Cast vs Speed

[ChuckC]

And. .  why does any of this matter ?

CHuckC

[Liquid Amber]

Cast and speed are both attempts at measuring performance.  The term cast is well recorded in history and simply means how far an arrow is cast, thrown, kicked or flipped.  Distance was the only measurable method of comparison before speed became measurable and "how far can you cast an arrow" was shortened to "cast."  

Once the ability to measurable "speed" was added to the mix, it created two measurable factors, fps and measured distance.  The human nature to "compare" stuff will always be part of our being and folks use one of the other to prove "their" bow is better.  

Cast and speed are not the same but related.  Cast is simply the distance an arrow is shot.  Speed if how many fps the arrow was traveling at some distance, generally pretty close to the bow.

Cast cannot influence the bow, it simply measures the distance an arrow was cast by the bow.  Speed, on the other hand, is a factor that can influence the cast or distance an arrow can be shot from a bow.  There are other factors besides speed that can influence the cast/distance an arrow can be shot as well.

[KentuckyTJ]

I'm with Chuck C. For our hunting purposes who cares about cast.

I have never known anyone who tested a bow for cast. And if you were wanting that information you would have to have identical bows is poundage with same exact string material and number of strands, with the exact same silencers, and the exact same arrow from a shooting machine with the exact same draw length. Who cares?

But to answer the original posters question, Cast in how far a bow shoots an arrow in distance.

[SELFBOW19953]

I was taught oh those many years ago that it wasn't how fast a bow shot, but how heavy an arrow was delivered accurately. Cast was more about how well a bow handled/shot a heavy arrow.  Is that efficiency-how much energy was delivered to the arrow upon release?  Can a bow be fast, but not shoot a heavy arrow as well as a slower bow?

[centaur]

Looks like it is time to get out and do some hunting rather than banter over terminology. I'm going out and 'cast' some arrows.

[LittleBen]

Originally posted by Liquid Amber:
Cast and speed are both attempts at measuring performance.  The term cast is well recorded in history and simply means how far an arrow is cast, thrown, kicked or flipped.  Distance was the only measurable method of comparison before speed became measurable and "how far can you cast an arrow" was shortened to "cast."  

Once the ability to measurable "speed" was added to the mix, it created two measurable factors, fps and measured distance.  The human nature to "compare" stuff will always be part of our being and folks use one of the other to prove "their" bow is better.  

Cast and speed are not the same but related.  Cast is simply the distance an arrow is shot.  Speed if how many fps the arrow was traveling at some distance, generally pretty close to the bow.

Cast cannot influence the bow, it simply measures the distance an arrow was cast by the bow.  Speed, on the other hand, is a factor that can influence the cast or distance an arrow can be shot from a bow.  There are other factors besides speed that can influence the cast/distance an arrow can be shot as well.

x2

[Tim Finley]

Cast should be left for fishing !!!

Cast is a fine old historic term.  A fast bow will always be faster, however, some bows have a history of shooting different weight arrows with less variance than others.  Even though said bow was/is overall slower, that less of a difference from light arrow to heavy arrow gave the bow the qualifications of having good cast with a heavier arrow.  Recently, I wanted to check the speeds of my four low 50s bows against each other.  The chronographs that I could use would not agree with each other for speed, so I went to an abandoned golf course and checked them for cast.  The differences in cast were minimal, buy they were consistent.  I cast my arrows when I shoot them, it just does not sound right to say I speed my arrows when I shoot them.

[Kris]

 

I ran across a recent thread about being more concerned with cast than speed

If you were a flight distance shooter, this would be true as you would be trying to shoot an arrow as far as you could per given bow weight & bow type.

The arrow has as much or more to do with flight shooting (cast) as the bow itself.

Increased velocity may contribute to greater cast but increased velocity does not insure further cast; an example of this would be a 550 gr. Flu flu arrow shot at the same velocity as a 350 gr. flight arrow with 1" straight fletch.  I am not a flight shooter but know that a lot of effort goes into tuning arrows to bows to optimize potential.

As hunters we are typically more concerned about velocity and that velocity within a predetermined, acceptable hunting distance i.e. < 30 yds.

Cast and velocity are not the same thing.

Kris

[**DONOTDELETE**]

What a fun thread!        I like Bisch's answer the best....

