As materials improve, so will the amount of stress they can take, and then of course manufacturers will beef up speed. Man has been enamoured with speed since the beginning of time, we always try to get things to go faster, it's just the way we are.
20 years ago for example, one of the fastest bows on the planet was the original Oneida Eagle, at around 240-250 IBO speeds. Now, that benchmark speed is around 350fps. I honestly do not feel it will be another 20yrs before it is 450fps, especially knowing that they already have bows capable of 400fps that have been sitting in the depths of some R&D depts for over 2 years! Only problem that we face is that the rest of the industry is not yet ready--Arrow shaft manufacturers must build arrows capable of holding spine at these higher speeds, string materials must be made so they do not fail or stretch, etc., the list goes on.
AND, they must make the bows shootable. Lots of archers are coming to realize that if a bow isn't shootable, it isn't worth having around. "Rat-traps"-- 5"-6" brace heights, super radical reflex, and cams that take three men and a boy to pull are quickly disappearing, leaving the manufacturers to concentrate on accuracy, forgiveness, and smoothness. Eventually the speeds will bump up even with these forgiving designs, just as it has each year since the day the compound bow was invented.
I'll be shooting one for sure, no matter what the speed. In fact I look forward to testing them just as I have looked forward to every newer and faster bow I've ever picked up! I do wonder what these orgs that have "280" set in their bylaws will do however, they might have to re-think their position quicker than they thought. In fact, they are already a little late, IMHO! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> Pinwheel 12
Edited by - Pinwheel 12 on 10/21/2002 04:11:01