I guess it depends more on what matters more to you. The heaviest arrow still got there in less than a second at 60 yards. Myself in not going to take a 60 yards shot. At 40 yards or less the heaviest arrow was less than a half of a second. I would rather give up that little amount of time and use the heavier arrow. I'm guessing the numbers to get a pass thru are on a perfect shot? Do them numbers change if you hit bone? That's where the weight will matter more to me. In real hunting situations deer will jump string, you will miss judge distance, or maybe just pull a shot. It will happen some times. for that reason I will go with the heavier arrow and give up tenths if a second. Also how much arch difference would there really be at those speeds? More than a inch at 60? That would be some good info to know if your going to argue that as a reason.

This is a calculation based on a clear shot without hitting a shoulder bone or and solid mass of a animal. Ask yourself this. Would you but a truck that barely pulled a camper based on tow weight or would you up the truck size so your truck wouldn't be under such a load. You may not need that extra torque, but you got it if you do

Very interesting testing. These results basically verify what many of us have thought for a lot of years. Whats missing though is the difference between air and meat. The differences in this test are only showing the results for air....and on paper the differences are small. Thus you say that at a certain point you're giving up speed for unnecessary momentum. A 10% difference in momentum and efficiency while driving a broadhead through meat and bone is huge. 1000s of real world videos demonstrate this.

yea lets hope you dont hit bone with that arrow. my 563 grain arrow is going 279 fps plenty fast and plenty of punch if I hit bone cause we all know everyone says shot placement to bad the deer didnt get that memo and stand still..still cool test thx for the time you spent great video...

Great video. Don’t forget there’s 12 factors to getting the best penetration possible on your shots. Weight is important but there’s 11 other important factors.

The Killer Arrow blog/article you show in the video just uses a standard Easton KE chart. Then with the IBO testing standards, they did some calculations to come up with their own rough Momentum for game chart. I understand it was a source to use for the general purpose of the video, but they weren't actual number requirements for a pass through. After looking at many of those charts out there, such as the Real Tree chart, they have much higher numbers for each category of game. So the ones referenced in the video, I would argue they should be used as minimum requirements for just lethality, at best and not optimal numbers for a passthrough. The idea of reaching required momentum as soon as possible with a setup is sound and reasonable, but should error on the higher end of those numbers and error on using them as a minimum. 0.349-0.433 slug fps for large game and 0.481-0.532 slug fps for toughest game were cited in that article shown in the video. Personally, I would error on using the toughest game numbers for large game and I would shoot for that 0.532 slug fps number at the end of my effective range. That would increase my chances greatly of an ethical kill with ideal conditions and less than perfect shot placement. All that being said, I always enjoy these types of videos and appreciate the time and money spent to do this kind of testing!

I would make the choice based on my hunting style, what I found interesting in your chart was there was hardly any difference in time to target at 20 yards. So, if you are strictly a tree stand hunter and hunting mainly in the thick stuff, wich is what a lot of us do here in the south where I hunt, then I would sacrifice speed for penetration. But If I was more into spot and stalk, or open land hunting I would find that happy medium in the 400 to 450 grain range so that I could have a good trajectory and still have a little bit of overkill for penetration.

Very well done!! I’m sticking to my 475-505gn arrows. Just a matter of changing from 100gn to 125gn field tip/ broad heads.

excellent presentation. One thing is for sure- your exactly right as the data shows.The ranch fairy is correct with his findings as well. Shoot the arrow at your trade off decision as they all should work.The real deal is what happens when the animal is hit. Toss a mechanical on any of those and see where you get? I would love to see a real world test of a mechanical at those same arrow weights. My theory is a 100 grain mechanical has a integrity thresh hold at a certain poundage; 60/70/80. I would be willing to bet a 100 grain Grim Reaper, Rage or anything similar does not hold up well at 80 lbs into a bone 100% of the time... and definitely not the 2" skinny blades.

A heavier arrow will be quieter than a lighter arrow. I'm talking the bow more quiet, not the arrow. So it comes down to a stable arrow that holds it's energy while both the bow & the arrow r @ maximum efficiency. It seems like finding the right fletching/ broadhead combo that is quiet is more of a factor. Yes, time is important. The minutes I spend blood trailing compared to the hours or waiting overnight is more of an issue to me.

