Slooowww 380

[strum]

This a classic ..mine is bigger than yours scenario..
three or 4 guys get together for a shoot and decide to see whose is the fastest.. and someone came up short.
yes as i recall we had a big thread about this when the 380's came out. not many of them actually did 380fps .
if is was me , i wouldnt sweat it..but i can understand why a guy would feel like his bow wasn't preforming up to par. his best option is to ask for a higher deflection pair of limbs.
me .. i want to know i can drill the same hole over and over. speed is over rated in my opinon. what if he does all he can to win the speed war with yall and then yall take more deer this year than he did

[Boo]

There would be a whole whack of happier people if chronographs were more expensive.

[8ptbuk]

Strum I resent that last post ! Are you saying a fast bow isn't as accurate as a slower bow ! I beg to differ ! If someone is willing to pay a 1000 dollars and get a bow shooting as slow as the model under it , All power to him ! That's his decision . But a lot of people demand it be what it's advertised to be !

[bubba]

Thanks Boo and Strum for adding some humor to this thread... Smile.. Think with that said i'm gonna go outside, and sling me a few arrows with my hot limbed 355, which means nothing to anyone but me. And have a big grin as i walk to retrieve them........... Oh!! Right on 8ptbuk... Still grinning....

[Boo]

Are you saying a fast bow isn't as accurate as a slower bow !

If you're splitting hairs, what you think Strum was saying is right. Speed enhances irregularities and imperfections in a bow. But I don't think that's what he's saying.

[strum]

Are you saying a fast bow isn't as accurate as a slower bow !

If you're splitting hairs, what you think Strum was saying is right. Speed enhances irregularities and imperfections in a bow. But I don't think that's what he's saying.

not sure what i was saying

didnt mean to offend.. but conversely .go buy a vertical bow that shoots advertised speed. 90% of them do not ..and im talking very high end ones too..

[wheelie]

I can understand both sides. I believe all bows should be rated with 400 grain arrows. Who shoots 350 grain arrows anyways? Not very many I bet.

If one is not happy with the performance, pickup the phone and make the call.

A friend has a 330 and it shot 307 FPS.

I have all my pre matrix bows and they are the same. It is the way it has always been. We are all under achievers.

I will leave it at that and be a fence sitter. But I know how I feel.

CHEERS!

[GrassyKnoll]

I guess another way to look at it also is that if the bow is not making speed, it could be an indication that there is something not right with it.

Difference in brace height from one bow to the next.
Distance from the chrono.
Is it the same string material?
Is it an older string that has been reserved?

Just throwing out ideas...

With that said:

The manufacturer has to establish a baseline in order to determine what it is capable of doing.

380 FPS is the baseline, so if it falls short, you have to ask why? The "given" speed of any bow is the result of the limbs, power stroke, arrow weight and string material used to measure the performance of the bow. Somewhere within that there could be a an issue.

What is the margin of error when testing for speed? 2%, 5% either way.. hot or slow?

For me, 15 FPS is a lot to give up on a "totally stock bow" if I were shooting the bow with the same 350 grain arrow and string as the manufacturer used in the advertising. I may not expect that 380 FPS on the dime but I would expect a very low percentage variable. 5 FPS either way is nothing and I could accept that, not 15 FPS unless something else is not on par with the other bows.

[colouredchameleon]

There would be a whole whack of happier people if chronographs were more expensive.

the old saying

"What you don't know will not hurt hurt you"

[canoe13]

One thing many people do not think of is the fact that as soon as the arrow leaves the string at its top speed it immediately starts to slow down from gravity and air friction. It never hits the target at its factory rated speed. But a faster arrow does have a shorter flight duration so less time for the laws of physics to affect the flight.

[Exomag6.5]

In addition to Don's comment about chronograph's being inexpensive is the flip side of that equation...not only are the entry level ones inexpensive they are of cheap quality and that CAN equate to inconsistent measurements...difficult to calibrate....hard to trust.

Peter has mentioned on several previous threads that the "330, 355, 380" designations on these bows are closer to an average of the speeds the bows are capable of under very controlled conditions by very experienced shooters...and every bow has the potential to be different.

[Gamikatsu]

my 405 mega chronographs 398 fps with a 400 grain arrow shot over a Prochrono digital.

don't mean to stir the pot, but just letting you guys know.

[paulaboutform]

This seems like the perfect time to quote our beloved Awshucks, "Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff!"

Paul

[Talltines]

Your paying for advertised speed when choosing your bow.... otherwise a 310 or 330 would cost the same as a 380 or 409... people deserve to get what they are paying addiitional $ for when putting out big bucks for more performance.....

just my $.02, for what it's worth.

Gene

Exactly this. I have the 405 but if it shot like a 380 (and I don't care how well it shot) it's going back.
Bubba I am with ya brother.


Brian

[Sam, just Sam...]

I am an admitted noob, new to excal, new to FPS, new to a lot. I used to hunt with shotgun and rifle, so jumping the string, fps, broadhead planing is all new to me. Take the following with a grain of salt.

I tend to be pragmatic in my view on life, it's a blessing and a curse. So pure pragmatism would say:

What are you shooting?
What FPS (translated into KE) would it take to humanely kill the thing?
Does my bow do that?

If you are killing targets with field points, guess what? Doesn't matter what FPS is goes, you value accuracy over all else. If you are killing Cape Buffalo at 50 yards then FPS (KE rather) matters real fast. I would do some research on what you want to hunt, what the average range is, and how many Ft-pounds you need at impact. To be honest the most important thing is when you are sitting in your stand or blind that you have full confidence in your set up, and you can take a shot with full faith that the freezer will be full at the end of the day. Also a 30.06 bullet at 186 grain going 2,800 FPS still won't kill a deer if you miss! FPS, KE, all that is second to hitting a kill shot... But what do I know?