Let's get real....
 

I am seeing all the posts about the new bows and these bows are shooting 350, 360+ fps...I mean really?? who is going to get that speed out of a bow?? a real hunting bow? who is going to be shooting 360 fps or even 340 fps?? is anybody actually getting this out of their hunting bow?? and why are you wanting it? not a loaded question, but what is the advantage if you are actually getting this speed?

RE: Let's get real....
 

Well the faster the bow the more energy the arrow will carry on impact. However, I am not willing to sacrafice a comfortable bow to shoot, for a speed demon.

Prime example is Chuck Adams!

RE: Let's get real....
 

yeh I understand the faster the arrow the more energy, but I mean can't you get that out of bow that shoots 270-300fps and be much more accurate?? I mean some of these bows are using 5.5" brace hieghts! that's absurd!

RE: Let's get real....
 

I posted a thread just before bow season along these same lines. I think that some people just want to have the fastestbow in town. But, if thats what they want fine with me.

RE: Let's get real....
 

yeh I understand that people can shoot whatever they want, but from my experience, unless you have damn near perfect form and shoot very often, that 5 1/2 " brace will be the death of you...more injured deer and or misses in the woods just so a guy can say he shoots a 330 fps bow...but mmy thing is this, people don't realize that these bows are shooting that fast with a 350 gr arrow and 70 # and a 30 " draw...with a bare string. no huntingset up is going to put out those speeds...most guys don't even come close to a 30" draw anyways.

RE: Let's get real....
 

My compound I just bought clains 306 fps. I'd guess I'm shooting around 260 or so. I think its great you can get a bow that can get that kind of speed. However I have no desire to shoot an arrow in a hunting setup that fast. I want something I can shoot acurately no matter what speed the arrow is going. Many deer have fallen to less than 250 fps arrows.

RE: Let's get real....
 

What I feel is the real gain as far as these bows reaching such speeds is that you can shoot a heavier arrow at lesser poundages and still achieve the same KE and speeds as you did when pulling 70 lbs and lighter arrows.

It's a win/win. Faster arrow with more KE at lower poundages.

Take my 82nd, I can shoot a 465 grain arrow at 280 fps at 62 lbs. I remember once tweaking a Hoyt to achieve the same speed with a much, much lighter arrow at 70lbs.

Longer draw lengths could easily shoot a hunting arrow at 340ps. Ben's seeing that out of his 101st but with a 31" draw length.

RE: Let's get real....
 

I just bought a "speed bow" and I shoot it excellent and it is pleasurable to draw. It is the only "Speed bow" I have ever shot. I have not chronoed it but I shoot 29" draw and the bow is peaked at 61#. Mean V has an inch less draw than me so I will be alittl faster and he is shooting 300 and some fps with his hunting setup. Faster bow, less trajectory, more kinetic energy with a low poundage bow. I just wanted one as I want a flatter shooting arrow. I honestly shoot this bow VERY accurately. My guardian is very accurate too and is no slouch in the speed game.

RE: Let's get real....
 

Bingo.

I'm not much for extreme bows or brace heights below 7" personally but for shorter draw archers, people who don't want to kill themselves with heavier poundage,or people who simply cannot handle it comfortably these extreme speed bows are (and always have been) a very viable option.

RE: Let's get real....
 

The 82nd is a long bow(36 1/4" AtoA) and has a brace height of 6 1/8. So it is long which helps it shoot accurately and the brace height is above 6". Has an IBO of 342-350

RE: Let's get real....
 

Fran was getting like 370 out of his Iron Mace or something like that. Some folks like it, some folks dont.

RE: Let's get real....
 

Not sure you lose that much accuracy. I had a Bowtech BKII when they came out. Brace was 5.5 if I remember correctly. I've been shooting a long time but I'm not a pro and doubt I have real good form. Self taught.

I had no troubles with accuracy. I didn't wound any critters. Killed several deer, turkeys and antelope with the bow. Hunt and live in SD so many of the deer were taken wearing heavy clothes and no troubles there with brace either.

You may want to shoot some of the newer speed bows before knocking them. All those stories you hear and repeat about shootability may just not be true anymore. Where are you conclusions that they are not accurate and people are wounding a lot more animals with them drawn from?

RE: Let's get real....
 

I did try one, an X Force 07 it was the worst bow I have had..

RE: Let's get real....
 

Fair enough. Because you didn't like it and it wasn't for you that makes them inaccurate and increase wounding rates? To each his own. Why does it matter so much to you what other people like? If a guy shoots a speed bow and is happy with it good for him. You shoot a slow bow and are happy with it good for you. I really don't understand the constant need to put others down because they don't conform to someone else's thinking.

RE: Let's get real....
 

