Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: barken-74 on October 17, 2011, 02:01:00 PM
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i think i`ve overbowed myself for years no shooting 70# bows then i bougt a 60# toelke and 60# tomahawk it was much better now i found a 53# RER on the classified coming tomorrow i think
it will be even better i think for my shooting
how heavy do you shoot?
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I shoot 48#s. I want something around 52#s.
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Don't even get me started. :banghead:
Matt
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I shoot 50# comfortably, but draw 29-1/2" sooooo.......let's say 55# ish on all my bows.
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Usually in the low 60# range for me.
Travis
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I can shoot up to a 60# Recurve decently but my happy spot is between 47# - 52#.
I have now a 36# bow for just indoor & blind shooting.
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Okay, I will chime in... 80# - 120#. Depends on the day. But, I am a nut case.
Draw what works for you. I do believe in using a heavy bow, for strength training/practice, and your usual bow for hunting and 3 D. Heavier weight will make your "go to bow", easy.
Matt
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I use a 38# Harrelson longbow. I only hunt deer sized critters and under and have no problems.
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Hills/style starting at 71#-90#@28". Shoot what suits.
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I've shot 3d with bows up to 125lbs and they are fun. I still have some heavy bows but I get all my customs made 63@28 now. Its a lot easier to find wood shafts for a 63lb bow than my 100lb bow and I refuse to shoot anything but wood. Ill put my 63lb whippensticks and my 63lb peregrine against any 90lb bow.
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I shoot 45-47#@28" bows. My right shoulder won't tolerate any more than that. It is more than adequate to kill any deer at which I take a shot.
Bill
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60 t0 65 but my general go to bow is a 61 lb. Widow.
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All my bows in the past have been in the low to mid 50's. Right now I have a 54# and one on order that will hopefully come in @ 60-62#. I've pulled 70#'s before and it's little too much for me and the low 50's feel a little weak now days.
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You will like that RER. I shoot a RER LX longbow, 46#@28(I draw just a little over 28"). They are made here in Wisconsin where I live. :wavey:
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I have 2 58#, And 1 61#. I am able yo shoot heavier, but for me, I see no reason to.
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52-60 pounds. There isn nothing you can do with a bow that can't be done by bows in this weight range. I've shot heavier but find its a lot easier on my elbows and shoulders to stay under 60 pounds
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seriously, who really cares what is my stick bow holding weight?
in what way would it matter to anyone?
imho, all that matters is the poundage you can personally command, not endure.
as long as your bow's holding weight meets the hunt venue and hunted game's legal criteria, that's all that matters ... no? am i missing something here? :dunno:
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Shot 63 for years now shoot 49 and am loving it.
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I stay around the 50# range, Shoot what feels good!
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I think most have shot bows in the 60s#, 70# back when we were young...er. Now that I am older I don't know about wiser I like shooting high 40s# to low 50s#.
I can shoot for long periods and it don't bother my joints and I do not get fatigued. Shoot what's comfortable and enjoy.
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Doing all my shooting this past year with a 52#@28" that I draw to 29-1/2" for about 55#.
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I am getting back into trad archery after a 20 year absence. I used to read about how (in 1950's & 60's) that conventional wisdom - influenced by field/target archery - was not to "overbow" yourself. That a 50# bow will shoot through any N. American game animal. Well, after 20 years it's like I took a ride in a time capsule. This "don't over-bow yourself" mentality is apparently back, in full force. I used to shoot bows in the mid-60# range. I currently shoot 57# and have plans to increase poundage after my archery muscles are conditioned. Trad archers I talk with seem to raise eyebrows at my plans to shoot bows in the 60+# range (Heaven forbid me telling them I want to shoot bows in the 70+ lb range!)
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Also, seems like there are a ton of heavier bows on the market with the seller indicating "must move down in weight due to a shoulder injury". No joke, I have seen dozens on this site and the big auction site I can't name. This may be me in a few weeks, lol.
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where is that voice of reason we all sometimes need to hear?
shoot whatever you like as it doesn't matter one bit what anyone thinks but You. i sure don't give a hoot. and i sure as heck ain't telling anyone what bow or arrow or holding weight i think is best for them.
geez louise, it's all subjective and conscionable stuff, as long as you meet the hunt land's legalities.
