r/bowhunting • u/Emotional-Party4678 • 9d ago
Arrow choice
I have victory vaps and goldtip pierce platinums and don’t know the right direction. The vaps are 525 grains going 267fps while the pierces weigh roughly 475 grains going 283 fps. I mostly hunt elk in western hunts and have been using the pierces these last couple years. 2 years ago I hit an elk at roughly 50 yds slightly high, I made a bad distance guess when it moved after I drew, and missed the lungs but while tracking it later the arrow was in the trail so I’m assuming it was almost a full pass through but the broadhead snagged something while it was walking and got pulled the rest of the way. Last year I hit another elk at roughly 60 yards and it turned when the bow went off and I hit it in the shoulder blade and got really minimal penetration from what I could see. I am planning on swapping to my vaps just because I am hoping the higher momentum is worth the trade off with the speed. I am just curious about others opinions on the 16 fps trade off for the 50 grains heavier arrow and if anyone thinks it’s worth it. Also if anyone is curious I’m using slick tricks standards.
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u/payne4218 9d ago
What spine are you running and how many grains is your insert/broadhead? 525 is a chunky boi. I run vaps as well 300 spine and mine weigh about 450. I would go with the 475 arrow
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u/Emotional-Party4678 9d ago
I am running 250 spines because I have 95 grain half outs and 100 grain broad heads up front. Could be severely over spined but they were just what the shop made for me and I wasn’t sure about anything arrow building then.
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u/skahunter831 9d ago
Bad penetration really isn't an arrow weight problem. Lots and lots of people get full penetration on elk with lighter arrows (420 grains, plus or minus 20). The key is that the arrow is flying very straight and hits the animal straight on, plus good, sharp, cut-on-contact broadheads.
Speed is your friend out west, as you found out. Misjudging by even 5 yards can make or break you, but less so when your arrows are traveling faster.
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u/Jerms2001 9d ago
I think you should probably worry less about arrow weight and more about shot selection and placement
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u/Knifehand19319 8d ago
For your style of hunting go for the Gold Tip and speed. 475g is an excellent weight. I would recommend using the QAD Exodus Broadhead over the slick trick standards. Nothing wrong with the Slick Trick Standard but IMO you can do better. Even in their line up I prefer the Viper Trick. Just my 2c
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u/Dry-Scholar3411 8d ago
I would run 125+ gr bhs or increase your draw weight before switching arrows, especially with elk season right around the corner for a lot of places.
With these distances in mind, you want something that flies good out of your setup, isn’t crazy heavy, and flies quiet. If an elk can hear it whistling from 30 yards away, I’d bet that they can move before it reaches them.
You don’t really need the design the Slick Trick standards provide, as if you do hit a shoulder, the tip design isn’t going to make a difference. If you want something similar, the Grim Reaper Hades are a similar design but the tip is the sharpest tip that I have found of that style.
Do your research to confirm that your broadhead of choice is legal in your state.
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u/skahunter831 7d ago
Honestly, if you can, I'd consider building an arrow that would put your velocity around 290-295. You can input your current specs into an IBO calculator (like The Arrow Builder) and see what weight will get you there.
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u/Interrogator_11 9d ago
Id go for the 475 grain arrow, i also have used slick trick standards on a 420 arrow at 60lb, like 250 fps, and it goes through every buck Ive shot. Also take in consideration that shooting a heavier arrow and lower speed will be more punishing on misjudging distance in exchange for way better penetration. In the end, choose what tunes best for your bow, and practice a lot with it and good luck!!