I've only had a brief experience with bow hunting back in '97, but was wondering if anyone can tell me why the minimun ftlb requirements are so much lower than ftlb requirements for firearms?

Is it because razor/broad-heads allow a much larger blood loss??

Cheers,

DW

Dan,

Consider Velocity, a 500 grain bullet launched at 2000 fps is nothing like a 500 grain arrow launched at 240 fps. You can't hardly compare bullets to arrows due to the velocity difference.

Bullets are effective due to velocity and internal shock upon impact, arrows just merely punch a whole through the animal. Since the arrow does not carry alot of force it needs a good sharp head to penetrate. If you take an arrow w/ no point and try to stick it through leather you will see that it is very difficult but, If you place a razor sharp head on it, it slides right through.

Since the arrow imparts no shock while passing through the animal, it must have razor sharp edges on the head to sever as many vessles as possible during penetration.

If a 500 grain bullet was traveling at 240 fps it most likely wouldn't even penetrate the skin of an animal.

Reloader

I think the basic difference is the method of death. Firearms kill via shock vs arrows which kill via hemorage alone.

The states I hunt in have no ft lb requirement, just a draw weight minimum or a minimum range the bow must cast a minimum weight hunting arrow. If you shoot a sharp broadhead through both lungs you cause hemorrhaging and pneumothorax resulting in hypoxia, asphyxia and death.

Bullets kill by some almost mystical combination of penetration, permanent crush cavity, momentum transfer, hemorrhage, pneumothorax, asphyxia, hypoxia, organ failure, temporary stretch cavity, kinetic energy (ft lbs), "shock", and voodoo, though no one can agree on what proportion of which. But this is the bowhunting forum so we need not not go into the details.

quote:

The states I hunt in have no ft lb requirement, just a draw weight minimum or a minimum range the bow must cast a minimum weight hunting arrow.

For good reason KE is only one part big mathimatical penitration formula. Momentium and Drag are equally as important.

Boss, I was waiting for a good reply.
Take two arrows of the same material and same diameter but one light and one heavy, both with the same foot pounds, the heavy arrow will penetrate deeper and break bone better.