Trying to piece together a dedicated 3d setup

[Hoosierarcher88]

After going to a 3d shoot yesterday with my recurve ive decided that i definitely want to set up a dedicated bow for 3d. I shot my hunting setup which is a 55# 64" great northern shadow(53# otf) shooting my hunting arrows which are just shy of 700 grains. I did pretty good ending up with a 249 on a 30 target course with no misses but did start to notice some fatigue on the final 5 or 6 targets. I know take down or ilf is a must do to travel with a one piece is a bit of a pain if we take the car and i would like a little lighter draw weight. Would a similar length like 62 or 64" be good or would going longer like 68 or 70" be of benefit for forgiveness? Ive thought about a 25" ilf riser but worry about trying to make it work shooting off the shelf while being legal for trad class. If anybody could help steer me in the right direction i would greatly appreciate it because this is a bit out of my realm

[old_goat2]

Just my two cents, don't know much about your make hunting bow, but it just makes sense to me to develop a very similar to it setup at the same gpp with a lighter draw weight so when you switch back and forth you have same sight window and similar arrow performance. Other thing I've found is still shoot your hunting bow fairly regularly because your muscle will atrophy to the lighter draw weight. Other than that, the ILF choices are limitless as well as is the amount you can spend! If you really want a dedicated Target bow, go long! Hoyt's low end ILF riser is actually pretty nice, RMSGEAR has some ready to ship ILF Target bows in stock that will more than do what you're looking for!

[woodchucker]

From years of shooting almost every weekend 3-D shoots with my boys, I'll say this...
3-D is suppossed to be practice for hunting. If you shot a 249, on a 30 target course, with no misses, I'd pass on the "special setup"!!! As for the fatigue on the last 5-6 targets... SLOW DOWN!!! We Trad shooters tend to shoot a course in about half the time it takes a compound shooter. Slow down, take your time... You could even shoot with a few compound guys, instead of "shooting through" like us Trad guys will usually do. I'm sure you will notice less fatigue, if you slow down.
But hey! If you REALLY NEED another bow? Then have at it!

[M60gunner]

My illusion of 3D shoots for hunting practice went away years ago. More a "target" shoot these days. i use a LB to hunt with and if close to season I will use arrows like those I hunt with but I am not into that overly heavy arrow stuff. I keep mine down to 10gpp.
 If the shoot is for fun and usually is I use one of my recurves. I use lighter arrows as well. I have 64" and 62" limbs for my Bear TD's. I like them both. BUT if I win the big one I am going for one of those "super recurves" like the Hoyt Satori with a set of those carbon/foam limbs, maybe a DAS with those Zipper Z4 limbs. But I dream big, doesn't cost anything.

[McDave]

I guess it really depends on what you want to accomplish.  If the purpose of 3D is to prepare you for hunting, then the advice above is great.  Woodchucker's advice about slowing down is great, period.  

However, if your purpose is to score as high as possible in 3D matches, then get the gear that will do that for you.  Also, add one thing to Woodchucker's advice:  not only slow down, but let down.  If something doesn't feel right at full draw, then let down.  You can't always do that in a hunting situation, but you can in a 3D situation.

Since I started shooting my Hoyt Satori, I notice an absence of compliments from my friends when I make a good shot.  I'm encouraged to shoot last on roving targets, and when I shoot 3 4's and one 5 (bullseye in our scoring system) from 30 yards, I get a "ho hum."

If you want to max out your 3D scores, shoot a 64" recurve at the maximum weight where you can shoot 100 shots a day without tiring.  Shoot one with tunable limbs (ILF) and shoot the lightest arrows you can tune for it.

[The Whittler]

It's as good of an excuse as any o get another bow. :-)

[Hoosierarcher88]

Oh believe me any slower and we probably wouldnt have gotten through the entire course. I shot with my dad who is a compound open class shooter and has had 8 knee surgeries and my son who is 7. Myself i move pretty slow after having knee and tendon reattachment. I came from shooting open class compounds with my main focus being 3d so i dont look at it as practice for hunting. Im really thinking 44-46# for a 3d bow and shooting off the shelf is a requirement. The 21" das riser with ilf limb pads or cd wf19 are a couple risers that have really caught my eye but the cd is a bit steep on the price tag. Would it be worth it to get one of these risers that is ready to be shot off the shelf or just get a 25" riser and make a hump for the arrow to sit on and epoxy it on

[McDave]

From what you said, do yourself a favor and get a 42# bow.  You can get arrows for a 42# bow that are as flat in trajectory as a 44-46# bow, and you will be more accurate.  I would get a riser that is designed to be shot off the shelf, because you never know what will happen when you start redesigning the bow.  Maybe you will end up with something better than the original bow, if you are good at that kind of thing.  I know I'm not.

[OHtar]

check out the CD archery X25 riser. they have a "hump" built in to the shelf, as well as berger holes. It allows you to shoot off the shelf super easy, or add a rest, and plunger.

[Sam McMichael]

If 3D is preparation for hunting, then I would not drop back at all. If fatigue only shows up near the end of the round, you will be able to productively handle your hunting bow in the field. Light bows, in my opinion, don't prepare you for shooting a game animal when using a heavier hunting bow (possible exception is form training). However, if the 3D bow is a true target rig, I would suggest going forward with this idea, because then points become more important than the ability to take a game animal.

However, any plan to get a new bow certainly has merit.

[dbd870]

For a recurve I'd look at something around 66" and 35-40#

[ca]

Originally posted by McDave:
I guess it really depends on what you want to accomplish.  If the purpose of 3D is to prepare you for hunting, then the advice above is great.  Woodchucker's advice about slowing down is great, period.  

However, if your purpose is to score as high as possible in 3D matches, then get the gear that will do that for you.  Also, add one thing to Woodchucker's advice:  not only slow down, but let down.  If something doesn't feel right at full draw, then let down.  You can't always do that in a hunting situation, but you can in a 3D situation.

Since I started shooting my Hoyt Satori, I notice an absence of compliments from my friends when I make a good shot.  I'm encouraged to shoot last on roving targets, and when I shoot 3 4's and one 5 (bullseye in our scoring system) from 30 yards, I get a "ho hum."

If you want to max out your 3D scores, shoot a 64" recurve at the maximum weight where you can shoot 100 shots a day without tiring.  Shoot one with tunable limbs (ILF) and shoot the lightest arrows you can tune for it.

Well thought out post.

[Hoosierarcher88]

Im really starting to lean toward the cd wf19 with 2 sets of limbs. Some 42-45# limbs for 3d and some 55# limbs for hunting so i can be familiar with the ergonomics of the riser for both but have different draw weights for 3d and hunting

[Hoosierarcher88]

I completely forgot a friend of mine just came out with his own line of metal ilf risers. Hes got 17" and 19" risers and they have a removable radiused shelf

[Hoosierarcher88]

Well results were finally posted from the shoot over the weekend. I won with a 249, second place was a 214 so id say i did pretty well

[Mike Bolin]

Good shooting Justin. Back at the Cloverdale shoot you shot very well then too. I think you are on the right track on putting together a 3D rig. You have the potential to be very competitive.
3D for me is strictly shooting for hunting so I will just keep plunking away with my hunting bows. When you get that shop open, maybe Jim and I will come down and check it out!
Good luck with the shop and the new bow set up!
Mike

[Hoosierarcher88]

For just plunking away you still did pretty good at cloverdale mike. I think a big thing that would help me for 3d would be drop down a touch on my draw weight and get away from the 700+ grain arrows. Right now im shooting easton fmj's with gold tip ballistic collars footing the outside and a 3" internal footing plus 300 grain tips.