So you call your favorite bowyer to wish him and family a merry Christmas. During your season greetings he mentions he has developed a new limb design that has the exact same shooting characteristics as your previous bow but he has enhanced the performance.
My question to all is,''How much feet per second '' increase would it take for you to buy the new bow??
One!
None-- that's not what traditional equipment is all about.
I don't know how fast any of my bows shoot to begin with. well one I guess was chronied years ago, but otherwise...
but I can always be had...
None, my bows shoot fast enough for me now and I shoot them well - I really don't have a need for any other design - except maybe a takedown.
None. :archer2:
as long as it shoots out the other side of the game I hunt......that is fast enough and heavy enough for me......I have no idea how fast any of my bows shoot ?????
I don't care about speed. If I did I would use a crossbow. If the made it more quiet and dead in the hand, I might try one but I'm mighty fond of my keepers
It would have to be sustantial if it were just speed. I would switch without much thought if the put in features I prefer. For example if A&H put out a riser with a longer sight window I would be all over it.
none
It would not be a fps thing for me, but a feel thing. If my bowyer called me up and told me that (which has happened a time or two), I would be at his shop ASAP to try out the new bow, but would only be interested in buying one if the "feel" was there.
Bisch
It would have to be a tack driver in my hands or it's no good.
It would have to look even better and be even more durable and easy to shoot well. Speed alone would not make me give up a bow I truly love.
I have gotten too old to worry about that. I like what I got, thank you very much.
ChuckC
Just make it smooth with a perfect grip!
If you are looking for a reason to buy another bow, tell yourself this... "Who ever dies with the most toys, wins!" :dunno:
... mike ...
ive pretty much decieded i have the perfect hunting bow after buying and selling a bunch of em i have no idea of my current fps but it does regulary get 2 holes and usually a red arrow sticking in the dirt thats plenty of fps for me.. so like others its not really much of a factor
The American Indians killed deer and other wild game with bow's that averaged 30-35 lbs....SO, with that being said...my bow now is "FAST"
I gave up a lot of fps returning to traditional bowhunting and archery, so it's kind of a moot point, as long as I can reach out and touch something. Not that numbers are bad - I always like to have one more reason to acquire another bow!
None... I tend to end up with one of everything sooner or later... I do have several that just seem to stay with me and tend to go to the woods with me though...
Why would you want to give up trad bows? That would be going back to crawling and giving up walking.
I think it is more a question on giving up one trad bow for another.
FPS wouldn't be the hook for me.
I have no clue how fast or slow my current bow is, I just know it will kill a critter just as fast as any other weapon out there with a well placed broadhead!
Steve
My guiding principle for the past 35 years has been to shoot a bow that I love shooting. Latest and greatest is not a factor.
I love an excuse to buy a new bow!
It's all about the grip(checkering) being perfect. All bows will shoot better than we can ever shoot them. Speed not really a factor for me.
the feel and grip and style would all have to be different for me to change..cause shes a sweety right now..kind of like women meaning my wife why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home!!!!
QuoteOriginally posted by huntryx:
None-- that's not what traditional equipment is all about.
This.
Accuracy is my deciding factor. If a Bowyer said his next design is more accurate then.........
Not even a consideration
QuoteOriginally posted by Bill Carlsen:
It would have to be a tack driver in my hands or it's no good.
What Bill said! It would also need to be quiet. Speed is overrated. Quiet and accuracy is what gets the job done.
Death.
Speed is not a major concern to me. I might be interested if I was much more accurate with it, though.
I like my bows the way they are. thats the reason I keep them.
Speed...none. Better accuracy smoothness and forgiveness...ahhh I would like to place my order today.
Right now I would pass. Nothing I own is poorly designed. I am working on being content.
If I had money burning a hole in my pocket with nothing to do with it but buy a bow I would have one of Steve's (Sixby) bow in my hand. I love well designed static tip recurves.
Speed is important to some and that is fine.
Smooth draw, quiet on the shot, and handling qualities are more important to me. But, that's just me.
The last time I chronoed any of my bows was 2-3 years ago, and that was before I increased my DL by a bit over 1", so it's not a speed thing. But if Dave (Schafer) came up with a new bow or limb design, I'd be the first in line. And I hazard to add, I wouldn't be the only one.
Also try to get the best performance out of all my bows I can, performance strings, light silencers, 10grpp min arrows.
Been too hot here lately ;) , over 30C and humid, so when it cools of a bit, I'll pull the chrono out and see what I'm getting
Merry XMass, cheers Dan
I also do not know how fast my bow shoots. I'm happy with what I have , but can understand those that have the opposite opinion.
The way I take the original post question is that since the bow is from the same bowyer then it would already have characteristics you like. Therefore speed is a variable if the bow is just as smooth, quiet and has the same in the hand feel.
