FPS needed???

[britz]

I am pretty new to bow hunting and I plan on trying my luck w/ white tail deer this year. I just chronoed my antique Bear bow with a 31" carbon arrow and a 100 grain tip at 212 fps. It is cranked up as high as it will go (guessing around 50-60 lbs). Is this going to be enough energy to take deer at, say 40 yards??? maybe it's a stupid question, but a few of my friends are shooting between 280 and 350 fps, so I'm thinking my rig may be a little underpowered.
Thanks, Mark.

[J E Custom]

Britz

A bow kills with momentum not energy.A 22 lr has more energy than a
bow but not the momentum because of projectile weight.

If you have a slow bow a heavy arrow is best.

And yes it will slow the bow down even more but will penetrate better
than a light arrow with the same broadhead.

Back when there were no compound bows a 45 to 55 lb recurve
using heaver(ceder shafts)6 to 700 grs worked well and normaly
passed completly through a deer sized animal.

Velocity was around 150 to 175 ft/sec.

Also use a 1-1/4 dia.3 blade broadhead Dont use a larger one or penetration
will suffer.

You will be fine if you practice and place the arrow well.(Just behind the shoulder)
you will be very successful with this combination.

Learn to be a good bow hunter first and then buy a newer/faster bow.

My best setup for hunting was a 90 to 95lb compound bow with 750gr arrows
@ 290 ft/sec.using a 125gr 3 blade 1 3/8 dia. broadheads.

This would pass completly through an Elk and through both shoulders on a white tail .

J E CUSTOM

[britz]

Thanks for the infoe J E. I don't know why I didn't weigh the arrow, but it weighs 450 grains w/ the head.

[Michael Eichele]

Originally Posted by britz

Thanks for the infoe J E. I don't know why I didn't weigh the arrow, but it weighs 450 grains w/ the head.

450 grains @ 212 is plenty juice for whitetails. Most guys these days are just infatuated with speed cause it sounds cool. Kind of like my dad can beat up your dad. Us guys never grow up!

[AJ Peacock]

Originally Posted by meichele

450 grains @ 212 is plenty juice for whitetails. Most guys these days are just infatuated with speed cause it sounds cool. Kind of like my dad can beat up your dad. Us guys never grow up!

Aint that the truth. I got all excited about speed 10-12 years ago. I bought a new bow (the latest greatest PSE Mach 8). It was a screamer. I decided I didn't need my old bow (Martin Cougar Magnum), so I gave it to my brother. He proceeded to kill 2 P&Y pronghorns with that old slow bow! I ask him about it, he said "you just have to get close".

AJ

[James Jones]

Your bow with that arrow is generating about 45 foot pounds of kenitic energy and that plenty enough to drive a good broadhead through a deer. I donate alot of time , especialy this time of year , to a local archery/gun shop and help setup bows and help new shooters get started in the right direction. The first thing guys want to know is "how fast is it" and some of the new bows are able to shoot well in the 300+fps range and some guys will sell a kidney for an extra 10fps.

The bottom line is just like rifles , you can't miss them fast enough to kill them and the faster the bow typicaly the less forgiving they are.

I shoot a fast heavy draw bow that able to shoot in the 330fps range with IBO arrows and have pushed it above 400fps with ultra lite arrows , I have it cranked down but shoot arrows a bit heavier so I loose some speed but the bow is ALOT more quiet and much more forgiving. I also shoot a heavy draw long bow with logs for shafts and it only shoots around 180fps but the deer never know the differance between the two.

If I were you I would stick with what you have , assuming that the arrows are spined correctly for that bow , and shoot a good broadhead , on my slower bow and for guys shooting close to the minimum KE I recomend a good cut on contact head like Steel force or Magnus