Looking for advice on draw weight

[purehunter]

#6965

I didn’t want to highjack the other topic from Jacob so here it goes.
I am fairly new to tradional archery. I have a 53# recurve and it draws fairly easily for me. I want to buy a longbow and have found a 64″ 70# Hummingbird for a good price from a private person. It has slight r/d and I think it is what I want.

I’m in good shape but middleaged (43) but I think I can get a good 10 years out of the bow before I wear out. I know there are a number of people on this site who still shoot bows of this draw weight and are older than I am. I hunt muledeer, elk, pigs and whatever else I can get a tag for. It would be nice to have a “big bow”. Yes, I have been reading Dr. Ashby’s reports and am currently working on a good arrow setup for my recurve. Your opinions would be appreciated as I may pull the trigger on this deal soon.

Thank you,
purehunter

[purehunter]

#56664

Sorry, I just found the topic on “Heavy bows- are they a thing of the past”. I think everyone’s replies answer my question.

Purehunter

[Stephen Graf]

#56668

53 to 70 pounds is a big jump. I would hope you have way more than 10 good years left in you. So my advice is to be patient.

If you love the bow, then buy it and put it on the wall. then get yourself a 60 or 63 lb bow to work with. After you shoot that for a year or more, then move up to the 70lb bow if you still want to.

Even 10lbs seems to be a big jump. But everything is relative and every person is different. So if you are a big strapping guy, or one of those sorry wiry guys that are ox strong, then maybe my advice is not relevant. But the last thing you want to do is bugger up your shoulder. If you do that, you will wish you had just stayed with your 53lb bow. Which is, in truth, plenty.

[Mark Turton]

#57400

I agree with everything Steve has said the only thing I would add, from my experience, is that added weight made me far less accurate.

The older I get the less relevant age becomes you just become richer in experience. Although older and wiser seems to have passed me by.

Mark.

[purehunter]

#57633

Thanks guys. I appreciate your input. The guy at Hummingbird said he could reduce the weight of the bow by about 10# if I want to send it to him. I didn’t know you could do that with a one piece. The cost of the bow is less than the cost of getting new limbs for my recurve so in my mind, I get a “new” bow for less.

I’m probably in Marks camp, older and wiser has skipped by me.:)

purehunter

[Danny Klee]

#60060

If you decide to buy the 70# bow…keep it and find a lighter pound bow to practice your form with. Form is everything in traditional archery. My first bow was a 70# Martin ML-14. I was told on a different forum that I would never, ever learn to shoot it well because of “bow arm stability” and that I would never achieve it. But because I am one who says never say never I started out by buying one of those Bowfit devices to simulate pulling bak 70#. I worked it like working weights about 5-6 days a week. Then I found a book on exercising for archery consisting of various weight lifting exercises and other exercises intended to strengthen those muscles used in shooting any bow. Nnow, that being said, I found at first it was difficult to practice my form with the ML-14, so I bought a much lighter poundage bow and practiced all the components that are required. As my form began to take shape consistantly, plus constantly exercising and pulling the ML-14 back and holding it longer and longer (not forgeting to use the back muscles), I started being able to use that form on the 70#’er. Try to not give up. If you work at it, it will come. Howard Hill said something like, Most men will never do what it takes to develop the muscles needed to pull back a heavy poundage bow. I got the chance to shoot a 90# bow a few weeks ago and to my surprise I was able to pull back the bow, hold and shoot. I have to admit it was more than I was used to but I hit the mark every time. Keep trying and working out. Strengthen those muscles and God willin you will develop the strength needed to do what you need to do. I only add my opinion based on my own experiences. How old am I? I just turned 50 a few weeks ago and I shoot almost every day rain or shine…snow included. Good luck!!!!

Dan

[purehunter]

#60086

Thanks Dan. I did buy the bow and it wll be here next week. I also bought a book called “Shooting the Stickbow” which covers excercises. My neighbor gave me an old Shakespear recurve, 52″ 45#. I have put a new D-50 string on it and have been shooting it for fun.

