Youth bow questions

[Zacpierre]

Looking to get my 8 year old a new bow. He has the Bear Goblin. Looking at getting a long bow but not sure what poundage. He is pulling about 16-18# at 20" and growing like a weed. Would a 25 or 30# at 28" be too much for him? I know how bows stack past 28" (31" draw length here) but is it the same for shorter draws? What would you recommend as far as poundage and possibly even brands or bowyers?

Best,

Zac
 

[McDave]

Better to work him up gradually.  If he's handling 16-18# now, he should be able to handle 20# soon.  That should suit him until he's 10, and then you can consider moving up to 25-30 depending on how he's doing.

[LookMomNoSights]

St. Joe River Bows.  They do a very nice job on a youth bow. 

[kennym]

I would get him a youth bow also, the full size bows will be pretty big for his hands.

Is it St Joe River that has a trade in feature?

[Orion]

I dunno.  There are lots of older used bows out there that have fairly small grips.  My guess is he's probably drawing in the 24-26-inch range, which would put a 25#@28 bow under 20 at his draw length, and even a 30#@28 wouldn't be much over 20 at his draw length, and he'll be able to grow a bit longer before  you will have to move up in poundage again. The problem is there aren't many bows in that weight range on the used market.

[Zacpierre]

I dunno.  There are lots of older used bows out there that have fairly small grips.  My guess is he's probably drawing in the 24-26-inch range, which would put a 25#@28 bow under 20 at his draw length, and even a 30#@28 wouldn't be much over 20 at his draw length, and he'll be able to grow a bit longer before  you will have to move up in poundage again. The problem is there aren't many bows in that weight range on the used market.

That's what I was thinking. He is drawing 20" right now via my marked draw length arrow and growing super fast. I thought a 25-30# @ 28" would do fine and last a while. Thinking 54-60". This sound about right? He is 5' tall his dad (me) is super tall (6'6" 31" drawlength). But I was thinking something in that range he could shoot a couple of years.

Best,

Zac

[Orion]

Yep.  If he's drawing 20 inches, 30#@28 would be the better choice.  52-54- inch Browning, Wing or Bear bows, and probably a lot of other brands in that length and weight would work. Doubt most would be physically too heavy, though you may have to do some looking to find smaller grips (or be willing to modify the grip).  Good luck.