You are actually proving Ranch Fairy right!!! At only .1 of a second slower arrival time, but the bow is quieter and packing way more momentum in the case of a less than stellar shot. As bowhunters we shouldn't be planning for the best case scenario, we should be planning for worst case in terms of a bad shot and what will still get us our desired outcome.

Finally someone looks at all the numbers, not just one facet. I have said for years, build the arrow you need for the game your hunting. If your hunting wood chucks in your back yard you don't really need the same arrow of someone shooting a griz. Anytime someone told me well you always need to use X, just walked away. I never use definitives lol.

Great content and great breakdown. I personally have went a bit heavier (about 460grains) which has been at the expense of trajectory for long range shooting but I like most eastern whitetail hunters primarily hunt and take shots within 30 yards from an elevated stand. Given that, I’ll take the massive difference in kinetic momentum and energy over the difference of .03 seconds to impact of target.

I shot a doe at 15 yards, quarter to, with a 458 grain FMJ and Montec head. I have a 29" draw and pull 70#. I hit her in the shoulder, not scapula, her shoulder, and it stopped my arrow dead in its tracks. I may have caught one lung based on her breathing, but I watched her walk quarter mile up a steep hill into the woods. I gave her all night, but I tracked her and found the coyotes finished her off. After that, I said never again and went back to my trad roots and built a dangerous game arrow for whitetail. Since then, I have been shooting 715 grains w/ 25% FOC, at 245 fps and a single bevel and have never had to track another deer since. You can kill a deer with a 350 or 400 grain arrow for sure. Just don't hit a bone.

I will keep using my Apollo 300 spine 598 grain 20% FOC out my 65 pound bow with my short 25.6 inch draw (Yep 25.6) shooting inside 30 yards and keep on smiling as my 200 grain single bevel tuff head passes through. Happy Hunting

The chart you're referencing was created by Easton according to that article. I would question its accuracy and methodology before making assumptions.

Also, not to be argumentative, but there is no such thing as over kill!!! Dead is dead. But there is such thing as under kill!!! And I know lots of people myself included that wish they would not have gone down the rabbit hole of chasing speed. Once again, awesome content and thanks for your thoughts and findings. Even if I only partly agree with you. It’s great to question things and test things out. That’s how we all learn and become better!

I'm very grateful for the time and effort you put into videos like this, thank you. I want to take some of the numbers you used in your closing, to help put things into yet ANOTHER perspective. I have never been able to buy into the argument that speed = forgiveness. This is possibly true for range estimation, but not for time to target or shot placement. This is why........ In your closing, you noted that time to target is 15.9% more for the heaviest arrow at the longest range. The argument is that this gives the animal more time to jump to the string. That's obviously true, but how much? Let's assume that both of us can hit what we aim at, and that we aim at the same perfect place. If the animal stands there and takes, it we both hit the same. If the animal jumps the string a bit, and you miss by 3", then I miss by less than 3.5" (15.9% of 3 is .48). If he jumps the string pretty badly, you miss by 6" and I miss by 7". If he goes nuts and you miss by 10", then I miss by 11.5". So, there is little, if any, practical difference. Three inches is plenty to completely change the hit location, engage bone, alter the course of penetration, etc. and 3.5" is barely differrent. 10" is enough to really screw up a shot, or even miss, and 1.5" farther might be better or worse. That's all random. The smarter approach is to maximize lethality, aim for the MOST vital vitals, and use an arrow that that is capable of dealing with the effects of that 3", 3.5", or 6" of movement we cannot control. The thing is I used to hear this argument about speed forty years ago, but they were talking about a difference between 200, and 220 fps. The "speed" guys were as sure then that twenty feet per second was gonna make all the difference. Now we're all being told that 260 is just not fast enough........

