I like this type of videos that are informative instead of trying to manipulate the viewer of which route to go.

That's a bad ass stick drawing if I've ever seen one!...love the giving back. You rock buddy.

You said “the heavier arrow holds its speed better” and I thought of the Ranch Fairy’s recent videos where they track speed, kinetic energy, and momentum on different weights of arrows out to 60 yards. They found the exact same thing. Heavier arrows lose speed and momentum slower than light arrows. Not to mention, the heavy arrows have more momentum at 60 yards than the light arrows at point blank range. Really fascinating to see.

Your videos are one of my favorites to watch. I just ordered a hat, and being prior service I love what you're doing, thanks

Dude, I’ve been watching your videos for a while now and I love your approach to how you present information. Your videos are awesome and I love your content. As a LEO I think it’s awesome that someone I enjoy watching and follow outside of LE content is putting out there about supporting first responders and LE. Thanks man. Much love.

Excellent topic, looking forward to the next upload.

Can’t wait to re watch this, awesome job as always my dude

Great job describing what's going on with the weight/trajectory..

Hoping to get some good moving white tail deer shots this year so I can do some good speed to target videos, and why speed might matter when a deer is rolling out of the way!

First of all, as a paramedic I’d like to say thank you for your support. I’ll be stopping by and checking out your store for sure. Ok, not to stir up a hornets nest, but take those “heavy” arrows and find the lightest shaft gpi, and move all the extra weight to the point. Yes, I’m talking EFOC arrows. I shoot traditional and my arrows are very forgiving. I shoot 45 lbs and my arrows are 475gr. Awesome video!!

This is a great little test. I've seen some other tests where a lighter arrow is shot at a given distance with the bow sighted in then a heavy arrow is used but with the same sight in and the argument is "look how badly the arrow dropped, that's a miss" the major flaw is, who the heck goes into the woods, or even target shoots without sighting in !? A more valid test would be to sight in both setups, then shoot them both at 50 then 45 and 55 with the sight still set at 50 and see how far off the mark they are which would easily simulate that classic argument of "the elkboremoose took a step.." As far as shooting over fences or under branches goes, only the individual can know which scenario is more applicable to their hunting situation. Love this topic and all the various testing methods. Keep up the great work 👍

I’ve never understood why there is a controversy with this subject. It seems to me that people are simply missing the whole story when it comes to arrows and will only spout anecdotal evidence that fits their hunting situation/ bow setup. *Not referring to Brandon your videos are awesome, keep them coming! Let me save anyone reading this sometime. Instead of doing what I had to do which was go through countless videos of people telling me I needed heavy or light arrows. There are three things to consider when it comes to Arrow weight. 1. What animal you are hunting. 2. What style of hunting.(spot and stalk or tree stand/ground blind) 3. Bow set up( trad or compound , poundage/drawl length) -to understand what type of speed you can reasonably accomplish FIRST understanding the animal is obviously important when it comes to penetration because you will not need the same amount of kinetic energy to get through a antelope as you will with a a water buffalo. The bigger the animal the more kinetic energy you will need to reliably pass through it. Secondly if you are going to be hunting in a tree stand/ground blind with reliable yardages that will most likely not go past 30 yards, you have no need to worry about trajectory loss. Or at least not very much need to worry. Especially when shooting a compound bow, At that point a heavy arrow has very little downside and will only help to pass through whatever you’re shooting especially in those worst case scenario shoulder socket shots. However in a spot in stock style of hunting, trajectory is VERY important. Many times shot opportunities are stretched out past 50 or 60 yards, Yes there are plenty of elk hunters who shoot these distances and practice much further, what’s ethical is going to be different based on archery skill level. Also with animals moving you will most likely have to guess yardage at least some of the time if not a majority of the time depending on what your hunting, for example: calling in elk. If you fall into the spot and stalk Category Then your whole goal with an arrow set up should be to get an arrow with a great trajectory that will still reliably pass through which ever animal tyou are hunting. There are kinetic energy charts online to see how much kinetic energy you will need to reliably pass through different game. Many times people are shocked to find out how much more kinetic energy their bow produces as compared to what is recommended. Meaning, you don’t always need as heavy of an arrow to get reliable pass throughs on even the biggest North American game This is where you’re bow set up comes into play. For example most bow hunters are shooting a 60 to 70 pound bow. With a compound bow most people will be able to pas through any animal in North America with 450 or so grains..... but if you shoot a 75 or 80 pound bow and you have a long draw giving you even more feet per second there are guys out there who can shoot a “heavy arrow” 550-650 grains and still have a fast bow shooting over 280 ft per second. They get the best of both worlds and can have a hero that is considered heavy with lots of kinetic energy but also has great trajectory. They don’t have to make the choice between light or heavy because they’re both set up allows them to shoot fast and heavy. So at the end of the day a heavy or light arrow is just one part of a much larger equation and the answer depends on what you’re shooting what style of hunting and you’re bow set up. Once you understand those factors you can make an educated decision.

