Matching field tips to broad heads

[Kingpuck]

So I've purchased my first bow, got the bow setup and just purchased the arrows today. I'm wondering how you go about determining which field tips to buy to then pair with field tips when the season hits? Got a single cam Hoyt at 55 pounds and 28 inch draw length. Shooting 100 grains. Have no idea how a person figures out the right weight of the field tips and broad heads.

Know you have to buy the same grain field point as broad head but there are weight differences I'm noticing.

With the broad heads I'm very concerned about penetration ability. Got into this because of the meat factor and the love of the outdoors. Wouldn't go out if I don't think I could bring down an animal in one shot. Just want to make sure the setup is correct to be effective against a deer or in a few years an elk.

[lokidog]

I'd start at 100 grains, mid-range weight.  Oops, see you said 100gr.  Just get some target tips and see how they shoot.  You can check you weight FOC percent.  I think that is posted somewhere under the archery category.  Find a target tip weight that works for your setup then wait to get broadheads.

[DWP]

You need to match shafts with your setup as well.

http://www.eastonarchery.com/pdf/hunt-sel-chart.pdf

This chart should help...  Different shafts work with different weight points. All depending on your draw weight, length of shaft, point weight, type of cam(s), and so on.

[DWP]

At 55lbs  drawing 28" you should run some kind of cut on contact broadhead IMO. Razortricks, VPAs, Montecs, Magnus, among many other quality heads out there...      Just make sure that you tune your setup and find the combo that YOU are most accurate with. I am a fan of 450+ grn total arrow weight at a minimum, but plenty of big game critters have been taken with lighter arrows.

[Jeffrey]

Talking about arrows and broadheads etc.  Here is a cut and paste from the Washington State Regulations....

b. It is unlawful to hunt big game animals
with any arrow measuring less than 20
inches in length or weighing less than 6
grains per pound of draw weight with a
minimum arrow weight of 300 grains.

[jechicdr]

www.pinwheelsoftware.com.  Download trial version and play with the numbers.  You might find the other features kind of fun and buy the full version.

[TheHunt]

Here is my  and it is worth just that.

You have to match the spine of the arrow with the weight of the broadhead. 
Not all broadheads are the same.  Personally look at the broadheads that do NOT move while they are secure.  I have had rockymountain broadheads that moved once they were scewed all the way in.

Look at the broadheads that state they shoot just like field points.  Shuttle-T locks are one of those.  The longer and wider the broadhead the more likely you will have to adjust your bow. 

Good luck.

[Camp David]

Read about FOC (front of center) gives you a % in front of the center of your arrow. If your arrow is weighted to far forward or to close to the center of the arrow, your flight will be less than perfect. Changing your field tip/ broad head is the easiest way to adjust FOC.  Also learn to tune your bow to shoot perfect arrows. Broad heads can and most likely will shoot much different than field tips. Moving your sight to change the impact point from field tips to broad heads should tell you that your bow is not tuned well.

[buckfvr]

For me, if I was only going to hunt primarily deer,.....at 55lbs and 28 inch draw, in order to retain as much of the bows performance as possible, Id use cut on contact in 85gr and keep the total weight closer to 360 grains.   There is a good offering of shafts that will allow you good FOC with an 85gr broadhead/field point  putting you in the 360 range with correct spine.

I shoot 60lbs at 30 inch draw and have arrows for specific  uses that range from 360 to 450,  mostly personal preference and  tinkering.  I also have 3 hunting bows, so its easy for me to mess around without getting myself in a bind.  Good luck.