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Where did the heavy bows go? Dan Quillian was a promoter of shooting heavier bows. Of course I was a 20-something and quite impressionable when I would pick his brain at his shop. He once told me that one day he quit listening to the "don't over-bow yourself" crowd and began defiantly shooting heavier bows, with a great deal of success. He really had strong points for going as heavy as you comfortably handle. And if you read Howard Hill's book he certainly leaned toward a very heavy bow by today's standards. Things tend to go in cycles, and I think we may be in a light-bow phase in the world of trad archery. Also, the core base of trad archers is getting older. 20 yrs ago you did not hear all these arguments for light bows around every corner. Now a light bow is almost like a badge of honor for many trad archers. I agree to each his own, but I prefer a heavier bow as long as I can shoot one. At least 60+ lbs. Just me and my opinion. I realize it is relative though, based on the shooter.
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I like to shoot high 40's to mid 50's - I draw a solid 30 inches and the extra power stroke helps me out. I think 50-52 feels best to me. The biggest animal I hunt is a white tail, so I guess I got plenty of juice with my set ups.
Bob.
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During my last 47 years of bowhunting, I've "never" shot a bow over 44#.
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I shot mid 60's for many years, but have just ordered a new Stalker recurve 55lb at my draw.
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Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
where is that voice of reason we all sometimes need to hear?
shoot whatever you like as it doesn't matter one bit what anyone thinks but You. i sure don't give a hoot. and i sure as heck ain't telling anyone what bow or arrow or holding weight i think is best for them.
geez louise, it's all subjective and conscionable stuff, as long as you meet the hunt land's legalities.
+2 :deadhorse:
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Between 45 and 55 at 28" makes me a happy camper. I feel comfortable in that weight range and that range with a good arrow, sharp BH put where it needs to be and the results are going to be good...
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While I enjoyed shooting bows over 80 pounds for years, the dumbest thing I ever did was to not get a low 50s bow from John Schulz. There is nothing wrong with working up in weight, although a quick shooting 40 pound bow can easily be a more deadly hunting bow for many shooters. Everyone is different, what ever works for you and does the job is good enough.
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61# to 72# on all my recurves.
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Gents,
These kinds of threads are more fun than anything else. Why? Just brings out strong opinions that really don't matter. But, fun to read.
I agree with Rob DiStefano. It doesn't matter. Shoot heavy, shoot medium, shoot light. Whatever makes YOU HAPPY.
I like heavy bows - 80# - 100#. That's just me.
But, my "Long Term Keeper" brand new bows that I spent a fortune on..... they are all in the 60's LBS range. Why? Because, I sunk a ton of money into them and want to shoot them when I get much older.
Again, just shoot what you want. Please, only yourself. Archery or Hunting is personal, not a group thing. Make yourself happy.
My 2 cents.
Matt
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I USED to shoot nothing but farily heavy bows My first custom order was for a HH Big 5 71 # (Still have it ) Graduated to 86# BIg 5 . Shot that for years and shot a bow or two in the 100# range a few times and handled it .
AHd a nother custom made for me 74 @26" . THEN blew out one shoulder in Martial ARTs Practice . Then screwed up the other shoulder In another Marial arts practice NOW im handling a 45 to 50 Pound range OK and shooting OK The hsoulde rinjuries kept me out of Archery for almost 10 years NO MORE heavies for me !!!!
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45# 52# 56# 58# 67#
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I truly appreciate that archery is a personal thing, and that each chooses their weight. But at times it comes off that a light bow is a virtue or something. I guess I was heavily influenced by the writings of Howard Hill and writings and advice of Dan Quillian, who seemed to think that a heavy bow had some inherent advantages for hunting. Don't want to offend any lighter equipment archers, but a heavier bow may have some merrit.
1) Shoot a very heavy arrow with a respectable velocity (helping you pass-through animals, even if miss-hit, aka shoulder hit or similar). To me, this almost seems "responsible"??? By simple physics, a 85 lb bow slinging a 900+ grain arrow will be more deadly than a 45 lbs bow shooting much lighter weight arrow.
2) Help get a clean release. Again, accuracy would be beneficial for a clean shot at game.
3) Better transfer of skills from practice to hunting. The nature of hunting is that you actually shoot very few arrows (a handful of warmups, then likely just 1 shot, if any). If you train with a lower frequency of shots per session - maybe desirable, making each shot really count - and allow adequate rest periods between shots it would be doable to shoot a heavier bow, for most people. Verses shooting a lighter bow for repetitive arrow flinging (target shooting, 3D, etc.). I have been shooting 1 arrow, retrieve it, and then shoot it again. Seems like the practice, by nature of how you have to train and shoot a heavy bow, would be better to prepare you for hunting.
