I’m with you at a 31” DL. Capable to shoot whatever poundage I want, but find 60-70 to be more than enough for Whitetail, while also having ease and comfort. I don’t pay mind to speed really aside from building a bow/arrow setup specifically geared toward speed just for fun or whatever. I also like a quieter bow, which only gets harder to achieve with greater speeds.

 

For me it’s trajectory. I’m familiar with the drop x arrow does at x speed when I shoot my single pin sights. Like I still aim high or low but with certain speed I know how high or low to aim

 

In that regard, would you be willing to either build new arrows, change point weight, or maybe put extra twists in cables to achieve the desired result?

I'm just curious how much change people are willing to deal with in order to shoot a bow that feels better to them. I understand that budget is a common prohibitive factor for a lot of people. Personally, I'd be willing to build a lighter arrow in order to meet the desired speed out of a slower bow that feels better to me.

 

In my opinion speed is overrated. Using the proper arrow and broadhead for what you are hunting and shot placement are way more important. Recurves and longbows aren’t fast when compared to a compound yet many people take game animals of all sizes with a traditional bow.

 

This! That's the point I've made repeatedly, especially when the RF arguments get going. If I can shoot a heavier arrow at speeds significantly faster than guys are shooting with trad bows, and I'm also limiting the distance of shots I'm taking, then is the heavier arrow really a bad choice?

 

They hold more steady to you, to someone else they might not.
Nothing pisses me off more then bow manufactures that lie about the speed and mass weight of bows. If either of those things are the case they are a non starter for me.

 

They hold more steady to you, to someone else they might not.
Nothing pisses me off more then bow manufactures that lie about the speed and mass weight of bows. If either of those things are the case they are a non starter for me.

I understand what you mean, but the physics involved are hard to argue against.

The issue there is nearly every year manufacturer does it, or has done it at some point. Some are better than others, but I'm of the mindset that far too many people care far too much about arbitrary numbers the manufacturer puts out. At the end of the day, almost no one is hunting with IBO spec arrows. Most people fall somewhere in the 400-500gr neighborhood. If you can get solid speeds with your chosen arrow that will allow you to ethically kill animals is the fine details of the exact fps your bow is shooting compared to others really that big of a deal?

 

I’ll take speed cause I have t-Rex arms. I like to shoot it the midweight area for arrows and would prefer to keep its trajectory's is flat as I can.

 

That, I understand. For guys with shorter draw lengths it makes sense to worry more about speed. The nice thing is most speed bows are more comfortable to shoot at shorter draw lengths.

 

I haven't hunted in years but for 3D I'd like to have a tiny bit more speed than my Logic CT9 has.
But on the other hand, last year I shot a High Country Ascension XR and I could break the ASA speed limit easily at 50#. But I wasn't as accurate as I felt I could be with that bow.
With the Logic CT9 I'm not able to make ASA speed without going up in weight which I'm not comfortable with but I'm much more accurate with it. I'll find out this weekend if the accuracy makes up for the lack of speed.

My highest 5 spot score with the High Country was around 290. But I've shot several 300 rounds and over 40X with Logic CT9 in the few months I've owned it.

Speed matters to me, but not as much as accuracy.

 

That makes sense. I don't shoot competitively. Everything I'm doing is purely from a hunting perspective.

 

I like my arrows to move at 275-285, and be 430-480gr. Any slower and I feel like I’m lobbing them pretty hard. I’d take faster to a point, but I’m 28.5 DL so it is what it is. They fly flat enough to 30 at those speeds so I can set my pin at 25y and roll with it. If I’m in a tree it doesn’t matter as much since I can range everything.

 

280fps has usually been the speed I aim for when building hunting arrows. This is the first year I'm going to exceed that, and I'm doing it by quite a bit. I built some RIP XVs that came out to 425gr. I'm shooting them out of a Hoyt Alpha X 33 80#. They're shooting right at 320fps. I haven't started broadhead tuning yet. I'm curious to find out how difficult it will end up being.

