fast hunting bows

[sar]

ps.  I can't hit diddly with my atlatl...

[Orion]

Well said, Mickey, all of it.

[Curveman]

Another vote for the Border. What I like most about the Border most though is not it's speed but it's forgiveness. I also like the way the limbs are recessed into the riser not tacked on like an afterthought. Looks, speed, craftsmanship-Border!  

[DEAN]

TURKEYCREEK LONGBOW shoots  with  all the top name bows out there!!!!FAST QUIET AS A CHURCH MOUSE NO HAND SHOCK!!!! SHORT WAIT TIME FOR A NEW BOW. And a good looking bow i might add.

[George D. Stout]

I concur with Mickey 100 percent.  And yes...I've shot a Border Black Douglas....I traded it for a Bear Custom Kodiak.  Why?  You ask!  Because it feels better in my hand, and it hits where I look bettern than any bow out there.

Speed is the last thing I look for.

[E. Texas HillBilly]

Howard Hill Man !!!  I just got to stick up for the ol' guy. Hell, mine shoots all by itself somtimes... now thats smooth!!
                                 Hillbilly

[frassettor]

How much are those recurves? Their website didnt give any prices. just curious.

[knife river]

Frasettor, I can't find the US price list -- it used to be there.  They aren't cheap, but the prices are comparable to top-end bows made in the states.

I think it's healthy that there are so many opinions about a fast hunting recurve.  It's like ice cream:  it'd be pretty boring if there was only one flavor, wouldn't it?  Even if it was osage flavored and was made in the 1960's ...              

[knife river]

Here are some prices on Border bows from Raptor Archery's site (a TG sponsor):

http://www.raptorarchery.com/border_bows.html

[Chris Surtees]

Frassettor, Borders are expensive and IMO I would look for a bowyer here in the states.

[Shawn Leonard]

The Border will not do what mickey says either. As he said no Trad bow will. at 9 gpp, maybe but at 28"s i doubt it. The old Bears and Pearsons are only 8-10fps. slower than some of todays fastest. I like a quick bow, but I will take quiet every time. I will throw in my RER Arroyo, as a quick, quiet and very easy to shoot bow, ecsp. for 54"s long. Shawn

[Van/TX]

Agree with Mickey.  Get a 1980's Martin Mamba (many other brands/models also even back to the 60's will work) and you'll probably have about the fastest bow out there    ...Van

[the Ferret]

I want to be clear, I am not against fast bows, heck speed (with an appropriately weighted arrow) will allow you to shoot a heavier arrow at a good speed increasing KE/Momentum and penetration. That's a good thing.

I just hate to see someone that may be switching from wheels, or maybe someone just taking up trad for the first time who may be reading this to think that these bows are capable of things they are not. A really top flight glass recurve, lets just say 50# @ 28" drawn 28" with a 500 grain arrow, shot with fingers may shoot in the mid to high 190's. (I see very few that will do that, most will be in the high 180s). An average glass recurve of the same specs may shoot an arrow in the mid to high 180's (but more likely in the high 170's).

I've read Blacky's reports in TBM on all the "latest" bows that he has tested (with 9 gpp  I believe) and non have made it out of the 190's and most don't make it into the 190's.
Sure bows are getting faster when you read the reports...arrows are getting lighter, strings are getting lighter. I imagine you could really get one sizzling with 6 or 7 GPP, and a 6 strand super string with no silencers, drawn 30" but what would that tell you? Nothing really.Cause most of us don't hunt set up like that.Heck you could even go with a 75 grain broadhead instead of a 150 grain head and pick up more speed.

Find a bow that suits you, fits your hand, draws smoothly to your draw length, is quiet upon release, shoots where you're looking, doesn't pinch your fingers, has the right physical weight for you, is visually appealing to you, and if it's faster than average that's all the better, but if it's not, and you can't kill game with it, it's speed won't be the reason.

[Landshark160]

[James Wrenn]

I agree with Mickey.Since we are talking hunting bows how fast they will shoot a quiet arrow is really all that matters.So bows will shoot quieter with lighter weight arrows than others and still be pretty fast.Still it seems when everything is quietened down to the tone I want to hear the longbows wind up being the fastest hunting bows instead of recurves.  

[knife river]

This thread is off on some odd tangents, but that's what makes for interesting discussions.        

Is speed important to me?  Absolutely!  Is speed the most important thing I want in a bow?  Absolutely not.  It's got to be smooth, shootable, forgiving, silent, appealing to my eyes, AND fast.  If ANY of those things is missing in a bow, I'll pass on it.  And I think you're saying the same thing.

The original question was about fast recurves.  Lots of great bows were mentioned, but no one made any claims about breaking 200fps.  Can a Black Douglas set up for hunting do it?  No idea.  I haven't even seen the new HEX-6 limbs, much less shot them (I've got XP-30 limbs).  How could it be a bad thing if they did break 200fps and the other factors were unchanged?  To me it means I could shoot a heavier arrow with a lighter bow and maintain the trajectory that my eye is used to.  That's  good stuff.    

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

There's not a bow made that's faster than a deer's reactions (or most other big game animals). Shoot a bow YOU LIKE. If you like it, it will like you back. When both you and your bow have learned each other's ways well, the two of you will make one heck of a hunting team!

Ed

[the Ferret]

Woody agree 100%. Yes we are saying the same things and I'm probably the one that sent this off on a tangent, but I see "what's the fastest bow" asked so often it drives me crazy, like speed is everything...and Dr Ed makes a very valid point.

A smoooth shooting, good looking, easy pointing, quiet 50# bow that would shoot a 500 grain arrow 200 FPS? I can't at all see how that would be a bad thing. That would be an awesome thing.

Imagine how quick that arrow would get there on a 7 yard shot. Heck there'd hardly be any arch in the trajectory at all    

[insttech1]

Mickey,
I agree with all that you have said above, and I too get a little unnecessarily irritated at the "speed" questions that seem to pop up daily nowadays...when one can simply hit the search button and have 90% of the simple questions answered.

So I just threw out my go-to answer:  Border.

I dunno if it'll break 200; mine was DARN close with about 9.7gpp, but I draw a tad over 30" anyway...so it was about 53@30" with XP30 carbon from the older XP20 form, and even per Sid, it was one helluva shooter.

So now its rivals are Bob Morrison with his bamboo, OL, and most others shooting ILF limbs.
I hear about some fast Widows, but they're shooting lower gpp, and I know my 3-day-old PMA II, which is 64", and 51 @ 29.5" is maybe mid-180's with a 515gr arra...

None of that makes a hoot of difference for the last 6 or 7fps some of these guys are looking for...but I like to "play" in the yard out to 70 yards and beyond, so I like somethin' quick, and flat shooting.

But yeah, it has to meet the other characteristics, or it won't cut it in the woods...

I dunno if the poster is a newbiw or not; didn't even check...and hopefully he'll read deeply into the post if he is just starting out...and play with a few until he finds one (or ten!  LOL!!) to his liking.

Have a good'un Mickey...see ya tomorrow...
Marc

[brackshooter]

I'd also like to throw in Rose Oak as one that really excels in the speed dept, as well as looks and shootability.  My King Panther, 67@30.5", shoots a 715 grain arrow in the 185 range.  That is with a 8 1/4" brace height.  Lower the arrow weight and you have a great shooting bow thats a real speed demon.  I am with the rest of you though, I look for the whole package in a bow, and love my Rose Oak.  There have been others in the past that I have loved as well, that also fit the bill in all the right areas, namely Brackenbury, Habu, and Wapiti.  In my opinion, Wapitis are the most underrated bows made.  


brack