Tradtech Limb Length & Arrow Selection

[trad007FL]

Hey all! I have a two-part question. I'm putting a hunting bow and arrows together for the WV & VA mountains.   

1) Tradtech limb length. I'm 5'6" with a 26-inch recurve draw length. I had planned on getting the 19-inch Titan 3 riser and pairing it with medium limbs for a 62-inch bow. Given I'm vertically challenged, would it make sense to go with short limbs for a 60-inch bow? I get that speed comes from shorter limbs with stability and forgiveness coming from longer limbs - but with such a short draw, would the shorter limbs serve me better?   

2) Arrows. I've been eyeing Gold Tip Traditional XT hunting arrows. At 50-54 lbs. of draw weight at a 29-inch arrow with a 150-grain broadhead, it's calling for a 400 spine. However, I think I plan on using a 3-blade VPA 175-grain broadhead (and this isn't an option on the chart). Because of this, I'll likely opt for the 340 spine.  If need be, I can either shorten my arrows a bit or add a screw-in weight at the front to weaken/stiffen the spine.

My question is, this would put me at 511.8 grains of total finished arrow weight at 15% FOC. Sounds great - but that equates to (given the several calculators and AI models I've used) to around 168 FPS - which is around 32.02 ft lbs. of kinetic energy and around 0.381 slugs of momentum. Which is draw dropping to me coming from a 75lb compound where I would shoot close to 300 ft per second with around 90 ft lbs. of kinetic energy and 0.60 slugs of momentum.

Are these recurve arrow specs enough for VA & WV whitetail deer and perhaps the occasional medium-sized eastern black bear? I'll never be chasing elk or moose out west, but I want to be sure these numbers seem accurate and reasonable to those of you who have been successful in hunting with traditional archery.

Thanks,
Travis

[rastaman]

That set up would be fine for deer and bear.  Are you saying you will be drawing 50-54 lbs at your draw length? If so the 340 shaft would work with some tinkering.  Are you going to bare shaft tune to your bow ?  If so i would probably buy a test kit with the different spine arrows that you could play with.  Don't try to compare to your compound experience.  There are some really good arrow experts on here that will hopefully jump on shortly.  Ken Beck (long time owner of Black Widow bows before he retired?) has an excellent you tube video on bare shaft tuning.  Chris Spikes also has a really good you tube video on bare shaft tuning.  Good luck in your quest!

[trad007FL]

Thank you for your reply. No, I don't mean to imply that I'll be drawing 50-54 lbs at my draw length; that's the variable of weight provided on the Gold Tip spine chart. With 55 lb. limbs, I'll likely be at 50-52 @ a 26 inch draw with a 19 inch riser and medium limbs, maybe a smidge more with short limbs?

Yes, I've been bare shaft-tuning for 20 years and will be doing so with the recurve. It's a must. I start with full-length shafts and cut down as needed. But, at the same time, I also don't want to buy 3 different spines of arrows. Calculators, simulators, and AI will get you close, then it's trial and error with bare shaft, fletched arrows, and then again with broadheads.

My concern was 168 fps (hopefully) out of a 50-ish pound recurve with such little kinetic energy and momentum in a hunting situation. Having said that, I did use SEVR 1.5 cut mechanical broadheads and would find my arrow dug fletching deep into the ground 15 yards past a complete passthrough.... so I may be overthinking this.. especially with razor sharp COC broadheads.

[McDave]

Recurve limbs are designed for maximum efficiency at a particular draw length.  My guess is that the 19" Tradtech riser and medium limbs are designed for maximum efficiency at a 28" draw length.  If I'm correct, with your 26" draw you would be closer maximum efficiency with short limbs, which would make a 60" bow.

I would choose to go with a .400 spine shaft, and if that turns out fo be too weak, to stiffen it by cutting the shaft shorter.  You have 2" available to cut, which can make a huge difference in dynamic spine.

As far as performance is concerned, it is what it is.  You might as well compare performance with a 30-06 as with a compound.  We all choose to hunt with a traditional bow knowing its limitations.  The bow and arrow combination you are considering is adequate for the game you want to hunt.

[trad007FL]

Thank you for your reply. You're correct, maximum efficiency is at a 28-inch draw. It seems you're right (assuming AI and calculators are correct, but they seem reasonable), with short limbs, I should be right around the 54lb mark @ a 26 inch draw with a 19 inch riser.

My only issue with the 400 spine arrows is that they are 9.2 GPI as opposed to the 340 arrows that are 10.5 GPI. Even if they worked at 29 inches, that's 477 total arrow weight (significantly less if I have to start chopping off inches of arrow due to spin issues), or 8.83 grains per pound - which is under the 10 GPP threshold I was trying to stay around (even the 340 is around 9.46 GPP, but it's closer).

I agree with you about performance, and I didn't mean to open a can of worms. It was just quite shocking to see the differences once I ran the numbers. To your point, I'm making the change because I want simplicity, and I want hunting to be fun again. Shooting a space-aged bow with all of its advantages and costly accessories lost its appeal and was no longer fun or challenging for me. Using the latest Matthews flagship with the latest and greatest sights, peeps, and releases kinda felt like using a gun; they make it hard to miss these days.

I'll take my 168 fps