I was wondering whats the best all around weight for almost everything like turkeys..deer..hogs..bear..elk..etc i know the most important thing is shot placement on anything but wondering what everyones input is?
55?
I think your 50#@29 would be fine for your list.
Ok, I will bite. The amount you can shoot comfortably.
THXS guys i figured i hope to shoot this bow even when i am a oldman but a second set of limbs was a thought to me??
Wow...that totally depends on the individual pulling the string. If you took that component out of it I would say 50#. 50# is large enough for anything on your list and many archers don't find it cumbersome to pull in the cold. It also makes you legal in most (if not every) state for elk.
I go along with the 50-55 weight for an all around bow. It has taken me 55years to realize that. Yes, I can still shoot 64 lbs. but my 55#bows are more comfortable and the old body does not ache so much after a 150 arrows in a morning.
Tacking a number on power really does not objectively say much. Draw length and the type of bow and the arrow used has a bigger roll in killing power than anything. However, I believe that a 50 pound Bear takedown or a Super Kodiak drawn to 28", even though they may be not anywhere near the fastest bows there is, will kill anything we have to hunt. I chose those because they happen to be very good hunting bows, even though I have a very full tummy from eating part of the buck my wife shot with her 38@26.5" bow and cedar arrow, tipped with a Zwicky. Which by the way, had enough power to shoot through both scapula, cut an artery, drop the buck on the spot and put the arrow into the next corn row.
The draw weight, within reason, is akin to a syringe and the lethality of its contents is the arrow. Far more can be accomplished by optimizing over-all arrow design verses going up a moderate draw weight increase.
Fifty pounds, in fact, is quite sufficient for many as your own level of confidence must be satisfied.
Friend,
Your linguistic skills not only amaze me, but make me smile :thumbsup:
Friend, you are truly a wordsmith. I enjoy your replies
I really like bows 50-55, one of my go-to's is 55, the other 56. With today's modern bow designs and materials 50-55 can get a lot done.
one you can shoot most accurately of course...but all things being equal I would think 50-55 for most big game is sufficient and optimal in cross between energy delivered to arrow, ease of shooting, etc.
Not sure it really matters though....35-105 have been used hundres of thousands of times by that many different people or more.
Most of my bows are 50-60....
A lot depends on the bow and the weight of the arrow as well as the broadhead you choose. I shoot a 525 grain arrow with a two blade broadhead (either a Zwickey Delta or Simmons Tiger Shark) from both my Kanati and my Orion recurve. I shoot both equally well and the arrows are paper tuned to perfection with both bows. They both shoot these arrows at 175-180 fps. I would shoot anything on your list with either bow.
If I had to choose one weight, it would be 50# @ whatever you draw.
Rbcorbitt and glenbo.....much valued gratitude has been incurred by your generous comments.
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After owning way to many bows than anyone should. The 3 57lbs @ 28'' bows seem to fit the best.
The statement to draw the maximum you can adequately handle is not really a flippant response, but it does imply the need for care, training, and much practice. But regarding the poundage selections that I see most commonly on this site, it seems that most of the guys seem to be from about 45# to 55#, give or take a few pounds. You do see a fair number of guys listing 60+ pound draw weights described, especially for the larger animals.
If you are most comfortable on the lower end of the scale, there is no need to feel under equipped. As others have stated, arrow selection, tuning, and tactics play a major role in your effectiveness. So draw weight is not the entire picture.
My preference is my 65# Hill bow, but I had an injury a couple of years ago, so my 55# Cheetah has become my go to bow. On it, I shoot cedar arrows with 125 grain Zwicky points.
After all this talk, shoot what you prefer and with what you are most proficient.
Thxs guys I appreciate it was thinking of headed out west here in the future and didn't know if my 50# setup would work??
yes it will work with sharp broadhead and you do your part in the accuracy department...it will do very well.
Thank ya much Brock I was surprised from a friend who strung his 52# limbs up and shot it and then put his 68#limbs on...through the chronograph wasn't much more FPS between the two believe it or not!!
A well tuned 50# setup will perform as well as a heavier rig that has a poorly spined arrow combo. Another possible reason for the lack of difference between the #52 vs #68 may be the loss of draw length from increased compression on the body from the greater weight. I found out years ago that I was losing about an inch of draw length from my heavy bow and decided on staying in the 50# range. I also shoot it better and don't have any performance related issues.
Take a look at the bows from the 50's and 60's. Most of the draw weights seem to be 40 to 55#'s. A heavy weight from that era is rare. Lots of game was taken with the mid-weight bows. A sharp, well placed arrow is what you need.
thxs man thats what i figure!!
