I aint in near as big a hurry as I use to be. Cars, Work, and latley, arrow speed.
I got some bows that will shoot over 200fps but it seems the older I get, I get more enjoyment shooting them around 175-180fps. I seem to be more accurate with the slower arrow setup as well. (maybe thats why i enjoy it more.LOL). I know some will say that it's what you get use to and all, but think about this. I think as we get older our reaction time gets slower and we seem to take our time and not worry about the small stuff as much. I use to be able to hit a 90+ mph fastball most everytime, but just couldn't wait on the curve. I'd be way ahead. Now it's been a while since I swung a bat, but I bet I'd probaly hit the curve better now.
Not trying to start a flameing debate but just relating some of my opinions about fast vs slow.
And by the way, I'm old but not over the hill yet. I'm getting kinda like the old bull in the joke. You Know it. Old bull and young bull standing on the hill looking down at the cows. Young bull says. " Hey lets run down there and breed on of them cows" Old bull says " Naw, lets walk down there and breed them all"
Just food for thought. You with me Joebuck? Don
That's good stuff Don :clapper:
I may not be as old as you, but I've been around long enough to appreciate your words...about both the bows,and the cows! :biglaugh: :archer2:
I see shooting the primitive class at Hickory messed you up.Like them slow bows now huh? ;) :biglaugh:
I like bows that shoot good,some just happen to be faster than other ones.If I could get a quiet longbow shooting 300fps I would be using it however. :D
I agree accuracy is far more important than speed. Speed works great for me just makes me miss faster.
I have finally settled on two longbows(47 and 44lb.) and 580 grain arrows at 144 fps. I am accurate,quiet, and they pass thru everything I shoot at (deer and hogs). I shoot everyday and it is enjoyable. Ken
Don, i identify completely with what you are saying!
Good post!
I hear ya, Don. That's why I dumped my .357 Magnum for a "measley" .38 Special.
I hear ya man,the only problem with the cow now is whether i walk or run through the pasture sometimes she has a headache and the walk was time i could've been shooting my bow in the pasture :biglaugh: I agree though sometimes speed is over rated.I think that old slow one peice i had was the best shooting bow i owned.If i'd never been introduced to a fast bow i wouldn't know any better.
With everything else being equal, I'll take the faster bow, faster car and faster employee.
Accuracy is always best but efficiency is also important.
Also, my .357 shoots .38's just fine so no reason change that one either.
To me it is not about how fast a bow is, but rather how that bow performs. Granted speed is definitely related to performance, but there are two good things you can do with a high performance bow to adjust the arrow speed to what you like to shoot. One is to reduce the bow pull weight required to hit you preferred fps with a given arrow weight. This reduces wear and tear on the body and for many improves their shooting, especially on a cold December morning after being in the tree for a few hours. The other thing that you can do is maintain the bow pull weight, but increase arrow weight. This will also bring your fps down while increasing your arrows ability to penetrate. So if that shot wasn't exactly where you meant to put it, you may still get that penetration needed to make a killing shot.
I do agree with you that one may shoot better at a certain range of speed. I think it has to do with the ability of one's self to visualize the arch of the arrow, but just because a little slower arrow is preferred in flight, doesn't mean that it has to be shot from a slow or poor performing bow.
Just my way of looking at it and in no way am I trying to say that a slower self bow or slower designed bow is not capable of killing an animal, but for me I will stay with a better performing bow that allows me to either reduce my draw weight or increase my arrow weight.
QuoteOriginally posted by Tom Anderson:
I hear ya, Don. That's why I dumped my .357 Magnum for a "measley" .38 Special.
Same here but mine is still a 44mag, I just shoot the 44 specials out of it.
I hear you Dave. everything being equal, I'll take the same.
Tom, I'll take 39gns of 4895 behind a 168 matchking out of a tricked out mdl 70.
Preston, You are right on. If you hadn't found out how slow your bow was, you'd still be shooting 200+ scores on 20 targets with outdated epuipment.
Don
Don?????? Have you been reading too many of Joey's posts.... or are you just bored waiting on deer season????
You can always come down and go hog hunting if you want. :bigsmyl:
If not. I do agree with what you are saying. But you can still come hog hunting.. We can go at night now you know!!!!!!!
Hey Michael, ya I saw your link on the SRBZ. Like you said, just waiting to go hunting. Idle minds and all. Tell Woods I said hey. DB
I don't have enough bows or enough years shooting trad under my belt to say this with certainty but:
All things considered, I really really really like the way a heavier arrow makes the bow feel/sound.
Does that make me like slow? I mean, I dream about getting to try a ACS with a 14gpp arrow.
(I could say something about heavy arrows and heavy cows...but I won't)
I will Don. He is at Cub Scout camp this week. He was not happy when I told him the tide would be right to fish this week.
