Recurve speeds

[ron w]

I had an old Bear Kodiack Hunter that with a 30" 2216 and 125 gr tip, 55# @ 28" would shoot 175 fps. I shot it 3 time thru the crony and it was the same each time. I draw 29". From what I have read thats a pretty good hunting set up.....Should have kept that one...lol!

[James Wrenn]

When it comes to selfbows it is best not to know sometimes.    

I use a crony a lot.Bought one when I built the first bow.A valuable tool but not one that is needed in picking a good bow.All you need to shoot one to decide if it will do the job you intend doing with it.The more you do this stuff the less numbers like bow weight,artrow weight and FPS will mean to you.It is a great passtime talking about them on the internet but when it comes to hunting we just reach for that bow that feels good and we can shoot best.It has little to do with much of anything else.  

I have owned several recurves and one longbow that topped the 200 mark shooting bear 308s with 125 grain points.  I had a longer draw with the recurves than I should have been using.  I looked like I was trying to fall over backwards just to reach 29 inches.  With a shorter draw and slower arrow speeds to go with it my hunting success went way up.  My wife gets around 150 to 155 fps with her shorter draw and just under 40 pounds of pull.  Her arrows are around 435 grains, but she still gets the arrow completely through whitetail deer that weigh 150 pounds dressed, so it obviously is enough.

[Uncle Buck]

I agree with the idea that its better off not to know. Chronographs have sold a lot of Bows to guys that were perfectly happy with thier old bow until they found out it only shot 170 fps. Near perfect arrow flight and above all, scary sharp broadheads are more important  than hitting 200 fps. I tend to pick my bows ( and guns) by what feels right in my hand. If you are comfortable you will be more confident and relaxed when you pick your spot

[reddogge]

Not much has been said about fletching but it will affect speed as much as arrow weight and string material, maybe more.  You can set a bow and arrows up for speed only with light arrow and small straight offset fletching but they won't stabilize a broadhead or penetrate.  Most of us shoot 5"-5.5" x 1/2" helical 3 fletch or 4" x 1/2" helical 4 fletch for stability.

I've been involved with tradional archery since I was a boy in 1955 and have never tested a single bow for speed and never will.

[HOWITZER]

I'm a bit confused...a lot of you are talking about reaching the 200fps with arrows that are 10grains per pound...now I shoot a 60lb and a 68lb bow both with 550grain arrows...is this going to hurt my bow...? Should I beef my arrows up a tad?  Just out of curiousity I payed two dollars to have my bow chronographed and it was around 210 with those arrows...I'm not concerned about speed I just want to know if I should be shooting a heavier arrow?

[cacciatore]

You had a lot of no nosense replays,now give yourself the answer.

[NDTerminator]

Originally posted by HOWITZER:
I'm a bit confused...a lot of you are talking about reaching the 200fps with arrows that are 10grains per pound...now I shoot a 60lb and a 68lb bow both with 550grain arrows...is this going to hurt my bow...? Should I beef my arrows up a tad?  Just out of curiousity I payed two dollars to have my bow chronographed and it was around 210 with those arrows...I'm not concerned about speed I just want to know if I should be shooting a heavier arrow?

As a generally accepted rule, 10GPP is the minimal weight for a safe, reasonably quiet, and stable trad arrow.  At that, there are a lot of guys who consider 10GPP far too light.

That being said, I shoot 2213's that are just 500 grains with my 55# stuff and have no problem.
To the contrary, they shoot great...

[Rob DiStefano]

gpp is just a guideline of sorts.  

some bowyers will tell ya the lowest gpp to go with their bows, and in some cases to validate the warranty.  

lower gpp for faster arras, and higher for slower arras with more punch/penetration.  it all depends on what yer hunting and where, and what works best for you and not anyone else.

[Mike Most]

Excellent thread, and lots of good info,

my recurve goes thru the chrono at 161 fps its a 55# @ 28 and I shoot 525 gn arrows, very accurate and forgiving.

I figure it only needs to work for 17-20 yards when hunting.

