Draw Weight ? How do you choose?

[Zog]

How do you determine if you are "overbowed"?  

I was wondering if anybody has a test, like "hold it for 30 seconds and see if you shake"  or something like that.

Now, I realize the draw weight question seems old and is among the most hotly debated, but strangely I did not turn up anything using the search function.

[sdpeb1]

I've always heard 10 seconds. I'm pretty shakey even after 5 seconds but it has nothing to do with overbowed, so the 10 second rule has more to do with the muscles that are being used to hold the bow. I think if you can draw and hold for 3 second with proper back tension and a relaxed arm then your fine.

[The Whittler]

A good way if your just starting out is to sit on the floor and draw the bow back to anchor. Sitting on the floor, you have to use just your back/upper body muscles.

[Daddy Bear]

I'm of the opinion that you should be able to completely dominate and control a hunting bow with ease. For me I settled on the mid 60# range decades ago and have stuck with that weight. The most in volume I normally shoot in practice is probably around 50 arrows in a session. When I have owned and/or used bows much over 70 pounds in draw weight I started to feel that I was loosing control when tired and/or cold. But at 65# I have no trouble at all maintaining comlete control over the bow, even when sitting flat on my butt as noted above. I haven't measured the time, but I don't think I'd have trouble holding full draw a good 20 to 30 seconds.

With that said, If I were shooting nothing but targets and shooting a ton of arrows at a time, I'd probably drop weight to as low as possible for the needs of the course. If I were splitting the bow between regular target shooting and some hunting, I'd prbably split the difference in weight. This is just me though as I like to stick with one combination for everything I do.

Best,
DB

[hawgslayer]

 

Draw allot of bows of different draw weights and stop at the one you can hold without hurting your self of straining your muscles. If you hunt and your bow is alittle to much for you, your shot is what is effected. We owe it to the game we hunt to make a good shot. Get a bow that you can have allot fun with and want to shoot. Heavy bows are great if you can handle them. I've taken 5 does in the last 2 seasons. All were double lung pass thru's at 20 yards or less.

[Markus77]

The olympic archers have a test, to determine if they are overbowed. They pull to anchor and hold for seven seconds, then they let down to half their drawlength and hold for two seconds, then up again to anchor and seven seconds. This they repeat seven times in a row. I did this with my 60# bow, but probably not with the same control and grace as a korean olympic archer.

[Traxx]

The simple explanation,
If when you draw the bow,the only thing you are concentrateing on,is the thought in your head that is saying,HOLY #$%^ this thing is heavy.I better drop the string on this thing as soon as possible.Then,you are over bowed.

[jacobsladder]

draw a very light bow.... say 30#s.... you should be able to get full extension and great alignment and form...mark your "correct" draw length...now that you know your correct draw length.... find the heaviest bow that you can very comfortably draw back reach bone on bone anchor and still keep alignment with.....I think there are a number of folks that are overbowed so they have to rely on some made up anchor point because they cant get to full draw , elbow back and in alignment...this ends up in short drawing , poor form, and a whole bunch of issues.....I only shoot 45#s.... a pretty light bow.....a number of times ive had fellow shooters draw my bow back and wonder why all of a sudden they gained an inch in draw length...."they're overbowed"

[longbowguy]

I have a more complicated answer but I think it is more complete. Most really good archers practice a lot, or at least did while they were getting good. I do not think there is any other way. My test is if I can shoot 80 to 100 shots a day for 5 or 6 days a week, without losing form and accuracy.

I could pretty much do that with a fairly heavy bow, for I am a sturdy fellow, but I found that in long target or 3D events I would often lose accuracy on the last few targets. I went down a few pounds in draw weight and now in the late stages of a match I generally gain on the field.

Now, come hunting season I move up to a heavier bow, depending upon what I intend to hunt. I shoot fewer arrows a day and fewer days a week and quit when my form begins to break down.

When hunting season is over I go to a light target bow and mostly shoot it over the winter. In early spring I work back up to my match weight bow for the competition season.

Really good archers shoot a lot of arrows in a season. You can't do that very well if you are overbowed.

OK, OK, how heavy? Well, I have seen few archers who can make 500 good shots a week with more than 45 pounds. A few world class archers can go heavier. I compete with 42 pounds. And the old target recurve I use for form and winter practice draws 35 pounds. I draw my hunting bows to 50 and 55 pounds and I can make a few really good shots with a 70 pound bow. Most men of average stature should use a little less. Do that and you may shoot rings around the guys who overbow themselves and don't practice enough. - lbg

[cvarcher]

you didnt tell us much about yourself physically which would help somewhat in determining the weight.I like jacobsladders answer.Establish a baseline for your real draw length with a real easy pulling longbow and mark it.Then start trying other similar length and width bows going up in weight till you feel its work to hit your full draw. When you arrive at that Id probably cut 10 more pounds off just becasue youll probably try real hard to get as high a weight as you can stand. Most people dont want to say i shoot a 40lber or 46lber. If it aint 60+ they feel inadequate. Ive killed deer too easy with 45lbsers so you dont have to go very far. Im 5ft 10" tall 170lbs with good upper body strength and shooting bows for many years. My bows were 62to 70lbs .Ive now sold them all and only use bows in the 40-50 range.

[Zog]

Thanks.  I didn't want to say anything, but I am strong, very well built and while I'm at it, quite handsome too.  But I am very humble about it.  My humility is what makes me such a great guy.  At least that's what my dog thinks.

