grain weight for elk...

[blacktailchaser]

i have been kind of worried about my arrow weight...and with shooting woodies i feel like i can only do so much...so is 481 grains to light...i have been wanting to shoot meat heads which are 190 and it would put my weight up to 560...so what do you all think...thanks..

[Wudstix]

Key is straight flight and tuned arrow.

[kadbow]

You will be fine, I have put 540 gr arrows through elk.

[jhg]

I would go 560 if I could and keep flight characteristics how I like them. You are a long way away from the heavy arrow grail at that weight, but also, there is little advantage staying light.
Try a new set up and see how it changes the way you must shoot. It may be an easy transition and you have plenty of time to dial it in.
I roll with a 570 arrow and its a nice balance flat flight and penetration. But I shoot carbon and also have FOC. I understand its a challenge to FOC woodies but you can do it.

Pass through results, 650lb bull elk. 35-ish yds.
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[Terry Green]

What make bow, draw weight, and draw length?

[A tag]

I agree with every post on here so far especially Terrys post. Having a little information on bow weight ect would help in giving the best advice. With wood arrows you can control your over all shaft weight when ordering  your shafts. Wood shafts have a big variance in grain weight in the same spine class. Depending on where you order your shafts you can ask for shafts that weigh a specific amount. You can also choose a different wood type to put you in a different weight classes. There are ways to control your overall arrow weight with wood arrows.

Remember adding 70 grains to the front of your arrows will weaken your spine and you will need to move up in spine. In some cases a 480 grain arrow might not be to light depending upon a lot of variables we don't have yet.

[Larry Dean]

I can give two examples of cedar arrows and large game. One a young archer had the same model of Schulz bow as mine, it even looked the same except mine was 64@26 and his was 51@26. I showed him pictures of deer that my bow killed with 2018s and Schulz and Grizzly heads. He showed me pictures of elk that his bow killed with cedar arrows and Schulz heads. He also had pics of the exit holes. Another, on a long rough portage in the middle of Quetico Provincial Park, another equally tired canoeist took a break on the same rock. He seemed to really appreciate the little cigars that I had. He had his iPhone, which would not get a connection,(they never do way out there), but he did have pictures on it of a moose that he killed with an osage flat limb and an obsidian head. He said his bow was 55 to 60 pounds and joked, 'depending if i get it back all the way, eh?'

[Orion]

I'd lean toward a heavier arrow, but the speed at which you're pushing it makes a big difference, i.e., bow weight is also important. 

[Sam McMichael]

I don't pay too much about arrow weight since whitetails are what I chase most of the time. Heavy arrows are not generally paramount. Consequently, I am not especially knowledgeable about the more minute intricacies of this facet of arrow performance. Off the cuff, I would think that any well tuned arrow in the range of 10 to 12 gpp with a properly sharpened broadhead should perform well. Am I off base here?

[Wudstix]

Allot of truth here.  Good arrow weight 10-12 gpp, decent momentum, flight and performance, combined with good shoot placement are what gets it done.  All my bows are 63# of better, so penetration is never an issue.

[blacktailchaser]

terry is a liberty longbow...52 pounds at 27 inches..

[durp]

Your rig with a 560gr arrow will get it done at reasonable range...say 25ish...you can easily get 560gr with fir shafts and 125gr heads...that's what I shoot out of my 51lb longbow but at 29 inches.

There's some  where north of 30 elk found there way through my freezer over the years with bow between 50 and 83lb and wood arrows...never used a head heavier than 135 on any of em...that said I really like a bow in the mid 50s and 600 gr woodies...at least for a few more years