Im thinking of getting a new bow right now im shoot a 50lb recurve was thinking of jumping to a 60 lb bow is this to much of a jump in your guys opinion? Should i be thinking more in the 55 lb range for the new bow? thanx for your thoughts and opinions
Yep thats WAY to much poundage, i can tell a big difference in my 47lb bow and my 50lb bow. You are shooting a bow that will kill anything that walks in North America so i would only go up 5lbs if and only if you can handle your 50lb bow with ease.
Well I think it depends on your condition and what the 50 feels like for you. If it feels like a comfortable weight you can shoot a good amount, but not way light then I would say 5 for a jump is best in general. If it feels like a kids bow and your are in good shape upper body wise then maybe you can do the 10. You don't want to develop an injury or bad habits. I have personally found 5$ to be plenty for a jump.
If you jump too quickly, or are getting on in years (like me) you are risking long term injuries to bow arm elbow, wrist, or shoulder-it is not the pulling that will hurt you-make sure your health insurance is current too.
unless you are old or have health issues, I can't imagine a 60 pound bow hurting you
I biuld more bows in the 45-55# range than anything.Even if you can shoot 60# to hunt, wouldnt it be nice to shoot a 3d range or stumps without get'n worn out.Im not sure a 60# bow can kill any better than a 50-55#.Just a thought.
I can tell you I just changed from 54# to 61# Same make of bow and model and those 7# are very noticeable.
Depends how often you shoot?If you warm up w/ your 50lbs and move up to your 60lbs and shoot one arro at atime and add more arros as you gain stregnth.I say go for it.I just got a 76lbs bow that I'm using to condition myself into a 65lbs bow 4 hunting.
shouldn't be a problem to make a 10 pound jump if you are healthy. i went up 20 pounds over the summer without issues...went pretty quickly as well.
can you hold your current bow for 10 seconds without creeping? i have seen quite a few bow hunters that are overbow with their current rigs?
rusty
I remember when I asked myself the same question. Then I figured out that a ten pound increase was a bit too much for me. I'd like to stump shoot all day, shoot a couple sets of 3D and hunt with the same (weight) bow and arrows. It is MOST IMPORTANT not to be over bowed.
Now... If you are young, strong and barrel chested I'd say go for it. But if you need to ask the question I'm gonna guess you are an average build fella and maybe 5 pounds is just the ticket. Some people, myself included use a heavy arrow (10-12 grains per pound draw weight) to make up for our lighter weight bows. I shoot and hunt with 47-51 pound set ups. All day-all night Maryann. Alot of fun and no stress asking myself... "Can I get this to full draw when it's cold or when I'm on my knees?"
Thanks for lettin' me rant a bit. :)
... mike ...
I recently made the jump from 60 to 72. Could I do it, yes, did I like it, no. When shooting stop being fun, it's not for me. So long story short, I sold every bow I had over the 58lbs mark. With the money I picked up new 44lbs longbow limbs from Bob Morrison. Glad I did, now it's back to being a fun thing to do.
There is an excercise which you can use to determine if you are ready for a jump up in weight. It is done with a Formaster, but you can just use your fingers to draw the bow instead. This excercise was documented on a Texas archery site. I use it for conditioning and to help me jump up in weight. Draw your bow and hold at full draw for 30 seconds. Let down and rest for 20 seconds. If you can do 20 reps you are ready for more weight. I use a Formaster and a 65# workout bow to do this and shoot a 60# bow while hunting. Doing this with a bow 5# heavier than the bow I shoot makes my hunting bow feel effortless. This isn't a hard fast rule, but it is a good barometer to see if you are overbowed. I would rather be 20# under bowed than 5# over bowed.
Gil
All depends on how easy 50#'s feels drawing now....
To say definitively yes or no is being kinda closed minded...
Everyone is different...I'd get the 60#'er and use it more as a workout bow for a while as you keep shooting the 50#'er....then slowly start shooting it more and more....
My bows range from 40 to 70 pounds. I like shooting 50 to 60 pound bows the best. Fred Eichler has taken every species of North American big game with a 54 pound bow, so you really don't need any more if you can shoot well.
For hunting here in North America, I personally prefer about a 55 pound bow. Unless you are going after grizzly (including brown) bear or going to Africa, there is not a particularly good reason to go above 55 pounds, but if you can draw 60 pounds and shoot a bow of that weight accurately under all situations, then go for it if you want to. For African big game up through cape buffalo you need to be thinking of a minimum of around 70 pounds.
I can shoot an under-50 pound bow for a couple of hours straight. I am ready to stop after an hour or so straight with a 55 pound bow. At 60 pounds I am good for half an hour or so. At 65 pounds I can shoot for half an hour, but I have to rest some along the way. At 68 to 70 pounds I can shoot for maybe 15 minutes before my form starts breaking down and my shots start getting erratic.
For hunting from a standing position where I would only shoot one or two arrows, fatigue or inability to properly draw a bow up to 70 pounds is not a problem for me. But for target or field archery where I am going to be shooting a lot, or when hunting from difficult positions in cold weather with bulky clothing, I want to be shooting a bow that is 60 pounds or less.
I sure understand the people who think shooting a 45 pound bow is more fun. I shoot a 50+ pound bow better because I get a cleaner release, so that is more fun for me. I don't shoot my heavy bows a lot, but I am glad I have them when I do want to shoot them.
