Does speed really kill?

roadkill

Senior Member
I'm shooting a PSE Xforce GX, 350 grain total arrow weight, 300 fps with my setup. Good shot placement = complete pass throughs. All the deer I've shot with this setup, have fallen within sight. I've killed 2 bucks this month, both 10 yard shots and both fell 20 yards from my stand. The last one stopped, and looked back to see what was up. He piled up right there.
 

Long Cut

Senior Member
I have shot enough deer over the last half-century in the real world with light/fast bullet firearms and heavy/slow bullet firearms, and the same scenario with arrows, to know that paper energy calculations aren't worth squat. A piece of paper is much easier to penetrate than a rib bone or scapula. Weight wins over speed every time, regardless of what the paper says.

Never mentioned paper tuning. I'm talking about online calculators to find your KE numbers.

Obviously weight wins every time... but I like having a fast enough arrow that my pin gap isn't rediculous either... gotta find that happy medium
 

Ihunt

Senior Member
The older generation cant draw a bow past about 50 lbs so your comment is irrelevant since you cant actually reach 300 fps without a crossbow.


::ke:
:D

Sure I can. All I have to do is shoot a 250 grain arrow.

Next!
 

jrbowhuntr

Senior Member
Heavy arrow going fast as you can comfortably is the ticket. I'm slinging 450 gr at about 320 fps on a Ram Cat Diamondback tipped missile. My Barnett has 3" groups at 60 yds. I know, its kinda like cheating ! :D

Not if it keeps you in the woods. Not everyone understands crossbows like us. :cheers:
 

SWWTV

Senior Member
I like as much Kinetic energy as possible it really depends on how comfortable someone if with their equipment, accuracy is very important. I went thru the phase of speed so after many years of trial and error I decide to shoot a fast setup with a heavy arrow. I am shooting 70lbs 28 draw with a 424 gr. total arrow weight with a RamCat Broadhead. Penetration is very important I like a complete pass-thru shots on anything I shoot and in the heat of the moment if its got to pass-thru the or heavy mass to get to the lungs my equipment needs to be able to perform. My two Largest Bucks to date were both shot thru the shoulder with a fix Blade and a heavy arrow. I will post a picture of a big buck I shot in the shoulder with an expandable which push me back to the Fix blade heads. Heavy Arrow fast Bow and Ramcat or Fix Blade equals Pass-Tru Big Hole in Big Hole out. Please keep in mind that's what works for my setup just an experienced opinion.
 

SWWTV

Senior Member
The 12 Pt I killed was with a RamCat 100gr. complete pass-tru the wounded Buck I lost was with a Hybrid Expandable 125 gr. both Bows were 70lb 28 inch draw same arrow weight shooting just over 300fps. I have shot lots of wild Hogs with my current setup I will say I have 100% confidence with my speed and penetration. Shoot as much speed as you are accurate with.
 

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satchmo

Moderator
I've been on both sides. Now since my surgery I dropped my draw to 54 pounds( I had to work up to that). I shoot a 366 grain total weight arrow @ 28 1/2" draw. I am useing a hybrid expandable and have had zero penitration problems. Eight deer this season and every one a complete pass through. My wife shoots the same arrow@ 43 pounds and four deer later with the same head 100% complety pass thoughts except one that hit the inside of the shoulder blade( way better than the outside all day no matter the arrow, weight ,etc..). This is not super lite for my set up or for hers. When I shot 61 pounds, I shot the same arrows, but I was shooting Ramcats at the time which obviously great penitration. I work allot of shows and hear a lot of talk about the great arrow debate. I am 37 years bow hunting and I've seen trends that are here to stay( string loops, releases, etc..) and some that die( overdraws, flippers, clickers for compounds etc..). I think if you can get it to fly though both lungs anything will work. But arrow weight has been the steady debate since day one. When I started I shot 2018 swedged aluminum that likly topped 450 grains with that bodkin head to push it over 500 grains@42 pounds. I slayed them with that set up. But only 20 yards and under. Past that they almost always got out of the way before the arrow got there, or I ended up tracking a deer all night long. Speed is defiantly an advantage, if you can control it.
 
Not gunna lie getting hit with a brick thrown by an old lady is gunna hurt more than any major league pitcher throwing a balled up paper towel. Im shooting a easton fmj with a nap thunder head total weight is 530grains +31in draw + 60lb draw weight = pass through
 

TomC

Senior Member
Killed a lot of deer with a 50# Hoyt Pro Hunter and aluminum Easton's back in the 80's and best I can recall they didn't run any further back then than they do today.
 
Find a balance. You can lose kinetic energy by going too heavy and slowing the arrow down. Find a happy medium for your bow.... I shoot 430 gr. At just under 300 fps i shot a deer two years ago in the shoulders. Full penetration..... Not complete pass through but the broadhead (slick trick) was sticking out of the opposite shoulder. I have blood hounds and track a lot of deer shot with a bow. 95% of the deer i track are shot with a mechanical broadhead.... Just fyi
 

Thunder Head

Gone but not forgotten
Speed of sound 1125 feet per second

Ill take quite, heavy and slow"er" everytime.
 

Hillbilly stalker

Senior Member
Killed a dump truck load of deer with a old 41' inch Hoyt wheel bow with a 9-10 inch brace height. Easy to draw, easy to shoot and deadly accurate with a 2219 and 145 grain wasp fixed blade. I doubt that bow shot 225 fps. Bows are a lot more efficient nowadays. But a deer that hasn't been scared by a loud bow don't seem to run as far. I've had them jump and turn around and smell the arrow that just killed them. I never heard of kenetic energy until they started looking for excuses why mechanical heads failed. I will take quiet and easy to shoot over speed every day of the weak. It's the one big advantage of traditional archery . Ain't seen a overdraw on a bow in 20 years I bet.
 

matt79brown

Senior Member
Shot my 1st deer with a 31'' aluminum xx75 Easton with a 125gr 3 blade wasp. Deer was quartering away but turned before i turned loose my 3 fingers. Broadhead entered the right ham and didn't stop until went through the heart and buried up in the breast bone. The whole arrow was inside the deer! Not sure how fast this bow was shooting but the arrows lobbed in like throwing a football. I been a heavy arrow broadhead guy every since. Oh the good ol' days! It's whatever you like.
 

uturn

Senior Member
I have become a speed junky myself...my old set up was indentical to Dennis and I slayed them with it! But, I shortened my draw length up just a bit to 27.5 a few years ago and lightened my arrows to 395GR...I'm pullin 74.5 lbs with my D350 n 75lb Barnesdale Limbs and 452X its just smokin at around 315FPS and flat out to 100yds..I've had pass thru's at 65yds with 2 3/8" NAP Killzone crossbow mechanicals out front and still reachin out for more!!
Been my favorite so far...and for what it's worth I also keep a 125GR Shuttle T-Lock which puts me back up to 420GR and a 100GR Ramcat in my quiver!!

Ain't nothin been hard to find...yet! And no I don't shootem in the shoulder either..light, heavy to each his own!! I'm also a believer that accuracy trumps all!!!!

It's more than obvious that there are many and varying opinions on this subject and I love seeing them all and hearing everyone's take on things!

Let em fly and thanks for sharin Fella's!!!
 
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