Bow drag racing?

[Dan Adair]

I realize I've been off Tradgang for a while, but I never got away from the lifestyle.  I've been busy working, hunting and living the dream in NW Montana.

About 5 years ago, a coworker wanted a new longbow from Neil Jacobson pretty bad, so he decided to sell me his first custom recurve.  A Dave built 60" 60#@27.5" Shafer Silvertip.  I fell in love with No Doubt at first sight.  There's something about blacked out Silvertips, backed with rattlesnake and sporting antler tips that just give me a chub.  I sent my old beloved Martin Hunter to live with a friend in Havre Montana.

Anyhow...  What I was getting at, and what I thought would make an interesting thread was if everybody that wanted too could write a paragraph or two about their hunting bow, and then put up some numbers (if nothing else, we can keep some bowyers honest)

No Doubt is 60 pounds at 27.5" on the nose.  I draw 27 1/4"  I shoot a 522 grain arrow at 184.3 fps AVG for 10 arrows with ES's about 3 feet (I've got a chronograph and rifle hobby, I'll admit it)

I'll try to get some pics to post.  I've got a set of 51# limbs in the works, just for 3d shoots and winter practice.

Just curious what everybody else has for vital signs  :D

[straitera]

Welcome back Dan. Great Schafer bow you have there. Another recent thread (days ago) told of chronoing as many bows possible & posting returns here. Hill's only for me near 35 years. Never chronoed one.

[gto_guy]

Wish I had a chronograph.I would like to see what mine do

[59Alaskan]

I have only chronographed one of my bows.
1971 Grizzly 45# at my length
400 gr arrow
169 FPS (average of 3 shots)

That doesn't really bother me too much as it hits where I want it to.

[ozy clint]

58" bob lee take down recurve. 69#@28" AMO. i draw 28" to belly of grip.

can't remember exactly but i think it is doing 165fps with a 890gr arrow.

FEEL THE POWER!!!

LOL

[Jim Wright]

Not all chronographs are created equal. I know this from traveling away from my little red state paradise in order to make a decent living and shooting the same bow/arrow through different ones. If memory serves I have shot through six of them with a spread of six f.p.s., enough of a difference to bring some of the speed obsessed folks here to electronic blows.

[jess stuart]

Here is a couple of pics of one I finished up not to long ago 60" 48# at 28".  Not the fastest I have built about 170 at 9gpp but might be the smoothest and quietest one I have built.  If has become my favorite.

 

 

[jess stuart]

Sorry the first is not the correct pic the second is the one.

[Zradix]

HA!

You had me going on that one!
   

Thought..nuts it broke....or is that the first working grip takedown I've ever seen...lol

[wapiti1997]

I have 3 bows I've chronographed.  My hunting bow is my Herwaybow.

Herwaybow hybrid xrtd longbow, 52# @28 190 fps
Centaur hybrid lonbow 50#@28  184 fps
Wapiti  recurve       55# @28   170 fps

All with 510 grain Carbon Express Maxima Hunter arrow.

[Dan Adair]

Originally posted by ozy clint:
58" bob lee take down recurve. 69#@28" AMO. i draw 28" to belly of grip.

can't remember exactly but i think it is doing 165fps with a 890gr arrow.

FEEL THE POWER!!!

LOL

Man, if there was ever a beat up old Dodge pick-up with a 500HP big block of the bow world, that'd be it  :D

[Dan Adair]

Originally posted by Jim Wright:
Not all chronographs are created equal. I know this from traveling away from my little red state paradise in order to make a decent living and shooting the same bow/arrow through different ones. If memory serves I have shot through six of them with a spread of six f.p.s., enough of a difference to bring some of the speed obsessed folks here to electronic blows.

Good chronographing takes practice, and knowing what to use for lighting.  When I get serious, I run two Shooting Chrony's in tandem (works better than an Oehler 35P)  For my indoor set-up, I use two 20 watt bulbs duct taped with stand-offs over the difusers (look at Chrony's kit, and I basically hillbilly engineered one similar)  I've done it often enough, that I don't run in tandem anymore.  Its rare that either chronograph vary more than a foot and a half with that method

The florescent lighting that you find in most pro shops does not provide conclusive results.  I believe that maybe the screens see some AC ripple once the first screen gets triggered.  If you chronograph in another pro shop with metal halide lighting, I gaurantee you'll see much more consistant results, and usually faster by up to 10'.  I based these opinions on research, and they are not "a sample of one"

[Dan Adair]

Wapitip97, those two hybrids are flat trucking.  Posts like that make me wonder why I shoot 60# limbs.

Any idea how fast they are at 27"?

[TxAg]

I've never used a chronograph as long as I've shot a bow...including a compound. I've always been a bit curious though.  

Does anyone know how accurate the speed approximations are on Stu's calculator?

[wapiti1997]

I'd think they'd still be in the 170's Dan, at 27".  I have a 40# set of limbs for the Herwaybow, it shoots the same arrow in the upper 160s...

[Dan Adair]

Originally posted by TxAg:

Does anyone know how accurate the speed approximations are on Stu's calculator?

I've yet to see a computer program that can guess out all the variables that make bow speed.  When it comes to rifles, there's usually 100 FPS or better difference between theory, and fact.  I'm sure if you look around, you can find a chronograph to use.

[Dan Adair]

Originally posted by wapiti1997:
I'd think they'd still be in the 170's Dan, at 27".  I have a 40# set of limbs for the Herwaybow, it shoots the same arrow in the upper 160s...

I think that would be an accurate guess.

Thanks for posting your knowledge  

[**DONOTDELETE**]

good numbers on that hybrid Whapiti, but the numbers seem a bit slow for the Centaur. I've tested those myself under controlled circumstances before at 10 GPP on a shooting machine and came out mid to high 90's.

Are you guys shooting fingers on these or using a shooting machine?

the problem with comparing chronograph numbers in general is that there are so many variables that can change the numbers. An experienced flight shooter can get much higher numbers than the average archer. a snap shooter will get higher numbers than a guy who comes to full draw, anchors with a pause, then releases the shaft.

The only way to really compare one bow to another is in a very controlled testing environment using a shooting machine with very precise grains per pound on bare shafts, using the same exact strings on each bow.

there is also a difference between building fully blown dragsters, and production bows built for durability and longevity..... you don't see too many hot rods running around on the roads with 200K mileage.....

i could give you some dragster numbers, and some stock bow numbers that i build daily that you probably wouldn't believe .... but.... different guys are still going to get different numbers out of them.


The problem with building a bow to get high performance with a short draw length is that the moment it gets put in the hands of someone with a 2-3 inch longer draw length you are over stressing the limbs.... it can be done easily though..... but most bowyer's shy away from building them like this for warranty reasons.

[JParanee]

This year it's between a

Fedora 560 60 inch one piece pulling about 57 at my just under 27 inch draw shootingt a 530 grain arrow at 195 fps

Schafer Silvertip 58 inch pulling 57# at 27 shooting same 530 grain arrow at 186 fps

A hoyt Buffalo pulling abot 55 # at my draw that I have not chronoed yet

[USN_Sam1385]

My hunting bow is my 58" Thunderhorn Coup Stick.

56# @ 28" (My draw is 28")
612 Grain Arrow
10.9 GPP
13.4% FOC
172.6 FPS

Use 170 gr. Zwickey Delta 2-Blades