Add me to the list of guys with hurt drawing shoulders. I have been using a 50#@28' Great Plains Long Curve. I think I need to get down to 40-43# @ 28". Any of you have any suggestions for either longbows or recurves that seem to have more energy at these lower draw weights? Thanks for any suggestions.
BTW: I know that speed isn't very important, but, I still wanted some opinions about lower poundage bows that seem to be very efficient.
My friend has a 46lb predator hunter that seems to really pack a punch with 550gr arrows.
A&H ACS CX and Centaur.
Anything Leon Stewart made - they move an arrow right along even at the lower weights.
Skychief...I am a brother who suffers the same sort of shoulder pain with too much poundage. I had to give up on the 50# recurve because I couldn't shoot it enough to satisfy my "shooting fix." I like to shoot 50-60 arrows a day (when it isn't raining up here in extreme Northern California), but I started shooting less and less due to the pain afterwards. I ordered a Quinn Stallion Classic 45#@28" knowing my draw length is really about 27"; did it to have a slightly lighter pull. I received the bow two weeks ago; first draw I thought they had mismarked the poundage, until I released. I am getting great arrow flight, its fast and best part....I can shoot 50 or 60 arrows a day with minimal discomfort. If you have the chance, try and shoot someones Quinn.....I think you'd be impressed. Good luck.
Quinn is an excellent choice, especially if the budget is tight. I really like the Zipper and RER recurves in lighter weights also. Mend quick.
If you follow the bow test in TBM you see there is not a lot of difference in most bows once they are tested the same.Pick what ever you like shooting and take steps to use a good string and really tune it well.That is all you need.Brands don't really make that much difference when you pay attention to the little things. jmo
BTW.Longer bows feel better on bad shoulders so I would not get caught up in the short bow stuff too much. jmo
Centaur, Leon Stewart Slammer, Morrison Dakota.
Hope your shoulder feels better fast.
Killdeer
I would go with a 60" John McCullough Griffin. The reflex deflex longbow limbs draw really smooth and don't stack a lot at the end of the draw. My Griffin is 47 lbs. at 28" it has little to no hand shock at all and Mr.McCullough makes all his bows with a recurve style grip making them very comfortable to shoot
A&H ACS, get a 66"er..
A&H. Black Swan, Centaur, Morison, RER, Black Mountain, Zipper, Holm Made, Stewart, there are quite a few that will give you some bang for the buck.
Any good recurve in the 40# range with a skinny string will shoot hard enough for North American hunting. Don't load it down with heavy string silencers or a bow quiver, and you may be surprised at how hard it shoots.
I'll be shooting a Quillian Patriot td recurve with 40# limbs for a while, for the same reason.
PS: Remember, most game was taken with 40-45# bows before the compound craze convinced everyone that 70# was necessary.
My 64" 43# RER LX feels like it's 20# lighter than my 58" 50# Damon Howatt recurve, but the scale doesn't lie!
It's hard to imagine a bow with the same poundage being any faster.
*edit
The reason I got a lighter bow was because my bow elbow was starting to hurt pretty bad. I couldn't be happier now.
Check out the Oracle on the bottom right. It will fit your requirements and is a steal at last years pricing.
Oracle 1 pc Longbow, Sedua riser and tips. Tonkin Bamboo core with Osage veneers and Clear Glass limbs, 64" nock to nock, 41#'s @ 28" $575
http://www.dryadbows.com/instock/instock.htm
Mike
You should go see your doctor and get a physical therapy consult. They can correct the problem in your shoulder instead of you compensating with a lighter bow and ignoring the injury. The longer you leave the shoulder the harder it is to correct.
Mike Treadway shoots 41 lbs out of his longbows and even killed a elk with that weight . See if you can get your hands on one to try out .
Mike Britt
I would personally get a 30# and build up until I could handle a 40# plus bow. This is what I did after I had my pulling shoulder operated on to keep it from dislocating. It was a real pleasure to shoot the 30 lbs(It was a lemonwood longbow). Ken