Performance in the form of speed is almost everything in my book. That is because I do not know of any bows that are not nice to look at, that are not well made and that don't deliver an arrow consistently so... speed allows one to shoot a heavier arrow or shoot a lighter weight bow and still have the same arrow speed. It is a win win to me. My old bows by reputable builders were about 10 lbs heavier in draw but not as fast. That is significant!
My bow is an ACS and I would love it to be about 10-15 fps faster but that would be almost impossible since I know it is already the fastest bow made. It is whisper quiet and smooth as silk. The only thing to improve is speed.
So to answer - for me I would change for 5 or more fps.
Good Times!
James
None. All I'd do is miss faster.
Both my favorite bowyers quit making recurves in about 1973/4 so it likely won't happen. ;-) Though Bob Lee started up again - I haven't used up his originaly offernings and therefore haven't started on the later versions. Happily they're relatively cheap and I can just add "new" ones without selling the old ones.
Come to think of it . . . shorter, lighter, longer, smoother, quieter, prettier, heavier.
Faster hasn't entered into it. :dunno:
FPS is behind shootability and quietness for me.
The only time I ever chrono'd traditional bows was for a study I was doing for our GFP when trying to set a minimum arrow weight regulation.
I can see where fps is important if you are competing in 3D shoots. But for hunting, a quiet, accurate bow trumps a few feet per second.
Everything else been equal,if he came up with a model 10 feet ps faster,it would worth consideration.
If the bow you have shoots good for you and is pleanty fast then I do not believe speed alone is enough of the equasion to warrant a new bow.
Now is the new bow is drop dead beautiful, fantastic grip,. Quick as lightening and is so quiet that all you hear is the arrow hitting the target. Has no handshock to speak of and is balanced to perfection then you may want to buy a new bow.
God bless and Merry Christmas, Steve
Everyone has a number. Is it 20fps, 10fps,. That's what I'm interested in.
No, I don't think everyone has a number. Look through the responses - what we are saying is that we are satisfied now. I shoot 12 grains per pound and I like shooting that much. I could jump 10, 20, even 30 fps by going down to 8 or 9 gpp but I don't because at the ranges we shoot - either 3D or animals - the difference is minor.
I quit chrono'ing bows a long time ago. So, fps gain over the bows I now shoot wouldn't make a difference to me at any cost. If I can hit with it and it appears fast enough, that's good 'nough for me.
I stopped worrying about speed when I gave up training wheel bows.The fascination with speed always confused me,for most people all more speed meant is that they just missed their target faster!!
Alright, I'll be the third person to actually answer the question at hand and say it would take a 25% or better increase in speed (all else being equal) for me to part with the $$. Yeah, I have plenty of speed already, but as I head for the down side of my 60's being able to lower the draw weight while maintaining the same speed would be a good thing.
It is not a question of speed. It is a question of wallet.
put me on the list, I love trying new bows!
After owning several dozen bows, I have my small stable of keepers and none were picked for speed. Now if one of my bowyers called and said he had a new 66" recurve I might bite...........
QuoteOriginally posted by overbo:
Everyone has a number. Is it 20fps, 10fps,. That's what I'm interested in.
Not everyone. I have no idea what any of mine achieve - have never chronographed them. I do notice some being faster than others; and admit I favor a faster arrow over a slower identical one. I shoot 125 gr broadheads as they move out quicker.
The bow that works with me and puts the arrows where I am focusing - that is what I want. I prefer recurves as they seem to give me better results over varying ranges.
My decision to buy lately is "I haven't tried one of those before and I'll bid up to $100 to see what happens." :biglaugh:
If you're a fan of the GooseDoo bow and you want one 10fps faster than your 50# model - buy a 55# GooseDoo.
If I had to give up my current and only bow it would not happen. I have to many memories with my Roy Hall. In fact I made more this evening with a fat 5 point that will feed my family nicely.
Now if it were offered at a price this poor mechanic could do and not take from the family budget I would jump on it. But I won't part with my bow willingly even if the latest greatest breaks the sound barrier.
Chris
NO amount of speed would make me give up ANY of my favorite bows.
By the way, I've never shot a single one of them through a chrono.
Stephen, your next bow could be your fastest bow,for awhile.
Won't ever get rid of any of my bows. But I might take the new one home.
Quote
None-- that's not what traditional equipment is about.Dido. There are other attributes to consider which I place above arrow speed.
I don't need an excuse to buy a bow though.
Kris
Sorry I mentioned fps(speed) w/ this thread. As stated in another thread, it's like waving a red flag at a angry bull. Lighten up gents it's just a hypothetical question. No one will think you aren't worthy of being a traditional elites if you like a faster bow.