Mike

[Apex Predator]

Speed tests are very elightening for the bowyer.  Comparing bows with the same grain per pound arrow, and same 28" release can tell you a lot.  Most bows are not compared using the same criteria.  My fastest longbow shoots 183.5 fps drawing 28", shooting 10 gpp, normal weight string, and finger release.  That same bow requires that I drop to 9gpp and draw her to 29" to hit 201 fps.  Draw length will get you the biggest gains!

[elbow]

I have a 41@28 Kodiak hunter I draw to 30" shooting full length 2016 with a 145 grain Razorhead, anyone know what that would chrono at?

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by elbow:
I have a 41@28 Kodiak hunter I draw to 30" shooting full length 2016 with a 145 grain Razorhead, anyone know what that would chrono at?

impossible to know without any amount of accuracy.  all your replies will be best guesses.  

and what does any of this serve anyone?    :confused:    :rolleyes:

[elbow]

Good call Rob, just wondering, just got the bow from my kids wondering how the old bows compare to the Widow I shot last year, plus, although I realize the speed isnt what it is all about, it is fun to know more about your bows performance, anything with archery is fun.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by elbow:
Good call Rob, just wondering, just got the bow from my kids wondering how the old bows compare to the Widow I shot last year, plus, although I realize the speed isnt what it is all about, it is fun to know more about your bows performance, anything with archery is fun.

it's best to think of all bows as 'experiments of one' - they're all different and unique to some degree when it comes to performance, and that includes sticks crafted by the same bowyer, same model, too.

[Highlandwarrior]

I just got a bear greenstripe T/D 60#/28" I'm using tapered hickory shafts w/ woody weights and 190gr tips- comes in around 1000gr! I have no idea what it chronos at but I'm guessing pretty slow, It shoots where I want it to at 20yds so thats all that matters- that and the fact I can hardly get the arrows out of the target! I have 65lb limbs coming for it, with those limbs and these arrows I think I'll be pretty happy

[Ghost Dancer]

The only thing I like a chrono for is to test the consistency of my shot and set-up, nothing more.  

It is enlightening to see your arrow speed from different positions.

[donnyjack]

Way to often the chrono is used to just sell product and folks are given numbers that don't mean anything in the real world.  
In the old days we would use the AMO standard to measure bow speed and that was as I remember 60# @ 28" with a 500 gr. arrow.  That rating was what I considered a good test of a bows preformance for both trad. and wheel bows as it was close to what a normal person would shoot.  
Then came along the IBO test and every wheel guy out there thinks their new latest/greatest shoots at 320+ speed, but no one read the fine print.
IBO standard is a 300 gr. arrow with no fletching, bow set a 70# at a 30" draw with nothing on the string.  
I have never seen a hunting bow in the woods or a target bow for that matter, that looked like that, shoot by 6' 5" guys with 30" draw.  
I would think one would expect to drop at least 20 to 30 fps off of the IBO rated speed when the average Joe/Jolen rigs out their hunting bow with string puffs, 55 to 60# average weight at 27 to 29 inch draw, etc. but the sad thing is alot of folks are dupped into thinking they have something they don't.
I really hate to see the traditional archery community go down the same path as the wheel guys have and a lot of us don't, as we know what really counts when it come to what make a great shooting bow.  But we have a lot of new folks coming onboard that came from that speed world that think you have to shoot over 200 fps to have a good trad. bow and there are some bow builders that are taking advantage of that.
It's up to all of us who have been around stickbows for awhile to educate the newcomers to what it means to have a great shooting bow and how to use it so they won't become sucked down that speed hole again.

[Quinn]

My 2 Roy Hall recurves clock 197fps w/ 9.5gr per in arrows.
My Dan Toelke feels as fast w/ 10.5gr per inch, but haven't actually clocked it yet.

[Rob DiStefano]

as has been typed numerous times by lotsa folks ...

speed don't kill - a well placed, well flying arra with a lethal broadhead does the killing.  how many arrow fps more or less don't matter one dang bit for the very most part.

yeah, sure, ya can talk gpp and foc 'til the cows come home, and that sure is good stuff to chew on and contemplate and employ.  now reread the preceding 2 sentences again.  

that's the real world truth and that's all she wrote!