# recurves...how fast are you shooting?



## frontierhunter (Jul 23, 2007)

so i went and got a new string for my blackwidow today. and while i was at the shop i shot it through the chrono just for giggles. and im getting 196fps average with a 32" arrow around 550grs (never actually weighted the arrow) and my draw length is 28" 

the bow is rated 65lbs @ 30 1/2" 

how fast are you traditional guys getting out of your bows, what specs as well? 

ive never actually heard chrono numbers from recurves and im curious how my setup compares to some of you other guys. are those good numbers for the setup i have?


----------



## alanraw (Feb 18, 2005)

Please read the thread entitled "speed of your recurve." http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=686001


----------



## rraming (Aug 5, 2006)

Hey Heavybows ! please respond to this fella.

Traditional guys aren't into speed (as far as I know) kind of like asking a guy who drives a Hummer how many mpg do you get.:embara:


----------



## One eye (Jun 22, 2003)

No idea and don't really care.

Dan


----------



## Chris Wilson (Aug 16, 2005)

rraming said:


> Hey Heavybows ! please respond to this fella.
> 
> Traditional guys aren't into speed (as far as I know) kind of like asking a guy who drives a Hummer how many mpg do you get.:embara:


 Some are into speed, some aren't. I wouldn't lump all traditional shooters together based on a single line of thought. Though I'm not a speed nut, I certainly don't want the slowest thing made on the market. Can't say I know many guys who do.


----------



## Jack NZ (Apr 7, 2006)

Hoyt Dorado 50lb @28 with Trad tech carbonwood limbs.
Chrono'ed by Lee from LAS @180FPS 480g arrow.
That was the base set up with no thought of speed tuning.
I am into speed,I'm not a Trad archer,I don't drive a Hummer, "and I intend to try improving on those numbers by shooting a 400g arrow "for 3D" and playing with string types and brace hights.
There's only one thing better that speed,,,,ask Tim.


----------



## frontierhunter (Jul 23, 2007)

Jack NZ said:


> Hoyt Dorado 50lb @28 with Trad tech carbonwood limbs.
> Chrono'ed by Lee from LAS @180FPS 480g arrow.
> That was the base set up with no thought of speed tuning.
> I am into speed,I'm not a Trad archer,I don't drive a Hummer, "and I intend to try improving on those numbers by shooting a 400g arrow "for 3D" and playing with string types and brace hights.
> There's only one thing better that speed,,,,ask Tim.



thanks at least someone knows how to reply to a thread the correct way. 

im not big on speed either. i know they arent fast. but i was just curious. 

to those who responded like little school kids. THANKS


----------



## dominator (Jan 2, 2004)

*bow speed*

I have a DAS Elite riser with Tradtech carbon/wood limbs pulling 43 lbs.at 28in.shooting a 320 gr. arrow-203 fps. I care about speed because I shoot 3-d and have less drop as distances go out.


----------



## frontierhunter (Jul 23, 2007)

dominator said:


> I have a DAS Elite riser with Tradtech carbon/wood limbs pulling 43 lbs.at 28in.shooting a 320 gr. arrow-203 fps. I care about speed because I shoot 3-d and have less drop as distances go out.


impressive, my 45lb browning wasp is only shooting 164fps with a 350gr arrow and 28"

i use to think it shot kinda fast for a recurve until i got my blackwidow.


----------



## CCArrows (Mar 29, 2006)

My Predator Hunter (51#@28") spits out my 575 grain POC arrows at 180 fps. If I were to shoot arrows that weigh less than 8 grains/pound of draw weight my arrow speed would exceed 200 fps too. There is nothing wrong with light arrrows for target shooting, just don't use them for hunting. Light arrows do not penetrate well.


----------



## Ybuck (Apr 21, 2007)

I'd love to find out what speed im getting with my Gamegetter II. No chrono available to me.
Anyone wanna take a guess? 44# @ 29" 417 gr. arrow.


----------



## alanraw (Feb 18, 2005)

Ybuck said:


> I'd love to find out what speed im getting with my Gamegetter II. No chrono available to me.
> Anyone wanna take a guess? 44# @ 29" 417 gr. arrow.