If 372grains is fine for whitetail how come 90%+ videos im watching with these light fast arrows the deer is running off with 3/4 the shaft hanging out so don't seem like .305 slugs is cutting it to me in a whitetail size animal

Good use of the scientific method, but I want to point out that the data here fails to account for the fact that everything changes at the moment of impact. Hide, muscle, connective tissue, bone...these all weigh in to how the energy of your arrow dissipates. This experiment takes only pre-impact data, so it provides an incomplete picture. It's not about the energy of the arrow at impact, though more efficient energy retention during flight is beneficial, it's about how efficiently your arrow retains energy when it meets hard resistance. This concept requires more than just calculations, but also things like broadhead design, sharpness, structural integrity, specific trajectory through the target which is never uniform, etc. Both fast arrows and heavy arrows can be poor killing tools if they can't retain that kinetic energy and momentum all the way through the animal. For example, a mechanical broadhead opens at impact, which requires taking some of that energy out of your arrow and putting it in the blades. Momentum and kinetic energy recommendations do not take these factors into account. That's where the ranch fairy philosophy comes from, accounting for the things you can't calculate.

The reason for heavy arrow is for when u don’t make the perfect shoot and we all been there and u hit a bone less penetration the odds are against you recovering your animal. I’ll take the heavy arrow .

Levi Morgan said it best. Stop worrying about speed FOC and momentum. Shoot a reasonable arrow around 430-450 gns and go hunt. Average Jack Archery calls these “bell curve” arrows. I tend to agree. Never had a problem at 430 gns.

Great comparisons but I would gladly give up 8/100ths of a second at 60 yards (even less at closer yardage) for the additional benefit of having enough momentum to go through the animal even if, heaven forbid, you clip bone.... that minimal momentum light arrow is passing through ONLY on best case scenarios...

Look at the Ashby Studies. There’s 12 factors that will increase lethality on the target animal. It’s not just “heavy arrows”. I agree with several other posts- the 12 factors are for Plan B. You’re talking arrows and KE. Talk about what the arrow does when it hits the animal.

This is a good study and we love that y’all are putting the time in. In your final analysis I’d be focus on the difference between the 440 and the heavier arrow, because very few people are shooting 300s these days. Those two arrow comparisons I think would be more fair for time to target and the percentages, more realistic for long distance shots

Been looking an fuckin around a bunch with research on arrows as far as weight. This is by far the best technical spec video I’ve found.

I watched this video half in the bag and three sheets to the wind before 9am on a Saturday morning, but this was the most informative video I've come across yet to explain what arrow weight I need to kill an animal.

Great work gathering the data! This gives hunters all across North America something to think about when deciding total arrow weight. For me in central and northern WI where all my shots are under 30 yards (usually 20 yard shots) this tells me that an arrow right around 475-500 grains would be ideal. The difference in trajectory and flight time would be minimal (at 30 yards and under) while the increased KE is above the high end of your charts you’ve referenced ensuring me I will get good penetration even when I hit bone. It would be awesome if you had a hooter shooter and were able to measure arrow drop at different yardage with each arrow set up. Cool stuff, keep up the good work and data collection!

I enjoyed the video and info you presented. The one question I have is about that number of .305 needed for a pass through. Is it speaking specifically in pass throughs with clean shots made on broadside animals, or pass through no matter the angle or bone hit? I could definitely see that light arrow being plenty to get around a few ribs, but do question its ability to get through shoulder blade or the ball of the leg bone like on one of "the hunting public" videos.

For all you “I’ll give up milliseconds for weight” guys…I’d like to share an experience I had this season. At 10 yards…on an arrow traveling at 273 fps…I had a doe not just jump the string, she also turned. My arrow went right where I aimed but she completely beat the arrow. I used to believe milliseconds didn’t matter. Now…I’ll take all the speed I can get while still keeping my KE and momentum ratings high. I now shoot a 411 grain scientific arrow at 10% FOC…she moves at 294 fps at launch and my KE and Momentum ratings are all high enough to shoot the biggest game. It’s all about the happy medium. Best of luck!

Great video, My bow hunting is more elk then WT, I build my arrows for the worste case scenario. If I grip the bow and send an arrow into an elk shoulder what set up will be more lethal arrow. Any arrow could pass through an elk if everything goes perfect.