 

In response to your original post: I don't care about those things from a numbers persepctive when i pick or the bow picks me. To some extent, i won't look at a manufacturer's bow if they blatanly shove down my throat how light their bow is when it doesn't make the weight they claim, to a lesser extent the same goes for claimed vs real ibo speeds. I have a specific goal of arrow weight and real speed with that arrow that I want my bow to reach. Also, any bow I choose has to have a draw cycle I don't have to think about (in regards to a hump in a certain spot or not, or a dump that I have to change my draw mechanics to compensate for). It also has to meet some intangibles regarding grip, tolerance to my grip hand shuffle while at full draw, and be under a certain weight once completely rigged. If all of the above are satisfied, and string angle is acceptable (at 30" draw, I don't need a 35+ ATA to be happy), I could not care less about advertised IBO, advertised weight, ata, brace height, brand, and only sort-of care about the color.

 

This is the type of feedback I was hoping to receive. I suspect there's more people out there that feel the same. Unfortunately, the power of marketing outshines other things for a lot of people.

 

My draw is mid length, just under 28.5” is where bows hold best for me. That said speed is important to me, but less important than accuracy and primarily less important than my shoulder health. Strength wise 70 is comfortable and 80 is doable but both make me slightly nervous about my long term shoulder health. I work out frequently, have a physically demanding job, and pretty much all my hobbies involve physical elements. So I do my best to force myself to stick to around 60lb. It can be tough to do as that weight feels like I could be doing more, but I don’t want to sideline myself for 10-20fps. Props to those of you man enough for 75+lbs, I’m jealous haha. As far as manufacturer ratings go, it’s not a huge deal but it would be nice if they were more honest. None of us are buying a bow without watching a speed test of some kind anyways.

 

My boys and I like shooting long range setups spring summer months. Building my range out to 150 yards this year. Lighter arrows, less foc tend to tighten up the tick marks on my sight tape. Come September I switch to my hunting setup.

 

Sounds like a good routine. I try to do the same, minus lowering my FOC.

 

Like ArrowSlinger, I am built like a TRex. I have a 26" draw and I gravitate to more speed. Shorter brace height and Axle to axle are less of a big deal for me so that is a small trade off but not much of one.

Even then if I didn't have a long range target shooting obsession less speed wouldn't bug me as much. Really the speed is for play. Play is also the vast majority of my shooting.

 

Speed would never be anything I worry about. I don’t shoot heavy arrows at all so I get good speed anyways. Anything above 270 I’m happy. I’ll play with peep height and arrow weight to get it where I need to be. Prime shooter also they do hold crazy good. Mass weight is nothing I care about either.

 

Same. I usually try to be in the 270-290 neighborhood. When hunting, the majority of time my bow is on a hangar. Weight isn't a big concern of mine.

 

I shoot a 27.5 draw so to me speed is a bit of a concern for me more as to the fact that I have a preference in trajectory. I typically shoot between 420-460gr arrows. My current setup is 428gr standard rip elite( too poor for the TKOs lol) with 160 up front, and on my nexus 4 set at 28 and short pegged so I can get 75% letoff (I’ve already cleared it with prime they said it’s ok lol) I’m getting 279. I prefer a little longer axle to axle 33-34” range with a 6-6.5” brace height. My current bows are 6” brace height which are what I prefer. I love the way a prime hold and shoots, that said I prefer a bow over 340 ibo(even though I know they typically won’t reach that realistically). If prime maintained parts like Mathews did I would never buy another Mathews lol. That said I do own a v3 31 that I enjoy shooting as well. The prime is definitely much smoother and more stable that said. I literally would have no issues taking a sitting shot at 100 on a target if I felt the absolute need.

 

I miss my Nexus. I've thought about getting another one. If you're shooting something on the heavier end of what you prefer, say 450-460, what kind of speeds do you see? What draw weight?