Brandon, thanks for the video. One thing I wish you had touched on was not just the time to target and the maximum height or drop but how that affects you in different hunting scenarios. Hunting elk or mule deer in the mountains would benefit from a faster arrow to provide a little forgiveness in yardage miscalculations. 5-8 inches could mean the difference between a whiff and a perfect shot.

Great video as always. Keep it up!

I'm shooting a 610 gr arrow, with 250 gr up front and my pins are really consistent. With my broadheads on, they are flying noticeably higher than my field points which conveniently match my sight tape perfectly. Great video. 🏹👍

I just switched to an 80lb bow this year and I was amazed at how my flight flattened out with my hunting arrow (540gr @ 282fps) coming from using a 70lb bow for the past 2yrs.. I set up a target arrow that is 445gr @ 306fps and that sucker can't be climbing more than 4-5" at 50-60yds.. Thanks again for the great vid!!

Great video! Especially when majority of bow kills are under 40 yards and rarely over. One thing you may or may not have noticed is typically the heavier arrows fly better and are unaffected by wind and our natural shooting flaws as much. This is why in Vegas or any indoor shoots they are running 600 plus type arrow weights for ultimate accuracy. Speed matters for unknown shooting and most don't do that so its irrelevant. If scope clearance is an issue people can run a go away from single, run horizontal pins and move your pins down in the housing to gain clearance back. Easier to see your bubble too especially when shooting further.

Great video.

Thank you for the video.

I think the most interesting analysis of what you did is to see how much 3 yds distance judging error makes between the two different setups. Arrow path can be convinient or inconvenient depending on the scenario. I haven’t been able to shoot stuff because my bow was too quick… keep up the good work buddy!!! 🙌

I’d love to see a video showing the yard to yard differences with light, medium, and heavy arrows. I’m about to do my own testing this winter on that.

This is a Great video Brandon...I've had discussions with guys about the "super light/super heavy" 🏹 issue...I constantly tell guys that super fast and light is great at 30 yds. but going beyond that, the light arrow sheds speed faster than a heavy one at the same distance...When you said the differences start at the 40-50 yd range, that Completely validated what I've been saying about a heavier arrow having more momentum when it comes to 40+ yd shots...When I get my Ventum Pro in a couple of months, (I really can't see Hoyt topping the Ventum Pro in 2023, imho), I'm getting it cranked to 83-84#'s and I have about 15- 675 gr. arrows (with a 100 gr. field point), that I'm going to do this similar test with...If it even comes close to a decent clothesline shot at 50-60 yds., that'll be my Elk Missle instead of a 460 gr. or a 475 gr. Arrow...Thanks for the info!! 👍

I'm glad the information is being put out there clear and concise. Now I just wish people would pick a setup and know why that's what they went with, and stop shooting something because "so and so said this is the best". In the end, it's your setup. Take in the facts, all the facts, not just the ones that confirm your bias. Then build an arrow that is right for what you're doing.

Awesome info.

You're fucking hilarious man... AND my favorite resource for my budding bow hunting life... Your 5 bow review will be watched again... I went to Outdoor Emporium Seattle and asked some actually intelligent questions because of the information you presented... Oh... And you need a link to Mere Mortal... I couldn't find it with a google search.

I shoot a “moderately” heavy arrow at 556gr somewhere in the 270fps range. I love it. My pin gaps are so consistent from 20-60 yards with a 5 pin sight. I think it’s a perfect balance of weight and speed. I love having the conversation though. It’s fun to bounce ideas off each other.

