cflhunter Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 This year I'm shooting a BowTech Guardian, 62lbs., 29" draw. Shooting Carbon Express Maxima 250 arrows, 100gr. heads. My setup is currently shooting at 263 fps. Does this seem a little slow? I love the way the Guardian shoots...very smooth, quiet, and forgiving. However, I am a little stumped as to why I'm not shooting a little quicker. Would most of you consider this plenty adequate for deer hunting? P.S. - For those of you wondering..."Why not just increase your draw weight..." When I purchased the bow (Used), it was equipped with the 50 - 60# limbs. Our local pro-shop added a few twists in order to acheive the 62#s. Would you upgrade to 60-70# limbs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuz Doctor Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 definitely enough for deer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion_70 Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I think way too much "hype" is put on bow speeds, the speed doesn't kill. A sharp arrow placed in the right spot from a quiet bow kills. You won't find traditional bows shooting that fast, and plenty of deer fall to those every year. Personally I say don't worry so much about speed as much as quieting the bow and accuracy. That's my .02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Don't have a clue what your bow is rated for, but would not worry too much about those speeds, 260 fps is plenty fast enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m gardner Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 We shot deer and elk for years with bows that couldn't break the 200 fps mark. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cflhunter Posted July 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Thanks for the responses...unfortunately, "Hunting" has become a billion dollar industry. Many hunters shell out thousands of dollars each year on the newest items on the market thinking it will make them a more successful hunter. True, many products available today DO make us much more effective while in the woods. However, many times I find myself getting carried away thinking that my equipment is obsolete. For me, it's time to get back to the basics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Drops Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 260 fps is more than enough to smoke through any deer in North America, provided you put the broadhead where it needs to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutchies Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I don't waste my time in falling for the hype. My fastest bow is 285. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PotashRLS Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Don't sweat it. I shoot in the upper 250s and lower 260s too..........but thats a 550+ grain aluminum 2317 arrow. My trajectory is quite good (relatively speaking) because of the momentum my heavy arrow produces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimPic Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 My recurves and longbows shoot mid-high 170's and I have no problems with pass-thru's...you're fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan Givan Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Shooting a sharp broadhead is alot more important than arrow speed. Put it where it needs to go and it will do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 My recurves and longbows shoot mid-high 170's and I have no problems with pass-thru's...you're fine Yep, what he said. I checked my Monster out yesterday and it was flingin' them from 258-270fps whereas my Mission Journey was going about 240-250 tops. Of course, you have to remember I shoot Beman ICS BowHunter 400s with a 100gr. tip at 50# and 27". Now if I was shooting a light arrow and pulled 60-70# I might push 300fps but I don't have that luxury. Still, 258-270fps is good enough for me and is much faster than my Journey ever was! Dakota Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Switchback29A1 Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 You also have to remember, when those numbers are put out there doing everything that can be done to get every last bit of speed out of that bow. Once you start putting anything on the string, the FPS slows down. Also depends a ton on what arrow and grain broadhead your shooting to. Id be suprised if many of our hunting setups were going over 300 FPS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Country Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 260 ft/s is plenty with a good, sharp broadhead. In order to get into the 300+ range the arrows must generally be pretty light (350 grains or so) and that starts producing two problems... 1. Light arrows shed momentum very quickly and frequently have difficulty with penetration, whereas normal 500 grain hunting shafts (at more reasonable speeds) drive through deer with ease. 2. The faster the arrow speed the greater the difficulty in stabilizing broadheads. Mechanicals were developed to help deal with this problem, but I am not a fan of them. 3. (Bonus)...Faster arrow speeds often come with increased vibration and sound. Keep in mind that the speed of sound is around 1100 ft/s, nearly four times the speed of a fast arrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sskybnd Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 before i changed arrows i was shooting in the 268fps and was still doing fine on taking deer, with my new arrows im shooting 297fps the bow still shoots quite, my broad heads [ muzzys] are shooting just like the field points didnt need to adjust pins at all, the only thing i like about a little more speed is it is a little more forgiving on a few miss judged yards, this is the first year with these arrows so i will have to see what they do when i shoot a deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straight Shooter Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Your speeds are plenty adequate for deer hunting and anything else that you might want to hunt in North America. Using a good sharp broadhead and an accurate shot will do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bowhunter56 Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Point of penetration is more important..worry about that.. If you can't hit what your aiming at, doesn't matter how fast the arrow is going.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 Probably 1/2 of the bucks I've killed over the last 25 years fell to either an old wooden Browning Accelerator at 208 fps or a Golden Eagle Hawk at 212 fps. Killed a big old doe once with an old Bear Grizzly recurve at 154 fps. Speed can be a good thing. But it's mostly all hype, and definitely no substitute for an archer's shortcomings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted July 19, 2009 Report Share Posted July 19, 2009 accuracy is more important than speed. i will take a accurate / quiet bow over a fast one any day. you should be more concerned with shooting form and shot execution than speed. your current speed is just fine. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stcif Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 I think way too much "hype" is put on bow speeds, the speed doesn't kill. A sharp arrow placed in the right spot from a quiet bow kills. You won't find traditional bows shooting that fast, and plenty of deer fall to those every year. Personally I say don't worry so much about speed as much as quieting the bow and accuracy. That's my .02 I couldn't agree more!! Here is what I just did. I shoot a Diamond Liberty set at about 57 #. I used to shoot Easton Epic 400 arrows with 100 grain Muzzy's. They shot about 240 FPS. I've had some extensive conversations lately with my cousin who is very knowlegable. I have since learned that speed isn't everything. It does sell bows though. I just made my own arrows. Carbon Express Heritage. I then used a 50 grain brass insert with 200 grain field tips. My total arrow weight went from about 415 grains to 580. That right there decreased my arrow speed to about 206 FPS. But it increased the kinetic impulse 30%. Kinetic impulse is what dictates penetration. Not arrow speed. We have all watched hunting shows where deer are shot and the arrows don't fully penetrate. That is because of light, fast arrows. I suggest some hunters read some of Dr. Ed Ashby's reports. They are interesting. http://www.tradgang.com/ashby/ P.S. - It was fun making the arrows and they shoot so much better than the lighter Eastons. They are like guided missiles. Yeah the 35 yard shot on the wary buck aint gonna happen. But when he is 20 yards away and has no idea I am there, he is in trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acetum Posted July 23, 2009 Report Share Posted July 23, 2009 How far are you guys shooting away from the chrono? Just Curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.