I need some helpful advice on arrows for my F/CAT TR-1

[Ben Better]

Hello again everyone in Martinville,

I have had my special times with my TR-1 but all things are working out fine now, patience and handi-work will prevail!!

Back to my topic of arrow selection, Has anyone had experience with eastons full metal jacket shafts or similar in the 10 GPI weight range? My shots are in fine groups for my expectation but the set up is a little noisy for hunting. I got the usual string dampeners and 8" stabilizer (from x factor) but still more noise than I like. Finally got a grain scale and have arrow weights under 5 GPI for a 70 draw wt. (70 x 5 = 350) Mine are at 333. I think this is my noise problem and not good for the limbs. I shoot a short arrow raw shaft cut at 26.5 so that loses some weight too. shaft now is 7.5 GPI.( 26.5 x 7.5 = 198.75) add 135 for nock, insert & fletching. So to get to say 6 gpi for 70 # DWT (6 x 70 = 420) minus add ons of 135 grn leave a raw shaft wt needed of 285. Divide by cut length of 26.5 and I need a 10.75 GPI shaft.

Back again to the easton shafts of 10+ GPI, any good report on them and is the loss of speed worth the reduction in noise and gain of kinetic force to hunt with?

[Destroyer]

Finally got a grain scale and have arrow weights under 5 GPI for a 70 draw wt. (70 x 5 = 350) Mine are at 333. I think this is my noise problem and not good for the limbs.

Not good for your warranty either.

[Arrow Splitter]

is the loss of speed worth the reduction in noise and gain of kinetic force to hunt with?

Affirmative. My arrows weigh well over 400 grains, and I'm getting around 60 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy.

[Ehunter]

While speed is good, accuracy, and silence are the most important things in hunting. Virtually any bow and arrow set-up is going to give enough KE to work well on deer sized game. Most of what I've read says you only need 66# or so KE for dangerous game like Buffalo, bear, etc. I'd rather have a nice quiet bow that shoots good groups than a screamer that is hard to control. A slow bow that hits the spot you are aiming at is far better than one that shoots fast, but doesn't. Personally, my arrows are a cross between speed and weight. 383 gr. total weight gives me 300+ fps with one bow at 73# and another at 70#, fairly quiet, and more than enough KE for anything I am going to be hunting. I think 10 gpi is a bit high, but I'm sure it would make for a very quiet shot.

[Ben Better]

Thanks for your opinions, I have resisted the local suggestions to just use a heavier tip, from 100grn to 125 + to get the weight up. I would rather have an evenly distributed weight that led me to the heavier shaft path. I have tried weed eater string inserted the full length of shaft to get weight up as suggested. I didn't like the rattle as I checked my arrows after a target shot pull. I even pulled out my old gamegetter 2117 alnm arrows, cut one down and weighed it at 470 grn, a little over the top for me. But hey, they have taken white tails in my youth with my 45-60lb Cougar Magnum. Still thinking, which sometimes is a problem.

[bfisher]

There is little doubt that your present arrow weight is too light for the bow specs, which contributes to bow noise. Are you aware that Easton has a downloadable arrow selection chart. Although never absolute this would give you some indication of the various shafts you can use. It's pretty straight forward so is good to have.

I just did your numbers and it gives about 10 different Easton shafts you can choose from. At the length you are now using it pretty much says a 400 spine should work. Working with your stated desires and trying to reach a balance I would choose the Easton Axis 400. The Axis camo would be a little heavier, but not really necessary.

I agree with EHunter about one thing. If shooting a 70# bow you cannot choose a properly spined arrow that is too light for hunting anything walkng North America. Don't get all worked up about having to have more and more kinetic energy. It's just a number. You'll have plenty. More important is to tune your equipment so that the arrow is flying true and all it's energy is straight in line with the point so as to drive it through the animal.

Something you might want to try, and seldom mentioned, is to turn the draw weight down to about 65#. The bow is infinitely more adjustable than the arrow and you're not likely to hunt anything tht will be able to tell the difference. It just might save you the cost of new arrows and almost certainly will save wear and tear on your shoulder joint over the long haul. You also might find that you like the smoother draw, too. Remember, just like kinetic energy, bow poundage is just a number. If you find the bow acceptable to shoot at the lower weight then good. If not you can always turn it back up and get heavier arrows. It's worth a try and doesn't cost anything.

[RLW]

....................Has anyone had experience with eastons full metal jacket shafts .......///

As for this part of the question, the Easton FMJ is the go to shaft a very experienced friend of mine uses on all of his big game hunts. Very durable, well made shaft.

FYI: he shoots a 26" FMJ 400 shaft, (3) 3.6" Flex-fletch vanes, 50gr insert, 100gr fixed blade head for about 480grs, with an FOC just under 13%.
In his case that’s 7.2gr/lb, and at 67lbs it flies right around 265fps.........in the last 2-3yrs, that (what some would call slow) arrow has carried his broadhead to a nice bull elk, muley buck, couple caribou, dall sheep, gemsbok, impala, wildebeast, warthog (been a good couple years).......and "maybe" in a couple months, griz??


For me those are too many $$ and a little heavier than I prefer, so I just stick with my old stand-by Beman ICS Hunter 340 shafts.
I personally like total arrow weight in the 6.5 - 7.0grs/in range for a decent compromise of speed and noise, but have found 8-9grs/lb the quietest out of most of my bows (again, that is total arrow weight grs/lb, not just shaft weight)

[Jake-the-snake]

I doubt with the full metal jackets, you would be under 350 grains. Something seems funny to me about your calculations.
I use the 400's cut to 27" out of a 64# bow. finished arrow weight with an 85 grain head is around the 400 grain mark.

[Ben Better]

Thanks again for all the input guys! I try not to get seduced by the advertisments or seek the thrill of speed beyond my control. I may tone down the draw weight a little and move up in tip weight. The point was made for extra costs and joint soreness, both of which I could do with less of. Happy hunting!

[bfisher]

Thanks again for all the input guys! I try not to get seduced by the advertisments or seek the thrill of speed beyond my control. I may tone down the draw weight a little and move up in tip weight. The point was made for extra costs and joint soreness, both of which I could do with less of. Happy hunting!

IMO you are making a wise choice. And not because I suggested it.