Super interesting. I don't think the apex of the trajectory is necessarily at the half-way point when you account for drag; but probably close enough? Super cool you can see that much of a difference between the arrows - which are only in the air for milliseconds.

My first time on this channel, very good. You seem pretty methodical about things and no bs. Subscribed. If you haven't done one yet, I'd really like to see a good breakdown of the "max point blank range" (it's said different ways, but...) single pin setups. It's hard to find anything in depth, especially with video. From what I've read, you can set the single pin in the center of the arrows' "convergence area" (high and low), with that portion being the "flattest" arrow fight of all yardages within that window. (not entire trajectory, but where all shots converge). Faster the arrow, the more room for error. Supposedly what happens is, instead of guessing say, 25/30/35 yardages, you just put the one pin center of the vitals (providing the animal isn't directly under you or within 10 yards), and you're 3" high, 3"low, or bullseye (depending on arrow speed, that would change the numbers for better or worse). I'd really appreciate a video on this. Thanks.

Awsome video!!

I did this test over a year ago. Going from a 440 grain to a 480 grain arrow was enough for me to pick the 440 grain arrow. The trajectory was the deciding factor for me and the test I did got me where I wanted to be. Definitely, test it yourself to decide on what you want.

Going from a really heavy arrow to a medium arrow this year I’m way happier. My 20&30 yard pins almost touch, and I’m not psyched out about deer stepping away from one ranged zone to another like last year. I have a better FOC as well because I’m using an arrow shaft that’s less GPI so I’ll still get great penetration and flight, but a flatter shot. Over 600 just isn’t necessary for whitetail but every just go ahead and do what you want and try for yourself.

I just joined up a Albertan non profit, called the Veteran hunters. Healing through hunting for injured vets, police, first responders, military as well. Im hosting a vet this fall for elk. Im also an injured retired vet that i still want to serve others, so it helps with my healing. This is what i want to do for the rest of my days.

So anyone that wants an extra shot distance I have now put a small red sharpie dot dead center in my level so I have a 5 pin with a level dot. It gives me 20yrd pin all the way to the 70 with a heavy 683gr arrow only going 230fps. So not fast at all but at 60yrd it only looses 6 or 7 fps in flight. And hits hard at all distances. (I have even shot to 135yrd almost no penetration difference and still hits bag almost on flat plane.)

I've been to trad shoots that had obstacles in the path of the target. As you said if you knew the trajectory was going to clear the obstacle you held for the spot you wanted. It caused a LOT of people to misjudge their shot

Also, much like a bullet, the arrow will lose speed as soon as it leaves the bow. Light arrows loose much more speed downrange, vs heavy arrows. Like a 6 to ten feet per second difference... But it's all a balancing of factors to make the arrow you need.

I actually did that for the hellofit, last yr. I used my 20 yd pin at 30(Xbow, Hawke scope, synced to 100, about 540 grns), aimed hi on target, and hit about 4" low. Then, I shot at 40, using my 30 yrd pin. I hit the EXACT same spot! My conclusion-Hawke scopes are awesome, but I really don't know what the highest point of my trajectory was, compared to a 410 grn bolt, doing the same thing.

Good on you for actually doing some real testing on it before putting your thoughts out there. That is more than some youtubers can say.

Damn, you're reading my mind... I'm just in the process of trialling my lightest hunting arrow (410gn) for target and 3D too (where typically I run 295-325gn arrows). I want to know what I'll be sacrificing in trajectory and range estimation error.

Looks like fun messing with the paper for giggles & grins. So many that use a single pin/dot sight don't have a clue as to what the arrow is doing as far as where it's going to hit if the target moves closer/farther than the distance dialed. People need to know what the " point blank range" is for their arrow speed. If one wants a maximum target kill zone diameter of say 4". That's 2" above ans 2" below the intended hit spot. If the target moves 4-5 yards farther than what your pin is set-how high should you hold the pin, if any, to hit your original desired spot? People need to shoot enough to get an idea. This concept works very well until you get longer yardages included.

Ranch fairy did a speed test @ 60 yards, lighter arrows lost more speed than heavier arrows @that 60 yards

Measuring the difference in trajectory at the halfway point basically halves the values that we want to see, we want to see the gap at the distance not half way... the arrows will continue to see more separation during the second half of travel....

