Carbon arrows

[john917v]

I've got some Beman Team Realtree MFX arrows. They are 'micro diameter' for better penetration. The field points (I'll be using broadheads) that are mounted in them are notably wider, about 1/16 of an inch on each side. The arrows have thick shaft-walls. I imagine that, combined with their thinner diameter, are best for deer.

My bow only goes up to 45 lbs. of pull, so I'm thinking these will help at least some.

Anyone have any experience with these arrows? Thoughts?

 

[john917v]

Anyone have any experience with carbon fiber arrows, of any brand?

 

[janobles14]

i use easton carbon epics and love them. though i have thought of trying the micro diameter ones when i run out of these. i cant imagine that they penetrate that much better but i bet the weight forward design they use combined with the smaller diameter will make for better arrow flights

 

[thejetman]

i tried a set a while back. Its all fun and games till you start hitting them with other arrows then it gets expensive. I use gamegetter 2's for hunting. They have killed 2 deer.

 

[JTW Jr.]

in my quiver now I have Beman ICS Hunters ( 400's ) , Easton Axis XT (400) and Easton Carbon Evolutions ( 500's for the recurve ).

I have robinhooded a few while practicing

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Penetration is a function of velocity, stiffness/hardness & sharpness of the projectile, and sectional density, which the latter is in turn a function of length, width and mass.

So in theory a narrower arrow has a higher sectional density given the same mass, than a thicker one. But this is virtually irrelevant because the shaft is BEHIND the broadhead which makes entrance first. So the width of the broadhead is the key component in determining sectional density, along with the weight of the total arrow/broadhead projectile. That means you want a smallish cutting area (either 3/4ths" or 7/8ths" - or at most 1.0"), such as with a Muzzy or one of many others that are not massively wide (such as those giving a 1.25", 1.5", 2.0", or larger cutting area. Also, a two-blade broadhead (such as an Easton) will penetrate better than an 3-blade or 4-blade. The 3-blade Muzzy would be preferable to the 4-blade in your situation. Also, obviously, the sharper the better - they need to be razor sharp. And since heavier is better for sectional density, a 125 grain or heavier broadhead is what you want.

So, although a thinner arrow won't HELP you very much (since it's path is being paved by the broadhead in front of it), it certainly won't hurt you and if anything, it can help you a little bit, provided it is heavy-ish (thick-walled), in providing penetration.

So, thin=good. But light=bad. You want a thin (9/32nds or 5/16ths), but heavy-ish arrow such as the Easton Axis ST - something up around 9.5 to 10 gpi (grains per inch), with a lighter draw weight such as your (45 lbs) in my opinion.

But yes, in general, carbon arrows rock - they are superior to aluminum and wood in several ways. I shoot carbons even with a traditional bow.

Oh another thing - important - on your field points - you need to definitely ditch the ones that are wider than your arrows, and replace them. You want field points that are the same or *narrower* than your arrow shaft; otherwise, it is hell pulling them out of your field point target.

Another thing, on flex, with that light of a draw weight, you want a shaft this is pretty flex-y, depending on the arrow length. You'll need to consult the charts, but I believe you'll want a *minimum* flex of 400 (and possibly 500) for that draw weight with a 28-30" shaft, and you will almost certainly need a 500 high flex if your arrow is only 25-27".

 

[john917v]

Cool beans. Thanks for the help, all. Premium Sauces, that was a Premium response.

More responses are welcome, though.

 

[3pairs12]

Flex = spine I would go with the 500 over the 400. 400"s work best with 50 -60 pound draw weight. I believe that I would try to improve my speed and go with alighter broadhead than 125 grain. I may go with 100 or even 85. G 5 makes a pretty nice one I shoot the monotecs and they fly really true even with smaller vanes.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Yes, I agree on the 500 Flex in that situation - by the way, that is Easton's proprietary system of spine flex (340, 400, 500) - there is no comparable system with Carbon Express, Beman, etc., so it doesn't translate. And that is why I like Easton arrows - they actually have a system with numbers that you can make some sense of, and nice readable charts. The other makers, to their shame, do not.

 

[Kingcreek]

I used Gold Tip for a few years with no complaints but last year switched to Carbon Express (wt forward) terminator light hunters. I use 100gr 3-blade muzzy broadheads and a 70# mathews. carbon arrows are great.

 

[plumberroy]

I understand the benifits of carbon arrows and agree they are superior arrows I just don't like them
Roy

 

[nmlongbow]

I use MFX Classic's in most of my stick bows, 500 spine through 340 depending on the bow. 500's might work for your bow with some heavy points depending on how close it's cut to center.
You can find 9/32 points that fit flush to the shaft from 3Riversarchery or KustomKing.

I foot all of my skinny carbons with a 1" piece of aluminum shafting for more strength and compatibility to wider points. For 500 MFX's you can use an Easton 2020 and bevel the end for easier removal from targets.

MFX's are durable, straight and real close in spine compared to most other carbons.

 

[Odd Job]

I only have experience with short crossbow bolts. When comparing the aluminium ones versus the carbon fibre, the carbon ones penetrate deeper in homogeneous archery targets.
Another factor is the fletchings. I found that lower profile double shark fin fletchings on the same bolt allowed it to penetrate deeper than the standard parabolic flethcings, but I don't have a scientific test to back that up or explain it.
Edit: looking at my samples here it must be because of lower drag.

 

[3pairs12]

Also other arrows spine will have a 4 digit number. That number will be the lighter end of the draw wwieght to heavier end. like 5570 or 4560. So if you are shooting 45 pounds you'll want 4560. I said to try and go on the side of speed because penetration will do you no good if the deer can see your arrow coming and duck it.

 

[nmlongbow]

Crossbows are fine and legal to hunt with in some area's but they have very little in common with hand drawn bows.
Fletchings are for stabilizing the arrow. A properly tuned bow with a good release will launch an arrow without fletchings as well as a fletched arrow when using field points.
Bareshaft tuning helps a lot when tuning your setup but don't try it with broadheads.

3 digit numbers like 500, 400 etc are actual deflection ratings based on how much the shaft flexes. 3555,5575 and 4560 are just numbers based on the recommended weight of the bow for that particular arrow.

Adding point weight increases the flex in the shaft and allows you to shoot a stiffer arrow. It also increases penetration.

Arrow speed is great but deer usually react to the sound of the bow when the arrow is released rather than seeing the arrow. A slower, heavier arrow with a good sharp fixed blade broadhead is always best in my opinion.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Some great responses so far.

You should take the time to learn about the math behind these archery issues. Learning how and why spine is what it is, what KE is, how the arrow reacts (paradox) to the energy input of release, etc, are all very good things to know when trying to maximize your efficiency.
It may be a little boring to internalize, but it will make you a better archer, archery product consumer (Like Premium Sauces- you don't think he just walks in to Gander Mountain and says to himself "hey, these look cool. Maybe they'll work?") and a better hunter.

To respond to your draw weight question, 45 lbs of draw weight is plenty. Do the math and figure out how much Kinetic Energy you're delivering.