RE: Real Deal on Crossbow Speeds
 

I think high arrow speed, up to a certain point, is beneficial. It can compensate for misjudged distance. The down side is the arrow will travel farther after passing thru the critter or go deeper into a stump, tree, under the leaves etc. The advancement of scopes with range compensatingreticles and the use of laser range finders can eliminate bad distance judgement, thereby taking the guess work out of shooting. BUT, IMO nothing, not arrow speed, not rangefinders, not scopes with range compensating reticles, etc will ever replace common sense and intelligence when hunting with a CB. I don't think it's bad to pass up a shot, wait for another day or another deer to show up. It's not about the kill, at least to me it isn't.It'[s all about the challenge of outwitting and out smarting your quarry. The actual kill is really anticlimatic to the hunt itself!

RE: Real Deal on Crossbow Speeds
 

Very well said DaGriz!!!!

RE: Real Deal on Crossbow Speeds
 

As I said in a few of my other posts, I am a fan of speed. When shooting a gun, I went with fast rounds over the bigger cal, slower rounds that pack all this "knock down power". Reason being I see these "big bad boys" bullets being dug out of critters more than once that were there from years before. When I hit a Elk for instance, there is a hole, a big hole and the damage inside is like someone went crazy with a weed wacker inside a bowl of Jello. Now I am looking at CB's and see a real bennifit of the higher power making complete passthrough shots on bigger critters at a bit farther out range that is still ethical to shoot.

RE: Real Deal on Crossbow Speeds
 

With any broadhead the action that kills is the ability to cut veins and arteries. Extreme speed with a light arrow set up cuts just as well as a moderate speed with a heavier set up. As long as there is enough kenetic energy the job gets done. To draw a parallel to what you spoke of the temporary wound cavity that you are talking about equates to a large sharp broadhead to do as much damage to the internals as possible. Higher speed accomplishes the same thing as a heavier set up and that is to push the broadhead through the deer. The real benefit speed brings you in archery is to compensate for range estimation. If that is what you want then go for a fast bow. The problem is that as you surpass 300 ft/sec arrows and broadheads become unstable and unforgiving to shooting errors and things like wind, blades of grass and what have you. You can shoot a big fat broadhead that cuts a big wide swath through a deer if you hit it. But that big fat broadhead is going to plane if you spit it out at 400 ft/sec. A really light arrow/broadhead will be pushed around by the wind and will be badly affected by anything on its way to the target. A heavy slow arrow is going to give the deer a chance to jump out of the way at the limit of any ethical shot. Of course a super fast arrow will not give the deer as much of a chance. The benefit of a slower heavier arrow as I see it is accuracy and its ability to plow through more dense mass in the directioh the arrow as shot. The light super fast arrow is not as accurate and it has the abitity to deflect on contact with things like bones but there is the issue of range estimation which is a real plus for some. The important thing is the confidence the equipment gives you.

RE: Real Deal on Crossbow Speeds
 

IMO super light, super fast arrows arent efficent, neitherare the super heavy arrows atthe the other end of the spectrum


I couldntcare less abouthaving the fastestfps that my bow can generate, I'm more concerned with all the aspects of the bow/arrow combination coming together to be the most efficent that the setup can be, if that happens at 250fps or 350fpsit really doesnt matter to me...