For some people out there, 60 pounds is a light bow. A few guys can easily shoot an 80 pound bow. I wish I were that strong, but I definitely am NOT! I have been buying some lighter bows for when I am older and can't pull the weight I do now. I am 57 now, and those days are going to arrive before I know it.
Allan
I jumped up about 8# and didnt have any probs but what I did do was put in months of strength training before hand. I was doing close on 100 push ups and bent over rows with weight a night leading up to the arrival of the heavier bow. Draw length will paly a big part in the bow performance too. Fred Eicler was mentioned above only shooting a 54# bow but that is at his draw of 30+" which is a little different to shooting at 54#@ 28" or below.
Though I would recommend a 5lb jump, you can easily jump up 10lb. It will just take a little longer, getting used to it.
I think the guys who have made the jump have all remarked on how hard they needed to work to get to that point. Don't attempt it if you don't want to work on getting stronger and if you don't have the time to commit to it. What you are thinking of doing probably accounts for a large reason bows are sold in the classified section.
Usually threads about draw weight have to do with going down.
Bows in the low to mid fifties have plenty of punch for most hunting. A little extra weight is not a drawback either. If you are even thinking of going up, it must mean that fifty is easy for you. If fifty is easy, sixty will be too, with a little bit of SMART practice.
Just be certain that your draw length does not shorten because of the extra weight. More weight, and less stroke defeats the entire purpose.
After doing this trad thing for 15+ years and shooting bows from 48lbs to 75lbs.I beleive if one isn't jumping at least 10lbs in bow weight,you don't gain much in performance.For me jumping from 50lbs to 55lbs is a waste.
QuoteFor me jumping from 50lbs to 55lbs is a waste
Yup. unless i had the money to buy a ton of bows to go up slowly. I made the jump from 50 to 60 with no issues whatsoever. in fact i then jumped to 70 again with no negative issues. i just can't shoot the 70lbr all day.
Howard Hill conditioned himself to be able to shoot 80# bows comfortable all the time and so can you if you do it correctly.you need to condition yourself
I think the best thing is to draw some bows of different weights and see what feels good.
I shoot so much that my mid-to-high 50s bows start to feel like absolutely nothing at full draw. I like to feel some tension at full draw as I feel it helps me come off the string better and find my conclusion. I believe being able to hold on target without creeping for 10 seconds repeatedly throughout a practice session as Wingnut said is a good test to see if you're overbowed.
It's really best if you can at least draw back a bow like the one you're looking at in a similar weight to see how it feels. I need to be able to draw back the bow using only my back without feeling any tension in my arms and very little in my shoulders.
Craig
Ten is a big jump. Five would be more conservative and would a 60# provide a real advantage over a 55#? Additionally I would suggest that it is easier to sell a lighter bow to move up than vice versa (IMO).
If you are hunting with it consider how that bow will feel on a cold morning when you have been sitting for hours and are just about to quit and your intended target shows up. I personally learned that the hard way.
Bowmaster,
How easy are you shooting the 50? If it is very easy then I think the jump to 60 will be easy for you. I personally jumped from 48# to 85# and did just fine and still shoot that bow today. I had cancer surgery on my shoulder and had chunks of the humerous bone removed and replaced with cadaver bone, then I dropped to a 70# bow. I worked with it until I was able to shoot it with ease for as long as I wanted, then went back to the 85# bow. I still shoot both though I tend to lean towards the 70#er because I like the bow better. It is a Howard Hill. I plan on having Craig make me an 85#er as soon as I can though because I prefer the heavy bow weight. I may be the exception to the rule, but if you shoot the bow with ease, for as long as you like, then by all means move up 10#.
Hillbilly
Since you asked...
What's the big deal?
Some people make this a big deal because they don't want to mix muscle strain and strengthening with shooting their weapon.
If you are changing bows because you just want to buy another bow then get whatever you want.
BUT if you are getting another bow because you want to increase bow weight then I highly recommend not moving a small increment like 5 lbs. Make it at least 10 or more lbs. OR don't do anything.
It not a big deal in effort to pull another 10 lbs. unless your afraid of a little muscle strain and build.
All you have to do is get the bow, pick it up and pull it everyday, every time you walk into the room. In a matter of no time flat you will be able to pull it to your intended draw with no problem.
It will help some but...you do not have to go work out with weights, do push ups, etc. You are using totally different muscles when you do totally different exercises. If you want to strengthen your bow pulling muscles then pull the stinkin bow back.
There are plenty of free weight "strong" men that can not efficiently draw a 60 lb. recurve bow. They have been living and exercising on a different planet with different muscles.
If you want to draw and shoot a heavier more powerful bow then get it and pull it.
And for hunting, you are much better off by NOT using a little weight as you can get by with.
thats for all the good advice and everyones thoughts i dont really hold my draw when i shoot so im not sure how long i can hold without creep or shacking i hit my anchor and let fly. Im thinking of buying a whisperstik but im worried about getting a bow that i cant shoot, (been readign alot of threads about being over bowed) I know a lighter bow has plenty of killing power its all about shot placement but for some reason 60 lb is in my had as the perfect bow weight. I guess right now im leanign towards a 5lb jump to make sure i can shoot and enjoy my new bow