Weight in Flight by Corby Rowe

Welcome back Anchor Point Readers!   Last month Toby gave us insight on arrow flight when shooting broad heads in “Wings on the Front”.  In the article he briefly touched on the unsafe practice of shooting under spine arrows and how it affects the accuracy of your shot.  Have you seen the pictures of fragmented carbon arrows sticking out of people’s hands like porcupine quills?

Why do people shoot an under spined arrow? Allow me to answer the question.  “Speed”! Whether its talk around the pro shop or advertising, IBO speed is always at the top!  In the quest for speed you need to shoot lighter arrows.  If you go off the chart and shoot an arrow that has too light a spine for your specific set-up, you run the risk of hurting yourself and the people around you.  It may even damage your bow.

What advantages do you gain with speed? Flatter trajectory and quicker time to your intended target.  If that is a jumpy whitetail buck then your shot might hit before he can jump the string or duck the shot.

You may also gain a slight advantage if you miscalculate your range, because the lighter faster arrow does not drop as quickly as a heavier arrow at a given distance.

Faster bows generate more energy.  More energy means, as the archer, you have more choices in your set-up.  If you are strictly a target shooter, you can opt for the advantages of faster arrow speed.  If you are a hunter, you can opt for a slightly heavier arrow set up to gain better down range energy transfer to your intended animal.  This is kinetic energy.

This is foot-pounds of energy transferred on impact or “knock down” power.  Game animals come in all sizes.  Archery equipment generates a limited amount of kinetic energy.  (As a side note, chapter 5 of “Arrow University” has a great explanation of kinetic energy with accompanying scientific testing, if you are interested.)  Archery equipment utilizes this kinetic energy, or knock down power, to push a razor sharp broad head through varying thicknesses of bone and tissue.  The resulting wound channel (hopefully a pass through) causes devastating lacerations of vital organs and vessels leading to exsanguination and a quick, humane kill.  Your set-up then should be calculated for your intended quarry.  Heavier arrows carry more energy.  Larger animals require more energy for the arrow to penetrate through to the vital organs.

Today’s faster bows generate more energy!  The increase in energy gives the archery hunter the ability to shoot heavier arrows faster every year.  Archery season is just around the corner.  Check your set-up.  If you are shooting the fastest bow on the market you now have the advantage of delivering more foot-pounds of energy to your prey. The advertising slogan “Speed Kills” may have its truths, however, a well-placed shot from properly set up archery equipment is what makes for a successful hunt!  Speed is just technology giving you the tools to make that shot!

“Practice daily and never stop learning!”