4) Observation of what other top hunters of trad archery do (or have done in past). Dan Q. pointed out that almost every notable trad shooter throughout history shot a fairly heavy bow (H. Hill, F. Bear, Art Laha, and the list goes on an on). Most of these guys shot bows of at least 65 lbs or more. Dan actually shot bows as heavy as 85+ lbs rather late in life . . . after suffering a heart attack!
5) Shooting a heavy bow just seems to be part of the "tradition" of traditional archery. Reading H. Hill's Hunting the Hard Way this seems as plain as the nose on my face.
I know this is my opinion. Just curious what the inherent advantage of the light bow are, besides less risk of injury. Example: Easier to stop mid-draw if a deer suddenly looks at you, able to draw and hold (say you draw before an animal comes out from behind brush), etc. I am certainly no expert, and I if I am wrong I would like to find out why.
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I could even relate to one wanting to shoot a lighter bow to add to the challenge. Say how in sportfishing you have various lightweight line categories for world records. Doing it as an added challenge. Particularly if you were shooting a self-bow or something (say with a stone point).
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Originally posted by WDELongbow:
I could even relate to one wanting to shoot a lighter bow to add to the challenge. Say how in sportfishing you have various lightweight line categories for world records. Doing it as an added challenge. Particularly if you were shooting a self-bow or something (say with a stone point).
I don't think that's cool to 'relate' that....when fishing with light stuff....killing the fish doens't happen if the light tackle fails.
If the light tackle fails in hunting the animal suffers for the 'challenge'? Un-Cool....MAJOR Un-Cool.
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But at some point, you would have to stick to broadside shots at 10 yds, or just use a 30-06 to ensure a kill. Whatever weight bow you use, there is a fairly high wound rate with a bow compared to a rifle. I think this logic supports my premise that a heavier bow is a better hunting weapon because it packs more wallop.
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Originally posted by WDELongbow:
But at some point, you would have to stick to broadside shots at 10 yds, or just use a 30-06 to ensure a kill. Whatever weight bow you use, there is a fairly high wound rate with a bow compared to a rifle. I think this logic supports my premise that a heavier bow is a better hunting weapon because it packs more wallop.
I suspect that you'd be surprised if there were factual compilations of animals wounded and lost with firearms versus those from archery unfortunately there is no such data, because most people who wound and lose deer do not report it..
After 53 years in this sport I can definitively tell you that no one needs a bow of more than 40 lbs at their draw length to kill any deer in North America especially a bow made of modern materials and using modern methods of construction.
And before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, I was shooting a 70 pound bow when I was 16 and a 85 pound bow when I was 20.... I've drawn and shot bows of over a 100 pounds many times but I've never needed a bow that drew more than 40 pounds to hunt deer... All that said.. I shoot between 46 and 50 pounds at my draw length because I can comfortably shoot them and because if I drop to less than 38 pounds I begin to have problems getting off the string..
I won't tell someone they need to shoot less poundage “IF” I see they are handling the weight well, but I will recommend that any student I see hunching in order to draw the bow and shooting less draw length than they should in order to shoot that weight should consider a different bow.
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I would not have a problem with someone, for the challenge, shooting a 35 lb sinew-backed self-bow (legal in my state) and shooting stone points (also legal); as long as they knew the limitations of the weapon and waited for a perfect, close, quartering away shot. Any animal taken would be a trophy! Just like taking a fish with light tackle. There are some common elements with light tackle fishing (the why of it) and my example. Lets face it, there is a risk of wounding an animal whatever weapon is chosen. If applied responsibly, this risk is minimized though.
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This past week for the first time with my current bow I got drenched in the rain and took a shot with wet bow, limb covers, wool puffs, fletch, etc. and moving that extra water mass easily robbed me of 10 lbs or more in effective draw weight. It was a lethal shot, but could easily have worked out poorly.
When you use the minimum you have no margin for error. And in a hunting situation errors sometimes travel in packs. I think it's still a good policy to shoot "as much bow" as you can use effectively
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In those days,bows and arrows weren't as well tuned and some bows weren't as efficient.People then also commonly took shots at twice or more the distance than many today consider ethical.Many of those guys started with self bows and needed more weight with them.
