{"id":3386,"date":"2020-10-03T18:10:42","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T15:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archerymind.com\/?p=3386"},"modified":"2022-05-07T22:18:06","modified_gmt":"2022-05-07T19:18:06","slug":"how-fast-do-arrows-really-travel-from-a-bow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archerymind.com\/how-fast-do-arrows-really-travel-from-a-bow\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fast Do Arrows Really Travel From A Bow?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
If you’ve ever seen an arrow being shot from a bow, you know how fast they are. I mean, it looks like they just appear on the target instantaneously. In this post, I’m going to detail how fast arrows actually are and break down the factors that affect the speed of an arrow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On average, a recurve bow will shoot arrows at around 140 to 200 fps, and compound bows will shoot arrows at 230 to 280 fps. To increase the speed of your arrows, you should use a higher draw weight and draw length, and lower grain arrows.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But understanding these speeds, how they’re measured, and what factors affect them can help you have a more complete understanding of your gear, and of what these numbers actually mean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most manufacturers measure the speed of arrows in fps, which means “feet per second”. This is the distance, in feet, that the arrow will travel each second after being shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might see the numbers bow advertisers put on their bows and get excited. A typical compound bow will be claimed to shoot arrows at 300-330 fps. You do need to understand the measurement to comprehend these numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The speeds advertised on bows are point-blank speeds, meaning that the arrow speed is measured at the moment it leaves the bow. Since we know that arrows lose speed over time in the air, this basically means that actual arrow speeds are much lower when they hit the target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The different factors that affect arrow speeds, which we’re going to cover later, stay consistent when measuring arrow speeds. To make the testing conditions consistent, most bow manufacturers use the IBO testing standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n IBO tests are performed with a draw weight of 70 lbs, a draw length of 30″, and a 350-grain arrow. These controlled conditions, together with the point-blank measurements, make bow speeds comparable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that if you look at a bow advertised to shoot arrows at 330 fps, and one that shoots them at 330 fps, you know that the first one will really be faster because the speeds were measured under the same conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But because you use the bow at a distance from the target, and might use lower draw weight or draw length, the actual speed on your arrows will end up significantly lower than what’s advertised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main factors that affect the speed of your arrows are the draw weight and draw length of the bow, and the weight of your arrows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like I mentioned before, the distance to the target has a lot to do with the speed of the arrow. Because of air resistance, the farther the target, the slower the arrow will be when it hits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But it’s hard to know exactly how much it’ll slow down over time because it depends on the aerodynamics of the arrow, and on the speed itself. The calculation is pretty much out of the scope of this post. Here, we’ll focus on the properties of the equipment and their effect on arrow velocity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m also going to approximate how each of these factors affects the speed of the arrows, so you can estimate your bow’s actual arrow speed of your bow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bow with a higher draw weight can hold more energy while at full draw, which will then be transferred to the arrow, resulting in a higher speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that if you shoot a higher draw weight, your actual arrow speed will be higher. The common rule of thumb is that adding 10 lbs to your draw weight results in a 10-20 fps increase in arrow speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considering the IBO setup, obviously, not all archers use a 70 lbs bow. This means that if, for example, you use a 40 lbs bow, your arrow speed will be 30-60 fps lower than advertised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Draw length is another factor of arrow speed. With a higher draw length, the arrow is affected by the bow for a longer distance. This results in faster arrows shot out of the bow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Archers use different draw lengths, and higher draw length bows shoot faster arrows. Draw length’s impact on arrow speed is typically estimated to be around 10 fps for every 1″ draw length.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the standard IBO setup, 30″ bows are used. If, for example, you’re using a 28″ bow, your actual arrow speed will be 20 fps slower than the speed rating of the bow.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe average speed of an arrow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What factors affect arrow speed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. The draw weight of the bow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. The draw length of the bow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n