Now you have led me to another question, longbowguy.  If you get real good at a certain weight, why would you go up in weight for hunting?  Wouldn't you want to shoot what you get best at?

[jacobsladder]

Zog...i'll put my two cents in on this question... And i apologize to longbowguy because i know the question is directed to him... A lighter bow will allow you to practice,maintain, and create good form.... that bow (say 40#) will kill deer and turkey with no problem.... but once you establish good form ..then the heavier bow that you can comfortably draw would give you an increase in penetration and possibly shoot a tad flatter depending on arrow weight.... The heavier bow still shot with good form would be very helpful when hunting moose and elk and larger game. Longbowguys post makes sense to me.

[longbowguy]

Well, Zog, I am a manly and vain person too- in a humble manner, of course. I sometimes go to heavier bows because I can. I could still shoot a 100 pound bow the last time I tried and once drew 114- and was very grateful that I did not injure myself doing such a foolish thing.

Last December I was working with a Howard Hill Tembo that I draw to about 50 pounds, and 540 grain arrows. I was doing well with it on my club's field range. One day I got into the zone with it and through 8 of 14 targets, including the 80 yard walk up, I was well above world record pace.

Then a European couple who had just moved to our university town walked by and inquired about archery in Northern California and membership in our club. We had a long and pleasant chat and then I went back to my shooting. The next target was the 50 yarder and I made three misses and a 3! Lost my mojo. Oh well, I would probably have soon lost it anyway. But it was glorious while it lasted.

I shoot a lot of different bows in the course of a year, and use different styles. I might shoot better if I stuck with just one or two, but I think I have learned a lot from all my experimenting. I do usually settle down to one bow for a major championship and I have won a good many of them.

Besides, I might win the lottery someday. Then I would surely hunt both Alaska and Africa. I wouldn't use my 42 pounder for that. In fact I usually use my 55 pounder for pheasants. I find them very hard to kill. - lbg

[Tilzbow]

Zog,

Seriously, I've been there and I don't care how good looking and strong your dog thinks you are!

Go light brother, it won't hurt you and can only help. Going too heavy could result in bad form, target panic and years of trying to get back to where you could've been had you made the right choice.

15 years after I started shooting trad my beloved dog is dead (seriously, he died on 12/23/08 although not funny...) I finally figured this out.

Start light, even if you think it's too light, and you'll be better off. You can always go heavier in a year and a light weight, well shot trad bow will kill most of what you're after in this country.

When I started shooting trad I dropped from an 80# compound to a 65# recurve and I thought it wouldn't be a problem; boy was I wrong! I was 220 pounds, benching 300# + multiple reps and squating over 400# +. The 80# compound with the 60% let off felt like butter....

Now I've gone through 3 shoulder surgeries and one neck surgery. I dropped bow weight to the mid 50's for about 5 years but I'm now shooting 45 to 50 and shooting better than ever and my shoulders love me for it. I can shoot 45# to 50# as long as I want without harm and when I hunt big stuff I creep up in weight and shoot less arrows.

Go light my friend! Your body and the animals you don't wound will thank you for the accuracy.

[Rob DiStefano]

i'm gonna assume this question is with regards to a hunting stickbow ... there can be a difference if this question is strictly about target shooting.

ah, the age old question of "what holding weight for my hunting stickbow?"

what's the criteria for a hunting stickbow?
local laws at yer hunting venue.

what's the criteria for a hunting stickbow's holding bow weight?
local laws at yer hunting venue, what game is hunted, your control and consistent accuracy of that drawn hunting bow weight under real hunting conditions.

concisely, that's it.  consistently control the bow, the arrow, the shot placement.  

oh yeah, know yer target distance limit and hunt *really* sharp.

[Zog]

Good discussion.

A couple years ago I bought an old takedown at a garage sale.  It was unmarked and I weighed it at 69 lb draw.  What amazed me is how well I shot it!  The heavy weight forced me to line myself up - there was no other way to draw the bow.  My release was quick with a only tiny bit more back tension and the arrow zinged!

Do any of you find that, and is what I described one reason why one would want to shoot heavier?

I have seen a lot of discussion admonishing people to go down in weight.  Understood.  Especially if they are not as sculpted and dashing as, well, I am. But the question for me then is why the advice to move heavier once you learn your form?

[Tilzbow]

Zog,

Although I shoot 45 to 50 most of the time now I do seem to shoot 55 to 60 better and have a cleaner release so I think you're on to something. I can't shoot as much though... Your last sentence about learning form first is the most important thing and that's hard to do with a bow that's too heavy.

 Start light, go heavier as you get better then go lighter as you get older.

[Rob DiStefano]

imo, move to as heavy a *holding* weight as possible, as can be controlled under adverse conditions for consistent and accurate shots at typical hunting distances, but don't get overbowed.  

heavier holding weights allow heavier arrows, and heavier arrows are always best for what we do - bow hunt, strive for clean and efficient animal kills.

[Rob DiStefano]

i do believe that "heavier" bows allow for a cleaner release as there's more dynamic energy striving to be freed by the bowstring.  the word "heavier" can only be evaluated and known by each of us.

i've got a 43# "fun" and rehab longbow that's too easy to shoot but a tad harder to get as good a release as i do from my 55# hunter.

[LPM]

G Fred said to try to draw the bow while standing and aiming the bow directly at the ground by your feet.  If your overbowed this will be very uncomfortable.  

Try this once....It's an eye opener.