Poundage question?

[O.L. Adcock]

Josh, "I’m not a speed nut and pride myself on accuracy…"

If this is so let me ask one question....Would you get better shooting 20 arrows a day or 100? Getting a 40# instead of a 60# would do that for you. Besides the draw weight has nothing to do with "speed", arrow weight does...O.L.

[Wednesday Caste]

I think I'm reading from these posts that you should get a 40#er for form practice, and a 60#er for punch!    Try to get that past your wife. I've gotta a gatekeeper too. LOL

[Robhood23]

Just picked up a 85# Schafer today!! We will see how that goes!!!

[Diamond Paul]

I'm not sure why many people think 40-50lb bows don't have enough "punch."  Josh, if you want a heavier bow, by all means, get one.  You may be physically strong and 60lbs may not be hard for you to shoot accurately at all.  But don't believe it when people tell you that bows of this class are necessary or even needed for the kind of hunting most people do.  I used to think that I needed that kind of weight, too.  I shoot much better (and I shot pretty well, then) now than I ever did with my 63lb bow, and can do it longer, and more often.  A deer will not know that he is any deader if you shoot him with the heavier bow.  JMHO, Paul.

[BigArcher]

Get the bow because its what you want. If you can justify the price.  Always got to do that.
Then shoot it and have fun.
50#'s is the legal minimum for the Big animals in most states.  And my daughter shoots her 50#der just fine and I would never push her to shoot higher than legal.
I shoot higher poundage for the same reason I hike all the way to the top of a ridge when there probably aren't any animals there.  Or pedal my bike as fast as I do when I would be more comfortable riding slower.  
Or sand out every tool mark from a new bow.
Its just what I want to do.
 
So, pick a good reason and get the bow.  Like you need a back up for that trip your planning!

BigArcher

[Hoytman]

When I decided to take this seriously, I had an old Standard Hunter that was 50# @ 28". I just took it rabbit hunting when I was tired of cleaning rabbits. Then I decided to take it more seriously and bought 2 bows from a trade gang member. A 54# bow and a 62# bow. Which I pull another inch or so. From the minute I got them I could shoot the 62#er with no trouble. And I was shooting the 50#er very little. Now I'm shooting a 57# Couch recurve pulled to about 60# 80 to 100 arrows per session.
Your mileage may vary

[Oliverstacy]

Originally posted by O.L. Adcock:
Josh, "I’m not a speed nut and pride myself on accuracy…"

If this is so let me ask one question....Would you get better shooting 20 arrows a day or 100? Getting a 40# instead of a 60# would do that for you. Besides the draw weight has nothing to do with "speed", arrow weight does...O.L.

O.L.  I shot compounds for 25 years so I am fully aware that arrow weight has a direct correlation with speed.  I also reload ammo and study ballistic tables so I also understand bullet weight and stored down range energy...KE.  When I shot compounds I could literally shoot 200 arrows a day without feeling the affect…didn’t mean I did it all the time but I could.  I’d rather shoot 50 well-placed arrows than 200 decently placed arrows.  I’d rather tweak a rifle bullet that shoots slower to get a 5 shot group at 100 yards that measures .350 CTC than one that shoots faster but groups .750” and I’ve done it.  Speed isn’t everything…accuracy is key.  Deer are just as dead with a bullet traveling 2400 fps as they are with a bullet traveling 3300 fps but there is a large difference in KE and if a bad placement or tuff angled shot should arise the extra KE will be appreciated.  A heavy arrow at a greater speed has the same affect if you can place that arrow where it needs to go.

I do pride myself on accuracy, both with a bow and with a gun, it just something I take very seriously.  I have tinkered with bullets, powder, primers and seating depths of bullets to .001”.  

With that said hunting situations don’t always happen like you want and last year I passed on situations that I wouldn’t have with a compound…slightly quartering too me was a definite no.  I was looking for a perfect broadside or quartering away shot and even with a heavier longbow the above would be the same, just not worth the risk.  

I guess my original question was asked to see if it was too soon to jump up in weight, kind of like when a new rifle shooter wants to buy a 300 Win Mag and I explain a 308 Winchester would be a better choice.  Why they always ask…the Mag is faster, I always say go to the range and shot them both 100 times and come back to tell me what they liked/shot better.

I may not like the higher weight but then again I might.  I’ll never win a strongman contest but I can hold my own in most situations.  

It’s sad the several people have PM’d me to get the heavier bow because they didn’t want to post it on the thread and get flamed; I thought this site was above that.  Thanks to all that did.

In the end people will do what they want and I may get the bow, but I wanted to know if the weight would be too much.  I haven’t found that elusive money tree so people knowledge is priceless and I respect not only yours but all.

I guess I’ll have to go try several and see it I can handle one for 50 shots and see how it goes.  

Thanks for all the help…everyone!!

Josh

[Hoytman]

I think as we get older and wiser, we also get physically weaker. The old bull, young bull senario. It's sometimes hard to accept the fact that we are not the speciman of manhood we use to be. Encouraging someone to go up in weight might make that hit home.
Personaly, I have dropped my bow weights over the years also. Partly because  being older and wiser, I understand that with the equipment available today it's not absolutely necesary to shoot haevy bows. Partly because of my real life hunting experience, and partly because my shoulders aren't what they used to be.
But it easier to accept and pass on the ,"less is more" idea than the fact that we're getting older, and weaker, but wiser.
For some of us, we shoot heavy bows for the same reason men climb mountains. Because they're there, and because we want to while we still can.

[Shawn Leonard]

I agree with BUFF about never too many bows but the #age thing can be come an issue. I shot 70-90# bows for quite a few years. I am now shooting 50-55#s, why? My shoulders are shot from a fall and this is comfortable for me. I think a 10# jump is a lot all at once but just like your 50#er ya can work your way into it. Shawn

[southpawshooter]

Like Shawn, I think a 10# jump is very dramatic.  It will affect your accuracy, you should work up in smaller increments.  Also, your initial post was that you were comfortable shooting 15 to 18 yards.  Now, everyone's hunting range is different in the distance at which they feel comfortable shooting an animal.  I would suggest that you decide that range and when you can accurately put 90% of your arrows in the kill at 10 yds.   beyond  your comfort range, you are ready to step up the poundage. The reason for this is that under hunting conditions that 15 yd. shot in the backyard is very different from the hunting shot when you are cold, fatigued, excited, etc. If you can make that shot in the backyard at 25 yards, then the 15 yard shot is that much easier under hunting conditions.

[Str8Shooter]

If you do decide to purchase the bow and go up in weight just work into it at a rate you're comfortable with. When I started shooting I went from 45# to 50# to 65#. I would warm up with the 50# bow and then shoot the 65# until I felt like I wasn't in complete control of the shot. At first it was 10-15 shots. After a few weeks double that and within a month I was only shooting the 65#. The important thing when training into a heavier bow is to go slow and keep the focus on form. Once you get conditioned to handle an increase in draw weight the accuracy will be there.

Personally, I feel if an archer can handle an increase in weight without a degredation in accuracy there is no downside. Many guys will argue that a lighter bow can be shot more accurately and the heavier bow is not needed. But with hunting you may direct the arrow exactly to the spot you were aiming at but unforseen circumstances can affect the hit (animal moves, wind, hit a twig, etc). Thats where a little extra energy may give you a better result.
Chris