A faster arrow drifts less in a crosswind
3 studies
The summary today
Only calculations say so, and they say so on one condition. In 2011 a model of drift at seventy metres, in a three metre per second crosswind, launches the same compound arrow from two different bows: from the bow that sends it off at 78.2 metres per second the lowest drift contour on the chart is 175 mm, and from the one that sends it off at 86.5 it falls to 150 mm, with the other contours shifting the same way. In 2018 a simulation of a recurve arrow confirms that the sideways deviation falls as launch speed rises, though it gives no figures. The condition is that the speed comes from a more powerful bow and not from a lighter arrow: in 2020 the author of the 2011 model calculates that a recurve X10 drifts 261 mm with a 100-grain point, which leaves at 58.2 metres per second, and 245 mm with a 140-grain point, which leaves at 55.7. There the slower arrow, being heavier, drifts less. Nobody has yet measured the same arrow outdoors at different launch speeds.
Also phrased as: "the faster the arrow the less the wind moves it"; "you need a more powerful bow in the wind"; "light, fast arrows for windy days"; "arrow speed and wind drift"; "less time in the air, less drift"
In practice
It is often said that a faster arrow is better in the wind, whether from a more powerful bow or a lighter shaft, because it spends less time in the air and the wind has less time to push it off line.
Evidence
-
2011
For Model Published later
A model of drift at 70 m in a 3 m/s crosswind for Easton compound arrows with a spine close to 400, 0.715 m long. With the AR34 compound the Protour 420 leaves at 78.2 m/s and the lowest drift contour on the chart is 175 mm; with the more powerful Hoyt Maxxis 35 it leaves at 86.5 m/s and the same contour falls to 150 mm, with all the others shifted the same way. For a given arrow, the part of the drift caused by the arrow lining up with the wind also falls as launch energy rises, but the author calls the dependence weak. The wind tunnel and outdoor tests in the same paper compare different arrows, not different speeds.
Minimizing wind drift of an arrow · J L Park
-
2018
For Model Published later
A numerical simulation of the flight of a recurve A/C/E arrow in a background wind, with a launch speed of 57.3 m/s taken from the group's earlier flight tests: in a 3 m/s crosswind the largest deviation from the centre of the target is 0.36 m, and in 1 m/s it is 0.11 m. The authors write that they confirmed the sideways deviation falls as launch speed rises, but they do not report the figures for the comparison. It is a conference paper, and the drift in the wind is only calculated.
Trajectory and attitude of an archery arrow in free flight:: estimation of the influence of the background wind. · Julio Ortiz, Masato Ando, Takeshi Miyazaki
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2020
Context Model Published later
A model of drift at 70 m in a 3 m/s crosswind for recurve X10 600 arrows, with the same bow at the same draw weight: with a 100-grain point (21.2 g) the arrow leaves at 58.2 m/s and drifts 261 mm, with a 120-grain point (22.5 g) at 56.8 m/s and 253 mm, with a 140-grain point (23.8 g) at 55.7 m/s and 245 mm. The fastest arrow drifts most, because its speed comes from the mass taken off and the heavier arrow takes more energy from the bow. It shows that speed helps only when it is not paid for with mass.
The dynamic behaviour of an arrow in wind · James L Park
Status history
- 1990 Not studied Nobody in the registry's bibliography has yet calculated or measured how much arrow speed changes drift in a crosswind.
- 2011 Transferred The first calculation arrives. A model of drift at seventy metres, in a three metre per second crosswind, compares compound arrows launched from two bows: with the more powerful one the Protour 420 goes from 78.2 to 86.5 metres per second and the lowest drift contour on the chart falls from 175 to 150 mm. The same paper notes that, for a given arrow, the part of the drift caused by the arrow lining up with the wind also falls as launch energy rises, though only slightly. It is a model, with no outdoor shooting to test the effect of speed: transferred.
- 2018 Transferred A second model, independent of the first, simulates a recurve arrow leaving the bow at 57.3 metres per second: in a three metre per second crosswind the deviation from the centre reaches 0.36 m, and the authors confirm that it falls as launch speed rises, without giving figures for the comparison. There are now two calculations pointing the same way, but they are still calculations: the status does not change.
- 2020 Transferred The author of the 2011 model shows where the claim stops. With a recurve bow at a fixed draw weight, an X10 with a 100-grain point leaves at 58.2 metres per second and drifts 261 mm; with a 140-grain point it leaves at 55.7 and drifts 245 mm. Extra speed gained by making the arrow lighter does not reduce drift, it increases it. The advantage of speed holds when it comes from a more powerful bow with the same arrow, and even then it rests only on models: transferred.
Related
Related articles
- How fast an arrow flies: the metres per second, what decides them and how much they matter on the targetHow many metres a second recurve and compound arrows fly, what decides launch speed, and how much speed matters on the target and for the score.
- Which arrow drifts least in the windA thinner shaft or a heavier arrow for windy competitions? What the models say about diameter, mass, speed and a clean exit, and what is still unmeasured.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). A faster arrow drifts less in a crosswind (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/competition/faster-arrow-crosswind-drift
@misc{campagna2026_frecciavelocevento,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {A faster arrow drifts less in a crosswind},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/competition/faster-arrow-crosswind-drift},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
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