I’m no speed freak, but I too think this is a dumb saying. Maybe back in the day it was a little harder to shoot a speed bow, but with today’s equipment, accuracy and speed area far from mutually exclusive. Even back then, with a little practice, speed bows could be shot well.

Quik and I shoot the exact same bow... and as much as Fran and I have similar personalities and outlooks on life... we go in different directions on speed.

I got no problem with it... but I like hunt tight.... I can't see 30 yards out of most of my stands.

One of my requirements for a good hunting set up is being able to see the arrow in flight and watch it impact my target.

Anyone who has done any serious amount of bowhunting for any serious period of time will tell you that knowing where you hit the animal is a critical piece of information to have. I have 20/15 eyes and save using a lit arrow nock, I can't see an arrow over 310fps in flight very well... and especially not in the light conditions that hunting takes place in. Sure if you recover the arrow you'll have an indication to some extent, but there are a lot of variables there... I'd rather have an eye witness account... and once you take up the trail... then you really know what you are dealing with.

To me, having a bow that shoots incredibily fast is all great and fine... but for me personally I don't think its the right tool for the job. Its great if you suck at judging yardage and want to win lots of plaques and belt buckles at 3D shoots.... but if we are talking 3D shoots... there is a subforum for that. ASA has a speed limit... and its 280... which happens to be about my personal speed limit for my hunting bows. It is easier to shoot, helps the bow be a bit more quiet, and allows me to know EXACTLY what kind of hit I made. More importantly, I am comfortable and confident with it. Its like shooting a deer with a .338 or turning over a flower bed in front of the house with a tractor.....sure you can do it... but that doesn't mean its the perfect tool for the task at hand. All depends on how you look at it.

I'll always hold true that a bow you can shoot well is better than a super fast bow you can't shoot well. Anybody care to argue that?

Arts Back!!!!

For certain people.

The guy who thinks a tuning session is dropping his bow off at the pro shop and picking it up on the way home? Nope.

The guy who can't shoot good enough to keep all his arrows on a basketball at 20 yards with even a 250 fps bow? Nope. (Oh, they're out there. Believe me. I've seen 'em.)

The guy who puts his bow up at the end of the season and doesn't take it out again until opening day? Nope.

The guy who selects his arrows by grabbing a random handful from the bucket at Wal Mart? Nope.

The guy who shows up to a shooting proficiency test with a bow that's got cobwebs all over it and even a dirt dauber nest at the fork in the top limb; who walks off down the trail to the shooting area without even checking his sights on the practice range? Nope! And yes, that's a true story. I was director for the test. He was really pissed that he didn't pass the test to qualify for the hunt.

The guy who shoots at least once a week year round, maybe hits the 3D circuit, who is a competent bow mechanic and is constantly tinkering with his stuff? Yeah, maybe him. He might be the one who can take advantage of the speed. And he's what... Maybe one out of ten thousand bowhunters?

You choose people/situations that are unlikely to produce competent archers in the first place to back your argument. If they aren’t good with a bow of ANY speed, they aren’t even considered in the equation.
From what I’ve observed, the vast majority of “speed freaks” ARE competent archers who just choose to shoot a really fast bow, and get tired of people telling them that they shouldn’t or don’t need to.

Arthur, what do you consider to be the gray line in speed past which tuning for both bow and arrow become very regular and critical. I know all bows require regular maint. but I have heard many times now that speed requires much more tinkering and I would like to examine the threshold.

I used to think 250 fps was the glass ceiling, TG78 but they've come up with some newer broadheads. Now I think it's about 280 where you really start getting into the area where you really need to know what you're doing to make it work.

rybo, I chose people that I'm convinced represent the vast majority of bowhunters. Well, granted.... one of 'em was a complete blockhead and didn't have any business playing with sharpened sticks in the first place. I'm thinking of the guys who need to take 'a slow hit is better than a fast miss' to heart. They completely lack the capability of using high performance equipment!

You think only of the few, VERY few, bowhunters who actually take bowhunting and archery to the level of an avocation. For those guys, you're right. I'm on board with ya. But until you admit that these guys are a small, quite small, minority of bowhunters, and the huge majority of bowhunters are weekend warriors with a scattering of complete dunderheads, we've got an argument.

And we REALLY have an argument when it comes to preaching speed to the guys who aren't equipped for it. If they don't have the skills, don't have the motivation to acquire the skills, don't have the time to devote to maintaining the skills they do acquire, they don't need to be shooting freakin' 300 fps. Period.

Trouble is - its true.
But it is also true that a fast hit is better than a slow miss.

I see just the opposite around here - most of the "competent" archers concerns are accuracy and shootability. Speed is nice
as long as those are not compromised.

Many of thosemost hung on speed are lookingto buythe magic pill which will make them a better shooter.

Steve

At 278 FPS my ROSS isthe fast bow I have shot. I will be making some changes to get her around 250-260 FPS. I fine these speeds give me great BH(fixed) flight and a heavy arrow.

One thing I now like about todays speed bows is I can put a +500 grain arrow on them and get the 250-260 FPS I want[:-]

I'll agree the vast majority are average or dunderheads. It's just in our observations as to how many of them they buy into the speed thing & thinking it can make up for them not being any good.

Me & germ are pretty similar. I am really liking shooting a "speed" bow and slowing it down with a heavy arrow.

but then again I also like shooting my trad bow at a blistering 174 fps