One day everyone will run into penetration issues from concentrating so much on speed. I came from the era shortly before all this speed hype. So i see theres alot more advantage than just not worrying about penetration. When deer dont even know they were shot. Expire with in visibility way more often. If your gonna dissect weather ranch fairy is right or not. Youll need to do more, way more

Love my 420 grain arrows

The testing you just did has already been done and with your theory these numbers will only work in a perfect world

The heavier arrow, is going to save your bacon when your shot hits bone. As the Fairy says plan B. Inside 20 yards heavy arrow all day. Shooting an elk at 40 plus, even though its a bigger animal I think trajectory and time to target becomes more of a factor in a successful kill shot.

I’m guessing that there is no heavy bone hits with those slug weights 🤔 but what if u hit the ball of the humerus bone don’t really think that will penetrate!!! Troy said for himself that these are plan B arrows so if plan A goes as “planned” you don’t need this but animals move constantly so I plan for B and hope for A.. 633 grain with 19.6% FOC

Totally agree.I have shot double lung pass throughs on Missouri, Kansas and Illinois whitetail using 365gr, 385gr, 438gr, 456gr, 472gr, 512gr. All of the 400+ grain arrows are high FOC with 75gr brass inserts and 100gr Slick Trick stds. The 385 grain arrow will barely pass through both lungs on a mature 270lb buck broadside. I did that and the broadhead was poking through only a few inches on a 20 yd shot. So I went to 438gr and buried them 6 to 10 “ into the dirt after pass through. So plenty of energy and to shorten blood trails on small properties I went to Swhacker 207. Always pass through unless hitting high shoulder. So wait and make good shots. Last 275 buck was 438gr 207 Swhacker double lung from 15 yds and stuck 6” in the ground. The heaviest arrows I have shoot fine but I feel golden at 438gr. I don’t shoot deer over 25 yds but have up to 35yds. It just takes too long to get there beyond 30yds. 438 and 456 gr have been a great balance of trajectory and penetration for my setups on big whitetail. Don’t shoot them in the shoulder, be better.

This is a great video mate! Taking the extreme ends of the spectrum and bringing some valid considerations to why you'd choose what you'd choose. Like, followed, downloaded. Awesome video! Thank you very much for the knowledge!

Thank you for taking the time to do this test and put all of the data together. Very informative.

I've noticed that heavier arrows seem to be alot more durable too

Your recommended momentum must not include a bone hit. This was really cool to see the numbers though

if you're talking about hitting in the boiler room, yes the lightest arrow will do. Last year i was shooting a 550 arrow and had a doe at 20 yards and she was slightly quarting away and didn't realize it, and i hit slightly left as her head was oriented on the left side. I went through her shoulder and into her lower neck and the arrow didnt go all the way though and land on the other side like i want. instead it stayed in her and she broke it off and died, but i broke an expensive arrow. This year im going 650. I can hit 60 just fine. Anytime you are hunting at distance, its only ethical to first range the target before guessing and making a bad shot.

Can you add trajectory loss too? How much more did the heavier arrows fall? I’m much more interested in knowing that vs milliseconds to arrival.

Heavier arrows takes alot of vibration out of your bow. Makes a huge difference in sound which is a huge deal to me. Also more tip wieght gives you a more forgiven arrow. You skip some other important assets to heavy arrows. I would much rather a more accurate and as quiet as possible set up. If all your getting out of light is speed to beat a string jump, which will never happen. What other assets come from speed

So what happens when the deer moves and you went with speed instead of keeping the extra kE to keep driving the arrow and hit bone and arrow doesn't pass through 🤔.

I would LOVE to see the same arrows but three different broadheads. A short fixed(Exodus). A long three blade(Magnus Snuffer or Tuff head) A 2 inch mechanical (Sever 2.0) Test the penitration of each broadhead with the different arrow weights. Just a thought. 😁

This is why the best advice is to pick the trajectory you want and then build the arrow. In all honestly, fast and heavy can get pass throughs and be lethal. I think some things to consider though are heavier arrows are quieter arrows and have less stress on your rig because there is less vibration and more mass to transfer the energy too, but you give up trajectory for that. That may or may not be a problem depending on the terrain you are hunting. This is why I wish these companies would simply allow you to switch out your dial/slider depending on what you are doing, then I can easily build for TAC/Elk/Deer etc. I guess they make money off the sight tape, but it's a PITA. Awesome video btw, I am currently hunting right at this weight, but I am pushing it up to 504 this year with more FOC.

