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A.M.O.(Archery Manufacturing Organization) and I.B.O.
(International Bowhunters Association) both have a method for testing
arrow speed from bows and although they are different both can be used to
compare equipment for relative speed.
Both of the speed testing standards use a
constant drawlength, arrow weight and bow weight to test bowspeed. These
are the way the two differ.
A.M.O.
Under this standard the bow being tested will
have a maximum pull weight of 60lbs. The arrow will have a grain weight of
540(9 grains of arrow weight per pound of bow weight). The draw length
will be set at 30 inches. The chronograph used for measuring the speed
will be placed at point blank range for testing.
I.B.O.
Under this standard the bow being tested will
have a maximum pull weight of 70lbs. The arrow will have a grain weight of
350(5 grains of arrow weight per pound of bow weight). The draw length
will be set at 30 inches. The chronograph used for measuring the speed
will be placed at point blank range for testing.
What is important about these two speed ratings
is that they are only to be used to compare bows speed tested under the
same standard. They should NOT be used to tell you what you will
personally shoot for speed. For example lets take an average archer
Bill
Bowshooter
..Bill has a 29 inch draw length shoots his bow at 65 lbs
and shoots a 455 grain aluminum arrow. In our example neither the A.M.O.
or the I.B.O standards will accurately reflect the speed of Bills bow.
Since Bill is shooting a shorter draw than both standards, shooting an
arrow that weighs 7 grains of arrow weight per pound of bow weight, and is
shooting 65 lb peak weight he will shoot at a speed very different to
either standard.
If we try to make some generalizations about the
two different ratings we could say that the I.B.O. speed rating is much
faster than most archers could achieve, and conversely the A.M.O. speed
rating reflects a speed that is less than what most shooters could achieve
with the same bow. If a bows I.B.O. speed rating is 320fps and its A.M.O.
speed rating is 245fps that would mean the average archer would shoot that
bow somewhere in the middle of that range. |