[Danesdad]

Is there a relationship between raw speed and user friendliness with xbows like there is with vertical bows? When I first got into bow hunting, advertisers were all about speed. So, when I bought a fast bow (for the time) I found it very unforgiving to imperfections in my form and shooting. Now, I hunt with a slower bow that is longer ATA and has a longer brace height and even tho it may not be as fast, I'm much more accurate with it. Is there a similar tradeoff with xbows? What are you compromising by going for the fastest xbow on the market (other than your bank account)?

 

[cspot]

It is somewhat. Faster bows tend to be more picky with arrows and broadheads than the slower bows. With the improvement of arrows in the last couple of years this isn't as big of an issue as it once was.

 

[dpms]

There is. Faster the bow, more finicky with arrow, broad head combinations. Faster the crossbow, usually a long power stroke or very heavy draw weight, making cocking much more difficult to cock. Faster the bow, usually longer the overall bow length. Faster the bow, harder on the string, cables and nocks.

I am not a fan of the fastest crossbow. I like 340-360fps.

 

[arrowhead]

Look at it like this. 12 arrows cost $72, or $6 each. A slower bow will generally shoot 11 into a 3 inch bullseye at 40 yards. A bow shooting 400 f.p.s. will generally shoot those same arrows at the rate of 6 into the same size bullseye. So now those arrows cost $12 each. There are ways around this. Spine aligning them helps to get more into the group. This all seems to get critical at around 365-370 f.p.s.

There are negatives, but the positive side is that using the speed dial scope is a good trade off. I set the first crosshair at 20 or 25 yards. My second wire down is set at 40 yards. Now let's think about the kill zone of a deer. It's basically a 10 inch circle. The first and second crosswire are 10 inches apart. (you will have to set it up that way) If the kill zone fits the deer is in range. Very simple and effective rangefinding system.