How do I know if a bow is really any good?

[stuckinthemud]

Hi All,

is there a way of measuring how fast a bow is without using a chrono?  Everyone seems to talk about how a bow feels - quiet, smooth, snappy, fast, etc  The couple of bows I have so far built feel lovely to me, but I am biased - I made them!  'feel' is not very precise, so is there a performance table, or such like, that I can measure my bows' performance against? You know, something like a 30lb bow at 26inch draw should throw an arrow of x weight y distance?

[wizardgoat]

It comes with experience. The more bows you build the more you have to compare too.
Really, if it feels good to you then that's all that really matters.
Shooting a bow from a further distance can help you gage how fast your arrows are going.
Everything seems fast at 10 yards, but for most guys that's good enough.

[Pat B]

I agree with goat. I know at the first shot from a bow I build whether it is a shooter or a good shooter...but I've been building wood bows for many years.
 Some say if your bow shoots 100fps plus the draw weight(150fps for a 50#bow) than you are about average...but you need a chrono for that. Maybe the "Design and Performance" chapter in TBBI and TBBIV will have some insight for you. There might even be something in Badgers chapter on "Mass Theory" in TBBIV.

[bubby]

I don't think it matters if it shoots x feet per sec, that being said if at twenty yards the arrow is in a flat trajectory your doing alright, maybe compare it to a glass bow of the same draw weight if ya want or see how far it will cast an arrow

[KS51]

You can measure terminal velocity with a ballistic pendulum. If you do this from about 10ft, you'd have a rough idea of "off-the-string" velocity and (if you do the math for the force-draw curve) the rough efficiency.  I'll leave it to you to Google the details about how to construct a ballistic pendulum.

All things considered, the price of chronos have gotten reasonable and setting up a ballistic pendulum is a fair amount of precise work if you want dependable results.

[Danzn Bar]

"How do I know if a bow is really any good?"

Shoot it..................it's that simple......you'll know.
DBar

[Pat B]

I chrono'd one of my bows once. The numbers were so bad I never did it again. Eventually you'll be able to shoot a bow and just know.
 Plus, generally it is the arrow or the nut behind the string that screws up the shot. 

[JW_Halverson]

My first bow shot 42# at 26 inches of draw.  I shot it for two years and could hit with it to a fairly respectable degree.  I was happy with it.  I had even taken a few rabbits with it.  I liked my bow.

Then I bought a chronograph.  I got 133 fps.  My bow was a dog.  My shooting suffered, my confidence was gone, I was unhappy with the very same bow that had DELIVERED SOLID GOLD SATISFACTION UP TO THAT POINT.

My point, and I have one this time, mostly it is hidden under my hat....where was I, oh yeah, shoot it, be happy with it. NEVER put your first or your favorite bow thru a chronograph if you already like it.  Reserve that for later bows that mean less to you.

[loefflerchuck]

I agree with everything said above. Fps and cast are not everything. My favorite bows are not the fastest I have made, but I like how they feel. If you have a scale you can weigh an arrow and see how far a 10 grain per pound arrow shoots from your bow. If it is 150 yards- you have a good bow. If it's more or less and you can hit a target- you have a good bow.

[huisme]

Short of a chronograph it really is up to feel. If it feels good and you shoot well with it then that's that. I don't really want to know just how slow my first few bows were, I enjoyed them for what they were and not their stats.

That being said I'm big on cast. I'm a speed demon but everything's got to be comfortable, too. If you're really getting the most out of your bow cast is going to be naturally high as the same mass placement that makes a shot smooth makes the bow fast.

[Del the cat]

Speed has little to do with it.
Can you stand relaxed, lift the bow, punch out your left hand and know the arrow will hit what you're looking at?
If I really had to use a bow for meat, I wouldn't be taking my fastest.

If you really want to know about speed without a chrono, then distance will tell you about the bow, but it will tell you more about the arrow.
I've recently started trying to make flight bows, and the more I know.... the more I realise I don't know.
Del

[Del the cat]

My first bow shot 42# at 26 inches of draw.  I shot it for two years and could hit with it to a fairly respectable degree.  I was happy with it.  I had even taken a few rabbits with it.  I liked my bow.

Then I bought a chronograph.  I got 133 fps.  My bow was a dog.  My shooting suffered, my confidence was gone, I was unhappy with the very same bow that had DELIVERED SOLID GOLD SATISFACTION UP TO THAT POINT.

My point, and I have one this time, mostly it is hidden under my hat....where was I, oh yeah, shoot it, be happy with it. NEVER put your first or your favorite bow thru a chronograph if you already like it.  Reserve that for later bows that mean less to you.

There is a whole moral for life in general in that post JW.
Wise words my friend... were you drunk when you wrote it?
Del

[mikekeswick]

See how far it will shoot. Less than 160 - 170 yds is ok, above is better and 200yds is pretty good. All with a 10 gpp arrow if possible.
Personally it's all about performance for me. Slow bows just go in the corner! I always shoot best with the fastest bows due to the lower trajectory I have to compensate for.
Remember though that all this is subjective until you get a reading from an 'unmerciful extractor of the truth'.

[Gordon]

What Mike said. If you can reach out 200 yards you're bow is doing very well.

[Badger]

  I agree with Mike also, keep in ind that for a long time about 200 yards was a world record for a self bow shooting 10 grains a pound. I know for a fact that most any good bow can reach 200 or pretty close. Anything over 170 yards is not bad at all. Your shooting style and release will play a part in this.