In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

Do you think 400 fps is in the future.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

I think 400 fps has already been done, just not marketed. The only reason it's not available is we wouldn't be able to control it. They have to figure out how to make the bow forgiving enough to handle that speed.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

I think in 10 years, everyone who is shooting these super hard cams will have shoulder pain, and will be looking for a softer, easier drawing and holding cam and will be less concerned with speed. That or the sales of 50 - 60 lb bows will become the standard instead of 60 - 70.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

Yeah but you will miss alot of deer.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

I don't think speed will get too overblown - I do think that we will start to see some of the most accurate weapons ever made. I think bows will get to a point kinda like some guns that can shoot sub-MOA out of the box. I know that there are bows capapble of the that right now, but I think it will get better.

On the flip side, I think we'll see more people start going back to stick and string. It's also like gun hunting, a lot of people started out with trusty, rusty lever guns. They moved on to super accurate, high end bolt guns and then realize that the old lever action gun kills deer just as well without all of the fancy optics and bullets. That's why the 30-30, 45-70, .45, .308, etc. levers are still so darn popular. I can see bowhunters of my generation picking up the old recurves and long bows, trying to find the passion and skill that was lost by bowhunters who are married to the technology they rely on everytime they go afield.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

I think we'll see a peak around 375fps as far as marketable bows are concerned. More and more people are becoming concerned with KE rather than speed. Diamond evenincluded their bows' KE in their catalog we recieved at work.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

On a compound, when the draw force curve is pretty much evenly spread at maximum draw weight throughout the draw cycle, how can more speedbe achieved without more draw poundage or lightening the arrows?

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

My thoughts on that comment exactly!!

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

You've got to read this article before you answer this question....

http://www.huntersfriend.com/bow-review-400-fps-bow/400-fps-compound-bow.htm

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

i drawed my bow on a squrril to help me get better at holding it at draw for sighting in on the kill zone
had it drawn for a min or so and now my shoulder is killing me

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

I cant even imagine how fast bows will be. And to top that, imagine how expensive those fast bows will be. Lol and how ugly bowtechs will be (very great bows, but ugly in my opinion) haha.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

does it really matter how fast it is if you can't hit anything. speed doesn't kill deer. guys who know how to hunt and shoot well kill deer. period.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

At 70 pounds, an 8" brace height,a 350 grain arrow and a 100% efficient energy transfer from the bow to the arrow (not possible by the way) then the maximum possible speed would be 389.82 ft/sec.

The only way to go faster would be for the hunter to do more work or go to a lighter arrow.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

Having shot many bows for 40 years, it's incredable how far technology has come. I only buy a new bow when I can increase speed without increasing the pounds I'm pullingand withoutreducing my brace height. So in the last 5 years, I've bought a few;). I've dropped down to 65 poundsafter shooting 70 pounds for a loooong time. I can easily manage 70 pounds as I'm not a small guy, but getting 298 feet from a hunting rig at 65 pounds is plenty fast and very satisfying. I think the future market for us "baby boomers" will beto findthe fastest rig possible with the least amount of draw weight and a brace height of 7 1/2 inches or more. I could invision in ten years a 60 pound rig with a 7 1/2 inch BH pushing 300 ft. That rig would have my money ponied up. Probably Bowtech or Mathews will lead the charge. DFA

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

I've got this thing about being able to see my arrows in flight, so I know that in another 10 years MY bows won't be any faster than they are now. Of course, as much damage as my shoulders had taken from the ridiculously hard cams I shot a few years back, it's highly probable I won't be shooting in another 10 years anyway.

Also, I reckon Bowtech will have run Mathews clean out of the market by then. ;)

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

1,000,000 fps. (in my best Dr. Evil voice)

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

We'll have 500fps bows. In PA they will only be allowed for does. :D

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

i think they will be able to shoot faster at a lower draw weight and be more accurate.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

The efficiency is an interesting one, as far as how the bow will be able to produce those speeds. Have to be more poundage or lighter arrows. Either way, bows are definitely getting faster. If the speeds do increase to the 350 being the norm, the discussion will change to braodheads IMO, especially fixed blade heads flying good at those speeds.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

You'll see some big numbers with hunter-friendly bows in due time, but not until we make better arrows.Two companies (High Country and Gold Tip) are already on the light arrow bandwagon. Others will joinsoon.

Look for ultra-stiff, 4-7 gpi arrows to be the real reason that we start seeing guys hunting in the high 300's. They'll have the best of both worlds - a user-friendly draw curve, a big brace height, and a smoking hot arrow. 1 pin to 40 with a little fudge factor. I'm already there.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

Completely agree. The technological advance will be lighter stiffer arrows allowing the bow to not take the brunt of the damage.

