It's just that a lot of people get too hung up on speed and sacrifice things they shouldn't for it. Or they want everything for nothing. They want a super fast bow that is easy to shoot and has no handshock and is dead silent. Not too mention draws like butter. That is a hard trick to pull off, although the newer bows are amazing compared to a decade ago in that department.

Like I said, everything is a trade off and you have to take that into consideration. Especially if you are looking for a multi purpose bow. You also have to take into consideration your personal limitations. If you draw a fair amount of weight and have a long draw you can get pretty decent speeds with most bows. However if you are little like me, forget about. Even at your draw length of 28.5 inches I think 300 fps is a bit optimistic. I mean it can be done I'm sure, especially depending on what bow you get. However you would have to make sacrifices like having very little weight on your string and giving up some arrow weight.

Say you get a bow with an advertised speed of 305 or even 315. Chances are it is a bit inflated any way, and was tested with a set up hardly anyone would use to actually shoot a bow. And it was done at 70 lbs with a 350 grn arrow and 30 inches of draw. And most likely not really 30 inches of draw. They use a cam or module that says 30 inches, but the bow might actually draw close to an inch longer sometimes. When you actually set it up the way you would shoot it you will lose several FPS from what it was rated at. You could make up for it with a lighter arrow, but that is not always what people want. And if you are going to compete you might be limited to 5 grns per lb regardless of draw length. I don't know what the rules are to be honest.

Lets say you get a bow that is rated for 315 fps. You set the bow up and it ends up being 28 to 28.5 inches of draw length. Then you put a nock set, peep and silncers in the string. You just lost 30 or so fps right there. Now what if the company fudged there specs a little and the bow is actually capable of 310 fps not 315 (being generous on that one). And then what if the bow they tested actually drew 30 and 3/4 inches instead 30. Now you just lost another 10 to 15 fps. And this does not take into acount Chronograph errors and tuning. And that is providing you are still shooting 70 lbs and a 350 grn arrow.

Imagine what it is like with my set up of 50-60 lbs and 26 inches of draw![&o]

Our biggest concern and issue is that too often you see someone so obsessed with speed that they change things that actually hurt the way they shoot. Like making thier draw length longer than it should be, or drawing way more weight then they should. Or picking a bow that is very difficult to shoot. I have seen people go to some pretty extreme measures to gain 15 fps. When in truth they probably wouldn't even be able to tell if it were not for the chrono telling them so.

The best thing to do would be to shoot some bows and find the ones you like. The ones that feel good and fit you. Then take those bows and see how fast they are with a simular set up to what you would like to shoot. Then pick the one that gives you the best speed with your set up and still feels good to you and don't look back. Don't pick one bow over another simply because it is faster. If you didn't like the way it felt when you bought it you will regret it later even if it was faster. Don't rule the speed bows out though, some of them shoot pretty well. And if one has more vibration and hand shock then another remember a lot of that can be taken care of with after market products.

Don't over anylize things. Being an aware shopper is a good thing, but don't "think" yourself into something you don't really want. If you shoot a parcitcular bow that has a really good feel, draw and shot that makes you say "Crap, I like that bow!" don't pick a different one just because it has 10 or 15 more FPS for the IBO speed.

Does that help any?

Paul