I have a copy of Ye Olde Sylvan archer from 1943 and writers talk about the light bow heavy bow debate,the light arrow-heavy arrow controversy and arguments about broadhead design.There's nothing new about it.
Bowyers have learned to build bows more efficiently.Not that all are that different from some as far back as the late '50's or '60's but many are,especially many long bows.
Our knowledge of tuning arrows to bows has come a long ways in even the last few years and I'm pleased to see how many people are diligent about it.That may be the number one biggest reason that our setups are more efficient than those of decades ago.
I see more guys getting pass throughs on deer,elk and other animals,these days,than I ever did in the '60's.I think proper tuning is a big part of it.
Bow weight is only part of the equation and a widely varying part.The arrow is what transfers the bow's energy to the target and,depending on the type of arrow and how it is constructed,a lot of that energy can be lost or quite a bit can be harnessed,depending on the arrow.
I don't mean to say that heavy bows aren't good when shot by people who can shoot them well but bow weight isn't the only the only measure of performance.It isn't even a real good measure,just part of the picture.
I do believe a hunter should use the heaviest weight he can shoot well and that varies with each person.A lot can be done to increase the efficiency of a setup if one has to drop down in weight.The original poster says he knows he has been over-bowed and wants to know about setups in the 50+ lb range.
Bows in that weight range seem to be very efficient with decent weight arrows and a properly tuned setup.On this continent at least,a well setup mid 50's weight bow should get pass throughs most of the time on any game we have with the exception of large,shielded boar hogs.
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I did not realize this was such a touchy subject, particularly for the lighter tackle folks.
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I love this site. With Tradgang you get so many varied opinions.
And.... some very strong opinions.
It is all constructive and has helped me become a better shooter. Plus, lots of entertainment value.
Matt
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I have run into a lot more guys that were over bowed than under bowed. the only fellow that I could say was definitely under bowed could easily shoot my 72 pound longbow, but was hunting with a 42 Bear takedown. The rather large buck that he shot a Bear broadhead through with the bleeder blades, was not large enough to stop his arrow. We can say that we need the power to blow through a shoulder bone, but in reality we don't have that much for the most part. so what is left, ribs, and even that makes a difference whether you are on the ground or in a tree shooting straight down. The other nasty side of this, is that a very fast high 30s recurve or hybrid can shoot the same arrow faster than a Hill style longbow or a selfwood that can be 10 pounds stiffer. If you are the light side of things and want to have some margin, get the fastest bow you can and leave the slower style bows for the big boys to play with. A strong shot out of a fast 40 pound bow is more deadly than a weak shot out of a heavier longbow and quite possibly more accurate as well.
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Well,and any time similar discussions come up,people always reference whitetail deer.They are hunted in the highest numbers but there are something like 27 different species of native big game in North America.Not everyone hunts only whitetails and some that hunt whitetails plan to travel and hunt bigger stuff.I'm not a pig hunter but from what I've seen,a big old boar may be the toughest thing we have and aren't even on that list.
I agree with many being over bowed but there are some who can shoot the true heavy weights very well and I believe you can't have too much margin of error.Heavy isn't a bad thing for those that can shoot them well.The arrow is a very important part of the equation also.
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As I sit here now, I have yet to meet a bow that I could not draw to my 29.5, regardless of weight, and I thank god for it every day because I went 10 years where I could not draw a 40# bow due to injuries (note- injurieSS.) I am currently playing with a 120# Martin custom longbow and let me tell you finding arrows of appropriate spine, making them, and tuning them has been more than I bargained for. I also have bows ranging from 40# and up. I suspect I could easily draw upwards of 170#. The secret is strong biceps and strong biceps as well as strong biceps.
That being said, the weight of the bow doesnt mean jack if you cant hit what your aiming at. Yeah, I can draw a sedona redwood if you can string it. But can I hit the ten ring at 20 yards with it? Na.
Now devils advocate- I have always said archery is a great sport that everyone can enjoy, but bow hunting is a sport for those of at least moderate physical ability. 40# at your draw minimum for deer IMHO. And you better be responsible. Not that bow weight is the only factor but I am SICK of finding some irresponsible archers skeletonized buck carcasses every spring. Thanks.
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Jason,
"I can draw a Sedona Redwood, if you can string it"..... love it!!!
This week I am supposed to see my Jim Boswell, Rudderbows, English War Bow. It is 150# at 32". I draw 27 1/2" So, I am guessing around 135# at my draw length.
