shoots.  Pass throughs every time.

SR1

[Tinmaniac]

Vital Impact from Sportsmans Warehouse shoot pretty darn good for a budget arrow.I just picked up some for flinging at grouse and they fly just as good as my twice the price Axis.

[dilleytech]

At 55# you should be somewhere around a 400 spine arrow. Gold tips hunter xt are good arrows and very tough. With a slower 55# bow your better off adding more weight to the arrow for penetration. Might consider 150 gr fixed 2 blade heads with bleeders. I believe that would put you at roughly 420 gr or so..

[predatorG]

At 55# you should be somewhere around a 400 spine arrow. Gold tips hunter xt are good arrows and very tough. With a slower 55# bow your better off adding more weight to the arrow for penetration. Might consider 150 gr fixed 2 blade heads with bleeders. I believe that would put you at roughly 420 gr or so..

If you’re going with a 420 arrow or even heavier I would probably stiffen the spine up a little. I don’t know, I’m not an expect but that’s what I would think

[mburrows]

A very, very loaded question. Other things to consider are your draw length and point weigh. Factor these in when looking at an arrow chart to select spine stiffness, heavy arrows seem to be gaining popularity in hunting, used to be all about speed it seemed like.  The more point weight youll want to lean towards a stiffer spine.  The longer draw length the faster youll be shooting, etc.  No easy or simple answer really is what Im getting at.

Look to some of the main manufacturers arrow selection charts.  For simplicity's sake, if youre right on the boarder of a shaft stiffness (IE. 350-400 spine) I'd tend to go with a stiffer shaft so you can play around with 100-125 grain tips to see what groups best for you. 

There a lot of good resources out there to help explain the arrow selection concept 100x's better than I can. Check out the kifaru podcast or John Dudley's podcasts as they go in a lot of good info about arrow selection on there.

[ljsommer]

I am using Muzzy Trocar's at 100g.
I have to admit this is overwhelming.

[Tinmaniac]

Not that tough.You are in Seattle?Go to Outdoor Emporium and take your bow with you.Ask the guys at the Archery counter what they kill elk with.They will cut,install inserts,whatever you need.Buy half a dozen,screw on your favorite broadhead and find a deer to shoot at.Simple

[dilleytech]

At 55# you should be somewhere around a 400 spine arrow. Gold tips hunter xt are good arrows and very tough. With a slower 55# bow your better off adding more weight to the arrow for penetration. Might consider 150 gr fixed 2 blade heads with bleeders. I believe that would put you at roughly 420 gr or so..

If you’re going with a 420 arrow or even heavier I would probably stiffen the spine up a little. I don’t know, I’m not an expect but that’s what I would think

Not at low poundage like 55#. But it’s not the weight of the arrow that determines what spine to select. It’s point weight, arrow length, draw weight, and rated speed of bow. Without giving us that info it’s kinda a guess but going up to a 340 would likely be over spined.

[jnordwell]

If your shooting in heavy cover areas where you might tick a Limb.. go heavy.. 55 lb I’d stay above the 420 mark. I shoot 62 and shoot a 480+ arrow.. blows thru most things..

[NWghostgetter]

I'd take heavy and slow over light and fast any day of the week.  I shoot 29.5" @65lbs with good old cabelas stalker xtremes. They are easton arrows with cabelas name on them and they are reasonably priced.  I shoot the 65/80 (340) spine cut to 27" with a 100gr brass insert and a 125gr broadhead. Total arrow weight is just over 525. They are leaving my bow at 270fps. A lot of people think that's slow, and sure, it's not blistering but they fly like darts and out penetrate my buddy's fmj's. He's pulling 80lbs @31". Its all about FOC. Plus if you ever wanted to go after elk you do it with confidence without having to switch setups and re-zero everything.