# My Old Compound Bow Compared to Yours?



## Wiredhernandez (Mar 6, 2005)

OK, so I have a used bow I bought about 10 years ago and finally took it out for a hunt (Tageting etc is fine on paper). After spooking a deer with shot (clean miss). I've done a bit more research. My calculations tell that with my rig setup I am shooting 210 Fps (shooting .19 secs @40feet seems [email protected] 62Lbs draw) and using my phone avg 75Db noise when shooting. I know new bows are alot faster and If i need to spend the cast thinking maybe just getting a crossbow. How are u guys setup ??? Just looking for where i "should" be and dont wanna spend a ton if I "have" to upgrade. Thanks fellas!


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## Sgrem (Oct 5, 2005)

Way over thinking it.

Your guess calculations are purdy useless. Make sure your arrows are properly spined for you bow and let er rip. Do you think longbow or recurve bow hunters are so worried about FPS?

I always used way way heavy arrows to keep my bow silent and I gave up a ton of FPS to do that. 

The FPS posted by the major bow manufacturers are from a string with no knocks, no peeps, no silencers, no serving and shooting arrows with no feathers. Way too much emphasis placed in that almighty FPS.

If it shoots quietly and you are shooting accurately you should do exactly nothing but go enjoy.

I have never....ever....checked the FPS of any of my bows. And I've had a dozen or so. And killed lots and lots of game from all over.


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## Wiredhernandez (Mar 6, 2005)

agreed. but I have have made my mind to get a crossbow to cover my bases. I will still hunt with this old Matthews sometimes as I agree .. the deer don't know its a slower bow than new ones.


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## Fish64 (Jan 28, 2016)

Totally agree with what has been said. My first bow was a Matthews FX. Loved it. Shot it great. I got caught up in the speed when the Reezen came out. I still have it to this day but don’t like it nearly as much. Granted it does its job but it is not smooth or quiet. I spent time getting the arrows right and have lowered the draw weight over the years but in the end, I preferred the old FX. My deer ends up just as dead as they would with the newer models.


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## Whitebassfisher (May 4, 2007)

I too think that fps of bows is over inflated in importance. There are silencers available to help. But like mentioned heavier arrows tend to be quieter, plus they penetrate better and have a more stable flight. Before I spent a lot of money, I would visit a pro shop to check into silencing the bow, and buy some arrows that are to the heavier end of the acceptable range.


If you get a deer's attention during your your draw, your chances just dropped by a huge amount. An alerted deer has unbelievably quick reflexes. A cross bow is a legal method, so they are fine, just depends on what direction you want to go. It seems to me that cross bows tend to make more noise than a compound. No bow made is anywhere nearly as fast as speed of sound, so a quiet bow is very important.


My 2 cents


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## Wiredhernandez (Mar 6, 2005)

I have a Matthews MQ32 made somewhere around 2000 and reportedly not a fast bow but I am shooting around 210 FPS with my draw around 29" .. From what I have read most shooters should get around 250+ so think im not in good shape even with 345 arrows.. I did get my actual meter and shot noise is more like 90Db so its loud too (Bow shop didnt really have any offerings other than upgrade)




I do have a spiffy new Ravin crossbow on the way so speed issue should be resolved. I do want to shoot with a regular bow more likely after i get some meat in the freezer though.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> I have a Matthews MQ32 made somewhere around 2000


And people killed plenty of game with that bow when they bought them new and it will still kill game today.

My 72 SS Chevelle was fast for its time and would still be fast today but not compared to some of the stock cars. Don't overthink it just practice so you hit what you aim at and you'll be fine.

TH


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## Screeminreel (Jun 2, 2004)

Having had shoulder issues i haven't pulled a bow going on two yeats up until the weekend before the season opened.. 

I have three to use but picked up my Drenalin due to the smooth draw cycle and back it off 4 turns. After mounting a sight, and dialing it in I managed to drop our seasons first doe in a 30min hunt. 

As mentioned make sure your on, and make sure your quarry is relaxed. I was getting some smack from my grandsons and told them, paw is like tha Predator, all I gotta do is get that dot on a deers shoulder and its a done deal. My oldest is shooting a Diamond Infinite Edge Pro at about 45-50# and he is only waiting for his buck.