Still a few variables that may come into play: string material, your _actual_ draw length, etc...


----------



## Crowdog (Aug 30, 2005)

I'm big into speed, and won't own a bow that won't shoot my 475 grain carbons over 200 fps at 57# draw weight, sorry. I'm shooting a DAS Dalaa that shoots my 365 grain 3D shafts at 218 fps at 56# at 28", shoots a 349 grain carbon at 223 fps, and shoots my 475 grain hunting weight carbons at 212 fps. I've got a little 58" 54# Thunderhorn that loves little 367 grain ACC's and shoots then at 216 fps. 
As for light arrows not penetrating well, lets not start this debate again. I've got nine trad killed bulls that will argue this point, as well as mule deer, black bear, antelope, whitetails, exotics and 400# wild hogs. 
A lot of guys can't handle a light arrow/fast bow combination, bad form, bad release, so they get bad arrow flight. The only way they can fix this problem is to shoot a heavy arrow. And when they limit themselves to not shooting over 15 yards, then they see no benefits from a little lighter arrow.


----------



## Ybuck (Apr 21, 2007)

alanraw said:


> Still a few variables that may come into play: string material, your _actual_ draw length, etc...


Flemish string, 29" dl.


----------



## Protecsafari (Sep 21, 2007)

My BW SAII 55#@28", 58" limbs, drawn to 29" shot 480 gr goldtips with 5" helical fletch right at 200FPS.

While trad guys may not be into speed, more speed is kind of nice to have (wet red fletch arrows sticking in the dirt at the site of the shot is more common then).

I did try some of the tapered lightweight carbons a fellow trad guy had over at Walton's Glen years ago. Paul's arrows blasted out of my bow at over 220 FPS (but I was afraid of what shooting so light would do to my bow- it was rather loud with them). IIRC his Palmer was cranking 235 ish.

He was a good shot without that much speed, the speed just made him a bit (just a bit :wink better.

For me, a 500grainish arrow around 200FPS seems good enough for deer with a cut on contact 3 blade broadhead.


----------



## deadeye (Aug 22, 2002)

I like all my bows shooting about the same speed( 180fps). Its easy to get most bows to shoot that. My sky shoots that at a little less than 9gpp and my Cobra riser and Samick extremes need 10+gpp . This makes it easy going from one bow to another..


----------



## frontierhunter (Jul 23, 2007)

i shot a 380gr arrow out of my bow today and there was a huge difference in speed just by watching the arrow fly. but i lost over 5" of penatration on my targets.


----------



## SteveB (Dec 18, 2003)

frontierhunter said:


> i shot a 380gr arrow out of my bow today and there was a huge difference in speed just by watching the arrow fly. but i lost over 5" of penatration on my targets.


How well was the arrow tuned to the bow?

Steve


----------



## frontierhunter (Jul 23, 2007)

SteveB said:


> How well was the arrow tuned to the bow?
> 
> Steve


i have no idea. it was an arrow i had left over from when i sold my compound. i just shot it to see how the difference in speed and penatration was. 

both arrows were shot from 20yds


----------



## SteveB (Dec 18, 2003)

Very good chance it did not fly as well as the heavier one.

To really compare both speed and penetration, both the light and heavy arrows need to fly the same.

Steve


----------



## frontierhunter (Jul 23, 2007)

SteveB said:


> Very good chance it did not fly as well as the heavier one.
> 
> To really compare both speed and penetration, both the light and heavy arrows need to fly the same.
> 
> Steve



they flew really close to each other. but the lighter arrow had a little tail walk to it.


----------



## alanraw (Feb 18, 2005)

frontierhunter said:


> they flew really close to each other. but the lighter arrow had a little *tail walk *to it.


Tail walk? Like fishtailing? Or porpoising? Sounds like there may have been other tuning issues as well...