Look up the definition of Cast. We could have a ball with this one... I think it's one of the parts the arrow plays in the archery drama... then again... The bow is part of the cast too, as well as the animals we hunt.

seriously.... i believe in most cases the term cast is most commonly used to describe trajectory arch.  The speed will effect the arrow cast..... also  "The distance of the cast", used as a verb, is dictated by the elevation of the bow at release, and doesn't refer to the "arrow cast" at all. It refers to the act of casting an arrow, not to be confused with an arrow casting sometimes found in fossils...

Does that make sense?            

[last arrow]

As an engineer and after more than 40 years of experience with traditional bows, I don't think you can compare 2 bows by cast, speed or by any other performance measurement if it is shot by a human.  There are just to many unknowable variables from shot to shot (and bow to bow) to know which one is causing the observed reaction.  Additionally the human subconscious is very efficient at driving results in the preferred direction (humans are very biased and the bias will show).   The important thing is that the bow feels good, is quite and shoots the arrow where aimed for said human - and this will very from human to human. The one chosen may be the fastest, it may not.  I am also of the opinion that there isn't enough difference between various bows of a particular design to worry about it.  So find the style of bow you want to shoot (to satisfy your bias) and compare various models for how they feels to you.  For me it is 60-62 inch recurve, I have found that I always prefer a bow of this type if the handle feels good.    

If you truly want to compare two bows of the same draw weight, you need a shooting machine, arrows of the same weight precisely tuned to each bow (when shot by said machine) and some means of measuring the velocity as this is the only remaining variable.  Evan with this you need to take enough shots with each arrow that you can complete a meaningful statistical evaluation to make any conclusions.

[reddogge]

Originally posted by KentuckyTJ:
I'm with Chuck C. For our hunting purposes who cares about cast.

I have never known anyone who tested a bow for cast. And if you were wanting that information you would have to have identical bows is poundage with same exact string material and number of strands, with the exact same silencers, and the exact same arrow from a shooting machine with the exact same draw length. Who cares?

But to answer the original posters question, Cast in how far a bow shoots an arrow in distance.

I agree but do acknowledge some states have laws on the book about how far a bow should cast an arrow to be a legal hunting weapon. I've never heard of a game warden making you prove it though.

I'm with the guys who say cast is a distance measurement and speed is a distance over time measurement. Obviously speed affects the cast but cast is such a fancy word and must be used by discriminating toxiphiles in describing their bows.

[Kris]

I stand corrected, per the definition of cast from The Traditional Bowyer's Bible IV:

"Sometimes it is the distance a bow sends an arrow, but more accurately, it is the speed of the arrow leaving the bow."  TBB IV

I would have gotten that wrong on an exam.

Kris

[FerretWYO]

Originally posted by centaur:
Looks like it is time to get out and do some hunting rather than banter over terminology. I'm going out and 'cast' some arrows.

I would have to agree.

[Bowwild]

Some of those archaic laws on the books were put there by fellows (on other websites of course) that start or fuel digital fights.

[SKITCH]

Wouldn't cast be what you are doing when bow fishing???  

[overbo]

A faster bow will always have better cast than the slower ''IF'' all conditions are ideal.
When factoring in human error. IMO, some designs are more forgiven to human error. Which in turn can be why a specific archer can accomplish better cast w/ a slower bow than a faster one w/ all other things being equal.

[BowDiddle]

Originally posted by FerretWYO:
 

Originally posted by centaur:
Looks like it is time to get out and do some hunting rather than banter over terminology. I'm going out and 'cast' some arrows.

I would have to agree. [/b]

Reading arguments about this stuff gives me a headache.  :(

I'm going pig hunting this weekend. I'll be using my setup that is fastest, and consequently the one that also has the best cast.  :p

[Kris]

Well...it's okay to understand and agree upon terminology, obviously, so we are on the same page when discussing topics.  

Kris

[joe skipp]

Right from the Howard Hill Archery...

All Howard Hill longbows are laminated, with fiberglass backing for a maximum of strength and durability. These straight-end longbows give you speed, stability and cast. They are feather light in the hand and have excellent maneuverability. Our bows will generally shoot a minimum speed of 115 feet per second plus the weight of the bow (i.e. a 65# bow should shoot at least 180 fps and may exceed that minimum considering variables in bow length, draw length, and arrow weight).

Maybe someone should have Craig explain the difference. I just want shoot and hunt and not worry about what each means.