Fast Flight? What's the Rave!!

[Robhood23]

I am just wondering if someone could enlighten me as to all the rave about fastflight. I have owned several FF and Non FF bows. Is is just that the arrows flies faster? I have some bows of same poundage, different makes and for example my non ff schafer's will shoot faster than my ff bears. Am I missing something? How much faster do they say FF makes a bow? I appreciate hearing all your opinions!
   Thanks, James

[md126]

robhood23,  most report a speed gain of 8-10ft/sec although alot of that would vary from bow to bow.

aside from that, some like the fact that it doesn't stretch and there is usually less hand shock.

like you, i use dacron on my schafer (FF model) and have no complaints. it is a bit faster and less shockey w/ the FF but also more noisy.  most bows (especially the schafer) are plenty fast and shock free even w/ b50 plus it's easier on the bow...

just my honest opinion

[SpankyNeal]

Each bow responds differently to FF. Some see very little difference in handshock and speed while others are totally new bows! Best to try different materials and see which your particular bow likes best IMHO.

[Guss]

James, I also believe it depends on the bow. I bought a Centaur that had some handshock(my other Centaurs had none),it had a dacron string on it,I talked to Jim about it. He sent me one of his FF strings and it completely eliminated the handshock, and it seemed a little quicker. Made the bow alot more shooter friendly!
                             Jr.

[Shawn Leonard]

8-10 fps. is a lot. I think more like 6-8 is like it. It does make some bows quieter believe it or not and also it make some less shocky. If ya are shooting a 14-16 strand B-50 go to a 10 starnd for your 50-55# bows and it will give ya 4-6 fps. I love my non-ff Schafer. Shawn

[SOS]

Like Shawn, on same R/D longbow on 560 grain woodies, probably saw about 4 fps gain.  On a 425 grain carbon in the 7 fps range.  Steve

[JRY309]

I like to shoot D97 or the newer low stretch materials for the feel of the shot not for the speed increase.The bow feels more solid and not springy.Like said depending on the bow it can get rid of handshock.Only on my older recurve I'll use dacron but then I prefer to spin up an endless loop for it.

[kennym]

Bout 7 fps on my testin,couldn't tell any diff on noise or shootability. I figured if its free,take it! LOL

[Robhood23]

Thanks for all the input guys. I never thought of handshock, I guess I never noticed it on either ff or non ff.

[Chris Wilson]

I like the low stretch string materials not so much for the speed bump, but for their durability and stability.  The newer low stretch materials are much more abrasion resitant than dacron and stretch very little on initial break in.  Typically, after a few dozen arrows, once the brace is set, it stays set.  With dacron, it seemed I was constantly readjusting brace height; especially on those hot, muggy August afternoons on a 3D course.

[James Wrenn]

I like it for the feel as well as the gain.The bow and what string you are replceing will make the difference in performance.I would say 6 to 8fps is about average for me.I did switch out a Martin Stick one time to a 12 strand D97 and gained 16fps with the same arrow!That is the most however and not the norm.Still if you gain 7-8fps that is just like going to a bow 5lbs heavier in weight without doing a thing to pull harder.  

[Jeremy]

I'd shoot the newer string materials even if I didn't get more speed out of 'em.  On my longbows they're quieter and just behave better after the shot than dacron strings.  I also like that I can brace my bows lower = longer powerstroke = still more speed.  On selfbows especially it's great.  Low brace height without the painful wrist slap  
Like James said, it's like shooting a 5# heavier bow w/o doing a thing!

[LBR]

Less stretch, less creep, less handshock, more stability, more durability.  I'd use Dynaflight '97 or 8125 even if they were a little slower than dacron.

As far as them being harder on the bow....I'm the kind of guy that can tear up an anvil with a Q-tip without trying.  I've been shooting the same longbow for over 10 years--it's my go-to bow for tournaments, hunting, playing, etc.--and it's never had a dacron string on it.  I pull 66#@30.5", my arrows average just under 10 gpp, and it shows no wear from the string.

Chad