I personally know a guy that shot an xforce6 for 3d last year, and he is a PSE staff shooter. He shoots freaking great with a 6" bh bow. To all that say low brace is impossible to shoot, you are wrong; ive seen it done numerous times. Im not sayin longer bh isnt better by anymeans tho, so dont mistake me there. Good form and repeatability, and you can shoot a low brace bow well.

Bashing speed..... I had an 08 BT 101st airborne, and loved the advantages that the speed gave me. Im no speed fanatic AT ALL, but when it is useable to your advantage, WHY bash it, or say its bad? MY 101st with a 400+ gr. axis arrow, @61#'s shot 290fps @29.5" of draw. That was my hunting setup. PLENTY of KE, plenty of speed, and 7" of bh... Cant beat it.An easy to draw tac driver that had the added benefit of speed. I didnt have any negative experience with it. The speed never "hurt" me or made me shoot worse, or kill deer worse.

Im not for, or against the speed thing, cuz i believe to each his own. If you canshoot great with a 1000fps 1"bh bow, keep on keepin on.

Derek

RE: Let's get real....
 

I've got an 08 X Force (two of them) and I use the high IBO rating to achieve decent speed at lower draw weights ("decent" speed is 280+ fps). I've owned 18 different bows and I like this one the best.

RE: Let's get real....
 

Not meaning to bash here honestly..im really not understanding why someone wants to shoot 360 fps?is there an advantage? that's what i am asking...like I said before...if you have perfect form and practice a lot, then shooting 360 fps may be fine, but the average guy ain't practicing a lot, and damn sure don't have perfect form... so for deer hunting, most situations only allow fora max 30 yd shot at best, where does the 360 fps help? is a bow shooting that fast as accurate as a 280 fps?? at what speed does it actually become counter-productive? mez please don't take this as a bashing fest really..Im just not sure that advertising all this speed to sell bows is a positive thing...Im mean in reality, most of these bows will never reach those speeds in the deer woods..

RE: Let's get real....
 

A fast bow is really a good thing,but truth be known, even a bow only shooting 250fps is just as deadly as a bow shooting 320fps if the shot is "placed" properly. I honestly believe that bow technology has just about peaked. It's now just about tweaking what's already been thought of/come up with. We're there guys.

RE: Let's get real....
 

There are advantages and disadvantages, just as with everything else. It works for some, not for others. That is why there are 100's of bows on the market. I don't think ANY bow made today is made so unshootable that it increases wounding rates though. Some guys will buy a bow just for its speed regardless if it fits them, much the same others will buy one based on the name regardless if it fits them. No difference in my opinion. I think the negatives are blown out of proportion, just as much as the positives are. If a guy shoots a bow like that fine, whywould he NOT take advantage of more speed/ke if it doesn't hurt him in the accuracy department?

I don't think a speed bow is for meeither, I love my current speed of 270ish (which is speed bow to some guys, considering a 500 grain arrow)....I am pushing 80 ft/lbs of KE. My next bow willlikely have a higher IBO than mycurrent with the way things have been going..so I am dropping poundage. If I upgraded this year, I candrop8-10 lbs of draw weight, shoot my same arrow...andonly loose 3-4 fps. This is a GREAT advantage to me. My next bow will 100% be a 60# bow.

Im sure back in the 80s, they were saying the same about bows reaching 250. Why on earth would someone need speeds like that? 180 does just fine.

RE: Let's get real....
 

With a grossly under weighted arrow.

RE: Let's get real....
 

good point tembry. Im just trying figure out if a guy can reach 360 fps with a hunting set up is it advantageous or actually counter-productive..we always here that a fast arrow is less accurate, but Im not sure..

RE: Let's get real....
 

A fast arrow is no more or less accurate as a slow arrow. The accuracy part comes from the technology needed to obtain the speed, ie. short brace heights, higher poundages, lighter arrows. All of these make the bow harder to shoot, harder to maintain.

Accuracy comes in the form of the shooter with repetition. I am no more or less accurate with my 330 fps set up as I am with my older 275 fps set ups.

As for broadhead flight, accuracy comes in the setup, tuning and fletch. The quicker you get your arrow spinning out of your bow, the sooner and quicker it stabilizes in flight regardless of it's flight speed.

Point A (bow) to point B (target) is what it is regardless of how fast the arrow is flying. It's what it takes to get it there is where accuracy is deteriorated.

RE: Let's get real....
 

I know I couldn't ask for any better accuracy than I got this year from the fastest setup I've ever packed in the woods.

I hunted with my 82nd in 80 degree temps all the way down to 24 degrees below zero. Dry dusty weather, Snow, and steady rain.

It was always spot on in all conditions with no tinkering during the season.

Dan

RE: Let's get real....
 

