This topic will always lead to heavy verses light because those are determining factors with speed and yardage judging.There is no way to get around that fact.


What I would like to point out is if you choose to go with a fast bow is that when you go to buy arrows for it,the arrows that are in the right spine range for that bow are automatically heavier.This means that any advantage gained for trajectory has been diminished.The biggest gain will be in ke but the biggest disadvantage is the fast bow is a less forgiving bow by the way it is built.


I'm am not one that thinks speed is not accurate but if speed is shot from a bow that isn't forgiving it can be less than accurate in the wrong hands.

Stealthycat.You said that heavy retains more ke downrange.All things being equall that is a true statement but all things are rarely equall.A smaller diameter will retain more energy than a fat arrow.If a slow heavy arrow has 5" helical fletching and a fast arrow has 3" straight vanes then the lighter faster arrow is going to retain more of it's original ke.That is a fact.

I also agree that a 2 blader is going to penetrate better unless it is one of the thinner,lighter heads and it hits bone and the tip bends.If you havn't noticed already,I really hate general terms like faster is better or heavy is better.There are always many variables to a situation.




Bowfanatic,you said I should test 2 different bows and use a speed bow and a slower bow.I did this and came up with the exact same results as before.Now if you want to use a slow bow with a heavy arrow and a fast bow with a light arrow,then the difference might be a bit more but now we are comparing apples and oranges.


Here are the results of using fast bow with light arrows and a slow bow with heavy arrows.This is using the same draw length and poundage.


fast bow
359 gr @292fps
13 yards is 3.75 high and 30 yards is 3.75 low sighted in at 25 yards

slow bow
546 gr @ 231 fps
13 yards is 5" high and 30 yards is 5" low sighted in at 25 yards


There is an advantage when using just 1 pin but I think you would agree that it isn't as much as you would think.
When using multiple pins and gapping the advantages is almost non existant.


This all goes back to what Arthur is trying to get people to understand.There is no bandaid for misjudging yardage.If you are going to be the best hunter you can be and yes ethics comes into it,learn or atleast try to learn to judge yardage regardless of how fast you shoot.If you can't learn to judge then a rangefinder is a must or set markers around your stand.


I personally can judge yardage fairly well and would say that I am better than most and I will not go to my stand without a rangefinder.I don't like to use 1 pin but have seen some that were impressive using 1 pin.I prefer the gap method to holding high or low.Most can judge within 5 yards out to 30-35 yards.If you use the gap method you will have it covered to those distances.If you know a deer is between 22 and 28 and regardless of speed.If you put the 20 at the top of the kill and the 30 at the bottom of the kill.The deer is going to be supper.If under 20 then use your 20.I personally like to know exactly what the yardage is so I can center punch the lungs and walk over to my kill instead of tracking.Doesn't always turn out this way but does more often than not.Shots at 40 plus yards are not for the average shot and should be attempted by only those that are above average shooters and imo should have a slightly faster setup just for covering the distance faster.They should not be attempted,imo if you don't have the exact yardage to the animal by either marking the spot earlier or by a rangefinder.



I will dismount from my soap box now and read all the attacks to those that still don't want to believe that what they may think is a huge advantage may be a very slight if any advantage.It may actually be a disadvantage if you use it as an excuse to not have to judge yardage.


Good luck to all this season.