Arrow speed

[DavidTwyman]

Don't know what my bow shoots. But, I agree with Rob. It don't matter. I remember reading maybe even on here. (That if you are happy with the way your bow shoots don't shoot it through a chronograph.) I think its human nature to want something that goes fast. So if you don't know how fast it shoots but are happy with the way it shoots. You won't be disappointed.

[moleman]

My rig? 70 lb 70" longbow, slow but deadly, reason being, good arrow flight, sharp broadheads and proper arrow placement.
Rob S. pretty much covered it above.

[hunt it]

Capn,

As with many a question you'll ask here, some folks just don't read and want to throw in thier own $0.02 cents worth.

How does fast enough or it doesn't matter answer the man's question??? He asked for bow - arrow length - speed and point weight. Give him what he asked for or start your own post.

Morrison Shawnee -82# - 29.5 inch arrow - 960grns - 160fps.

[moleman]

Hunt it, ill try to clarify my answer, 70" 70LB Hill style longbow, 29" Douglas Fir shaft, 160 gr. Hill head, never put it through a chrono. have no need to, but its not any faster now than it was on the last post, its still slow.

[stujay]

17" Das Dalaa carbon foam Dalaa LB limbs, #48, 539gr beman ICS hunter 400, 167fps.

[wapitirod]

I shoot the same 31" 680gr arrow/head setup for all three of my bows and my draw is 30".  My Wallace Stealth 66# @28 gets an avg of 164fps, Brack Drifter 72#@28 avg 186fps, Stealth 72#@27.5 avg 195fps.  I'm shooting 31" 2317's with 5" Bearpaw shield cut feathers, std aluminum inserts and 145gr Bear Razorheads and field points.

[duncan idaho]

CapnRock,
         Ask any question about the "speed" of any bow, arrow, or combination of the two, and the hypocrisy of the comments will astound you.

[Fanto]

Martin Hunter- 60Lbs - GT3555 - 520grns - 183fps (drop to 320 grins - speed upto 205fps)
Martin Mamba - 55lbs - gt3555 - 420grns - 175fps

i now shoot 10 g,p.p., haven't chromed those as yet. Id expect 170 from the Hunter, 160s from the Mamba.

cheers

[rlc1959]

550 grain arrow from 3 setups and 28 "" +/- draw
17" Dalaa with Borber Hex limbs 48 @ 28 195fps
64" ACS 2 pc 46 @ 28 180 fps
60 JK Traditions Kanati 50 @ 28 170 FPS

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by hunt it:
Capn,

As with many a question you'll ask here, some folks just don't read and want to throw in thier own $0.02 cents worth.

How does fast enough or it doesn't matter answer the man's question??? He asked for bow - arrow length - speed and point weight. Give him what he asked for or start your own post.

Morrison Shawnee -82# - 29.5 inch arrow - 960grns - 160fps.

au contraire, sir, imho, to the question "arrow speed - what feet per second people were getting at different draw weight/length and arrow weight they were shooting? Recurves? Longbows?", a reply of "it doesn't matter" is both a fair and apropos, and says that arrow speed, nor trad bow type, is not of the greater concern for what this forum is about - trad bowhunting.  but, to each their own and that's fine, too.      

[Capnrock]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
 

Originally posted by hunt it:
Capn,

As with many a question you'll ask here, some folks just don't read and want to throw in thier own $0.02 cents worth.

How does fast enough or it doesn't matter answer the man's question??? He asked for bow - arrow length - speed and point weight. Give him what he asked for or start your own post.

Morrison Shawnee -82# - 29.5 inch arrow - 960grns - 160fps.

au contraire, sir, imho, to the question "arrow speed - what feet per second people were getting at different draw weight/length and arrow weight they were shooting? Recurves? Longbows?", a reply of "it doesn't matter" is both a fair and apropos, and says that arrow speed, nor trad bow type, is not of the greater concern for what this forum is about - trad bowhunting.  but, to each their own and that's fine, too.          [/b]

I appologize.  I was just wondering as I am new to traditional.  I had no idea what speeds were obtainable by using traditional methods.  I asked for recurve or longbow only to distinguish the two.

[Capnrock]

And I agree that arrow speed does not define trad bowhunting as well.

