pdq 5oh

Hi Everyone,
I'm brand new to bowhunting. I intend to practice & scout this coming summer & fall. What I have is a Fred Bear Vapor 300 set @ 55#, 30" draw. Will an SME Epsilon arrow (appr 220 gr) w/ a 100 or 125 gr Satellite Mech broadhead be suitable for whitetails in Oh? I'm guessing the total weight will be 355 to 380 gr. From what I understand, this arrow & head may be too light. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Ky_Bowhunter

Welcome to the forum pdq_5oh. Your setup sounds good for whitetail. Although ive never heard of the arrow shaft that you mentioned. Since your shooting at 55 pounds I wouldnt recomend mechanicals. I would get a good fixed blade head. Perhaps a muzzy or thunderhead.

pdq 5oh

Thanks for the reply Ky. I've been on the fence about the type of broadhead, fixed or mech. It appears people prefer the fixed blades @ the lower weight as you recommend. I got the arrows @ the shop w/ the bow. They shoot fine to this point. The weights are real consistent as is straightness. .003" over 28". Thanks again.

Biteme/Paul Mohr

I have been using the SME's for about a month now I think. They seem pretty good to me for the money I paid for them. The nocks are a bit tight for me, but if you spread them out they are ok. They will deffinately be heavier than 355 grns. Mine are 26 inches with 85 grn tips and weigh around 360-365 grains. With your arrow being longer, and a heavier tip I would think your 388 guess is closer. I checked on Jacksons weight calculator and it comes up with 397 for 30 inch mediums with a 100 grn tip and 4" vanes. My arrows are almost always 10 grns heavier than that calculator though, so figure on around 400 to 405.
Well above 6 grns per pound(7.3) so they should work fine. If you got the Heavy arrows, which you should not have for your draw weight, but should not really hurt anything. They should weigh around 440 grns which is 8 grns per pound and getting you close to AMO specs.

I would also recomend a fixed blade head, but you could try the mechanicals and see what happens.

Does that help you any?

Paul.

P.S. these epsilons are the quietest arrows I have ever seen! Still like my nitros though.

pdq 5oh

Thanks Paul. Any info is a big help. I appreciate it. I was under the impression these arrows are lighter. I feel better knowing that they are heavier. Given my setup, would the 100 or 125 muzzys be better. It sounds as though a pass through is desirable, so would the heavier tip be better? Also, would 3 or 4 blade be better for me? Would turning the bow up to 60# make much difference? That's peak weight. I have back problems so I wanted something easier to pull, hence the lighter weight. I have enjoyed reading the posts here, and everyone seems interested in helping each other.

RN,HNTR

Hello, let me put in my two cents. You said you are new to archery. Most new people get discouraged and quit so I would like to prevent this by bringing up a common problem with new archers. You said you were shooting a 30" draw. Just let me say a too long a draw length is very common and will be very bad for accuracy. It takes a pretty tall and long armed person to shoot 30". If it is your correct draw length then you are lucky as you will get a little more speed. Also take into account if you hunt from a treestand a steep downward angle shot is almost impossible with a draw length that is too long. Hope this helps.

Biteme/Paul Mohr

It depends on the heads. As far as weight goes, I dont think the difference between 100 and 125 will make that big of a diff as far as penetration goes. The performance of your bow won't really change that much. I would be more concerned about the cutting diameter. If the 125's are quite a bit larger than the 100's it could decrease your penitration. Everything is give and take in archery. On the other hand the heavier heads would give you slightly more FOC. Buy some practice tips of both weights and see which group better. Or if you can afford it, buy broad heads of both weights and see which flies better. A lot of this stuff is trial and error. What works perfect for someone else may not work worth beans for you. I would stick with a 3 blade, or one of the cut on impact styles for ultimate penitration.

As far as turning your poundage up, that depends also. If you can pull it back really easy maxed out, go for it. Most bows shoot a little better when bottomed out. But like you said, your back is not that great, so I would not advise it. If your draw is too long, or you try to pull more weight than you are comfortable with it will make your bow hard to shoot well. Many people do this, I am guilty of it myself sometimes.

I would not concern yourself so much with speed or penitration on your bow. A 30 inch draw length is a big blessing, your bow should be plenty fast enough to blow through most game. I shoot 60 pounds at 26 inches and get 230 fps out of a 365 grn arrow. While this isn't smokin' fast, it's plenty to be deadly. And your set up should be close to that if not a little better. The difference between 55 and 60 lbs would not be worth the pain in my opinion.

I would even try mechanicals with your set up with out to much worry. Go for the rockets or a simular design that is proven to penitrate well. Just remember to keep your shots close and as broadside as possible. There is nothing wrong with your set up. That model of bow has taken many a deer with much smaller people behind it.

Good luck, and have fun.

Paul

Edited by - biteme/paul mohr on 01/11/2002 14:25:18

pdq 5oh

Paul & RN, I really thank you for the valuable info. I was measured @ the shop where I bought the bow (Fin Feather Fur in Ohio). I am pushig 6'1" & have long arms. I'll try a few different broadheads to see what works best. I figured I'd try turning the bow up to see the difference in pulling it back. All in all I'm happy w/ the bow & stuff I got w/ it. Thanks again.