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

Wiredhernandez said:


> I have a Matthews MQ32 made somewhere around 2000 and reportedly not a fast bow but I am shooting around 210 FPS with my draw around 29" ... From what I have read most shooters should get around 250+ so think im not in good shape even with 345 arrows ...


Don't be afraid to shoot some bigboy arrows (over 550 total grains). Speed is overrated, sure, but keep in mind that with the efficiency of todays bows, you're getting speed regardless. There have been a few guys that have rigged up 12 arrows with total grain weights ranging from say ... 365 grains to 600 grains at 20 grain increments and shot them to study speed and POI that have posted the results on Archery Talk that that's been quite interesting.

What you're "really looking for" outside of shot placement is penetration. That can be adjusted, affected/effected by all the other factors that go into the arrow build and the spec of the bow. This leads to the FOC conversation, which is another "fad" similar to speed, but IMO is way more important.

Example:

You can kill a deer with a 210 fps bow same as you can kill a deer with a 345 fps bow, same as you can kill a deer with a 11% FOC same as you can kill a deer with a 16% FOC, BUT: personally, I'd rather have a higher FOC, especially in the event that I have to take a quartering towards me shot and I want to know that arrow is going to break through the shoulder.

FOC stand for front-of-center and describes what percentage of arrow weight is located in the front half of the arrow (noting of course that your balance point on your arrow isn't going to be directly in the middle, the higher the FOC the more forward that balance point is).

This all comes down to easy math, but the calculations/variables you need to be concerned with are speed, draw length, bow poundage, let off, grain weight, broadhead/point grain weigh, spine, kinetic energy, and momentum (I've probably forgotten a few here). Calculating your speed at some fraction of a second at some yardage doesn't really get you anywhere.

*Kinetic energy is the metric you'll use to gauge what kind of animal your bow is rated for if I understand what I've read correctly.* FOC can be important because it's effectively a measure of possible penetration.

My rig:
31" draw
67 lbs
523 grain arrow (250 spine, 100 grain head)
278 fps
KE = 86
MO = 63 slugs

Way, WAY overkill for whitetail (if I recall, 35-45 KE is plenty). I'm basically rated for elephant, or dragons - but again, the efficiency of the bow doesn't give me much less. If I took the draw weight down, and shot a heavier arrow, or a lighter arrow for that matter - that's about all I could do to change my speed if I even wanted to, but the KE/MO specs aren't going to be much different in the end beyond 4-7%.

Currently shooting a Mathews VXR 31.5.


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## Fish64 (Jan 28, 2016)

I did want to follow up on the conversation of the old bows vs new ones. I did go to the local archery shop just to see what has improved in the last 15 years. I am a lefty and they actually had ones for me to shoot. I will say this: what is being made today is smoother and quieter than what I had. So much so I walked out of the store with a brand new set up. Now, is this deer any more dead. No it is not. Old bow would have done exactly the same thing. Good luck to all of you. At my age, to me, it really is more about being in nature and seeing if I can fool them than it is about the actual harvest but I won’t lie it is nice to take one still.


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## Capt_Gilligan (Jun 8, 2016)

Wayyy too much thought going into it. I used to be a speed freak but changed things up about 5 years ago. I shoot FMJs with 125gr broad heads and my arrow comes out to 592grs dressed. It’s not nearly as fast as it was with 400gr arrows but the bow is very quiet and they hit hard.


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## Flats Mark (Jul 30, 2009)

RobertBessinger64 said:


> I did want to follow up on the conversation of the old bows vs new ones. I did go to the local archery shop just to see what has improved in the last 15 years. I am a lefty and they actually had ones for me to shoot. I will say this: what is being made today is smoother and quieter than what I had. So much so I walked out of the store with a brand new set up. Now, is this deer any more dead. No it is not. Old bow would have done exactly the same thing. Good luck to all of you. At my age, to me, it really is more about being in nature and seeing if I can fool them than it is about the actual harvest but I wonâ€™t lie it is nice to take one still.


AWESOME!! I too went to my local shop "to look" and went home with a brand new bow. I haven't shot a bow in over 10 years??? Until today...


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