----------



## fingershooter19 (Jun 3, 2006)

*Tiburon*

I have a 50# tiburon that I shoot with an elevated rest. I shoot out of it 500 Fatboy's tuned to perfection. They are moving at 200 fps, Yeah it sort of like cheating at the 3d range but they are fun to watch flying in the air. Plus the guys in my club at the shoots don't care I shoot off an elevated shelf. The big arrow shaft makes it easy for me to use the arrow for aiming. Plus I cut lines like no ones business. Hey I have seen some alum arrows that are just as thick!

I also got a 60# chekmate raven I shoot off the shelf, and it around 210fps(beman classic 400 full length with 145 grain tip) I also shoot a very heavy arrow out of it. I am sure if I went lighter it would be even faster. 

I am a trad guy that loves speed! 

I once heard someone say that with archery you can make it what you want.
I like speed demon bows, some like slow ones. To each his own! As long as I have fun each and every time I shoot(which I do) I will do whatever I want and call it whatever I want(yes elevated rest "traditional enough).
People ask me why are you addicted to archery. I tell them that with the way the world is going, we have very little control of things. When I shoot I feel in control of what I am doing. Exactly what I put into it is what I get out of it.


Fingershooter


----------



## JimPic (Apr 8, 2003)

I try to get all my recurves shooting around the same speed.My Shafer's are low to mid 50#'s and I get low/mid-180's out of them with 9gr/lb arrows.My longbows are high 40#'s and I'm shooting in the mid-170's with them


----------



## frontierhunter (Jul 23, 2007)

alanraw said:


> Tail walk? Like fishtailing? Or porpoising? Sounds like there may have been other tuning issues as well...


yeah. 

oh i dont dout it. this arrows was not for my recurve at all. it was from my compound....like i said i was just trying to see how a lighter arrow would fly.


----------



## Jack NZ (Apr 7, 2006)

fingershooter19 said:


> I have a 50# tiburon that I shoot with an elevated rest. I shoot out of it 500 Fatboy's tuned to perfection. They are moving at 200 fps, Yeah it sort of like cheating at the 3d range but they are fun to watch flying in the air. Plus the guys in my club at the shoots don't care I shoot off an elevated shelf. The big arrow shaft makes it easy for me to use the arrow for aiming. Plus I cut lines like no ones business. Hey I have seen some alum arrows that are just as thick!
> 
> I also got a 60# chekmate raven I shoot off the shelf, and it around 210fps(beman classic 400 full length with 145 grain tip) I also shoot a very heavy arrow out of it. I am sure if I went lighter it would be even faster.
> 
> ...


Mate,That sums it up beautifully.:darkbeer:


----------



## rocdoc (May 27, 2008)

I agree with deadeye on the "consistent speed" issue. I make bows; longbows, re-curves and self-bows. My preferred speed is around 185 fps, although that's a little faster than my self-bows can muster.

I do chrono most of my bows and I use a standard 9 gn/lb for my tests. A 50 lb bow with a 14 strand FF string at my recommended brace height of 8" (62" bow) will typically hit right around the 200 fps range, some a little more and some a little less.

Of course I could lower the brace height and gain a few fps, but that would not be the set-up I would use for hunting, so why bother?

The reason I chrono is just for comparison, I'm more interested in how easy the bow is to shoot consistant groups with than I am speed.......speed is only 1 of MANY variables that will effect that.


----------



## bnswope (Jul 19, 2006)

*how fast*

At Bedford my bow chrono,d at 224 fps. It,s a 21" bear blackbear compound riser , converted to take ilf recurve limbs. Arrows are 500 light-speeds,65gr. tips,total weight 295 grs.Limbs are 40lb. g-3 longs. At my draw they are 49-1/2 lbs. This is mainly my 3-d and indoor 300 round bow. Bill


----------



## eagle24 (Apr 10, 2008)

rraming said:


> Hey Heavybows ! please respond to this fella.
> 
> Traditional guys aren't into speed (as far as I know) kind of like asking a guy who drives a Hummer how many mpg do you get.:embara:


Speed = efficiency and allows you to cast a heavier arrow on a flatter trajectory. ALL traditional guys should be into speed.