Broad-heads make a big diff I’m 50/50 for recovery with mechanical going to a heavier arrow destroyed the mechanical so it’s a bunt or a home run. I’m trying 150 and 200gr fix blade this year total gr 552 and 638 @65lb if I do my part I should go from 50% to over 90% I don’t plan on shooting past 30 yd

This is a great video. I’m more curious now about the foc, broadhead weight/type recommended especially for the 300 and 400 grain arrows. Penetration tests have been done and lots of video evidence shows that those arrow weights do not equate to full pass through on whitetails. I do understand that it is not necessary to have a 900 grain arrow for whitetails, but I personally don’t trust light weight arrows with mechanical broadheads after wounding deer, due to lack of penetration, and shots were not hitting shoulder bones. I guess my point is I switched to a 580 grain arrow with a single bevel broadhead and haven’t needed to blood trail a deer in 3 years. I’ve shot 7 total during that time (none have jumped the string), the longest a deer ran from the spot it was shot was 54 yards. That doesn’t prove my way is the best. It has just worked for me since I have implemented it.

Super good job. Great data. Lots of other factors to consider but one can use this data to help decide whats best for our individual set up. Thanks for doing this for us. I woulda loved to see how all these penetrated in comparison.

The only thing left out of this analysis is arrow drop over distance. If you are making 60+ yard shots for elk, then this becomes relevant.

I just wrote a whole essay and deleted it. Lmao. It’s pointless to share so much opinion. Everyone will do what they believe. Thank you for sharing this video, it further cements my thoughts on the subject.

I switched to a heavier arrow this fall. Switched from a Victory 400g arrow to a 530g fmj. Right off the bat you can see a major difference in speed but like many have said at 20-30yds it doesn’t matter. However, what I did find was that ten yards was a major difference on the sight tape. So much so that I’d rather have a lighter arrow that can accommodate for 20 and 30 without much movement. So now I am back to victory but we’re at 440g and I think that’s the sweet spot. 31” Draw, 73lbs, Mathews V3X

Also consider that a heavier arrow likely has a higher FOC. Assuming we are human and not a hooter shooter, a higher FOC arrow will correct for any imperfections in our shot faster than a lower FOC. This decreases both accuracy issues from a shot that may have some bow torque and decreases impact paradox upon reaching the animal which Leeds to more true penetration. An extra 100 grains on the front of an arrow has a huge impact on the speed with which the arrow corrects

400-420 grain arrow with a COC head like a magnus black hornet is my fav combo right now.

I'd be interested in seeing this done with a youth or woman shooter who is at say 40 or 45 pounds draw weight and 23 to 25" draw length. This is where maximizing your momentum is important. Of course 60 yards is too far at those specs, max distance would be 30 to 40 yds. For anyone shooting more than 50 pounds and in the 27" draw length neighborhood or more, of course a lighter to medium weight arrow is sufficient for whitetail. A youth or woman at the specs I mentioned is only starting out with 220 fps or less. So you are a lot closer to the lower end of the kinetic energy scale, and the deer jumping the string is more of an issue.

I will stick with a 400 grain arrow out of my 60lb Bowtech solution and a 460 grain arrow out of my 80lb PSE Mach 1. I use them for different applications typically. 60lb bow for treestand cold weather sitting and 80lb for western hunting.

Finally some common sense backed up with real data!! Thank you!

What I like to do is get a bow that’s advertised speed is fast so when I bump up arrow weight, it gets a lot more ke and momentum and the speed is still fast.