Lighted nocks would've taken this video to the next level

I'm around 560 grains.. I feel like it gives me the weight I want and a pin gap I can deal with. Went up above 600 and I just wasn't happy with the trajectory of my shots.. I hunt Whitetails and most of the time atleast have a chance to range or know they are 20 or 30 .. But being in situations where it maybe a 40 yard shot I just couldn't deal with my 40 yard pin being on the shoulder and my 50 being on the leg lol

I try to build an arrow that will fly between 270 and 285 FPS with as much foc I can get. Current set up is 70lb 29in at 455g at 16.9% foc. My old Hoyt carbon matrix slings them at 280fps on the money. I’ve shot the same set up at 480 and was at 272fps. Both shot good however I like it better at 280. Probably just in my head but I feel better about it lol. This would have been a cool test of you did the lighted nock overlay like your older video Brandon! 👍🏻

I spent "wasted" a bunch of money building some heavy FOC arrows. I shoot a PSE NXT 33, buddy of mine shoots the Drive NXT and came over to do some broad head tuning with me. We are same in draw weight and length. I started noticing his arrows where in the target a great bit more than mine. Both use G% Montecs. His arrows are setup at 371 grains, mine were 575 and 16% FOC. 20-50 yards he would pernitrate further EVERYTIME. I went back to speed and have not looked back since. Lighter, faster means dead quicker.

Great info! I'm drinking the Ranch Fairy cool-aid because that's the style of hunting I do. I live in south Georgia and primarily hunt from a tree stand or saddle. Hunting down here every shot is close because the woods are so thick. The benefits of hunting with heavy arrows out way the negatives. Oh ,buy the way I shoot a 60 lb Elite with a 685 grain arrow tipped with 200 grain VPA single bevel.

The old saying " would you rather get hit with a fast wiffle ball or a slower baseball". Lol

I really don't get the heavy arrow or extreme F.O.C. for hunting whitetail deer especially from a treestand. I shoot a 415 grain arrow at 285 fps and it has enough energy at 60 yards to blow through a whitetail or an elk and it makes very little noise at the shot. It seems like no one is willing to talk about what really matters, accuracy and everything it takes to be consistently accurate from tuning your bow to practice, practice, practice. ☝This is the key to success along with understanding the animals body language, you must be able to read the animal and determine if the shot is there or not. Stealthy, undetected all the way until you release the arrow is the goal at the moment of truth.

Just spent my paycheck on hunting gear, but ill buy a hat and tee next mounth !!!

I switched to a much heavier arrow and higher foc last year. I am shooting a 680 grain arrow at 260 fps. Getting best arrow flight I have ever had and I shot a doe the other day that the hemorrhaging beneath the hide on exit side of ribs looked like she had been shot with a rifle! I have learned my trajectory and feel good out to 40-50 yards. Not going to be making shots farther than that in the woods on any type of game so I am good. Just for reference I managed a commercial bowhunting lodge for 4 years where we harvested over 100 whitetails each year and I have seen the problems of arrows that are too light for those that are chasing speed. No bow is fast enough to get to the animal before it can move if it is trying to coil it muscles to leave in a hurry from hearing your bow or the arrow in flight. I would rather be shooting an arrow than can have a chance to push through bone if the animal moves before gets to where I was aiming.

I used to shoot full metal jackets 5mm 460 grains. Now I shoot the Easton axis 5mm 340 spine and they are 430 grains. So I am going for a faster setup. And the axis fly great.

Very interesting

I have found my pin gaps are the same out to 40 yards between my 714 gr arrow and my 920 gr arrow. I just have to drop my slider from 40 to 43. I might have some fun with that this year. Edit: Three whitetail seasons at 714 gr and tags were all filled. Have not had one beat my arrow yet.

Great video. What is that bow/arrow holder that you have??

I am sure there are folks out west that have shot through Elk at long ranges, trajectory considerd with heavy arrow setups. I believe with current trends, that will happen much more. That heavy arrow is going to be more lethal.

Heavy keeps that momentum. There are points of no return, but I feel anything about 450 is good regardless of draw weight and length. Just a feeling backed up anecdotally.

Awesome video. I see your a Tennessee man so I was wondering if you applied for a Tennessee elk tag?

