arrow speeds by chronograph, not advertised

6724

New member
i see people post arrow speeds that i just dont believe. i have chronographed arrows out of only a few bows, but they are NEVER anywhere near advertised speed.
my 2006 ar35 28" draw 70# with a 390gr arrow is only running at 276 fps. when it was new i think it was only in the 280's.
a baby g with a 30" draw at max draw weight was running right at 300fps.
a friends parker was only doing about 260fps.

just curious what speeds people are ACTUALLY getting compared to advertised speed?
 
Im running 11FPS below advertised speed. I am shooting a 400Grain arrown out of a bowtech insanity CPX 84LBS 29" draw at 343-344FPS thru my same chrony i shoot my rifles thru and same speeds thru the one at thr bow shop
 
There's a company or two that seem to fudge their advertised speed.
But remember, their IBO speed rating(if they're being honest)is achieved with 30inch draw, 70lb, and 350 grain(5 grain per pound)arrow.
They will not have anything on the string other than a tied nocking point. Not a brass one or a d-loop these are too heavy and will slow the test speed.
If your draw length is less than thirty deduct 8-10 fps off their advertised speed. If your arrow is heavier than 5 gr per pound for every 10 grains deduct around 4-8 fps off. Any item on your string like peep, d-loop, string silencers etc, deduct 3-5 fps. Only exception to that,certain types of silencers strategically placed on a string can actually gain you a little speed. Rests with excessive friction will lose you a little. These deductions are approx because differences in the accessories themselves, like bigger heavier peeps, or peeps with rubber tube alignment, heavier d-loop materials etc.
So anyhow, You can see how quickly an advertised speed is reduced by the variables.
 
I thought they tested bows at 29" because not all bows have a 30" . Also the rule of thumb I have always heard and have tested with several bows is 10fps for every inch in draw length you gain and vice versa for shorter draws. We put my bow at 30" and it will hit 354-355 with a D-loop and small peep. But all bows are different. I have noticed Hoyt has the closest advertised speed. As I heard they test their bows completely set up.
 
As has already been stated, IBO speeds are for a 5 grain per draw weight poundage. Bows may have changed incredibly since I bought my last one, but in 1995, 7.5 grains was more normal and safer supposedly to prevent bows from "dry-fire" symptoms and damage. Again, it was a while ago, tech has changed a LOT. In those days, the Bear Whitetail Hunter I got rid of was a 240 fps with a 450 grain arrow. The new bow I got was something like 285 fps with the same EXACT arrow. Today's shafts weigh a LOT less, and are stiffer for diameter, but I am still wondering if the 5 grain formula is even close to safe for hunting arrows. Again, anything over 35 or 40 lb draw will likely give you full penetration on a deer, so why is the speed such a huge deal after 240 fps? I have no idea, other than the fact that it put my pins closer together. In the ranges I hunted (up to 35 or in extreme cases 40 yards-woods hunting was generally 5 yards to 10 yards!) it made no difference whatsoever. Just wondering....
 
it makes a difference when you are shooting animals that can weigh 900 to 1000 pounds, and it also matters if you stretch the range over 30 yards.
a large bull elk at 60 yards is an entirely different situation than a whitetail out of a treestand at 25 yards. obviously the faster the arrow, the flatter the trajectory, the flatter the trajectory the less range estimation errors matter.

my "good" arrows weigh about 355 grains. i run a 70# draw at 28". 300 fps would be a nice thing to achieve for that light of an arrow. i run a whisker biscuit rest and a peep, no string loop or anything else attached to the string.
it could be that my chonograph reads a little bit on the slow side, but i have no way to compare it.

i did find an article about bows from 2011, they listed speeds from a more reasonable 28" draw at 65# draw weight. the results were more in line with what i have found. bows that were rated at as high as 340fps were turning in numbers around 290 fps. one bow did manage to still hit in the 330's, i think it was a pse axe 6.

i have had 2 different people tell me that their mathews was shooting over 400fps! i asked if that was advertised or chronographed, the both said chronographed! B.S. i have not seen ANY handheld bow claim those numbers, let alone in ready to hunt form.

i am just hoping my new bow that i should have on tuesday will get me close to the magical 300fps. it is rated at 331fps. my old bow could probably use new strings, after 5 seasons, it has seen lots of arrows. but it has also killed 3 six point bulls, 1 5 point bull, 5 cow elk, 2 mule deer bucks and 1 coyote!
 
I'm a Mathews fan but, the 400fps claim is BS. Not with an arrow thats anywhere close to the IBO standard weight anyhow.
The fastest speed I've gotten out of my MR6 30" 70lb rigged to hunt and a arrow weighing slightly over the IBO rule is 346fps. The MR5 is a little faster but I prefer the 6 because of more clearance between the riser and cables. That clearance gives me more options of what rest I decide to run.
 
