I am constantly reading posts where people are claiming really high arrow speeds. I think most folks would be surprised at what speed they are really throwing an arrow out at. My bow is factory rated at 320 fps. that is with a 70#dw, 30" draw, 350 gr arrows. My REAL speed with my set up, 60# 29" draw, 385 gr arrows is 257 over my chronograph. What kind of speed are you folks getting with your hunting set up?.
When I had my Z7(that I traded in a month or so ago) I had it set on 70lbs 26.5 inch draw and shooting CX Maxima 350's. We Cronographed it at my local shop then at home on mine. It shot 278 through their machine and 281 on mine. I'm anxious to see how fast my Heli-M will shoot. Same draw length but will only be pulling 55-58 lbs. I'm thinking it will be down around 250-255 range.
IBO speeds on bows is a lot like adevertised MPG on the window of a new car or truck. In ideal/perfect conditions you may see it but more than likely not. IMHO.
To be honest this speed threads kill me. Most guys underspine their arrows (I unknowingly did this by taking wrong advice) and going as light as possible arrow wise only to increase speed=lowering accuracy. I'm very curious to see what my speed is with current set up and then when I actually get proper arrow spine and up the weight even a touch more...I guarantee what I lose in speed I'll gain in accuracy. Speed sells in the archery world...doesn't mean it's actually beneficial in the long run all the time.
Mathews monster. 60 lb now 2 turns out. Approx 55 lbs. 28.5" draw. 410 grain full metal jacket. 286 fps.
I found it interesting when looking at the IBO specs on how they get their arrow speeds. There is a lot of wiggle room. You can bet when the bow manufacturers do their test they will be on the + side of everything probably to the max. IBO This calls for shooting a bow with an arrow that weighs 5 grains per pound of draw weight and is generally done with a bow set at 70 lbs draw weight and 30″ draw length with only a one nock set on the string. There is some wiggle room in the specs as well; the draw length is allowed to be +-3/4″ and the draw weight +-2 lbs. This means that the bow can actually be set at 30 3/4″ and 72 lbs shooting a 350 grain arrow. Another specification that is gaining some popularity is the ATA (Archery Trade Association) spec. It is very similar, yet much more restrictive with very little leeway in the way the bow has to be setup. For ATA, the bow can be set to 50, 60 or 70 lbs of draw weight with only +-0.1″ variance and a draw length of 30″, +- 1/4″, also with only one nock set on the string. The arrow must be exactly 5 grains per pound of draw weight. Because it is a more restrictive spec, it gives an overall better view of what speeds a bow can really reach. I'm sure with my old bow I'm probably around the 220-230 range. Never put it on chrono. I do wish everyone would use ATA after seeing these explanations.