----------



## George D. Stout (May 11, 2005)

Speed does not equal efficiency. It can enhance it, but it certainly has only a little bearing on overall efficiency if you consider accuracy and consistency completely.
An efficient bow needs to be quiet and move little on the shot; have adequate speed; be stable and comfortable. 

One thing you will find from the speed guys, is they always equate speed with efficiency. Next they always say, "no one wants a slow bow." When actually, there is lots of room between slow and fast in which to dwell. Just because it isn't fast, doesn't mean it's slow. And, just because I say I don't want a super fast bow, doesn't mean I want a slow bow. That's hard to grasp for some I suppose. :sad:

I like bows that have adequate speed, but not so fast that they are unstable.
Even O.L. Adcock will tell you he has trouble shooting a bow that shoots over 170 feet per second with his style of shooting. It's not "all about speed", but it is "some about speed." It is also about other things, the most important being "can you hit anything with the bow 8^)."


----------



## eagle24 (Apr 10, 2008)

George,
I sure don't want to argue with you. I'd be out of my league doing so, you've been at this far longer than I have and I respect your opinion. What I meant by my reply is that a fast bow is the result of efficient limbs (among other things). If you have an efficient bow it allows you to shoot a heavier arrow at a lighter draw weight. Exactly the selling pitch for the ACS-CX (I've owned three of them). You're right, there are some bows that boast speed, but unfortunately are unstable. O.L.'s bows don't fall into that category IMO. I'm the same way about speed. I like to be around 180fps and prefer to shoot a 450-500 gr arrow. If I get up to around 195fps, I lose my consistency and pitch an occasional arrow way off the mark. If I can achieve 180fps with a 45# bow instead of a 50# bow (same arrow), I'm going to be more accurate shooting the lighter weight. Limbs can be efficient and stable. Mass weight in the riser and grip design seem to produce more stability to me over mass in the limbs and less limb efficiency. Hope this makes sense.


----------



## George D. Stout (May 11, 2005)

eagle24, I follow many of your posts and can see you are a pretty schmart feller 8^). I was really not referring to your posts, but others on other forums. A bow can be fast and quite stable; the Adcock bows are such critters. Some bows are built to be fast and almost jump out of your hands on the shot. I like a bow, as you also concur, around 170 to 180, but I can also shoot slower ones (old selfbows) fine. I don't know what my bows shoot, other than know their point-on, which is my indicator of a bows performance speed wise. Don't sell yourself short my friend, I see a lot of knowledge in those posts of yours. George


----------



## Apex Predator (Jan 27, 2007)

I like mine around 140fps.


----------



## alanraw (Feb 18, 2005)

eagle24 said:


> a fast bow is the result of efficient limbs (among other things). If you have an efficient bow it allows you to shoot a heavier arrow at a lighter draw weight.



Sounds like the perfect description of Gary Sentman's bows


----------



## eagle24 (Apr 10, 2008)

George D. Stout said:


> eagle24, I follow many of your posts and can see you are a pretty schmart feller 8^). I was really not referring to your posts, but others on other forums. A bow can be fast and quite stable; the Adcock bows are such critters. Some bows are built to be fast and almost jump out of your hands on the shot. I like a bow, as you also concur, around 170 to 180, but I can also shoot slower ones (old selfbows) fine. I don't know what my bows shoot, other than know their point-on, which is my indicator of a bows performance speed wise. Don't sell yourself short my friend, I see a lot of knowledge in those posts of yours. George


I take that as a huge compliment coming from someone with your experience. Sometimes when I read what I posted, I'm not sure I'm too smart. I seem to have a knack for painting the wrong picture with my words sometimes.


----------



## crazymoose (May 17, 2005)

I shoot a Herters Perfection 56" AMO at 46#. Carbon Express 3-D Select 29",weight 351gr = 193.7 fps. Thats my 3D set up.


----------



## DanBlacksher (Jan 21, 2007)

I shoot a copperhead elite 58" 55# 28" draw. 485gr Gold tip traditional arrow at 196fps barebow and 185 fps with my hunting setup. Terry here in Brandon Ms. Makes an incredible bow. Silky smooth draw, super quiet, fast, and just plain incredible as you can see from the pictures. :wink:


----------

