In the search for the ultimate hunting compound bow, many bowhunters today rate arrow speed as one of the most—if not THE most—important factors in tipping the scales toward one bow over others. But is this a wise move? Is arrow speed really that important to the modern bowhunter?
Bowtech pro Tim Gillingham several years ago said something I’ve borrowed for my annual reviews of new bows as they come to market.
“Speed ain’t free.”
No, it isn’t. To generate faster arrow speeds, bow manufacturers have to make sacrifices in other areas of the shooting experience, such as draw cycle and holding weight. Those tradeoffs can adversely affect what I believe should be the most important trait in a compound bow—accuracy.
There are many bows on the market today that shoot arrows with plenty of speed for the average bowhunter without making accuracy-robbing sacrifices.
Why Bowhunters Want More Arrow Speed
Before we talk about the negative side of arrow speed, let’s talk about the positives. Why would bowhunters be interested in fast-shooting bows to begin with?
The faster an arrow flies, the flatter its trajectory. A flat trajectory gets an arrow through vertically tight shooting lanes better. It’s also more forgiving if you have to judge the distance to an animal instead of ranging it, or if your bow bobbles high or low just as you release an arrow.
Speed also contributes to kinetic energy, but speed alone doesn’t determine penetration. Arrow weight and momentum matter, too.
All of these are good things for bowhunters. All of these can help bowhunters punch their tags. But as with most things in archery, gaining something in one area usually means giving something up somewhere else. The question is, at what cost did you gain that speed?
Remember—speed ain’t free.
What You Trade for More Arrow Speed:
- Higher draw weight: More speed, but potentially harder to draw and hold steadily
- Shorter brace height: More speed, but potentially less forgiveness
- Aggressive draw cycle: More stored energy, but a tougher draw
- Lower let-off/shorter valley: More speed, but more holding weight
- Lighter arrows: More speed, but less momentum and greater wind influence
Draw Weight: The Simplest Way to Add Speed
Let’s start with the simplest comparison. Let’s say we have two identical bows to shoot two identical arrows. Both bows have draw-weight ranges from 60-70 pounds, and they’re both set at 60 pounds. Both bows are going to shoot the same arrows at the same speeds. A simple way to boost the speed of one over the other is to increase the draw weight.
For sure, your arrow will fly faster out of the bow with the heavier draw weight. But does that extra weight now adversely affect your shot? Can you draw the heavier bow at all? If you can, can you hold it at full draw steadily while you aim, or are you shaking?
If you can’t draw the heavier bow and hold it steady to take aim, accuracy suffers.
Draw weight aside, bow manufacturers manipulate other parts of their bows to boost speed. If you can handle those speed-boosting manipulations, fine. Not all of us can.
Brace Height and Bow Forgiveness
One way manufacturers make bows faster is by reducing brace height. A bow’s brace height is the distance between the deepest part of the grip and the bowstring.
The shorter the brace height, the faster the bow will generally shoot. That’s because the shorter the brace height, the longer the string is pushing the arrow. Think of brace height as the power stroke. You want more power? Push the arrow longer.
The potential downside is that the arrow remains on the string longer, giving the archer more opportunity to influence the shot before the arrow is gone. That can make shorter-brace-height bows less forgiving of small mistakes. Target bows, by comparison, often use longer brace heights to favor forgiveness over outright speed.
A 6-inch brace height is pretty common for today’s bowhunting compounds. When a manufacturer really wants to boost arrow speed, they’ll sometimes drop below 6 inches.
For me, that’s when bows get squirrely. Any bow with a brace height in the 5-inch range is tough for me to consistently shoot accurately. And I think that holds for the average bowhunter as well.
Draw Cycle: Comfort vs. Performance
Changing the draw cycle on a bow to boost speed is something several bow manufacturers build into their bows today. Bowtech, Darton and Elite are three examples.
Depending on the manufacturer, one option might be labeled “comfort” or “smooth.” This provides a smoother draw cycle but produces lower arrow speeds. Another might be labeled “performance” or “speed.” Using that setting boosts arrow speed.
So we’ve got the same bow, with the same cams, and we’re changing how those cams behave through the draw cycle to boost speed.
Typically, what you’ll feel is the performance setting will keep more weight on the archer through a greater portion of the draw cycle. Depending on the design, the valley—the distance between the point where the cam rolls over and the back wall—can also be shorter, and let-off can be lower. That increases the shooter’s holding weight.
Staying at peak draw weight longer, reducing the valley or reducing let-off can make arrows leave the bow faster. They can also make the draw cycle more difficult.
Does that difficulty rise to a level that hurts your ability to shoot the bow accurately?
It certainly can.
How Cam Design Affects Arrow Speed
Cam design has a lot to do with both how fast a bow shoots and how it feels through the draw cycle. Some cams are designed around a smoother draw, while others use a more aggressive profile to produce more speed.
PSE has offered the Mach 33 DS bow in its line the past two years, but the company changed the cam to boost arrow speed from one year to the next. The first year, the bow was powered by the more circular EC2 cam. For 2026, that bow was powered by the noticeably more aggressive FDS cam. The bow with the EC2 cam has a speed rating of up to 335 fps, versus the FDS bow, which has a 342 fps rating.
