I shoot a 1979 Bear Blacktail Hunter 50# compound bow with Easton 2315 aluminum arrows. My first pin is 10 yds, 2nd is 15 yds & 3rd is 20 yds. I just mounted a TruGlo site on it & I'm shooting 4" groups at 20 yards. I'm no Howard Hill, but I should put plenty of meat in the freezer again this year.

With my heavy hunting setup
30" 67#'s 530gr. arrow 287fps.

From 20-30 it drops between 3.75-4" according to my 1" 3 arrow group average.

With my lighter hunting setup is
30" 67#'s 380gr. arrow 337fps
The drop is still about 3 inches or more at roughly 340fps...

Your arrow is falling from the time it gets off the string, to the time it hits. no such thing as an even close to flat trajectory. Unless it has rockets on the back of it, or its got a 200mph wind gust behind it, the drop from 20-40 is gonna be at least 6" with the absolute fastest setup.

I actually did this "test" with my other xforce at 340fps. I also did a realistic shot test that would be considered a minor misjudge in the hunting situation. I was at 54yards and used my 45yd pin on my yellow jacket target from an elevated stand. I completely missed the target(under obviously) and I only shot it for 9 yards less...

The pic here is a little field test, inspired today, by this thread:rolleye0011: The arrows... Easton XX78 2514's. Total weight is 530gr. Fletched with 3" duravanes. Flying at 287fps, this arrow has a very high momentum. Much higher than most hunting setups.

For the guys who are unfamiliar with momemtum: Momentum is the rate that your arrow loses KE/slows down. With the high momentum, and the minimal drag with the low profile duravanes, this arrow setup at this fps potentially will drop less than any lighter arrow at the same fps, unless it is a super skinny arrow at almost the same weight. My arrows only real disadvantage is diameter. Surface area is greater, so it will drag more than say... an easton axis, but with the smaller vanes, It makes up a bit for the large dia.

So... I shot to make sure my 20yd pin was on. I was drilling them in there at 20 EXACTLY where it needed to be. So now time to step back to 30. It took me 3 3 arrow groups to get a 1" group at 30yards. That is just what I was trying to get, so there would be less bs calling on my part(the shooter)

Distances were got using a range finder. I was shooting at the top circle, and you can see by the group the distance it is from the bullseye. Which is also why i got the ruler out:guiness:

Apprx: 3.75-4" of drop between 20 and 30 yards.

I also decided, what the hell, and did it at 40. Didnt take a pic b/c my camera was actually going dead (y does it always seem to happen when its not convenient). Anywho, the drop was apprx: 11". I actually dropped my arm one of the shots and missed the target completely:busted:
So... One pin out to 40 yards. Yes with some excellent compensation skills. Logical, I wouldnt say so:rolleye0011:

Derek

Btw, not trying to thread hijack. Just thought it would be an interesting test to display for this conversation.

I set my pins typically at 20-30-40-50 but with this "slower" 287fps setup, Ive got my stuff set at 20-30-37-52
Didnt mean to set my last pin at 52, just kinda was there so i didnt wanna change it.
Derek

60# Single Cam Darton-70% let off. 29" Easton Aluminum 2216 with 3, 4" vanes tipped with a 125 Gr. 3 Blade Rocky Mountain fixed blade.
I aim dead on from 25 yds to zero when hunting.
30 yds I am about 1" low. Have a 35 yd. pin I use for 35 & 40 yds.
I use ladder stands & they are 12 & 15 footers.
I always aim dead on my spot when hunting 25 & under. Shot 4 animals last year from a few feet to 25 yds. Double lungs on all.
2 from 12 feet up & 2 from 15 feet up....

You gotta account for the human animal though Todd...

You figure a pretty good.... or in my experience better than average bow shooter will shoot 2" groups at 20 yards and 3" groups at 30 yards. Thats an average... there are far better and far worse.... I know I drift on both sides of that line sometimes.

So for someone to claim that they only have an inch and change of drop from 20 to 30.... well... given an average shooter.... its easy enough to see why....

If we were all shooting deer from a hooter shooter... then we'd all be calling BS.



To the topic at hand here.... I'm shooting a Mathews Drenalin... 29" 61#s with a Maxima Hunter 250 at 263fps.

My '20' yard setting on my HHA is actually about 1" high at 20 yards because I tend to aim with the top of my pin at 20 yards (I'm strange... don't ask). At thirty yards.... I'm about 3-4" low.... at 35... I'm pushing 5-6"...

I use my 20 yard setting all the way back to 35... which is usually about as far as I can ever see anyway. Any farther than that... I'll use the laser and move the slider.

I shoot a Parker set at 60lbs with 26 in draw. I shoot Easton Excel 400 arrows. I shoot a three pin sight, at 18, 25, and 35 yards.

I agree on BOTH accounts.

BUT,If a 3" drop is reality,add 1 1/2"(for bottom side of 30 yard group) and add another 1"(for top side of 20 yard group) Now the drop is more like 5 1/2".That is worse case scenario and best case is a 1/2" drop,so we average that out to 2 1/2" drop on average for average shooters.We always hear best case scenario,not worse case.As you can see,the average is much closer to actuall reality.


What drock posted shows actuall real life scenarios from absolute speed bows.

I didnt even think about that when doing the "test". Like you and sc said, there were shots where I was more like 2" away from the spot, and then again, there were some that were 5-6. Id say with consistancy for the average joe, the average drop would still be right around 3" b/c most people arent actually shooting even 286 like my setup... And momentum factors in etc. etc.........:bash:

Derek

right around 25