[jechicdr]

Performance is dictated by several things, including shooting an arrow with appropriate spine, front of center (FOC), kinetic energy downrange, and arrow speed.  Using an 85 grain head will invariably decrease your FOC.  FOC was explained to me like this:  Tie a rock to a piece of string and throw the rock, the string will go where the rock goes.  The bigger the rock compared to the weight of the string, the less effect the string will have on the path of the rock.  If you put a heavier point on your arrow, the arrow should have more consistent grouping.  If you decrease the weight of your arrow, then your arrow will come out of the bow going faster which translates into a flatter trajectory (so you might get away with fewer pins for short distances), a.k.a. less guesswork at short distances.  If your arrow spine is not right for your bow, it will be difficult or impossible to get your broadheads and field tips to group in the same vicinity or you will have to move the arrows release point away from center shot to account for wrong spine and lose performance because more energy will be transferred to arrow vibration.  Kinetic energy is proportional to mass (weight...kind of) and velocity squared.  To increase velocity, you can decrease weight of arrow, but then slightly more energy is turned into vibration instead of forward velocity, so you will actually transfer less kinetic energy to your arrow.  Downrange, a lighter arrow is slowed more significantly than a heavier arrow so you will have significantly less downrange kinetic energy while at close distances the loss of energy and energy transmitted as vibration are probably insignificant.

Take home message:  If you are only shooting targets and don't care about the penetration, use lighter arrows with field tips (flatter trajectory).  For hunting, shoot a heavy enough broadhead on a properly spined arrow (FOC of 11-15%) that will maintain enough kinetic energy at distances you can shoot accurately under pressure to kill the animal you are after.  If bow is tuned properly, then you can practice with similar weighted field tips that hopefully you can tune to hit the same spot as your broadheads.  It requires less energy to penetrate a big game animal if the broadhead is cut on contact, but effects of improper tuning and form are greater with the cut on contact heads which typically have a larger blade surface to catch the air after being shot.  If you limit yourself to short distances, you could probably get away with anything (improper spine, less FOC, and improper form).

I hate limitations.

[buckfvr]

In a hunting situation, what are you calling down range??? An 85 gr broadhead will kill  deer all day long  in a hunting situation, especially from a tree stand.  FOC numbers listed are for reference, not holy grail applications.......I have experienced no problems with FOCs in the 8 to 9 range in hunting situations.  Most of the techie stuff you are repeating obviously is not coming from long term experience, rather stuff you are reading and quoting.   The nice thing about archery is lack of complexity.  Its a  very simple thing to experiment and draw your own conclusions based on experience .  You can also easily make  it more difficult than it is by taking everything you read to heart.  KEEP IT SIMPLE....its more fun that way.

[DWP]

Arrows under 450grns(PROBABLY where one will end up with 85grn heads and a draw weight under 60lbs) will most definitely kill just about anything in NA, as long as the archer does his job. I have no problem with anyone that hunts with setups like that...I just prefer a combo that is heavier because FOR ME it quiets/deadens my bow and makes for improved arrow flight for me. I am shooting 70lbs, 29.5 draw and (as of now) 482 grn total arrow weight. My FOC is 8-10% with 100grn heads. I have messed around with FOC up to 18-20% and didn't notice any improvement other than a very slight increase in penetration in targets. I have made choices that decrease my overall speed in favor of accuracy and consistency(increased helical on vanes, heavier setup, footed shafts, etc...). I have definitely noticed less affect from wind when shooting greater than 20 yards. FOR ME these choices have increased my confidence. As stated above, KISS has it's merits...  And  high FOC numbers (above 13%)have proven to matter more with Trad tackle shooting off the shelf in my limited experience...     

Also should note that momentum matters downrange where penetration is concerned, although KE numbers cn give you a good starting point.

****all of my opinions are based on hunting setups/scenarios/experience as I rarely shoot field tips(less than 5% of my shooting)

[Kingpuck]

Goodness, had no idea I was opening up Pandora's box. There clearly is a lot for me to learn. I went out and purchased Cabelas Carbon arrows that are 400 grn and rated for 55-70 pound draw lengths. Haven't yet bought the field tips but want to me sure they are consistent with the field tips. Will be shooting a lot at the range if only to get the technique and a good feel for the bow and arrow. My goal is to take down a deer specifically as ethically and quickly as humanly possible.

It's very important to me that my setup is tuned properly and functions properly both in the field and the range. That is why I planned on buying the bow now to spend the winter practicing and getting tuned up. Hope to head out to the outdoor range in Kenmore. Will use those links provided to calculate what the ke is at different lengths. In thinking about hunting my guess would be that the most common distance would be 30-40 feet. Hope to spot and stalk instead of using a blind or tree stand. Will see how it all works.