Target Arrows vs Hunting Arrows
“515 Rule”
It wasn’t until recently, the past 1-2yrs, that I realized simply replacing your field point with a broadhead does not take your arrow from target arrow to hunting arrow. At least not an efficient effective hunting arrow! I was the guy that would take off to the woods each year with a new broadhead hoping for better results than the year before. I don’t think I can be labeled “insane” because I was at least making one change, that I thought in and of itself would produce massively different results. I never actually considered looking at my arrow system and evaluating its deficiencies behind the broadhead!
I’m kind of glad I didn’t know these things yet because if I had I might not of sought to create the WEDGEHEAD broadhead. That’s another story. This isn’t about any one particular broadhead. It’s about the reality of what’s pushing your broadhead of choice and making sure you understand the difference between target arrows and hunting arrows.
Generally target arrows are what we shoot most. We shoot them in the yard at bags. We shoot them at layered blocks. We take them to the 3D tournament and unleash them on all the foam animals. Light flat shooting arrows are what we really desire here. If you’re off a yard or two no big deal. Those arrows allow for tight pin gaps and stretching the ole single pin out beyond 100yds. Besides nobody wants to be the guy in the group whose arrow is stove up so far in the foam it takes two people to pull it out every time.
Unfortunately, many bow hunters simply take that same light flat shooting arrow screw on a broadhead and call it a hunting arrow! I can tell you from experience we’re selling ourselves short! Doing that is the equivalent of having a 150gr Core-Lok or 165gr Hornady SST being pushed by a 223 charge of powder. Those are two very solid performing bullets but with half the powder pushing it you’ll never achieve maximum results. The same holds true for your arrow system. No matter what broadhead you choose if you stick it on a light arrow, you might get lucky but that broadhead will never achieve full potential.
How do you solve this? First acknowledge there is a difference between target arrows and hunting arrows. If nothing else, this is a great reason to have two bows. Target bow and arrows, Hunting bow and arrows. Just sayin! If not then take time to build different arrows for hunting and make the change’s necessary to your bow, sight tape, etc when the time comes. In my opinion the minimum hunting arrow setup should achieve what I’m calling the “515 Rule”. It should at minimum have a total arrow weight, TAW, >500gr and have a forward of center, FOC, >15%. Now understand this is my opinion and I’m sure others will differ. That’s fine. To me these are bare minimums your arrow should meet in order to call it a “Hunting Arrow”
Now go break out the scales, google FOC formulas and do the math! Do you currently have “Hunting Arrows” or just target arrows that like to dress up on the weekends?
Korey W. Meadows
EL&B Outdoors
