Ilf bows

[tgself]

In general if you order a ilf bow in a certain draw weight, is that weight with tiller bolts in the middle position or with the tiller bolts bottomed out. I know the most ilf bows can go up and down anywhere from 5-10% based on tiller bolts bottomed position, but where is it that the usually base the limb weight? For instance if I order a 40lb ilf bow could I bottom out the tiller bolts and get 42 - 43lbs out of the limbs?

[Kelly]

Yes usually the middle but some limb mfg measure them at a different spot like Border. There’s are five turns out.

Most limbs are also rated on 25” handle. General rule of thumb is a 1# for each one inch shorter riser. So like a 17” you would get 6-8# increase over marked length. But this doesn’t always follow suit. Then you have most of the ILF hunting weight limbs that are measure on a 19” riser so you won’t gain much when going shorter.

The best thing to buy is a scale so you cam measure a particular limb that you have. Then one can adjust for the next purchase.

[Ryan Rothhaar]

My (limited) experience playing around with ILF setups leads me to the conclusion that the weight adjustment is not as flawless as advertised. Across several sets of limbs, all had a sweet spot for feel and noise level, and all ended up liking the mid range for bolt adjustment on my riser. Crank them down to get the higher weight and for me the feel on the draw suffered and they got stacky, crank them out to the lighter end and the lack of preload was noticeable. I always end up right in the middle.

Just my experience. Also +/- 2-3 lbs isn’t much. The right spot for shoot ability of the bow is more important for me than that adjustment.

The limbs I bought were always within a lb or 2 of Kelly’s calculations above. Except one set I had from the house brand of the big outlet in Pennsylvania that were 14 lbs heavy. I assume those were mismarked by the 3rd party overseas manufacturer.

R

[McDave]

My experience is that every combination of ilf risers and limbs gives different results.  Usually, I can make adjustments that get me close to the poundage that I need, and when that doesn't happen, I’m glad I ordered from some company that is understanding about returns.  Right now, I’m in the middle of adjusting a new set of limbs marked 40#, and I’m having trouble getting the bow down to 40#.  Usually, it's the other way around: the marked weight is close to the max I can get.

The marked weight only applies to a particular riser length, so you have to know what that is.  If your riser is longer than that, your weight will be lower than the marked weight, and vice versa.  The marked weight also only applies to a particular limb pocket angle, and while you may be able to find out what that limb angle is, it might be harder to figure out the limb angle on your own bow.  So, as I said, buy from somewhere that allows exchanges.

[Wheels2]

Consult the maker.  Each one rates at different settings.  I have also found that it depends on the riser's limb pad angle.  Even limb length can affect poundage.  Shorter limbs seem to be more affected than longer limbs. 
I prefer Morrison Phoenix risers.  Consulting their website showed that the limb pad angle was changed for each length, in an attempt to keep their poundage ratings consistent across different risers.
The company is currently out of business.  A new owner bought it but was knocked out by hurricane storm last year.  He is to be getting the business back up later this spring.  I hope so