 

Since short pegging it I’m not sure. I’m typically in the 260s at about 71#

 

That's faster than what trad guys are shooting. I say it will work just fine, despite the shorter draw length.

 

I did not read through all of this thread and I apologize. My two cents after almost 3 decades of shooting. (235) fps was getting it done at one time! For the average person 270 fps is getting after it. I personally like all of my bows to shoot no faster than 290. May just be my form? I don’t know. All of my bows are at a comfortable 280 avg speed.

 

280 seems to be the sweet spot, especially for tuning fixed blades.

 

I didn't read the entire thread...

I don't really care about rated speed, I care even less about what the numbers on my chronograph say (unless I am heading to an ASA event).

I must've been super lucky the day I bought my current chronograph... My buddy and I bought the same one on the same day... Mine consistently reads 7fps faster than his!!! We've sat them side by side and shot through them and it is always the same!!!!

1) I think most bows will are capable of shooting the "advertised" speed. But, might have an undesirable valley if you "tune" them to be that fast...

2) I also think folks think the calculation numbers are gospel... in other words this is an ESTIMATION:

Archery calculator principles
You should adjust the arrow speed given by the IBO specification according to the following rules:

• For every inch of draw length under 30″, subtract 10 ft/s from the IBO value.
• For every inch of draw length above 30″, add 10 ft/s to the IBO value.
• For every 3 grains of total arrow weight above draw weight multiplied by 5, subtract 1 ft/s from the IBO value.
• For every 3 grains of additional weight on the bowstring, subtract 1 ft/s from the IBO value.

Especially when you get to the upper and lower limits. Most bows that I've tested, tend to be the most efficient and perform closer to "spec" when you are at 30" +/- 1.5"

 

Too much emphasis is put on speed and arrow weight. I have multiple bows with varying arrow weights with different trajectories that can be used for varying objectives. My opinion is if you are not finically able to own multiple bows that will give you the results that you need for the varying objectives you peruse, choose a bow that you can shoot confidently at a known range and stick to that and don’t shoot or hunt an animal that is outside of that limitation. Comfort and confidence are always the two most important factors above keeping up with the Jones’s and being fashionable…. Don’t let marketing and flashy get in the way of your limitations..!!! If you are able to own multiple bows and have the ability to shoot an animal at 60+ yards make certain you know you can 100 percent kill that animal before you squeeze off that shot …!!!! If you are not shooting 60 yards or further most any bow with a reasonable weight arrow (400-600 grain) and bow shooting 250 fps or better will kill that animal or foam target as long as your confidence is there with responsible practice ( confidence)…. Today’s technology with archery equipment is almost limitless…. Our abilities with this technology is always in question.

 

Speed has its advantages. If you shoot unknown 3D, you want a fast bow, and yes you can shoot under that overhanging limb at 40 yards. Flat trajectory is fine, but only one of the multitude of factors determining my accuracy. I prefer a smooth shooting quiet bow that I can draw and shoot comfortably. This makes me more consistent.

 

Arrow Speed has a direct correlation to arrow trajectory. The lower the parabolic arc, the more human error is mitigated during the aiming process. I think the industry agrees on the concept that ideal arrow speed is between 275 and 300 fps. Much less than that and you're introducing a significant potential for human error as well as unpredictable animal movement. Much more than that and your arrow will (typically) be more finicky to tune with a hunting broadhead.

Yes shot placement is essential. Yes broadhead and arrow integrity is essential. If you can build an arrow that maintains it's integrity, that comes out of the bow faster and can tune well, why would you not? People get caught up in playing with the semantics of which factor is more important. It doesn't matter if you consider speed factor number 1 or number 3. It is vital to hunting success for most hunters taking game at 25 yards and out.

 

50lb. bows today are faster than the 70lb. Bows were 30 years ago and we took almost every animal on the planet with them.

 

I'm honestly considering hunting with my Lift 33 with 55lb mods once I get them. I'm going to need to build some new arrows for it but I'm excited to mess around with it, and see what kind of speeds I will get.