Maybe someone already addressed this i didn't read all the comments. But if your shooting a wiz poper (expandable) at whitetail you definitely want the heavier arrow. Also the Ranch Fairy test lab was Texas hogs,hogs are probably 4 times tougher than whitetails. I would never shoot a 370 grain arrow at a hog. Awesome test though,real cool info and professional done!! Thanks

I was shooting 560grain arrows at pigs and it was good, pass throughs everytime and 2 holes is the goal. I'm going to try 600grain arrow next time and wind the poundage up 2#. Love the info

Great work. Some say heavier arrow more accurate with smaller groups. Wonder if that is real. That could be a major consideration

Overkill for me would be slinging buckshot at a dove. To each their own. When we say “heavier arrow” I believe the majority are understanding that higher FOC is essentially a heavier arrow by default, not just slinging a rod at a critter. 20 years ago, arrow speed wasn’t even an issue for the majority. We all want pass throughs. What set up is gonna give me the higher probability for that, when a less than broadside shot occurs, I wanna be confident in my set up, that I can sling an arrow and not have to “aim a little back” but put it right through the ringer. That’s what we all want as hunters I hope. Great video

One consideration of all this that was not discussed is how each weight of arrow absorbs Force (F= bow energy). X% of that F is put into the arrow, the remainder of F is noise, vibration, etc. The lighter the arrow (less mass), the less F it is capable of absorbing, and the more noise and vibration it creates. So while the arrow is moving faster to target, it's also creating more noise to do so. Would be cool to see this retested and see how much different the noise difference is, and vibration is on the bow with the different set ups. I do agree that the 440 is an optimal choice between the three.

Straight from Troy AKA ranch fairy : The problem these guys have To disprove any test you have to shoot that test or close to it. To disprove the test. So- They need to shoot a subset of arrows matching my test to “prove me wrong” 388-715 grains (or close enough) And do the KE erosion I did that and Momentum erosion Which I did We know a 430 will kill a deer In plan A

Darn good testing! It's all just trade-offs with arrow weight. Faster arrows drop less but will usually be louder, heavy arrows get to the target slower but better penitration. You could go on and on

That “overkill” can help against bone or marginal shots. Yes shot placement is key but we’re hunting animals that you can’t always predict what’s going to happen at impact.

I shot 2 deer last year with a 432 grain arrow with an annihilator at 30yrds 296fps and both hit shoulder with almost zero penetration and lost them both. This year I'm going full RF to see what happens and from the feedback I see shoulder shots won't stop a heavy arrow with proper head and that from a multitude of people not just RF

Love the content Cam, keep it coming!!

Ive said this very same thing elsewhere, but since i watched these videos back to back im going to leave the same comment as i did elsewhere... If time to target was a thing then no one in the 1980's or 90's (or earlier) shooting an aluminum arrow wouldve likely killed anything. For example an aluminum 2117 Easton Gamegetter (400 spine) at 27" with standard insert, nock and plastic vanes comes in around roughly 550gns. The same setup on a 2315 and 2317 (340 and 300 spine) are pushing well over 600gns, and these things were traveling maybe 145-150fps

Love what you're doing here. We need more of this. However, hitting bone is an absolute game changer. Speed cannot make up for the fact that animals move. You cannot beat them all the time. That said, we need enough momentum to breach the bones. I do not want something with teeth and claws coming after me when my arrow goes bonk from a bone hit. For me, I want overkill, especially when my life or health could be on the line. Remember, trad guys have been killing animals for millennium with much slower bows and they did not eat when they missed. So, while I may agree with your conclusion in principle, on meat things can change and overkill is what I prefer. With respect, thank you.

There are charts for this that show where maximum penetration and kinetic energy collide based on the arrow weight, bow IBO Speed, draw weight, draw length, etc. Each individual has a perfect arrow for their personal setup. I shoot heavy arrows myself but often worry if I am too heavy for my setup. If you throw a toothpick hard enough it will penetrate the skin, but if you just toss it at someone it's just going to bounce off and hit the ground. Physics matter.

This is what the Ranch Fairy doesn’t offer, hard data. This may be the best arrow information I have seen in a long time thanks for posting!

Plan for a perfect shot or plan for when things don't go exactly as you planned, I know which one I do.

Now put it at realistic bow hunting range inside 40yards. Less than 1 second is splitting hairs. To anyone reading this…..Read the Ashby reports for yourself and keep this in mind…. Shoot the arrow with the trajectory you are comfortable with. That’s it

I think you’re on the right track but there’s still other variables to consider such as broadhead size, shaft diameter, shot selection, etc. Also draw length, poundage and bow speeds are going to play a different role for each individual. I personally dropped my arrow weight from 550 to 500 this year because twice in the last two years I had deer duck more than I’d like at reasonable ranges. A heavy arrow is great for getting through the tougher parts of a deer but it counts for nothing if the deer has too much time to move. It would be cool to see a video comparing impact points at different velocities on deer that jumped the string using your numbers.

