smokepolehall

I have an older Vixen with carved tip limbs and dacron string and shooting 560 gr. arrows. Very accurate, i shoot plastic bottle caps out to 35 yds.

Hotburn76

That is it in a nut shell! I am between 310 and 330 ish depending on what string and arrow. I am just fine with that speed.

Safety Off

It seems to me speed would count relating to how fast the arrow hits the target. A slower speed gives time for things to happen while the arrow is moving toward the target (i.e. game moves due to noise). Also, DNK is right on. Faster - flatter. Makes aiming at different distances a little easier.

RockinChair

I have also been educated on the concept that crossbows are not so much about the spped, but unlike compounds, they are intended to hit harder, so that having more pounds of energy is actually what you are looking for.. Any truth?

Hotburn76

I guess Cody it depends on which way you want to go with killing a deer. My 270 FPS 150# Horton had pass through every time except on a spine shot and another shot I will not talk about. More KE is not needed if we stick to what the original concept is for killing a deer which is lung shots. But if we are wanting to change and help with accidental shoulder shots then more KE is needed, but not for lung shots IMO. My Excal only makes the arrows deeper in the ground then the Horton did after the shot.

black pearl

RockinChair
History claims the medieval crossbows had more kinetic energy as a short range war weapon (compared to the longbows long range distance) to be able to penetrate soldier's armour and shields.

I agree with Hotburn,
Speed kills...at what speed will crossbows end?

RockinChair

Whoa, quick question Hotburn, how do you know my name? []haha

Hotburn76

Your profile! I click on most people's profile when they are newer, look at the post history and see what I am in for if I reply to there post. Try to avoid being set up as much as possible. Then when you call people by there name it kinda breaks the internet wall and lets us allknow we a just people and not just screen names.

WomBeasel

I'm with Cossack on this, but for me the reduction of the chance of the animal jumping the string is greater thgan the advantage of a flatter trajectory.

Wyvern Crossbow

"I'm with Cossack on this, but for me the reduction of the chance of the animal jumping the string is greater thgan the advantage of a flatter trajectory"

Well...i will throw a though or two into this...

Considering how fast sound moves compared to an arrow, string jump is gonna happen no matter how fast the bow is. One thing with string jump (again, my opinion and observations) is that in many instances string jump really occurs more at close ranges due to the proximity of the noise, not only the volume. If someone blows off a firecracker behind you most of us jump a mile (read "string jump") that same firecracker goes off 50yrds away, most of us will just turn to see what the noise was and not jump as much. Pretty much the same with deer. (exceptions to that rule ofcourse ) I would rather have a slower bow that is quiet than a fast bow that is loud. Simply because a "quiet noise" will not startle the deer as much as a "loud noise" at the same distance.

IMO there are a couple of factors where faster speed makes a diferance and is desireable. One is if you are using a mechanical broadhead. There is a certain amount of energy that is needed to open them on impact and they really are designed for faster bows (compound as well as Xbow). Longer shots(50-60yrds)...flatter trajectory helps with accuracy, and the reduced mass and short powerstroke of a crossbow means that at distance it generaly does not have as much KE upon impact as an compound at the same distance, so if you can launch it faster, it still holds its hitting power at distance. One other BIG reason IMO is that 300fps bows sell better than 280fps bows. One of the reasons you see advertized speeds made with bolts the manufacturer does not sell or even recomend.

FYI...my 185lb medieval bow shoots a 475gr wood bolt at 198fps and went thru the back bone of a cow elk at 20yrds and out the other side.(really crappy weather and the feathers were destroyed and it did not go exctly where I wanted it, but I did drop her...bad shots happen...)

Wyvern