Yeah, the crazy thing is that I bet 80% or more of the bows for which the guys posted speed is not important are from bowyers that list -- fast bow, quick, flat shooting, great cast and many other speed related things as attributes.
It is important to almost all bowyers, and it is a major factor in performance given how almost all bows now are pretty to look at.
I like fast, quiet smooth bows. There are NO NEGATIVES to a fast bow if it is quiet and smooth to shoot.
Cheers,
James
It's funny that many who say speed doesn't matter will also preach to shoot the heaviest bow you can handle. The only reason to shoot a heavier weight bow is, duh, to increase speed. I agree; lighten up; it's a conversation about a hobby, not a cure for (insert you favorite disease here).
I shoot heavier bows... and NOT to increase speed. When I shoot heavier bows, I also shoot heavier arrows so that speed/trajectory remains unchanged.... but better penetration is afforded.
I didn't mean that speed has no bearing whatsoever, just that it has no more than other qualities that are at LEAST as important, to ME.
If it was more important to me than the fact that I make and hunt with my own bows of all natural material, it would likely lead me to hunt with fiberglass or carbon entombed bows of numerous, precisely ground lams, allowing a more 'speedy design'.... might convince me to use arrows lighter and/or more fragile than the heavy, durable, barrel tapered hickories I prefer... might cause me to use different string material..... if it completely outweighed my affinity for my bow's aestetics, I might use some unappealing, flat glass or carbon instead of naturally beautiful, warm, enviting curvy wood. In all, it might cause me to settle. But alas... again, it's not that important. 5 fps isn't... and neither is 50. Just my opinion. Disagree freely :)
Very satisfied with the bows I have. I used to think there's that magic bow out there, have since learned-that ain't so.
First off, I've yet to shoot any recurve that's faster than my 1968 Howatt Monterey. Put a high strength string on some of those old recurves and they shoot right there with anything new. If I could only have one bow it would be the Monterey regardless of what new fancy design would come into vogue. The Monterey has stood the test of time (as well as many whitetails).
if I were to put a number on it, 10fps faster would get me interested. I like speed. but I cant shoot a lot of draw weight, so I sold, scraped and saved and bought a A&H acs. and I love it. I bought myself a chronograph for Christmas, honestly to try some tuning ideas, but I can already tell you the A&H is faster than my other bows. even at 2 pounds more draw weight its 10 fps faster than another well respected top of the line custom bow I have. will I get rid of the other bow. HECK NO. look at my call name.
for what its worth.
Steve
If they called me and said they thought it was a better bow all around, then I would probably head to Nixa to try it out. If they called me and told me that it was just a little faster as in 5 fps or so but not any smoother or quieter then I wouldn't bother. It's going to be pretty hard for the guys at Black Widow to build a better longbow for me then what they are building right now. Their Pl just fits me.
Another thread about bow speed? At less than a 27" draw with a longbow, speed is rather important to me. However, I have and have owned the bows that were the fastest. My Grooves Spitfire is fast. My Jack howard was fast. My Black Widow 66" was fast. With a Hill style longbow at 25 yards, I am fast, and I am accurate. As Jerry Hill told me enough cast is enough. If a bow takes me three seconds to be accurate and the deer gives me a second and a half to make an accurate shot, that bow is too slow, no matter how fast the arrow is flying. I like hunting pheasants and small game, I have never ever seen a live pheasant act like a foam pheasant. Are my Hill style longbows fast? It does not matter if someone with a 30" draw has more speed than me, I cannot hit the broadside of a barndrawing that far. So fast only matters at my draw, being fluid, accurate, and quick on the draw makes up the difference for me. Are my Hill style bows faster than average for me at my draw? I like the quicker ones for sure, but I absolutely love the bows that I can go into over drive getting an arrow off and still be dead on. Show me a 250 fps bow that I can shoot Hill style, that is not sensitive or unstable, that I can still be accurate and quick on the shot at my draw and I will be very interested.
10 fps to answer the question, all else being equal.
I tune all my bows to shoot about the same speed (the speed my mind likes) and try for high foc in the setup, so I could pick any one up and the trajectory is in my brain.
With a more efficient bow I can up arrow weight to obtain my preferred speed and gain penetration, arrow stability and a quieter shot.
The faster it shoots just means I'll miss quicker...
;)
I don't care how fast my bow is I care if I can it what I am aiming at.
What did Chris come up with now Stephen?
I fell for that before with a bowyer 15yrs ago and won't fall for it again cause it cost me 750.00 and I wasn't even impressed..
thing is he called me out of the blue and it was money I was saving for another bow at the time a Matlock Preditor and well I never got my Matlock and traded away the super bow about a month after getting it.
I have to hear many opinions and possibly try out any bow now before buying them.