Originally Posted by
super_hunt54
Bob, your calculations are WAY off. #1, speed has absolutely no affect on gravity. When an object is propelled mechanically (such as a bullet or an arrow) the effect of gravity is not overcome whatsoever. Shoot a bullet and drop a penny from the same height as the rifle and the bullet will hit the ground at the same time as that penny (on a level surface of course). Just further away. Without lift, or internally produced propulsion, gravity is not overcome. Granted my physics classes were around half a century ago but I don't think gravity theory has changed to awful much over the years.
My single pin bows are set to dead center at 20 yards, 1 will hit approximately 2" high at 5 yards and just under 2" low at 40 yards. The other one is right at 1.5 both ways. Now, I stand at 6'5" tall. With my bow drawn and me on level ground my arrow will be approximately 8 inches below that. When practicing my targets are approximately 3 feet to center bull off the ground. One thing I can assure you of, I am NOT aiming UP at 40 yards. I may just have to get out there in the next day or 2 and get the wife to hang a protractor level on my arrow and get the degree of angle to which I am aiming but you can be assured it would not in ANY way calculate to a 9 foot drop angle calculation. Even my re-curve wouldn't be that steep at 40 yards.
Bob, you seriously need to get your head out of whatever books that are misinforming you and try to get some real world experience before trying to give advise on things you obviously have no clue about.
SH54,
I can't beleive you say such things! Perhaps you should get your head INTO some of those books you dislike so much. The gravitational constant for this planet is 32 fps/sec. Your penny and your arrow drop at the same rate (or thereabouts. This ignores planing from the broadhead and fletching). Where speed enters into the equation is that it determines time of flight, which multiplied by the gravitational constant, determines actual drop. Now the penny and the arrow do not begin dropping at 32FPS, so close range drop is less. But however you split these hairs, the 1800 FPS muzzleloader ball will be traveling at 6 times the speed of your arrow, hence your drop at normal ranges (0-50 yards) will be 1/6 of the arrow's drop, since the time of flight is 1/6 that of the arrow. And that's why I originally stated that the idea of a flat-shooting arrow is ludicrous.
Crack open the books. I don't expect you're going to come back here and say, "You're right, Bob." But at least you'll be better informed than you are right now.
OldBob