Just my experience with a fast bow, I could not shoot one...well, to me it was fast @ 310 fps.. however Im only shooting a 26.5" draw...either way, I think it was the short brace height perhaps...the Ally I have is far more accurate, or either Im just a better shooter with that bow than the X force. I used to shoot faster bows back in the day...3 in overdraw and superlight arrows, thing was, fast back then was 280 fps!! that's what i shoot now!

RE: Let's get real....
 

Not all Speed Bows are created equal;)Lots of things come into play shooting high speed arrows consistent. Not the least of which is the arrows themselves, proper spine, adequate FOC, adequate fletching, etc., etc. The list is endless.

I Loved the Ally and it's undoubtedly one of the best hunting bows ever built. My 82nd is No less consistent nor is it any less accurate.;)

Dan

RE: Let's get real....
 

When hunting at close range, when you have enough kinetic energy to kill the animal either way, the only advantage I can see to a fast bow is that it will give the animal less time to drop, run, or move in any way, and therefore it would make it more accurate in that respect. But we are talking fractions of a second here.
just my .02

RE: Let's get real....
 

its a novelty imo, no need for it but if its what you like then its what you like.. i personally like the absence of shock and the quietness of my admiral, im guessing it will be close to 300... which is more than enough... my tomkat shot 292 and it passed through both deer i killed with it

RE: Let's get real....
 

If aarcher buys a speed bow but does not practice then its the archers fault not the technology if his shot goes astray. My son got an 82nd last year and he is deadly with it, our main problem is finding the arrows after the shot as they don't seem to slow down at all.:D

I was warned that the short brace height would cause him problems but I think the brace height issue was more pronounced on early compounds that where basically longbows with wheels on them, the newer parallel limb bows with the long riser and short braceseem to be not as sensitive to form error as I was lead to believe. Either that or he has perfect form.:D

The main thing I like about the new technology is that I can put my 70lb luncker away and shot 60lb and end up with the same or greater arrow speeds and energy with the same arrow specs, so I would not be buying the speed bow for greater speed but so I can shoot a lower poundage bow and achieve my existing speeds. Due to the lower poundageI can hold the bow steadier resulting ina more accurate shot placement.

The speeds I am talking about are 500g arrow at around 275-280fps.

My motto is accuracy before all else.

RE: Let's get real....
 

But,you do agree that all little imperfection become much more magnified at greater speeds,therefore,forgiveness has been compromised at greater speeds?

RE: Let's get real....
 

One thing is for sure,arrow spines better start getting stiffer than what the majority are offering right now because they are way underspined for 30" 70#ers.

RE: Let's get real....
 

Awsome point... I'm looking to buy a new bow and I was looking at all these FPS specs. I'm going to take this aspect into consideration

RE: Let's get real....
 

This is my line of thinking. Any little imperfection in form or aim will have a deteriorating effect on accuracy BEFORE the arrow leaves the bow. It is magnified with the "speed" bows.

How many 320+ fps bows do you see at the indoor nationals or the Vegas shoot?

RE: Let's get real....
 

The answer Greg is NONE,but I am also thinking that a fixed blade broadhead becomes less forgiving in flight at greater speeds.A head that isn't perfectly aligned will be magnified at greater speeds.

RE: Let's get real....
 

TFOX, I've been doing this for a pretty long time. I have always used fixed blade broad heads and have found that they group really well as long as I keep the speed around 275 fps. I took my old speed bow (321 fps) and added a heavier hunting arrow and got the speed down to 275 fps @ 64 lbs. XX78 2413 w/85 gr. BH. I believe the arrow weighs 445 gr, finished. They group beautifully.

I've been using Wasp SST hammers for the last 12 years because they are a tough, quality head and they spin test amazingly well. I only have to mess with about 1 out of 24.

Also, by limiting my speed to 275 fps, the 4 pins on my fixed pin sight (which I prefer) are not tightly packed together. The spacing is just right for seeing the target.

RE: Let's get real....
 

GregH / TFOX

Out of interest what distances are you taking your shots?

RE: Let's get real....
 

I agree 100%


Rock,most my shots are under 30 yards ,just 1 over that.Bad broadhead flight at 30 yards can be drastic.

RE: Let's get real....
 

My 4 pins are sighted in for 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards. I do not hunt out west. Most of my whitetail shots are taken at 20 yards or less.

RE: Let's get real....
 

The more I read from a lot of you guys, the more I realize how much I am lacking in the whole shooting game. You guys have some knowledge! Thanks for the info gentlemen.

RE: Let's get real....
 

X2:D

RE: Let's get real....
 

Of course none, why on earth would one. Fixed yardage is fixed yardage. One could shoot the slowest bow in the world if she's dead on and score here. Speed means absolutely nothing in fixed ranged target shooting. ;)