They got bubbas in NY? Really? Gangsters, stock-breakers, celebrities, of course. But honest-to-gosh bubbas like me? I hope so! 😛

Seriously, as you suggest, it’s normal for older glass bows to lose weight over many years or decades, as we tend to leave them strung for extended periods. But to gain weight? Could be that this one started life longer and was cut down. If you trust your scale, I say go with that. Shouldn’t be too hard, even in NY (:lol:) to find another scale to double check. 40-44 with the right arrow and broadheads well sharp, and good luck on good shot placement, will kill any deer in NY since the elk were exterminated. On the other hand there’s no justification in hanging onto a bow that doesn’t give us ALL we need to shoot good and kill clean, just because we have it. Talk about “many more fish in the sea”! I’m betting you’ll sort it out in a good way. ttf

How exactly are you measuring that 28″ of draw? Are you truly following the AMO protocol? Was Howatt when they built the bow? Probably, but who knows for sure? Yes 10# is a lot but I bet that if you made sure to follow the AMO method exactly you’ll find that the bow is a lot closer to what the specs say.
Here’s a link to the process:
http://www.texasarchery.org/Documents/AMO/AMOStandards.pdf
You’ll have to dig for it as it calls for using both the draw weight AND draw length standards.

You’re more than welcome. Oh, and flattery will get you everywhere with me! 😀
You know, actually that whole AMO draw weight and draw length thing seems to only cause problems, like what you saw. Did the bowyer use it? Did the shooter use it when measuring the bow? If it was used was it done correctly? Etc. etc. That is why when discussing tuning and arrow selection I always try to stress that the shooter really should figure out what the bow is pulling at THEIR draw. Don’t trip how the bow is specced. What the shooter needs to know is reality. Eventually we all seem to pick up a few bows here and there. The money spent now on a hand held spring bow scale will save you a bundle later on money NOT spent on buying the wrong arrows.

I have a number of Bear recurves from the early 70’s and not one is marked correctly some heavier than marked some lighter than marked anywhere from 6-10#s

I’m not saying it doesn’t happen. Just that if the bow seems off of its spec, then try duplicating the AMO method as best as possible. If that doesn’t at least get you a number that is close to how the bow is marked, then the manufacturer screwed up somehow. Either they didn’t chose to use the AMO method, or just a plain ol’ brain fart. If its off then its off, and the bow is what it is. And given that there is no fixed “wall” to draw against like a compound, any stickbow can be drawn to most any “reasonable” length, like 24″ to 30″ and that is why it is always best to confirm what the bow is doing when YOU are the one shooting it.

AMO method aside, what if your scale is somehow different from the one the manufacturer used. Could be a calibration difference. Your scale could be off by 10 lbs.

Well yeah. Best would be to try and avoid that, but that happens too. If you begin to suspect that that is going on, then do something to confirm how your own scale is reading. And if it’s off across its scale, correct accordingly. Use several different known weights to see what’s happening. Who knows? Maybe the bowyer’s scale was off? Just confirm your own reality.