Any Advantages to Smaller 5mm Shafts?

[Bowhunter57]

I'm currently shooting .246 Gold Tip Traditional XT 500 spine out of my Hoyt Satori 19" riser with Uukha Gobi short limbs, at 45#. These 29" arrows with 3" feathers and a 200 gr. tip weight are flying very well.

I'm always tuning and tinkering with new arrow shaft weights/spines, fletching differences, tip weights, F.O.C., etc.
I see a few guys shooting smaller diameter shafts, like the 5mm. The first few things that come to mind would be less wind drift, improved speed/trajectory and increased penetration for hunting.

Are there any advantages for using a 5mm shaft size?
Your experiences and knowledge is appreciated.

 

[Jamie]

No, not for hunting. Maybe if you are flight shooting or playing archery golf and want lighter arrows, but otherwise, no. The notion that skinny arrows penetrate better than larger diameter arrows in animals is silly. Even a small two blade broadhead is plowing a hole much larger than the diameter of any normal size arrow shaft through hide and soft tissue.

 

[bowhunter1023]

I've shot a 5MM shaft for a decade, but not because I think it penetrates any better per what Jamie said. It just so happens I love Easton Axis arrows and believe they're the best arrow shaft on the market. I killed a handful of deer with 2117s and 2315s, and never had issues with pass-throughs. A well-tuned bow with properly built arrows with a higher FOC make the difference, not the shaft diameter.

 

[Bowhunter57]

I was curious, because yesterday I was tinkering with some Axis 5mm with 4" feathers, a 75 gr. insert and a 200 gr. field tip. My Satori with the Gobi limbs at 45# was shooting them very well, which surprised me, because the shafts are 400 spine and are cut to 28". I would've thought a 500 spine in a 5mm would work, but in a longer length. Perhaps the 275 grains of tip weight has the spine broke down enough to make it fly as good as it does.

Whatever the reason, I've got a half dozen of these arrows to add to my arsenal....maybe. I need to shoot them with a 2 blade, fixed blade broadhead, before I get too excited about it.