An ask if you will, love the Mere mortal archery line. Bought a shirt in the first round I believe it was however can you get a few bigger sizes? The shirts run a little small for us big boys. 2XL and 3XL would be awesome

I haven't even watched yet but solid thumbnail

Not going to lie the Dave and karin thing freaked me out

How about a video showing how much each arrow hits high or low if you misjudge yardage by 5 yards at 20, 30, 40, etc

Actually, The Hunting Public & Ranch Fairy/Rocket Man did radar test out to 60 yards with different weight arrows. They proved that heavier arrow loose less speed than light arrows. Hard to slow a train down.

Ha! My middle name is David and my wife's name is Karen, and yeah, it was a little disconcerting when you said that. But I'm already subscribed so I knew you were just messing with me...

When it comes down to it, if it's accurate and super quiet (heavy arrows are) and carry loads of momentum for penetration......why the hell not? I love shooting long range....100+....with my 3D setup (391 grains), however when it comes to a flat out silent shot and best chance at full penetration when it comes to whitetails.....I'm rocking a 660 grain arrow this fall with a high quality cut on contact 3 blade head.

Not to mention how much more quiet the bow is with heavy arrows.

It would be nice to have done that test shooting only 60#. I mostly shoot unmarked 3D.

Currently shooting 640 grains with an 80lb hoyt. I haven’t tested it but I bet at 60 yards the arrow only climbs about 14-15 inches, it’s not much!

A great book suggestion for mere mortals is Mere Christianity. Extremely thought provoking

Brandon, I think you missed the mark here🤔. When archers I know are talking about a flatter trajectory, with lighter faster arrows, they and I mean the following: if I'm using a single pin sighted in at 30 yards and a deer 🦌 comes into my circle of death, I can kill said deer even if I have miss judged the yardage by 10 yards. My arrow is flying flatter, therefore my margin of error is a lot smaller. Try doing the test again using the same arrows. This time sight them in at 20 yards and back up 10 yards at a time. Then you will see which arrows fall out of the kill zone faster. I love watching your channel. Good luck this bow season.🏹🦌

I shoot 663g Day6 with Day6 EvoX broadheads out of 73lb Elite Energy. It destroys every deer I shoot, but its important to say I only hunt whitetails and never shoot past 40 yards because of how jumpy they are, and 95% of my shots are under 25 yrds

RIP DUDLEY

I may have missed it. Did you put the paper at 35 yards when you were shooting 70 yards?

My in laws are named Dave and Karen, that’s pretty close right? 😂 I shoot 533. It’s a little less forgiving that my old stock arrows at around 475. But the extra momentum has had some impressive penetration results. I’ve been on the fence about trying heavier.

What are you shooting a 600 grain arrow at 270 fps with?

I also try to compromise with weight vs speed as I have a 60 lb TRIAX but only 27” draw length So speed is more important to me to a point than weight I live in SE Massachusetts Hunt primarily white tails and coyotes so shot opportunities past 30-40 yrds are rare But like ability to reach out for 3D shooting Since I can’t afford 2 bows lol Compromise is the order

Going heavy is just a mindset shift that has a different set of constraints you work within. But you gain better penetration. I think it’s an error to decide on which “way” you should go based in individual shots, but instead look at the overall difference in constraints and whether the better penetration is worth it. I’d argue there are next to no constraints the heavy arrows introduce that are not easily overcome by the benefits of a heavy arrow on penetration.

🏹🎯

I'm a believer in shooting what gives you the most confidence in taking the animal cleanly. I only shoot whitetails. I shoot a 375 grain arrow at 315 fps. I didn't choose that arrow weight on purpose. I was given arrows to try that were the correct spine for my bow and I set it up and 375 grains is what it turned out to be. It's devastating on whitetails. I shot a buck at almost 30 yards and I hit his shoulder. I broke both front shoulders pinning the heart with the arrow. He plowed for 60 yards then expired. Both front legs were flopping loose when loading him in the truck. I just read a comment of another archer that is shooting 82lbs of kinetic energy shooting an arrow that is almost 200 grains heavier than my arrows. I'm Shooting just over 80lbs of kinetic energy with my lighter arrows. I'm shooting so much faster that the energy is almost the same. I realize momentum is also key but wanted to give apples to apples. He only listed his kinetic energy. I have bow hunted for 50 years now. I've shot slow bows, fast bows, heavy arrows and light arrows. The setup I have now is the best I've ever had for whitetails. If I were going moose hunting I would adjust my setup accordingly. Having a tuned bow and putting the arrow where it needs to go is key no matter what you shoot.