Tom

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

IBO speeds of 400fps won't happen, just not possible. Like everyone else is saying more poundage or lighter arrows. I think advancements in building materials will allow you to safely do both in the future. I wouldn't be suprised in 10 years if every bow will guarantee their limbs down to 3 gpi. In the next 2 years most bows will be guaranteed to what HC is now.

To get an IBO speed higher than 400fps, you'll have to find a way to store more energy in the bow than you put in. Not possible.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

Who cares? The deer won't die any faster. Aside from that, there's still such a thing as a point of diminishing return, a 400+ FPS bow would undoubtedly cost more than a 300, yet it wouldn't do the job any better. Same holds true for KE, once you have more than enough to penetrate any animal fully anything more is just expensive overkill. The bows we have today are already way more than anyone needs to take down game.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

The X-Force is about the limit to "shootable bows" with its 6" BH and super aggressive cam.

Let's assume that we have a bow with the same draw force curve as a PSE X-Force. It has a 6 inch brace height and a very aggressive cam. This bow is IBO rated at 350 fps with a 350 grain arrow. That equates to 95 ft-lbs of KE. Let's assume that this bow is 85% efficient, which is about the best we can do today.

That means that you are losing 15% of the energy that you put into drawing the bow. The shooter needs to put in 112 ft lbs of energy into drawing the bow in order to get the 95 ft lbs of KE into the arrow, because we are only 85% efficient.

What happens if you increase efficiency? Even if this bow were somehow 100% efficient (which is impossible), you'd only get 380 fps with a 350 grain arrow (see the first chart). So we need lighter arrows.

Now, if you could invent limbs and arrows strong enough to shoot a 275 grain arrow out of the same bow, look what happens. Assuming we stay at 85% efficiency while shooting this 275 grain arrow, you would get 378 fps. The problem is you actually lose efficiency as arrows get lighter.

What if we got the same speed bow to 95% efficiencywhile still shooting a 275 grain arrow? You'd get 400 fps (see the chart).

So 400 fps IS possible. You just need a 6" BH, a super aggressive cam like the X-Force, super strong limbs capable of shooting a 275 grain arrow, a 275 grain arrow strong enough to be shot at 70 lbs, and a technological breakthrough that will push efficiency to 95% (we are not even close today). I think we've got a ways to go, but definitely possible in 10 years to see 400 fps out of the speed bows.

What is the theoretical "Speed Limit" for such a bow? Assuming a 70# 6" BH and an X-Force like draw force curve, if the bow were 100% efficient and shot a 200 grain arrow, you could actually get to 500 fps! That would give you 112 ft lbs of KE....

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

Here's the first chart - a PSE X-Force with a 350 grain arrow with efficiency varying up to 100%.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

Here's what a PSE X Force would look like with 275 grain arrows and varying efficiency up to 100%.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

There's a guy over at AT who is regularly shooting (and hunting with) a bow that's slinging arrows at 412 fps. 250 grain arrow, 31" draw, 70+ pounds.

I forget his name, but I talked to him a bit before I bought my bow.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

The thing you have to consider is how many states will allow such a light arrow to be hunted with?

We'll all be able to acheive those speeds, but will we (lawfully) be able to hunt with them?

Another thing to consider is the KE acheived by the arrows. Yes, you'll be smokin' that arrow downrange, but will it hold its energy at 40 yards?

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

I call BS on that...I didn't miss any more when I was hunting with a 1975 vintage Bear Whitetail than I do now...Frankly, what I'm using now is 15 years old or so, it does just fine...Here in the woods in NC, you can't see past 30 yards in September and most shots are within 25....

Its about the setup, not the speed...

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

My only problem with really fast bows is that guys will think that it translates into longer shots when of course that is not the case. It is theability of the shooter not the bow. I would hate to see guys stretching their "effective" range just because the bow can do it.

You don't miss deer because your bow is to slow but you do miss them because you are not as good of a shot as you would like to think.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

Planter - my bow definitely extended my range. I can shoot fine, just can't judge yardage to save my skin. I see your argument though, but something tells me there are a LOT of guys out there with empty tags b/c they've over/under estimated deer by 6 or 7 yards.

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

I love hearing some economics terms thrown into a discussion!

RE: In ten years how fast will Bows get?
 

you already have a weapon thats shot with a trigger, using sights, and can hit accurately up to 70-80 yards and beyond

compounds are extremely easy bows to use, I've shot mine a total of about 20 shots this season, and I'm capable of shooting 3" groups up to 35-40 yards with almost no practice

how much more do we have to have compounds evolve ?