Now, if I "Sky Pull" for Flight, I might get 32" of draw. We will see. (BTW - I am not a Flight Archer, I prefer to shoot War Bows with my standard anchor)
More importantly I like this comment of yours...."I am SICK of finding some irresponsible archers skeletonized buck carcasses every spring"
Well said. Better to be accurate.
Matt
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I used to shoot 83#, last year I had a non archery related neck injury at C5 which dropped my draw weight to 28#. Now I am back up to around 63# max but mostly 53-57# for hunting. I ain't as good as I once was....
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Just to test myself if I have healed from my injuries, I loaded up my two 64 pound at 26" draw Schulz longbows. Put a tight nocked blunt on one so I could be sure of my draw and drew each side, left and right, to full draw ten times. i maybe could have gone up to my old twenty draws, but I am already pushing my luck with just ten reps each side. It is fun to shoot heavy stuff, but I am 60 years old and I don't feel the need to prove anything by it. 64 pounders, I have 3, will be my top end weights, but when I am freezing my tukus off when it is way below freezing, those little 52 pounders are easier to control. When I see someone with tight control of a lower weight bow and they start dreaming of shooting a heavy bow, I dig out the old heavy bow, just to prove to them that the wanting can be quite often better than the having. A fellow had a heavy Hill for sale awhile back. He really put on a sales pitch about how good it was and he was certain I was going to buy it. We went out to shoot. I never saw him draw it past 22" even once. I shot it for him to show him what it looked like when it was drawn all the way back and told him he was not even getting it close. He thought that I needed it, I told him no way. then I showed him the name on the bow and my drivers license. It was my old bow. Heavy bows are great, if you can handle them, but like I said for many the wanting is often better than the having.
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Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
seriously, who really cares what is my stick bow holding weight?
in what way would it matter to anyone?
imho, all that matters is the poundage you can personally command, not endure.
as long as your bow's holding weight meets the hunt venue and hunted game's legal criteria, that's all that matters ... no? am i missing something here? :dunno:
I think he just wanted to see what the trend is, ease up Mr. Rob.
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Originally posted by WDELongbow:
Where did the heavy bows go? Dan Quillian was a promoter of shooting heavier bows. Of course I was a 20-something and quite impressionable when I would pick his brain at his shop. He once told me that one day he quit listening to the "don't over-bow yourself" crowd and began defiantly shooting heavier bows, with a great deal of success. He really had strong points for going as heavy as you comfortably handle. And if you read Howard Hill's book he certainly leaned toward a very heavy bow by today's standards. Things tend to go in cycles, and I think we may be in a light-bow phase in the world of trad archery. Also, the core base of trad archers is getting older. 20 yrs ago you did not hear all these arguments for light bows around every corner. Now a light bow is almost like a badge of honor for many trad archers. I agree to each his own, but I prefer a heavier bow as long as I can shoot one. At least 60+ lbs. Just me and my opinion. I realize it is relative though, based on the shooter.
The msot common bow weights sold in the 60s and 70s were 40 and 45 lbs. There has never been a large scale move to heavier bows. Some folks shoot them very well over time, most do not. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with level of fitness, either. I know a guy a few hours north of me that could probably bench press a Volkswagen on a bet, but he tore his shoulder apart shooting 90+ pound selfbows for years.
I started out in the low 70 pound range. 20 years later I'm in the upper 50s and my arrows are every bit as lethal as they were back then. The difference is I don't need the tylenol or ice packs after a shooting session anymore.
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Ahhh, back to the topic, I shoot a 53#, 67# and have a 66# on order.
I draw 29" and my bow weights are at 28". Shoot what you like, but be responsible.
God Bless,
Nathan
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I think Mr. Quillian's point was that during the 60's and 70's most bows were on the light side (the old "don't overbow yourself" mantra, and "a 45 lb bow will shoot through any N. American game animal", etc., etc., etc.). He was sort of a rebel amongst his peers when he started shooting heavier bows back then. I am pretty sure the argument for shooting a heavier bow, if you could shoot it accurately, was that it had some clear advantages for hunting. He thought it a more effective hunting weapon, and shot a fairly heavy bow fairly late in life (80-90# or similar at through his 60's I believe). Also, I suspect he simply enjoyed shooting a heavier bow as well. Also, it does have a level of fitness involved. Through practice, you build your muscles to allow you to shoot the heavier draw weight. Like any sport, most people can increase strength significantly (20-25% within a few weeks actually) with exercise and training. So you can jump from say 50 lbs to 60+ lbs in strength capability, allowing you go go heavier. The equipment you shoot is not the entirety of the system that can be improved upon. The exercise could be weights or just shooting the heavy bow itself.
