A while ago, I did some research and fortunately came across Dr. Ashby. I am a big supporter of his research. This was started because of my wife's complaint of a lack of penetration. “Standard” knowledge seems to favor kinetic energy, the good doctor and now my wife and I are with momentum.
I do not know if it was because of a computer change but I can not find my “original complete” notes.
An IBO tournament shooter at work complained that he lost a deer and did not get “good” penetration. He was shooting around 50 pounds. Somehow I remember his speed and arrow weight were the same, 288 fps and 288 grains. He was shooting mechanicals, I do not remember which, but it was “popular”.
We have a chronograph and have shot many combinations. Looking at our data and plugging in his, my wife complained about her lack of energy. At 5'2”, she has a 24” draw. Those factors led me to my mad scientist testing.
Her momentum numbers were higher than his light arrows.
Some observations from a trip organized by a buddy from work.
My wife shot a hog and penetrated both sides, but not a complete pass through. One of my buddies, about 6'3”, shooting a compound at 65 pounds, no specs on his setup, made a similar shot at a similar distance, did not get an exit wound.
On another occasion, my wife made a beautiful shot on a goat at about 20 yards. From where I was, I saw and followed the trajectory. Not scientific, but I saw no deviation in trajectory after exit as she got a complete pass through.
I also got 2 shots on hogs, both about 300 #'s. My buddies could not believe the arrows I was shooting typically, Gold Tips with internal weights at 860 grains.
I got a broadside shot and was disappointed, maybe aggravated that I did not get a pass through. The hog may have gone 10'. The “organizer” of the trip was raving over the shot and I was complaining about the lack of penetration. Trying to figure out what happened, I found out that the hog was standing in front of a frozen hay bale. The arrow penetrated the bale some inches and as the hog moved forward, broke the arrow. At least I recovered the Grizzly head and the internal weights. My buddy ribbed me about not penetrating the frozen hay bale.
The next time out, I said that I would shoot a more “conventional setup”. I was shooting 2419's at about 650 grains. I shot a lot at Lincoln Bowmen with these, probably just to use them since I had them. I had drilled and tapped the inserts to take a hex screw and a nut that fit inside. I did not bareshaft these and I think that the weight softened the spine too much. So I took them out and practiced with the “stock” arrow.
I got a shot at another hog, quartering away. Fortunately, I made a nice shot. That arrow hit the opposite shoulder, did not pass through, and vibrated or “wiggled” violently. That arrow had Wensel Woodsman heads. These heads were hot melted on the adapters and not epoxied. Removing the arrow, the head remained inside the hog. I wondered what would have happened if the head was epoxied. I think that the head would not have penetrated the shoulder as it was stopped and the vibration detached the head from the arrow. Those heads had the wire point clipped and the head was resharpened. I wonder what the Grizzly would have done with my typical arrow.
My wife shoots 115 – 120 fps and I shoot 150 out of our longbows. Knowing our limitations, we are proponents of heavy tuned arrows, and fixed blade broadheads. Since reading a couple of posts, I learned about more single bevel manufacturers. The 3 to 1 dimension heads seem to be the “most efficient”.
I would appreciate anything from anyone shooting single bevel broadheads,