A heavier bow won't shoot an arrow so much faster than a lighter bow as it will shoot a heavier arrow at roughly the same speed, if that makes any sense. As for effectiveness, I wouldn't want to use a 50# bow for Elephant, Hippo, Cape Buffalo or Rino. I expect it will do the job on about anything else on land, so long as it's sending as heavy an arrow as one can shoot accurately at range with a sharp, cut on contact broadhead.
I smile as I recall my visit with Fred Bear back in 1977 at the Grayling, Michigan factory. He told me that 65#'s was the ultimate hunting bow! I went out and started shooting 65-70# bows......they flat wore me out! Back in those days all the "experts" said that a 55# bow would take anything in North America. I did much better with a 57# bow. Now, after all these years, I'm shooting 40-45# bows. Age, and wear and tear, has a way of doing that to ya.......Horserod
What you are confident and comfortable with.....for me now....it's 43-48#'s. And I will add the higher the poundage...the longer I want the bow. It's tough getting old....
QuoteOriginally posted by pred80:
Thank ya much Brock I was surprised from a friend who strung his 52# limbs up and shot it and then put his 68#limbs on...through the chronograph wasn't much more FPS between the two believe it or not!!
I'll bet the mass weight of the arrow off the 68# bow was a lot more than that off the 52# bow. A heavier arrow at a given speed will penetate a lot better.
Answered your a PM, Jarrod.
Bisch
I agree with what you can most comfortably draw in all types of hunting conditions. With that said my preferance would be 50-55# range.
Tom
At Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear they did a spread sheet and the most popular weight for their shop is 53lbs. And those bos take just about every animal in North America. Most everybody around here hunts elk and gears up for them and then uses that bow for everything.
gotta love the info and greatguys here on the gang!!! thxs guys :thumbsup:
For me it would be about 50. Everything I hunt with is 46-49.5#. It won't bother me a bit (well, not too much) if I have to drop 5 pounds as I age. It is important to note that not all bows/limbs are created equal. I have chronographed a lot of bows/limbs. Some will shoot 5 pounds (or more) hotter than others. I shoot the hotter set-ups to milk a bit more out of my muscles.
As others have stated: arrow tune,
broadhead sharpness, and shot selection can boost or degrade your impact on the beast far more than the limb specifications.
Finally, one of the worst things a bowhunter can do is to be over-bowed to the point where immediate accuracy and long-term form are destroyed. If that happens the archer will have fewer stories worth sharing.
I'm disappointed in you guys. I opened this thread hoping for a good laugh before work from all of the arguing and different answers that this type of thread usually brings. ;) all I got was a group of apparently well informed and very experienced people providing some very useful information and seeming to pretty much agree with only a slight variance in the weight ranges listed. :campfire: Thanks for ruining my morning.
Now, with my sarcasm hat back on the rack, I have not gotten my first trad deer yet, so I'm not speaking from my own experiences, but the man that got me into trad told me when I started looking for a bow to look for something from 45-55, and preferably not above 50 to start with. Then, if I felt i wanted more later on, to adjust accordingly. I lucked up on a free early 60s Red Wing Hunter at 53# so my draw weight kind of picked itself. I've been very happy with it but plan to drop maybe 3-5# if I ever get to buy myself a longbow, you know, just to increase the fun factor a little. I'm only 29, but I've had several guys on here tell me they regret shooting bows that were too heavy in their youth and have shoulder problems now as a result, and I've learned to listen to the wisdom of my elders.
Matt Toms
Matt, there is only 3 pages, no way theres an arguement here.
Not much I can add to the answers of the question except.... Yes...
In my mind, 57# would be about optimum for anything in NA and lot of the rest of the world. In fact, twice I have ordered sweet bows in that weight. Twice I have had to work at remaining proficient with a bow that was just a bit too heavy for me. :archer2:
Someone mentioned previously that bow design has a lot to do with it too, that is certainly true. I have a 55# Grizzly that shoots the same arrows as my 50# Kodiak, and the Grizzly has absolutely zero advantage over the Kodiak I just have to work harder to get the same result.
53.2 # is perfect. I have 4 longbows at that weight and they seem to be the perfect compromise between light and heavy. I spent a lot of years shooting 64-68#. Aches and pains have lowered my draw weight the last few years. My shoulders give me some trouble but construction work for 38 years is the culprit there, not bows
I personally regard anything under 50 too light for me but mid 50' s are perfect. (53-57)