Raging Water, or anyone else, I would appreciate any info you could provide on this training aspect?
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I personally saw the benefits of a lower weight bow in a Rod Jenkins clinic last fall. Most all of us were shooting 50-65# bows going into the clinic and most all of us were NOT coming to full expansion and it was evident that our form suffered. Dropping down 10#, and sometimes 20# allowed most all of us to achieve perfect, or near perfect form. I personally dropped from a 53# @ 28 to a 43@28, but now I'm drawing closer to 30" with proper expansion and back tension.
I've shot 2 deer and probably a half dozen hogs up to 120# since that clinic and guess what. The arrows were stuck in the dirt on the other side in all but 1 pig.He was too short and the arrow hit the dirt before passing all the way thru. Thats enough proof for me!
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64 years old=64#'s
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back in the mid 50's to mid 60's, i don't remember any bowhunter using more than a 50# recurve for whitetail, and most were lot's less in holding weight. how this translated into a macho thing in the 90's and beyond is well past my understanding.
i see far too many trad archers struggling with a bow weight that's far beyond their current abilities. but somehow, they think all is just fine and dandy. things look okay 'til they come close to anchor and then either they dump the arrow or hold and shake a bit but never achieve full draw, never do the push/pull, never get "over the arrow", and invariably the arrow flies off and away to their bowarm side. they just don't spend the time to develop proper bow muscles. they'd be far better off shooting in the low forties rather than the high fifties - or more!
however, there ARE trad archers who can EASILY command 65-70# bows, and they just need to keep on keepin' on. but those others who can't pull that kinda weight correctly need to back down for theirs and their hunted game's sake. just sayin' it like it is. i was once in that overbowed camp and i got a hefty dose of trad bow religion ...
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46# at 28" Black Widow MAII. I had rotator cuff surgery 6 years ago and am glad I have this bow.
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Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
imho, all that matters is the poundage you can personally command, not endure.
Thats about it in a nutshell ...
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Confirms my observation that this is a very touchy subject. I should have just answered:
"57 lbs"
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My prefered wt is 67#, use this for 3-d and hunting. I shoot a 84#er serveral times a week to keep my strength up , makes the 67#er feel like a toy.
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Originally posted by WDELongbow:
I did not realize this was such a touchy subject, particularly for the lighter tackle folks.
It's not that touchy, it's that for every guy shooting a heavy bow, there are fifteen shooting lighter tackle.
You're going to get more opinions in favor of lighter bows, just simple numbers.
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Light or heavy it's all about having fun and enjoying one's self. It's not to heavy or not to light it's just shooting.
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#49 for me.
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I shoot a 67# bow @29".
Being that this was my first traditional bow I think initially it was too much weight for me but I read enough from fellow trad shooters that I didn't develop bad habits. I spent a good bit of time building my strength up so that my form was correct and I was using a solid anchor.
I actually enjoy the weight now and don't find it a bother at all to shoot a whole bunch of arrows. Now for the deer. Maybe tomorrow....
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I like Ben's last post! (My bad, that is Ben commenting on Rob's post.)
All my bows scale at 52-59 currently. I shot my D for two hours tonight at #56 and enjoyed a long full anchor and smooth release during blank bale practice.
I'm sure I'm under bowed, but 56# with a 600 grain arrow seems plenty lethal to me. I might go mid 60's if I do a trip for elk, moose, or bear next year. I'm liking this combo for deer/pigs.
Thom
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That is def true about being able to hold a long anchor....
I shot a friends bow that was 85#.... I could shoot it..... for only about a dozen shots then I would start almost snap shooting... bc I ddnt want to hold the weight and it created bad habits...
What it did do was make my lighter bows seem like a toy and let me hold the lighter bows at anchor very comfortably.....
Sometimes it is a little bit of an ego thing for us guys.... Myself included... I powerlifted for many year.... Boasting big numbers is awesome... What I think Rob is getting at is we do owe more to the game we hunt....
For many years 55# killed everything around just as long as the right set up was used. Nothing has changed in that aspect.
What has changed is technology. Bows can be made heavier and last....
To put a cap on it.... Shoot what makes you happy but remember why we are out in the woods... Its not a contest....