There is a new offering under the Easton Archery FMJ umbrella that might be the perfect arrow shaft for whitetail hunting. It is called the FMJ Legend, and it incorporates all of the best features in a hunting arrow, along with a really sleek, new look.
If you are not familiar with the FMJ (Full Metal Jacket), it is a shaft that is made specifically for bowhunters who want maximum penetration on game. The arrow consists of a high-strength carbon core that’s wrapped with 7075 aerospace aluminum. The carbon core gives it strength, stability and added penetration power. The aluminum mainframe gives it incredible straightness. In fact, factory specs call for weight-and-spine matched arrows that fall within a straightness of +/- 0.002. In other words, if your accuracy suffers, it isn’t because of the batch of arrows.
These new FMJ Legends come in three sizes: 300, 340 and 400, and include nocks and HIT inserts (hidden inserts). The cool finish and graphics treatment is a tip of the hat to Easton’s 100-year history in America.
SELECT AN ARROW THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU.
Stock lengths are 31.5, 32 and 32.5, respectively for the 400, 340 and 300 sizes. The RPS points are 17/64 for the 400, and 9/32 for the other two models.
I have been shooting these 5mm shafts since “building” a dozen of them from scratch when this Covid-19 crisis struck us in March 2020.
What I’ve found most impressive is that — when teamed with the new Easton Bully vane – these arrows provide extremely reliable shot-to-shot groups at my max bowhunting range (45 yards and under). I’m shooting them out of a Mathews VXR 28 set at 55 pounds. I’m using a QAD Ultra rest and Apex Covert 1-pin sight, and that’s all I’ve needed to return to a form of shooting that allows me to be dialed dead-on at anything up to 30 yards and then reverting to a “smidge high” instinctive form of shooting from 30 to 45 yards.
The Legend’s slim profile provides for deeper penetration, and that’s the bottom-line performance factor.
I would classify the FMJ Legend as the best arrow to use on deer if your goal is a pass-through every single time.
It would be wise to calculate your rig’s kinetic energy when formulating your bowhunting plans, but the guess here is you will have way more than enough. For me and my setups, I’m generating about 55 foot-pounds of KE, which leads to devastating results even on marginal shots. In case you are wondering, you only need half that amount of KE to kill a whitetail. If you’re a younger guy or gal with better shoulders than mine, you’re pulling a lot more weight and generating a lot more KE. Does it matter? I’ll answer that with a qualified yes – if you desire fewer pins (aiming points) and want a greater margin of error.
Granted, the broadhead plays a major role in that as well, but you are more than fine if you are using a smaller cut-on-contact or one of the higher-tech mechanicals (like a SEVR 1.5).
I have shot the SEVR 2.1s in front of some 5mm FMJs for the past several hunting seasons, and while I haven’t gotten 100% pass-throughs, the performance has been nothing short of sensational. Shot placement obviously helps make that all happen, but a certain amount of credit must be given to the gear, because it wasn’t always that way, especially when we were learning our way as bowhunters 25+ years ago.
Side note: If any of you DDH fans recall, I’ve shot the Woodland Hunter 5mm FMJs for several years now for the TV show episodes. This is essentially the same shaft, but with a more modern look.
— Dan Schmidt has been with Deer & Deer Hunting for over 25 years. In that time, he has harvested more than 200 whitetails while using archery equipment. For more of his insights on deer and deer hunting, check out his blog.