Having shot both bows, I can tell you the draw cycle on the FDS bow is stiffer than the EC2 bow. That is, it’s tougher to draw the FDS bow than the EC2 bow. Shooting both bows at the same draw weight, I had a harder time holding the FDS bow steady than I did shooting the EC2.
The FDS bow for sure produced faster arrow speeds, but my accuracy suffered.
What Maximum Arrow Speed Can Cost You
The fastest bows are likely to have a combination of all these factors we discussed. They’ll have short brace heights, aggressive cams and demanding draw cycles, often with lower let-off and shorter valleys.
I have drawn bows built like this. Yes, they are screaming fast, but—in my opinion—they’re no fun to shoot and very difficult to consistently shoot with accuracy.
It’s like holding back a race horse that’s chomping at the bit to start running, as opposed to holding the reins on the mare that’s been pulling the pumpkin cart for the past 10 years.
Sure, practice helps, but it doesn’t solve the inherent problem.
Arrow Weight vs. Arrow Speed
Another way bowhunters can boost arrow speed is by reducing overall arrow weight. A lighter arrow will fly faster than a heavier arrow. But again, sacrifices are made to gain that speed.
First, lighter arrows are more easily pushed by the wind. If you have to make a long-distance shot in a heavy crosswind, that could be trouble.
Real World Numbers
| Setup | Arrow Speed | Kinetic Energy |
| 350-grain arrow | 300 fps | 70.0 ft.-lbs. |
| 450-grain arrow | 280 fps | 78.4 ft.-lbs. |
| P.J.’s 450-grain setup | 292 fps | 85.2 ft.-lbs. |
Second, at the same speed, a lighter projectile carries less momentum than a heavier one. These are extreme examples, but think about getting hit by a feather flying 290 fps as compared to a hammer flying that fast. Will the lighter arrow be able to get through the animal you’re hunting? Or is a heavier, slower arrow the better choice?
Victory Archery has a chart recommending optimal kinetic energy for hunting various types of wild game. According to Victory, an arrow producing 42-65 ft.-lbs. of kinetic energy is optimal for elk, black bear and boar.
An arrow weighing 350 grains flying 300 fps produces about 70 ft.-lbs. of kinetic energy. Many experienced elk hunters would hesitate to recommend shooting a 350-grain arrow at an elk, but it’s possible that arrow will do the job.
A 450-grain arrow flying 280 fps produces 78.4 ft.-lbs. of kinetic energy. In this example, the heavier arrow flying slower produces more kinetic energy than the lighter, faster arrow. And I think a lot more bowhunters would be comfortable taking a 450-grain arrow after elk than a 350-grain one.
How Much Arrow Speed Is Enough?
Mathews this year came out with the SWX-Z mods, which offer a smoother draw cycle than the company’s standard modules. To me, they make a 70-pound bow feel more like a 60-pound bow, but arrow speed definitely suffers. I lost 12 fps switching from the standard mods to the SWX-Z mods. I put them on my bow anyway.
Mathews this year came out with the SWX-Z mods, which offer a smoother draw cycle than the company’s standard modules. To me, they make a 70-pound bow feel more like a 60-pound bow, but arrow speed definitely suffers. I lost 12 fps switching from the standard mods to the SWX-Z mods. I put them on my bow anyway.
So I mentioned at the beginning that there are many bows on the market today that will give you plenty of arrow speed without sacrificing accuracy.
Let’s take a look at the 2026 Mathews ARC 30.
While other bow manufacturers offer modules to boost speed, Mathews this year came out with the SWX-Z mods, which offer a smoother draw cycle than the company’s standard modules. To me, they make a 70-pound bow feel more like a 60-pound bow, but arrow speed definitely suffers.
I lost 12 fps switching from the standard mods to the SWX-Z mods.
I put them on my bow anyway.
My ARC 30 has a 6-inch brace height and a draw weight of 69.1 pounds. Shooting a 450-grain arrow at that weight, with the SWX-Z mods and at a 30-inch draw length, I got an arrow speed of 292 fps.
If we plug those numbers into the Victory kinetic-energy calculator, my setup produces 85.22 ft.-lbs. of kinetic energy.
According to Victory’s chart, that’s comfortably above its recommended kinetic-energy range for elk and black bear—and significantly above what’s recommended for medium-sized game like whitetails.
With that setup, the arrow speed is fast enough that I can be 5 yards off in my range estimation and still hit the vitals on a deer out to 45 yards. And because the draw cycle is super smooth, I’m easily able to hold the string back at full draw for an extended period if necessary, and I’m still able to shoot the bow super accurately.
Sure, there are bows that shoot arrows faster than mine. But my setup is fast enough, shoots like a dream and I’m able to drive tacks with it.
The speed I’m sacrificing for these other gains is speed I don’t think I really need.
Final Word: Accuracy Beats Arrow Speed
Arrow speed definitely has its place in the bowhunting world. But shooting as much speed as possible shouldn’t be the guiding force when buying a new bow.
Does it matter how fast your arrow is flying if you can’t consistently hit the vital area on whatever animal you’re planning to hunt?
Consistent accuracy will help you punch tags a lot more regularly than chasing arrow speed.