[Bowwild]

I've had a Pro Chrony and light kit for a couple of years. In the beginning I was using it correctly.  Then for some reason I got the idea that the closer to the machine I got the more accurate might results would be.  I began getting extremely inconsistent results!

Kirk at Bigfoot helped me.  He told me why I need to be at least a bit more than an arrow length away from the machine so the arrow had completely cleared the bow before entering the metering area. That fixed the inconsistencies from shot to shot immediately!

I find the machine a lot of fun. I don't use it often but from time to time I'll do some comparisons between strings (skinny vs. not), silencers (whiskers, wool, none, etc.), and of course different arrow set-ups.  Generally I find when a bow feels "fast" or "slow" the chronograph confirms it.

Thanks Kirk!

[Jim Wright]

In my reply I gave the performance figures that were requested. I also pointed out that because of existing variables, a great many of us do not know exactly how many f.p.s. we are getting. Because it's been pointed out so often I did not mention that it does not really matter much. I am glad that Rob did so and he is absolutely correct to point out that what is important is a well-placed sharp broadhead.
  Most posts here concerning arrow speed seem intent on that single aspect and it is entirely possible to work up a very fast (for a traditional bow) arrow that is light, does not fly well and will be less than efficient. There is certainly nothing wrong with a fast arrow of sufficient weight tipped with a sharp broadhead flying properly. Exhaustive studies like Ed Ashby's point this out and there is nothing wrong with replies to posts about speed keep this in the equation.

[Capnrock]

I agree Jim.  I agree with Rob as well.  I just didn't know the speed that one might get.  I realize now after you pointed out the accuracy factor how this changes everything.  I assumed(I know) that accuracy and being efficient were not to be looked at as variables.

[Terry Lightle]

I have no idea

Cap, if you are considering the differences from longbow to recurve, the real question would be which kind of longbow. Most hybrids can be shot with the same form as a recurve and the speeds will be close. If you are thinking about going to a Hill style longbow, (and rob will disagree a bit on this), they are more commonly shot with more of a bent bow arm, the grip is healed more, the bow is canted more, the draw tends to be a bit shorter, the shot sequence tends to be a bit more fluid, and they are addictive.  There are those that shoot them differently than John Schulz, Ron LC, or Howard Hill, but it a lot of people find that they end up following the master with increased success rather than reinventing the longbow wheel.  There may some sacrificing of arrow speed, but not enough considering the other advantages in the opinion of almost anyone addicted to longbows.

[duncan idaho]

Cap,
     You have no reason to apologize for asking a question.

[Flying Dutchman]

Originally posted by pavan:
Cap, if you are considering the differences from longbow to recurve, the real question would be which kind of longbow. Most hybrids can be shot with the same form as a recurve and the speeds will be close. If you are thinking about going to a Hill style longbow, (and rob will disagree a bit on this), they are more commonly shot with more of a bent bow arm, the grip is healed more, the bow is canted more, the draw tends to be a bit shorter, the shot sequence tends to be a bit more fluid, and they are addictive.  There are those that shoot them differently than John Schulz, Ron LC, or Howard Hill, but it a lot of people find that they end up following the master with increased success rather than reinventing the longbow wheel.  There may some sacrificing of arrow speed, but not enough considering the other advantages in the opinion of almost anyone addicted to longbows.

You are absolutely right, Lawrence! Good point!

[Jim Wright]

Randy, you asked a perfectly legitimate question.  It is my observation from Traditional Bowhunter Magazine reviews and some "walk the talk" tests that have been done on this site that the quickest recurves chronograph 9 to 1 arrows drawn to 28's with fingers about 195 f.p.s. tops. A few deflex/reflex longbows come within 2/3 f.p.s. of that. I have not seen much on Hill Style longbows like I shoot almost exclusively but I suspect the low to mid 180s would be very quick. My Toelke Super Ds shoot arrows ranging from light to heavy (9 to 1 through 12 to 1) closer to the same speed than do the d/r longbow and recurves.
Besides variations between chronographs, carbon laminations and string material and type all affect speed and carbon commonly means louder. It is my personal opinion that many of the fast recurves are just plain loud, the d/r longbows much less so and the Hill style bows are very quiet. I'm giving more than you asked for again but I hope it helps. Best of luck,  Jim