I took my neighbors friend this evening and he caught two over the slot.... After he beat about four in the head with the bait!!!
I'm with ya Batman! I tried to hit an 85 mph fastball last year in pitching cage. It didn't look so pretty. I finally settled for a bunt after I blew out my penny loafer. I use to be in a hurry to get in my stand in the mornings. Now I just go when I can,first light or hours after. I killed a pile of critters last year doing that. No hurry no more. I'm shooting a smoking 185 fps myself. But I went up 10# in bow weight, :) I was trying to make a 60# bow and it turned out 72#, however nothing a cornbread cat fishing eating machine like myself can't handle a little Weight. However I can't wait on our turkey trip !
The older I get, and I'm well past 60 now, the more important a "faster" bow becomes to me. It allows me to shoot the same speed and/ or weight arrow I always have, but with less poundage. I'm with Lefty on this one. :archer2:
My one and only recurve seems to like the heavier slower arrow. Probably due to my rough release and sub par follow through, but my accuracy is better with heavy and slow.
I love speed. I just don't try to find it with my longbows. I got out of compounding to get out of the speed game. At hunting ranges my 10.5 gpp arrows hit right where I am aiming just fine.
I have shot really fast bows that were way to fussy for me to shoot when hunting. I cannot hit very well with buck fever with a bow that does not have a lot of tolerance for grip pressure and release errors built into it. I have also had slow bows that were hard to get clean arrow flight, a strong release with one arrow spine would get erratic flight while a weak release would get good flight, go one spine up and the reverse would happen. Since I am not perfect under pressure, I like bows that will give me some forgiveness, it seems that the middle of the road in performance does that for me pretty well.
I'm glad to hear you say that Don, I was wondering how we would get along on our trip to Nebraska next spring. Me being slow and easy and you and Joebuck being more like nervous rabbits. Kinda figgered I'd be left behind most days.
Sounds like now we can all take our time and enjoy. Let the ice melt in the tea a while longer.
Right on Biggie, that ice in the tea thing is right on too. I heard something along those lines on the Andy Griffith show once.
If we can get Marty and Thomas to slow down we may never even get there. LOL
batman Please let me be the first to take those fast Hoots bows off your hands. :D :D
I like the saying "I aint as good as I once was but Im as good once as I use to be".
"I could say something about heavy arrows and heavy cows...but I won't"-Soilarch
You fellas would do well to heed the words of the "farmer"...lol Between these wise words and his tag line(Micah 6:8)this man shows wisdom beyond his years!...lol
I'll take accuracy and penetration over speed, beauty, and heavy draw weights...lol
God bless,Mudd
Marty is a corvette...he will never slow..he thinks you can slow cook a Boston Butt in 3 hours. :rolleyes: I'm slow until i hear that Redhead Rattle one off. Biggie ain't that slow....trust me. most agile big guy i have ever known
No idea how fast my bows are. If they hit where I look, that's all that matters.
I like bows capable of launching arrows at high speed. That just means they're efficient. If I choose to use a heavier, slower arrow with said fast bow, then I still get better penetration than I would by using a less efficient, slower bow. Just because a bow is fast, doesn't mean you have to use lighter weight arrows to get the speed it's capable of shooting. You can still use very heavy arrows and get better results on game than you would by using light weight, hyper-speed arrows.
I like fast, or shall I say "efficient" bows, but not at the expense of accuracy and shootability.
Just my opinion. :archer: :archer2:
I think we got off course hear a little. I'm talkin about the same bow. just a little more arrow weight to get it slow enough that I can see it.
Doug, I can set the addiction up to shoot 200+ or 185 or whatever I want it too. Just load the arrow up and twik the side plate a bit.
Joey, I can cook a boston butt in 3 hrs, and it will be done, but I wouldn't call it slow cooking.
Douglas. Thats what I was trying to say. Not slow bows, but fast bows shooting slower with heavier arrows. DB
185fps. ain't slow! I like my trucks fast and my women faster, my whisky smooth and my bows smoother!!!
I was forced to start shooting lighter bows becasue of shoulder surgery last year. I was not able to bow hunt last season because I could not draw a bow at all. I am now shooting 3D with a 40# Ben Pearson recurve that is probably at least 40 years old. Guess what, my average score for this year has increased by about 30 points, and I shot my personal best of 331 (out of possible 400) at one of our June shoots.
I think this lighter bow will work fine for deer hunting this year because I can place the arrow much better than with my 52# longbow.
Wayne
Biggie, do they put ice in the tea in Nebraska?
None of my longbows are fast - mostly around 155 fps. but that's o.k., because everything in my life is a little slower now.
My friends have always thought I was a little "slow".
Amen, 175-185 fps in NOT slow in my book.