Does Draw weight increase your range.

[Shaun]

Longer arrow flight used to be called cast. There is some relation to cast and draw weight and to bow performance. However, cast had to do with how far away one could start lobbing arrows at an enemy in battle, not about hunting.

Eye sight and longer range practice have been mentioned and both are the limiting factors for me. Its hard to "aim small" if I can't see small. It is surprising how far one can shoot accurately with practice and especially with good form. Common target archery distances were up to 80 yards in the lawn archery days and Olympic archers shoot 90 meters.

[George D. Stout]

Your form is the issue if you can't shoot past twenty yards with a 44 pound bow.  My point on with a 45 pound bow is app. 55 yards, with a 470 grain, 28" arrow.  Work on your form my friend, and maximize performance through full draw, dynamic release and good follow through.

[straitera]

Dead nuts on Brian with confidence, technique, & distance benefits practiced through stumpshooting variety for 31 years now.

[Dave Lay]

I just dont have the focus and concentration to pick a small spot at 40 yards or whatever..

[Brian Krebs]

Dave- nothing wrong with that: 'a mans gotta know his limitations'. Tip of the hat for staying within them !

[Don Stokes]

Only matched equipment and lots of practice will extend your range.

[Mike Lee]

I too have a hard time focus and concentration to pick a small spot at longer ranges. When I was younger it wasn't as much of a problem. At one time I had a short range to practice and would think if the target is too large to be a challenge, pick a smaller target. Like if a bottle cap is too big shoot at an asprin but to hit the asprin you have to pick the center of the asprin.

Mike Lee

[michaelschwister]

Short answer: Yes, significantly

[TheFatboy]

I don't see how draw weight would not possibly increase your range. As arrow speed goes up, the arrow will travel further before slowing down, which will - all in moderation - increase the range of your bow.

I personally love flight shooting, and where draw weight may be an important factor, technique and timing is equally important, when shooting for a distance.

[Don Stokes]

Going up in draw weight does not necessarily increase your arrow speed. If you shoot a lower grains per pound arrow, yes. If you shoot the same g/#, trajectory will be the same so there's no advantage.

Not exactly true, because a heavier bow/arrow combo at the same g/# MAY retain its down-range velocity better, but the difference at realistic ranges will be insignificant.

[Earl Jeff]

accuracy increase your range nothing else. (SO PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE)

[Spectre]

When you go to a heavier bow, your arrow weights also increase(remember 8-10 gr. per pound), so I don't really see how the range would increase at all, your simply putting more "punch" on target.

And what has already been said before, practice, practice, practice...

[George D. Stout]

Guys who shoot heavy bows will fight over it but the fact is, it's only true if you can shoot accurately and consistently with heavier bows and you shoot lighter arrows to allow more distance.

A good example is a field round where you must shoot up to 80 yards.  I could reach that target easily with a 35 pound target bow and 350 grain arrow.  10 grains per pound.

I can also reach 80 yards with my 45 pound hunting recurve and 470 grain arrows, which are plenty potent for killing game.  So tell me where I would have an advantage reaching longer targets with a heavier bow.

It is, and always has been, about good form and proper setup...and consistent release and followthrough on the shot.  If you can't shoot past thirty or forty yards, you need to revisit how to shoot a bow in the barebow style.  No reason a person can't shoot accurately out to longer distances with proper form and consistency.

[TheFatboy]

If you can hit a target at 80 yards with a heavy bow and a heavy arrow, why shouldn't you? Certainly, I would rather get hit by a 500gr arrow shot from a 50lb bow, than I would be hit by a 1000gr arrow shot from a 100lb bow, both fired 80 yards away.

[George D. Stout]

Really Fatboy?  Both will go right through you if led by a broadhead or even sharp field point!
The question was does it increase your range.  It can, but certainly not by much, and accuracy is the key.

I don't want to get hit at 80 yards with a 300 grain arrow from a 35 pound bow.

[kevgsp]

Shooting more weight gives you options.  At 44# you are forced to use a heavy arrow to maximze penetration.  That same arrow out of a 50-55# bow is gonna shoot flatter.  Flatter is easier to shoot farther.

Why would anyone use a lighter(faster)arrow 3D/targets etc. if there was no advantage?

Everyone is diff, light for you might be heavy for the next guy, not everyone is overbowed past 50#  
It is possible to practice, have good form, a well tuned setup past 50#

Does someone shooting a 65# bow need to shoot 11gpp for whitetails?  NO They have the freedom to slide up or down is arrow weight...shoot 9gpp if they want.  Someone shooting 40# might not want to shoot 9gpp.

[George D. Stout]

kevgsp, says, "At 44# you are forced to use a heavy arrow to maximze penetration."   That's B.S. my friend.  I shoot 45 to 48 pounds, and 470 grain arrows that will pass through a whitetail and keep on going most times, and I can shoot point on at 55 yards.   Some of you guys have never done it, and are just speculating on what others have preached.  I've done it and I know.  

The bottom line is you still have to be accurate or it doesn't mean squat either way.  If you can shoot heavy bows, and don't short draw them to do it, and shoot accuately, then you have a slight advantage.  Anyone wants to come to my house and shoot some eighty yard stumps is welcome....the proof is in the doing, not the talking.

[Don Stokes]

Right on, George.

James on laptop mentioned that a lighter draw weight bow can allow you to increase your draw length. That can have much more influence on your range than increasing draw weight. Dan Quillian believed that increasing your draw length by one inch was as good as increasing your draw weight by 10#!! Quoting Dan, "Pull that bow on back!"

It's rare to be able to shoot the same weight arrow from bows of the same design and different draw weights. The stronger arrows needed for the stronger bow will be heavier unless you change something else, the vast majority of the time. And if you change something else, it's no longer a valid comparison. Different materials, different diameters, different degree of centershot, different point weight, etc.

[Guru]

If ya can't hit where you want with a 45# bow, then a  60# bow isn't going to be "the magic bullet"..it's not the bow, it's the guy behind it that makes it accurate.

You want to be good at 40yds....practice at 60yds...


I believe the original ? was more about accuracy, than how an arrow penetrates at longer distances.

Michael S., Care to elaborate?  I'd like to hear the reasons for you answer.

[michaelschwister]

IMHO Guru hit the nail on the head.  The best way to increase your hunting effective range is long range practice.  Long range stump shooting is great fun and really improves form.  Shoot at something at 80 yards and "you will get it back" as Dan would say. When you get good at 80m, 30 yards is not too tough.


Mike