 

I want a bow that will shoot a 460 gr arrow at least 280fps. I prefer it to be the mid to upper 280's. I will only look at bows that will do this. I am 28.5" DL shooting 70lb bow. I want an arrow trajectory that gives me a little forgiveness on judging distance. I use a range finder but over the years have found there are quite a few times I am not able to range the animal before the shot.

It is funny how many people think a person just wants a fast arrow to have a fast arrow. In my opinion a lot of the people I know or have chatted with that lose an animal or have a long recovery distance or time is due to mis-judging distance. For me it has more to do with being able to make a killing shot in the heat of the moment when you don't have time to range the animal and my distance judging might be off. My arrow speed gives me some flexibility there. But my arrow is heavy enough to get the job done if i make a poor shot.

 

Not very imo. I have shot 60# and 80#. Everything have been a pass through with a sharp fixed head. 400-625 gr. But I am more confident taking less than desirable shot angle with the 625. Those arrows don’t care about bone.

 

You don’t need speed to kill but it’s a huge advantage. I won’t drop arrow weight to get a certain speed I’d rather shoot a faster bow. After hunting the past 2 seasons with a 310+ fps arrow I don’t see myself going slower anytime soon.

 

It depends upon how much speed and the tradeoff involved. I might sacrifice a bit or be concerned over 20 fps or more. 15 fps is about the threshold of my interest. 5 or 10 fps, I don't care.

When people say that speed doesn't matter, I think they mean within the relatively small range of speeds which most hunting bows all fall within (like the 315 to 330 fps range for IBO).

 

That's exactly what I meant by this post. If the difference is only 5-10fps I'm not worried about it. If we're getting into 15-20fps that's quite a substantial difference. I should've clarified that.

 

My opinion is that ENTIRELY too much emphasis is put on speed over other more important facets of a bow, and it's infuriating. I'm not saying speed doesn't matter, but 9.9/10 if you lose an animal it's because of a bad shot, not because your bow needed to be 10fps faster. I'm not excusing bow manufacturers for lying about their IBO speeds, but you have so many idiots out here who can't shoot a bow to save their damn lives, yet they prioritize speed over draw cycle, grip, hold, overall feel, features, etc... I significantly cut down my activity in archery Facebook groups because I was getting so angry at almost every other post being someone posting a picture of their bow, and a ton of the idiot member's turn the post into a discussion about: "WhAt kInD oF SpEeDs aRe yOu gEtTiNg OutTa tHaT tHiNg?". Or every other post being a guy bragging about getting a 700gr arrow to shoot at 320fps. It's stupid. It's no different than playing RB or WR in the NFL, yes, speed helps, but there are way more important traits that make a great RB or WR than just speed speed speed speed speed speed speed speed speed speed. I wish the hunting community would get off that **** and start focusing on the qualities of a bow that matter the most.

/rant

 

My opinion is that ENTIRELY too much emphasis is put on speed over other more important facets of a bow, and it's infuriating. I'm not saying speed doesn't matter, but 9.9/10 if you lose an animal it's because of a bad shot, not because your bow needed to be 10fps faster. I'm not excusing bow manufacturers for lying about their IBO speeds, but you have so many idiots out here who can't shoot a bow to save their damn lives, yet they prioritize speed over draw cycle, grip, hold, overall feel, features, etc... I significantly cut down my activity in archery Facebook groups because I was getting so angry at almost every other post being someone posting a picture of their bow, and a ton of the idiot member's first question is: "WhAt kInD oF SpEeDs aRe yOu gEtTiNg OutTa tHaT tHiNg?" Or every other post being a guy bragging about getting a 700gr arrow to shoot at 320fps. It's stupid. It's no different than playing RB or WR in the NFL, yes, speed helps, but there are way more important traits that make a great RB or WR than just speed speed speed speed speed speed speed speed speed speed. I wish the hunting community would get off that **** and focus on the factors of a bow that matter the most.

/rant

I respect your passion.