6724, I agree that Elk are on another order altogether than woods deer, and as I don't take shots at 40 at anything but paper, I can see your point there.

How do those shafts that are so light hold up as far as penetration goes when the distances get out there (conservation of momentum)? I have not tried to shoot an elk with a bow, so I have no real idea other than what I read. Do you get full passthroughs, and are you using fixed or mechanical heads? I understand that some states used to not allow mechanicals, but hasn't that changed? I have been out of it a little while... My hunting setup was normally 65 lbs (or 60 when cold, 70 when warmer or when I was feeling froggy).
 
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Your bowmadness will hit 300fps no problem. Like time said lose the rest get a good drop away. The new drop aways are full containment same as the whisker biscuits. Im strictly a bow Hunter. I dont shoot comp. I do have 8 3-D targets set up in my yard from 20-100 yards ( I dont shoot that far hunting) and my goal has always been to hit the 290fps with my set up. That has always been a killer for me. I was fortunate enough my last 2 bows have surpassed that number greatly. At 290 I have passed threw several pigs and numerous bucks exceeding250 lbs
 
i have not looked at drop aways for a while. i try to keep my setup as simple as possible, sometimes i am hunting a few miles in at high elevation and if something breaks or has a problem, my hunt is over for at least a couple days. last time i looked, drop aways had some kind of attachment that lifted the rest. i was always concerned that a sight with so many small parts could be easily caught on brush or something. there are probably better designs than when i last looked, but the whisker biscuit is pretty fool proof.

the last couple of elk i have killed were not pass throughs, i hit major bone on the far side and the arrows were stopped. but without a bone hit, i have shot through on more than a few occasions.
speed gives a better trajectory, that is my primary goal, however i will take any more power that i can get. my "good" arrows are appropriate length, and i run a 125gr fixed blade. just happens to be about 355gr. i have some other arrows that are near 390 grains but they dont fly well, i think they are too stiff. i got some mechanical broadheads for free a couple years ago, last year i figured i would try them on my cow. i shot 64 yards and got a good hit, but had to track her for about 500 yards and shoot her again. i recovered the first arrow, and found that the blades had broken off just after entering the rib cage. will stick with my fixed blade broadheads.
 
Is that 355gr with the tip in or without it? If your getting good penetration with a 355gr arrow including tip thats good. That seems light to me but im no Elk Hunter Arrows get weaker over time and wont fly. Maybe when you get your new bow get some arrows made for it. I shoot gold tip and have super long life with them. I shoot a minimum of 100 arrows a night all summer. Easton FMJ are almost great arrows. I have set of them for my bow that weight 460gr with 100 grain tips. I still get 326fps with them. I have them for my up coming moose hunt.
 
Originally Posted By: yotehunter243Im running 11FPS below advertised speed. I am shooting a 400Grain arrown out of a bowtech insanity CPX 84LBS 29" draw at 343-344FPS thru my same chrony i shoot my rifles thru and same speeds thru the one at thr bow shop

Good speed. But,, 400gr arrow divided by 84lbs is a 4.7 grain per pound arrow. Little on the lite side.
 
6724 said:
i have not looked at drop aways for a while. i try to keep my setup as simple as possible, sometimes i am hunting a few miles in at high elevation and if something breaks or has a problem, my hunt is over for at least a couple days. last time i looked, drop aways had some kind of attachment that lifted the rest. i was always concerned that a sight with so many small parts could be easily caught on brush or something. there are probably better designs than when i last looked, but the whisker biscuit is pretty fool proof.

I like the biscuit to hunt with also. For the same reasons as you. Fool proof.
Would I use it in competition? no. But for hunting it's a hard rest to beat.
I can put as many broadheads in a paper plate as you want me to at 80 yards. You cant't ask for much more than that.
 
Same thing I was thinking DOA, but I was going by what Gold tip was recommending. If it was any other brand but Gold Tip I would be worried. Iv shot every arrow on the market and these are tremendously strong arrows. I even did a concrete block test with them with great results. I had my HHA sight set on 80 yards and was shooting in my basement and forgot to re adjust the sight and wham I hit the wall haha.
 
Yote, I shoot gold tips also. Really like them and they are noticeably tougher than the other brands we carry in the shop.
Keep a close eye on your limbs,string and cable system. 84lbs with a light arrow is punishing on a bow. And when things come unwound at that poundage it can get ugly real fast!
I,ve done the concrete wall thing too. A few times over the years. Sure makes a guy feel dumb when it happens lol
 
Funny thing was I thought I shot plumb thru the target. Thanis for the heads up. I was thinking about switching from the velocity pro to the Hunter pro. I love the speed for the simple fact of yardage estimation error.
 
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