I'm considering getting my first longbow. Thinking about a Northern Mist Superior , 68". I would like to shoot the bow often, comfortably. I shoot primary 3d and backyard recreational. I hope to deer hunt this fall. I've been trad recurve shooting for 3 years, and have a half dozen recurves from 33# to 52# at my 30"ish (29.5 -30"?) draw. I like , and shoot well, draw weight in the 42-45# range (45++ is the edge of my "comfort zone" for shooting 60 to 75+ arrows for a practice session).
I'm not sure how the performance of a longbow has compared to a recurve. The only longbow shooters I've seen at local 3d shoots are shooting longbows with 52 - 60+ lbs,; not comfortable for me. I just don't see many longbows under 50 lbs, and I was wondering if there is a performance issue that needs 50+# from a longbow design.
Will a 68" longbow, with a 45# draw weight @ 30" be "a dog"?
I've read the tradgang thread about 40-45# bow weight harvest results ( read it several times, one of my favorite threads)-so I know 40-45# non-compounds CAN take a deer, I I was curious if 45# @ 30" 68" longbow design with a bit of reflex is a sound option for my goals.
Perhaps I'm answering my own question that 45# is 45#, but does a longbow design, with just a touch of reflex, (not a high-performance R/D longbow, not a recurve) at 43-45# @ 30" meet my needs ( or ~ 40# @ 28")? Or does its design need 50+# for what I want to do?
I want enough performance for deer, and comfort for long shooting sessions, but no "dogs". Wish there were some local 40-45# longbows to test drive. Thanks in advance.
45 pound bows have killed a lot of critters.
45lbs is not too light at all for deer. With well placed shots, well tuned arrows, sharp heads, and reasonable ranges you'll likely see mostly pass through shots on deer, which is what you want. I would STRONGLY recommend shooting weights that you can comfortably shoot and practice with over chasing those last few FPS of arrow speed with higher draw weights.
In all honesty your likely looking at less than 15fps slower than a 50lb bow of similar build, which a deer isn't going to be able to tell the difference and that little change isn't going to shrink your effective kill range much if any.
You have to consider too that bows are measured at 28" so you're actually more likely to have an effective draw weight in the high 40's, maybe even 50-51 lbs depending on bow design and that energy is going to have a longer power stroke to transmit energy to the arrow due to your longer than average draw. I'd wager your 29.5" draw at 45lbs is going to look extremely close to a 50lb draw at 28" in terms of arrow speed and ft/lbs of energy. You'll be A-OK.
A Northern Mist Superior at 45# :saywhat: ..........excellent choice in my opinion!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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I have killed alot of deer with a 45# longbow.
I dropped from 50 to 42 and it's greatly helped my form/accuracy/consistency and stamina. That bow with a razor sharp broadhead has worked very well on our big whitetail. 40-45 is plenty for deer.
45# is plenty , I wouldn't hesitate .
When I started bowhunting in the late 60's and early 70's virtually everyone in our area shot 45# bows. It was rare to see 35# or 50#. We shot thru deer every fall with our cedar, sometimes aluminum arrows and Bear Razorheads and never thought whether it was enough weight or not. That kind of stuff didn't start until after Al Gore created the Internet.
There were guys around here that were using 40 pounds with sights, but when the ice age was coming in the late 70s and early 80s, everyone jumped to 55 pounds. Then in the 90s when global warming started everyone went to compounds. Now with climate change recking everything the younger guys are taking up traditional archery, they are using.anything from 40 to 70 pounds to deal with all of the change.
I have a 45# & a 46# recurve, those are my only 2 to take deer hunting so I'm good with it!
you'll be fine
Draw length makes up for a lot of draw weight, you are going to get the performance a lot of people get shooting into the fifty pounds range at 28" draw. Just put it where it needs to be with a good broadhead, not some little piece of junk designed for wheel bows.
Arrow and broadhead selection and shot placement are far more important and critical than a few pounds of draw weight.
Great Choice on the northern mist . Steve builds a great bow . And it Will not be a dog !
45@30 is more like 50@28.....If you are really drawing 30....that is a great asset...no worries!!!
Good to hear your opinions, so I'm safe with my 48#@31" bow.
In like Flint. Your longer arrow increases both the power stroke and sectional density.
Density, destiny, it's all good. :goldtooth:
Killdeer
Your draw adds lots of power to launching that arrow. I took a seminar some years back from one of the great archers of our time. He had had so much shoulder surgery that he stayed away from bows over about 38# draw. He was a fanatic and successful pig hunter with lots of photos to prove it. His superior arrow tune gave him all the penetration he needed.
The Northern Mist Superior has a touch of deflex off the riser and then reflex to the tip. It does not show the D/R once strung but maintains the "D" profile. It is my favorite of all the Northern Mist longbows. In fact, my current Superior is the best performing LB I've ever owned, and that's many. Performance wise, I would put mine up against many recurves of the same weight. The Superior will do everything you're asking. Personally, I do prefer the bamboo core over the elm.
Opps Sorry above is right on about arrow tune as well. Most often more important than the bow. With a 45# Superior and well tuned arrows you're Golden.