Does Speed Matter?

[Drubie22]

I'm buying my first bow... looking at the General and an Alpine Silverado. I like the accuracy and speed of the Silverado but also like the accuracy and zero noise of the General. My hesitation with the General is that it is on the slower side of speed. I will be using this mostly for hunting. Shouldthe 25 fps difference in speed difference worry me as much as it is? Also, color really doesn't matter to me but I can't stand the RT Hardwoods Green HD. Specifically because I feel like the green in it is neon compared to the muted greens of the Pac Northwest. Anybody get this bow in APG? I saw the Mossy Oak Brush and would like that for the open areas out here.

[JoshKeller]

to be completely honest, Ive shot my general at 301 fps, and 266 fps, and the difference in point of impact is very minimal with the different arrow weights - within an inch or so, so the speed wont really be an issue.

[whitetailbowhunter]

I wouldn't worry about the 25 fps.

[Heckler]

Won't notice a difference, speed doesn't kill it just makes the gap between your pins smaller(ok it has more advantages then that)

[millerhunter13]

nope, shot placement does.

[OHbowhntr]

Sure SPEED matters, but not nearly as much as placement. And if you are buying your "FIRST BOW," I think you'd be well served to go and SHOOT as many as you can, and look at something with a 7.5" braceheight or longer, and a forgiving speed closer to 300fps IBO. Jumping into this w/ a SPEED BOW will probably leave you a frustrated archer, wondering "Why in the $^Y& did I get into this in the first place????" Just my $.02 though.

[Arthur P]

If speed didn't matter, we'd just leave the bows at home and throw our arrows at game. It matters, but it has been exceedingly over emphasized over the past 15 years.

Speaking of over emphasizing and such... Don't trust "IBO ratings". For one thing, it is not and never has beenan industry standard. It's a bit of marketing, based partly on AMO standard and partly on IBO tournament rules and partly from stuff pulled out of thin air.Since it is not an industry standard, the manufacturers can - and many do - manipulate the tests, or just pencil whip the numbers toinflate their ratings numbers.

In case you're interested, thetrue AMO/ATAindustry standard for comparative speed testing is ASTM F1544-99. It has a 2-level test, both with the bow set at 60 pounds and 30" draw. The heavy arrow test is done with a 540 grain arrow, or 9 grains of arrow weight per pound of draw weight. The light arrow test is done with a 360 grain arrow, or 6 grains per pound. Don't bother looking for speed data according to the standard though. Few manufacturers will publish it.

Anyway... Once you get over 250 fps -real world speed, not IBO ratings -you won't see much, if any, difference in arrow flight or point of impact between a 250 fps arrow and a 300 fps arrow within typical hunting distances. Meaning 30 yards and less.

You want to by the bow that feels the most'friendly' to you.... the one that feels likeit wants to be your bow.If you are comfortable with the bow, you will shoot better with it than you will with any other, no matter what speed it puts out.

[Roskoe]

This post should be framed and hung on the wall of every archery pro shop.

[MeanV2]

When selecting a bow I always consider speed, but I don't base my decision soley on the speed factor. I love my Guardian and General they have very good speed plus all the other positive things I look for in a bow. On top of that they are a blast to shoot!

For a speed bow I have an Airborne on order and the one I shot was pretty amazing in the noise and hand shock departments for the speeds it is capable of generating.

Dan

[Cougar Mag]

Get the bow that feels the best to you. It may be the fastest and it may not. Many game animals have fallen to traditional equipment and 200 fps was once considered fast for the early compounds.