I'm just now started shooting my old recurve.  I've got a Noob question so... please bare with!

What the heck is stacking?  Is it a bad thing?  I've got a shorter recurve.  It pulls 45 lbs @ 28 inches and at 30 inches it's pulling 60 lbs.  Is this stacking?  Is this bad?

thanks

Yes and Yes.

QuoteOriginally posted by Molson:
Yes and Yes.

Ok and why?

Most well made bows will increase in weight at about 3-4 lbs per inch past 28". A bow that gains 15# in two inch's is a rare bird. What kind of bow are you shooting and are you sure of the 15# increase? Sounds pretty stout to me.

Jerry

Stacking is when the draw weight per inch becomes increasingly harder the further the bow is drawn.  I had an old Herters 60" bow that was 55 @ 28 and I was trying to draw to 32 inches.  Man, it was a killer.  I felt like I hit "the wall" at about 30 inches and the bow wanted to explode.

I'm no expert but I think around 3 lbs. per inch of draw is normal for most bows, so your last two inches your bow is increasing at 7 lbs. per inch.  yes, that is stacking, and if you have to draw that far to reach your proper draw length, yes it is bad and you will probably find it uncomfortable.

I now shoot a 64" Black Widow PMA II that draws comfortably out to my 32" in draw without stacking.  Makes a world of difference for me.

I'm going off of alot of memory. It was my fathers recurve.  We received it from a Neighbor in Northern Michigan when I was about 12.  He could no longer shoot because of his shoulders and saw me and my brother wanging away with a small starter bow.  He gave us 4 recurves. Two Matched Hoyt target bows, a Bow he made at the Grayling Bear Factory and this bow which my Father set up for bow hunting.  It's been painted camo but the poundage and draw weight are still visible.  

I'll have to pull the bow and check the numbers to be sure.  Maybe I've missed something.

Ok... I just looked at the bow.

58"
PH15980

49#

Sorry Fats... Had to run and just hit the enter button.

As was already stated, stacking is when the bow suddenly increases weight over a short distance.  Pretty much just as you described with the bow gaining a bit over 10lbs over two inches.  Probably the biggest problem is the sudden increase in weight could lead to form errors like plucking, snapshooting, or short-drawing.  It could also cause damage to the bow, depending on the reason for the stack.

The stack could be contributed to the 58" bow being drawn 30".  You've probably got a bit of finger pinch going on there too which would make it feel even worse.

Does anybody have any clue as to what bow this is based on those numbers?

post em in the history/collecting forum, I can about guarantee you will get an answer!  

Cool... I'll try that!

Stacking is as described but not necessarily a bad thing. Some bowyers report best performance from bows that are right at their stack point at full draw. However, if the extra weight causes you to have bad form you need to change something. Especially for a beginner or return to trad shooter, its best to have too little weight so you can work on form.

My guess is that it is a Hoyt Pro Hunter, based on the PH1 serial #

QuoteOriginally posted by Shaun:
Stacking is as described but not necessarily a bad thing. Some bowyers report best performance from bows that are right at their stack point at full draw. However, if the extra weight causes you to have bad form you need to change something. Especially for a beginner or return to trad shooter, its best to have too little weight so you can work on form.

I've always had pretty good form.  Learning on Recurves sets you up pretty good when you start shooting the wheel bows.  The hard part for me is remembering where my comfortable anchor point is for the recurve.  I'm a big guy (not bragging)  I can shoot comfortably at 60lbs.  I may use one of the target bows for a while just to get my groove right.  It can't hurt!

Thanks for the information

QuoteOriginally posted by Fletcher:
My guess is that it is a Hoyt Pro Hunter, based on the PH1 serial #

That's the going concensus!  Thanks for the knowledge!