So now I have a 45#’er, 53#’er and a 70#’er. My draw is about 26 3/4″ or so. I finally found out how to measure it from this website. So I’m drawing less than what the bows are rated. With a light, med, and heavy bow to choose from, I should have it covered. Now if I could just get the arrow tuning down……….

purehunter

[rayborbon]

#29455

If you can comfortably draw and shoot 70 lbs then go for it. I have one about that weight and it isn’t as horrible as I thought it would be.

[purehunter]

#29465

No it’s not as bad as I thought either. Matter of fact, I think I can shoot it better than my recurve. I just can’t shoot as many times and when I get tired, it really shows.
But it really puts arrows downrange!

Purehunter

[P.J. Petiniot]

#56798

Back many years ago, most of us that shot heavy bows did so because to get any sort of performance with a traditional bow and a heavy arrow, it took some pretty high poundage-65# +

In the past 15 years or so, bow designs, bow materials and shooters in general have been improving dramatically-

I use to shoot recruves in the 72-75# range–Then I dropped down to the high 60’s-Then mid 60’s-Then I settled in around 60#’s at my 29.9 pound draw-

Today I am shooting arrows just as fast and flat with 60ish pound bows as I did with 70 pound bows-I shoot them well and it is easier on my body–I had shoulder surgery a year ago and currently I am shooting bows in the low 50’s–I want to settle in in the mid to high 50’s and stay there-

When I get down to that low 50 to high 40 range, I don’t shoot as well–My poor form and release show up at lighter weights-

While rehabbing my shoulder I shot completely through an adult white tail doe with a bow that was 38#s at my draw–Sharp broad heads and arrows flying true have no problems with deer sized animals–

I think 53-70 is a very big jump–I have done it before and it can cause form problems as well as shoulder problems if you are not careful-

[tom-wisconsin]

#33299

P.J. Petiniot wrote:

While rehabbing my shoulder I shot completely through an adult white tail doe with a bow that was 38#s at my draw–Sharp broad heads and arrows flying true have no problems with deer sized animals–

I think 53-70 is a very big jump–I have done it before and it can cause form problems as well as shoulder problems if you are not careful-

PJ

Just wondering if the shoulder problem was caused by drawing the bow?

Tom

[tom-wisconsin]

#33303

Danny Klee wrote: Then I found a book on exercising for archery consisting of various weight lifting exercises and other exercises intended to strengthen those muscles used in shooting any bow.
Dan

Dan,

Could you tell us what the name of the book was:?:

[tom-wisconsin]

#33304

purehunter wrote:
I’m in good shape but middleaged (43) but I think I can get a good 10 years out of the bow before I wear out. I know there are a number of people on this site who still shoot bows of this draw weight and are older than I am. I hunt muledeer, elk, pigs and whatever else I can get a tag for. It would be nice to have a “big bow”. Yes, I have been reading Dr. Ashby’s reports and am currently working on a good arrow setup for my recurve. Your opinions would be appreciated as I may pull the trigger on this deal soon.

Thank you,
purehunter

Purehunter

Just wanted to let you know that now a days middle age does not start until 60. 😀 I know because I am 61.

I do have a sore shoulder. Felt like I poped something in it when I was doing a pulling down motion with my arms on exercise equipment. Keep forgetting to bring it up at the Doctor’s office. I am glad things worked out for you.

Tom

[P.J. Petiniot]

#38068

Tom,

I am sorry I didn’t reply sooner–I haven’t been on here in a while-

My shoulder problems were caused by abusing my body by years of hard work and hard play-Doc said I had an old injury that eventually got some bone spurs growing in the shoulder–This acted like a file on my rotator cuff and it was a chronic situation where the cuff would get tore up as I shot bows, cast fly rods, lifted weights ect..-then after it hurt badly enough, I would lay off, rehab it and start the cycle all over again-

Shooting heavy bows probably wasn’t as bad as just shooting the number of arrows I shot every week-

Now that my shoulder is fixed–I am slowly getting back to where I need to be–I do not shoot bows over 60#’s anymore, nor do I feel the need to–

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