data & numbers
This is the speeds I get from the shooting machine!
This is the drawforce curves obtained from my tillering rig!
Speed matters
when it comes to bows, arrowspeed ist the one and only quality-factor you can actually measure in numbers.
If a bow of same drawweight can spit a certain arrow faster then the other bow, that bow is more efficient.
If a bow is more efficient, the arrow consumes more stored energy by transforming that energy into speed. If the arrow consumes more energy, there is less energy to remain in the bow to cause potential handshock.
Superior efficiency then lets you choose your reward: extra speed at the same draw weight, or the same speed at a lighter draw weight.
The fast and efficient bow has all the advantages: It will always improve your accurracy by providing a better trajectory and at the same time will always be more comfortable to shoot.
NOTE
Speed Testing is a complicated thing if you want to do it seriously.
I want. And therefore use a shooting machine with a mechanical release to do this. My shooting machine is – as good as i can – set up to shoot 28″ AMO (Archery Manufacturers Organization) standard.
For every bow I’m testing I do also prepare an individual arrow to get the relative arrowmass (gpp) right.
This allows me to get pretty precise data for my bow comparisons. My testing is mainly for internal use – it helps to constantly improve the bows – not so much for making other manufacturers look bad.
However: Due to the many variables you need to be careful comparing speed-data you got from different sources. Every testing-setup/rig is a little different and thus deliver slightly diffferent results. Only measurings done on the same setup are truly comparable. Hand-shot numbers must always be marked with a big question mark.
the eigeltingen speed challenge
Every two years, at the Eigeltingen bow fair, we (me and the “Traditionell Bogenschiessen” Magazine) do official bow comparisons on this/my rig. These results are officially published in the Mag then. The next “Speed-Test” will happen 2027. The results we get there come from this same shooting machine and are comparable so far.
In 2023 we did the test for longbows only, some of wood, some of modern material (Traditionell Bogenschiessen No 109/2023):
In 2025 we did the same for all bow categories
(Traditionell Bogenschiessen No 117/2025):