Heres my take I am like most hunters and hunt all kinds of habitat One day my max shot is 25-30 yards One day or even the same day different stand I am faced with the very real possibility of a shot at my maximum effect range as a bow hunter of 50 yards For me and I imagine a majority of not clear overwhelming majority of bowhunters speed is very important in helping to minimize as much as possible errors in yardage estimations my current set up launches a 440ish grain arrow 268fps and I surely do not wish to ever shoot any slower than that because the way I have my pins set I essentially can not miss below 30 yards unless I wildly WILDLY overestimate my shot distance I still have my older slower bows and wouldn't ever by choice wish to go back to shooting them because they are at least 25-30fps slower at 58lbs and that loss in FPS has a huge impact past 30 yards I choose my shots with maximum care and only take shots I am confident will result in a double lung hit I see no evidence whatsoever that shows what I will loose in speed going to a much heavier arrow will be significantly offset by any type of gain The arrow weight I currently use is the sum of all components with no additional added weight I get excellent arrow flight with FBBH's excellent penitraition and Very good speed and KE.

this was an awesome breakdown! what some others may not think about is the arrow choice for not only WHAT you're hunting but WHERE you're hunting. for me i experience a good mix of open grasslands as well as heavily wooded areas. so having an arrow that still will fly fairly flat in trajectory means i can shoot through some more heavily wooded areas knowing i have clearance. where as if it where a 550+gr. arrow the arc will be more drastic causing more chance for a deflection. i shoot in between at about 480gr and this works best for ME.

Great video I’m also a 27.5” draw pulling 65-66lb. Thanks my arrow is 422gr.

my arrow is 650 gr speed 192 fps bow 56 pounds , 26 in draw arrow went through pig , went through shoulder between the ribs through bottom of lung middle of the heart ,cut a rib off and then smashed the humerus, the arrow finished about the same on each side , see the speed 192 fps

This is the best video I’ve seen on this topic. Thank you. Have you researched then the affect of inconsistent broadhead flight when exceeding certain fps? As in for some fixed broadheads is there an upper bound of FPS while maintaining momentum?

Another important factor no one seems to be considering in these tests is the sound of the arrow when it approaches the animal. Time is less of a factor (especially sub 1 sec. ) when the animal doesn’t hear the arrow coming. I would love to see tests like these done arrow sound in relation to the target, instead of speed. Heavier arrows with 4 vanes tend to be significantly more quite.

This could have been done with 3 shots, you can set up the lab radar ro read at all those yards and shoot once and record the speed at all those yards.

You showed us time to target but that didn't fully explain the entire picture. The heaviest arrow reached 60 yards in .77 seconds and the medium arrow reached 60 yards in .69 seconds. That means that the heavier arrow dropped 22.5 inches further than the medium arrow. That means significantly less forgiveness on minute yardage discrepancies. (You range him and draw, he takes a few steps away from you, you estimate he went 4 yards but he actually went 8, you shoot and completely miss low because your arrow speed provides no forgiveness.

Also wouldn't a heavier Arrow decrease the amount of vibration in your bow translating also into a quieter shooting bow which would also possibly translate into less chance of reaction by the animal you were shooting

Heavy arrows vs light arrows is nothing short of 9mm vs .45 ACP. They all work guys. I’m just saying.

My question would be what are they basing the recommended KE for given target animal off of? Meaning, I am guessing they are basing that on perfect broadside shot and perfect shot placement. Though that is always the goal, that isn't always the situation. Animals move, wind shifts, fatigue causes small errors. That's the advantage of the heavier arrow. The more likelihood of still getting full penetration even on a less than ideal shot placement and animal position. It gives more room for realistic variables that happen in real hunting situations versus static testing. I do really appreciate your input and taking the time to break down the math on it. This is just my two cents on the situation though.

