Can someone please explain to me how people shoot 185 fps

[Diamond Paul]

Warning: chronographs are inherently deceiving!  Unless you know for a fact that the chrono is properly calibrated, you are just ********* in the wind.  You can cheat them, too.  I work for a company that makes compound bows, and have used chrono's calibrated to Norb Mullaney's graph that is the industry standard, so to speak.  Most graphs are not accurate, or even close.  You also must have an accurate scale for weighing bow and arrows, or you will not be getting an accurate reading.  Also, if you hold at full draw, AT ALL, a guy who is skilled at shooting through a graph will beat your speed every time.  The string (and cables on a compound) stretch when you hold, and you lose a few feet, or more.  I would bet that the average traditional setup for hunting averages in the low to mid 180's on an accurate graph.

[Dave2old]

Diamond P is right! I have access to only two chronos, and they never agree ... and the difference a cloud passing overhead can make is amazine. So for the most part, all of our well-intended comparitive speed talk is unreliable, since so few chronos are reliable (like scales, our wives would say!).

[Dave2old]

P.S. And ... have any of you ever noticed a dramatic decrease in speed as you continue to shoot the exact same combo through a chrono, as if it's getting tired? ...

[baretraks]

....the importance is not in the time it takes to get there....but how long it takes to slow down!!!

[HATCHCHASER]

We have to have something to talk about.  Besides, if everyone had the fastest bow then the bowyers wouldn't sell anymore and would go out of business.  We all need to work so let's do our part to support them.  

[Shawn Leonard]

First the weight of the bow has nothing to do with it. It is how efficient the bow and design is. A 40# bow of the same design will shoot as fast as a 60# bow of the same design, all else being equal. ie. same draw length, same gpp. of arrow weight. I believe your chrono may be off. I found my Widow recurves when drawn to 29"s and shooting 9gpp. shot about 185-188fps. I like 8-9 gpp. and my Schafer and Arroyo will both get me over the 190 mark and the Arroyo will get me close to 200fps. with 8gpp. drawn to 29"s. Shawn

[Roy from Pa]

Speed only kills on the Highways. Accuracy and a silent bow is much more important than speed. If I wanted more speed, I would shoot a Compound.

[SteveB]

Speed measurements when used correctly can be VERY useful.
Take 2 50# bows shooting a 450 gr arrow at 28".
Both quiet and accurate for the shooter.
1st shoots the arrow 165 fps.
2nd shoots the arrow 185 fps.

Number 2 stays in my rack - #1 is down the road.
Read threads every day about optimizing your setup thru broadhead type, arrow wght, using the most poundage you can accurately shoot, etc........

Why is not shooting the most efficient bow that meets your other criteria given the same importance as broadheads etc?

Steve

[Roy from Pa]

So if a compound shoots more efficient than my stickbow, I should use the compound? Two bows that shoot 20 fps apart, neither the shooter or the deer would ever know the difference.

[Otto]

Speed, low noise and accuracy are not mutually exclusive.

For some reason, trad bow speed threads always seem to bring out those who think a quick bow is a loud bow that nobody can hit anything with.  Yes, a 55 lb bow shooting a 300 grain arrow will be quick, and loud.  But there are plenty of quick quiet bowhunting setups out there.  It is not an evil wheelie bow conspiracy that some of us are engaged in when we launch a few arrows through a chrono.

Any noisy bow setup is a poor setup.  Quick or slow.  But I'll take the quick quiet bow over the slow quiet bow any day.

[Onestringer]

Thanks guys, I did not mean to start an arguement, just wanted suggestions on why I can't shoot faster.  Clean release I can work on, the nocks though I never thougt of that.

Yes I know accuracy is the most important thing, noise is also a consideration.  

Thanks for the input

Scott

[Sixby]

There is a reason , Actually several that all good target archers tie their knock points.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally posted by Dave2old:
P.S. And ... have any of you ever noticed a dramatic decrease in speed as you continue to shoot the exact same combo through a chrono, as if it's getting tired? ...

Unless you're shooting an all wood bow, if your chrono numbers aren't the same on the 1st shot as they are on the 101st, it's not the bow that's getting tired. It's you.  

[Roy from Pa]

No arguements here, we are just offering different opinions.

[Shawn Leonard]

I have to agree with Otto on this one. I shoot a RER Arroyo that will shoot with the fastest bows out there. It is also one of the quietest bows I have ver shot. There are a lot of bows out there that will smoke an arrow and are very quiet. Why not have the best of both worlds. JRW is correct, the shooter starts creeping after so many shots, thus getting different results. Shawn

[SteveB]

So if a compound shoots more efficient than my stickbow, I should use the compound? Two bows that shoot 20 fps apart, neither the shooter or the deer would ever know the difference  

If you want to, then you certainely should.
But there is absoltely nothing in my post to suggest that.

If a shooter can't tell the difference in 20 fps, I don't know what to say - every good shooter I know could tell immediately.

2 bows of equal accuracy and quietness - 1 shooting 160, the other 180 means the second is 12% more powerful. To say this does not matter when I see countless threads on improving penetration thru broadhead design, arrow wght, etc makes no sense to me at all.

Not argueing - just stating logical opinion.

Steve

[Roy from Pa]

LOL Steve, I agree. But it's always fun to mess with guys a little when they get to talking about speed:)

[Russ Clagett]

I had to put some weight in my arrows for one of my bows, it simply shot too fast. I would never have thought of a fast bow being a problem before, but at the speed it was shooting I had no time to watch the arrow fly. This is not good for an instinctive shooter. I dont know about everyone, but I have to be able to see that arrow fly to the target so my brain can learn and compare that trajectory and performance. If it's going too fast I miss that, and I dont shoot as well. Once I slowed those arrows down a little, my groups got way tighter, the bow got way quieter, and a heavy arrow is always hard to beat. Worked out great all the way around.

[James Wrenn]

Every bow I own will shoot 200fps+ and every one will shoot 160fps as well.The performance is there to use as you see fit by changing arrow weights.A balance of speed and noise is the way mine are always set up.Between all the best bows I have not seen a difference that a few grains of arrow weight or a couple lbs of bow weight won't equal out just fine.  :D  The shooting qualities of a bow is what is the most important thing.A bow that shoots well for you and allows you to hit the mark most often is better than all the numbers in the world.Sometimes we just get lucky and it is a bow that has those qualities and performs a little netter than the norm.Most times it is stll a compramise that we make the final decision on when tuning.    With a static release I will shoot any bow 5-7fps faster than a buddy with the same draw length.The numbers have more to do with the shooter sometimes than the bow. jmo

[Diamond Paul]

Oh yeah, by the way, unless you are using a clicker or some other such device to check your draw length every time you shoot, graph readings aren't going to be relible, either.