Can you do another video comparing how much room for error you have in ranging the target? In other words, how close does your ranging have to be for each arrow to still hit vitals on a deer?

You had me going there for a few seconds before you mentioned my wife Karen. Phew! Thought I had gotten drunk last night and had gotten married to the gal at the bar. Named Karen. Thankfully no. Good vid.

do you give veterans discounts ,i want to buy one of your older bows and would like it signed please !

Were these shot from the same bow? At the weights and velocities quoted the 385 & 900 grain examples at 304 & 200 fps respectively have similar energy (~79 lb ft) but the 600 grain example at 275 fps is 28% higher (101 lb ft)... what were you shooting that one from?

there are more flaws in the testing setup: 1. the trajectory depends also on the FOC (that's why a lot of 3D archers shoot a very low (to neutral) FOC to get a flat trajectory. 2. the apex is usually not in the middle of the distance as it depends on the speed erosion / deceleration of the arrow. 3. obviously, if you shoot a higher poundage bow, the trajectories will look similar - do the same test with a 40# bow and you will come likely to another conclusion. Overall, most archers are not concerned so much with the trajectory - it's the speed (the trajectory reflects the speed), and if you have an arrow that's 30% slower it will need 30% more time to reach the target / game.

Good Day. I tried to order a hat and t shirt from Canada. The address options at check out are the US and Australia. Wondering if/when they will be available in Canada. I'd love to support this worthy cause. Thanks.

Not worried about closer shots. Its when the animal moves further away and you have to guess the difference. Wound, miss, or ??? I think, imho, shoot a 20 ydpin @ 40 (hold top of tgt) to see the difference in drop. And a 30yd @ 50/60. Whats the difference in drop now. But good stuff!!

You use a doppler radar and redo this to see the drop in speed too

I'm 15 shooting 25" at 65 pounds, meaning my fps is very critical for me. I'm shooting 245-260fps on an average light arrow. Ik you lose a ton of fps at 60yrds with a lighter arrow, and lose much less with a higher grain arrow. Is the deficit in loss of fps at launch, but less loss at further distances worth switching to a heavy setup?

I’m shooting a 540 grain arrow on a 75lb vertix with 29” draw. It’s only chrono at 242. Seems little slow any ideas?

The heavy arrow argument / discussion is well represented by the Ranch Ferry and others who have done legitimate research. I’d like to see the “notion” of deer ducking the “sound of the arrow” discussed. First of all, we know that the sound of the bow travels at well, the speed of sound, while an arrow is typically in the range of say 250 to 290 fps. The likely response is that the deer is recoiling from the sound of the bow going off in an effort to escape whatever made said noise and in doing so, ducks the arrow that he hasn’t heard yet. Asking for a friend…

great video. Use the term "maximum ordinate" when referring to the highest point of a projectile's trajectory - its more sciency

First you need to shoot both arrows out of the same lb bow. Out to 30-40 yds use what you want the difference starts to show after 40.

Ok so I had to pause the video and get 2 shirts. Already had a hat.

Im never worried about the speed of the arrow. Its what happens when it gets to the target. Im more concerned with a COMPLETE passthrough. No flappers #ranchfairy

Another thing when shooting heavy arrows is, noise. Your bow is not as loud.

I love heavy arrows, the shoot through a small gap is an argument for light fast arrows, but what about an obstruction between yourself and the target, like a branch half way, in that situation a super fast flat shooting arrow wouldn't work but a heavy arcing one would. I don't condone trick shots LOLOL...

I don’t know if it would make a cool video or not but I wonder what that difference would be in just a couple yards. Like if you ranged an animal at 40 and it takes a few yards back or forward. Zero them both at 40 and shoot at 45 and see the difference in the drop. Or even 60 and 65

I hate this topic. 350g arrow or 900g arrow will kill a whitetail easily especially with properly tune bow and sharp broadheads

I only shoot 235 fps lol but I bow hunt and I get within 25 yards to me is what it's about and speed isn't important to me

Fact: If you shoot a deer where you’re supposed to. Weight won’t matter.

I wished you’d said Kyle, because my wife’s name is Karen 😆