If your going to focus on white tail deer and your going to point to the speed sacrifice with a heavy arrow I believe you need to look at the numbers where they are actually relevant. According to your graft at 20-40yds, a normal shot for a deer, the difference isn’t that much at all

The elephant in the room is the chart you used as your gauge your lethality. What is you hit heavy bone?

Those numbers for suggestions on what you need is assuming the animal doesn’t move and every shot is perfect. Well I’m human and even though I shoot good I don’t no anyone who is perfect every time. And that is when u want the heavier arrows. Because we can’t control how or where or when the deer moves and we can’t always be perfect so I will take a few thousands of a second more to get there in return for a more lethal shot. I mean guys hunt with 300 win mags and by this study you received don’t need anything more than a bow but there are more lethal setups and that’s what u get with a little heavier arrow is more lethal shots when perfect didn’t show up.

Gaining nothing on the heavier arrow? Sounds like someone didn’t consider what happens when an arrow hits a decent sized bone, which happens frequently.

Also I would love to see this test on a standard arrow that doesn’t have the technology behind your errors in it to see the difference on your charts from what the average Joe can build to your arrows. Just out of curiosity. Because I love shooting with your guys arrows and I’m just curious cause I have a whole bunch of arrows that I bought before I found you guys and it would be cool to see the difference with that carbon technology.

This is a good test to see what each arrow is capable of. I would like to know if those kinetic energy numbers include passing through the bone or just the hair/hide of each animal. Where the heavy arrow wins is the shots through bone, frontal shots and a hard quartering away shot. Sometimes you have to shoot with what you're given and you won't be able to pick and choose most of the time. Public land big game hunting is where your lighter arrow will have to have a perfect shot to harvest the animal. Perfect shots do not happen when you hunt. That is why I am starting to go to a heavier arrow set up.

Wouldn't broadhead choice factor in with how much momentum you need? For example bigger expandable versus a smaller fixed blade

I will argue on pass through shots and letting a arrow penetrate in deep enough to hit both lungs but flop around as it backs out and cuts and completely destroys the lungs, liver, heart and anything possible inside the animal

I really enjoy watching videos like this, the creating and collecting of data, crunching of numbers and the comparison of that data. The only issue, who determines what amount of slug is enough? I’m guessing this number isn’t very accurate based on the overwhelming number of videos across KZfaq of deer running off with 6” of arrow in them. This is more often than not on shots that do t encounter heavier density bone. What happens when these poorly penetrating arrows encounter bone? This video is misleading and some might even consider it irresponsible from a conservation standpoint. To much evidence showing the 300 ish arrow isn’t “totally fine” as you stated. Speed is nearly a moot point at hunting average distances

Whoever came up with those momentum charts was obviously assuming a broadside shot between the ribs. Anyone who has watched hunting videos knows that at 30 yards and a light setup, you have a lot of arrows that do not pass through even though they meet the criteria on that table. That's because the physics of animal penetration are relating to like 50 variables. The "sell" of the heavy arrow is "what if I dont hit perfect." which most people don't. If you only plan to take a 30 yard shot, your velocity is not so different, and your ability to shot from any angle, through dense bones, and still be lethal is drastically increased. Doesn't mean heavy is right for everyone, but it is probably better for most folk with a range finder taking 30 yard and in shots.

Thanks for putting the time into this test and leaving it open ended. Everyone should be shooting what works best for them, what flys best for them and what they have confidence in! Within the limits of ethics

Awesome stuff Cam!!!

Interesting data! Question though, why do so many adult male bow hunters, pulling 70 lbs and expandable broadheads, not getting pass throughs? Some of those hunters do get pass throughs, but if they are honest, they are shooting an arrow that the industry would consider on the heavy side. Most likely pushing the 500 g mark. What it boils down to, is shoot what you want to in terms of arrow weight and broadhead type and understand where you need to hit the animal. And pray that plan “B” doesn’t present itself. All I know is that heavy arrows with cut on contact, slender profile broadheads are devastating on large bone, when things don’t go as planned. When your shots are under 25 yrds, heavy is a great way to go. If you want to shoot beyond 30 yds and such, probably not the best setup.