draw weight question

[Squirrelbane]

I have a bear Kodiak magnum 52" recurve 55#@28". My draw length is 30". Can anyone tell me a way to figure out exactly how many pounds I'm drawing? Thanks!

[LAR43]

The best way for exactness would be a scale made for checking draw weight. A general rule of thumb would #3 per inch.
With a long draw & short bow, be aware of potential finger pinch too.

[damascusdave]

I have a 1962 Kodiak Magnum that I also draw to about 30 inches...we weighed it with an accurate scale and it was pretty much right on the marked weight of 45 pounds at 28 inches and a full 55 pounds at 30 inches...that is what is called stacking, a gain of about 5 pounds per inch...my guess would be you are shooting that bow at about 65 pounds...the truth is the Kodiak Magnum was never meant to shoot at 30 inches, unlike many of the 60 inch Bears...if you want to get an education on force draw curves check out peteward.com...Pete usually only weighs the bows to 28 inches since his draw length is 27 but sometimes he will take one, like the Covert Hunter, right out to 30

DDave

[damascusdave]

From my experience, depending on what you have on that bow for a string, you may be into 300 spine arrows to get it to tune...do not listen to any advice from someone who does not shoot at least 65 pounds at at least 30 inches...welcome to the world of higher draw weight and longer draw bows...I am going to have to try a B50 string on one of my bows that I shoot at about 67 pounds so that I can shoot easily accessible arrows...right now with the skinny string I have on it even a 300 spine Full Metal Jacket bareshafts way weak...I would just go to 250 spine Dangerous Games but those shafts are 17 grains per inch and kind of pricey to shoot with a bow I paid 150 bucks for

DDave

[Diamond Paul]

That bow is probably not the best choice for a guy with your draw length; it's got to be stacking like crazy, and I don't see how you can shoot it unless you shoot three-under; string angle has got to be very acute.

[Squirrelbane]

Oh yeah it stacks And pinches like a mofo but its nice being able to shoot from a sitting position. I actually have weird calluses on my index finger from the finger pinch.I shoot it pretty decently for how short it is, I was just curious how many pounds I'm pulling since I'm starting to suspect my arrows are underspined

[Diamond Paul]

Any shops around you?  Go put it on a scale with a draw length arrow.  That's really the only way to be sure, as the weight marked on it is not always accurate, and there is no other way to know how much weight it's picking up per inch.

[The Ole' Bowhunter]

Usually with a short bow in combination with a long draw length, some folks experience excessive finger pinch.  Have you experienced that with your present set-up?  Just wondering.  Also, longer length bows are usually more forgiving should you have a poor release compared to shorter bows.