"I'm with Cossack on this, but for me the reduction of the chance of the animal jumping the string is greater thgan the advantage of a flatter trajectory"

Well...i will throw a though or two into this...

Considering how fast sound moves compared to an arrow, string jump is gonna happen no matter how fast the bow is. One thing with string jump (again, my opinion and observations) is that in many instances string jump really occurs more at close ranges due to the proximity of the noise, not only the volume. If someone blows off a firecracker behind you most of us jump a mile (read "string jump") that same firecracker goes off 50yrds away, most of us will just turn to see what the noise was and not jump as much. Pretty much the same with deer. (exceptions to that rule ofcourse ) I would rather have a slower bow that is quiet than a fast bow that is loud. Simply because a "quiet noise" will not startle the deer as much as a "loud noise" at the same distance.

IMO there are a couple of factors where faster speed makes a diferance and is desireable. One is if you are using a mechanical broadhead. There is a certain amount of energy that is needed to open them on impact and they really are designed for faster bows (compound as well as Xbow). Longer shots(50-60yrds)...flatter trajectory helps with accuracy, and the reduced mass and short powerstroke of a crossbow means that at distance it generaly does not have as much KE upon impact as an compound at the same distance, so if you can launch it faster, it still holds its hitting power at distance. One other BIG reason IMO is that 300fps bows sell better than 280fps bows. One of the reasons you see advertized speeds made with bolts the manufacturer does not sell or even recomend.

FYI...my 185lb medieval bow shoots a 475gr wood bolt at 198fps and went thru the back bone of a cow elk at 20yrds and out the other side.(really crappy weather and the feathers were destroyed and it did not go exctly where I wanted it, but I did drop her...bad shots happen...)

Wyvern