For those who decreased draw weight..........

[Don Stokes]

I shot about 65# for too many years, until my shoulders told me to back off. Insisted, in fact. Now I shoot 50, and I don't miss the heavy draw weight at all. I don't notice a real difference in trajectory, because the lower draw weight bows shoot a somewhat lighter arrow, and my shooting picture seems the same. I still have plenty of mass, and the deer don't seem to care how far the arrow sticks in the dirt after it goes through them.

About heavy arrows and distance- Dan Quillian insisted that the same tuned longbow and arrows would shoot farther with heavier points than with lighter points. His theory, which he claimed to have proven in the field, was that there was enough more retained energy imparted by the additional weight to extend the range. Same aerodynamics, more energy. He also said the same is not true of compounds, because the longbow increases efficiency with increasing arrow weight, and a compound decreases efficiency with increasing arrow weight. Within reason, the heavier the arrows the better with longbows, and the lighter the better with compounds.

In my experience, The difference in the impact point of my arrows is negligible if I go up in arrow weight by 100 grains with my longbow, I think because the efficiency increases proportionately.

Great post, Allan.

[larry]

gunner, the 500's should be just right at that weight, you will have to play with arrow length some....

[M60gunner]

Thanks larry, I will give it a shot. I like the smaller size shaft, better penatration from what I have seen on 3d's with my 55lb. bows. The Axis seemed easier to bare shaft than the CE's.
Thanks agian, Tom

[jacobsladder]

the smaller diameter shaft puts the shaft closer to center, therefore you can shoot a slightly stiffer arrow...that may be the reason for the ease of tuning for your setup w/the axis.

[Biggie Hoffman]

Hello Don, good to see your post.

Guys, Mr Stokes has a wealth of knowledge concerning bows and arrows and their performance. He'll graciously give credit to others (like he did with Dan above) but rest assured he knows what he's talking about!

[amar911]

The thing I like about the Trad Gang is not just what a great bunch of guys are part of it, but also what I learn from everyone. The collective knowledge of the Gang is amazing. Thanks all of you.

Allan

[Don Stokes]

Thanks for the kind words, Biggie. I've been laying low for a while, but archery, and talking about it, keeps coming out. I got very tired of that other site, and I was pleased to find that this one has taken off.

"It's in him, and it's got to come out"- John Lee Hooker

"It's not some game I play, it's in my DNA, it's what I do"- Donald Fagen

That quotations thing in the signatures has me going, I guess.

Re the light vs heavy poundage, when I was a kid in the 1950's and 60's, a hunting bow was typically 40-45#, and tons of game were killed with them, mostly with cedar shafts tipped with Bear razorheads. I knew a guy who shot 60# back then, and all the other bowhunters around (there weren't that many 'cause there weren't many deer)were in awe of his prowess.

It wasn't until the compound came along and brought a whole bunch of new archers into the sport that folks began to think that they needed 60# or more to kill a deer. When I started the Superceder shaft business with Dan's help about 15 years ago, the average traditional archer shot 60# or more, because that's what they shot with the compound they'd learned on. Because of this, we designed our plant to make high-spined shafts that were practically unobtainable in the cedar that dominated the market. We also barrel-tapered them both for performance and so that we could use shafts with diameters greater than 23/64- there were no taper tools or points for anything larger. The heavy bows in vogue then really complicated our attempt to do business!

Fortunately, as a group we've wised up, and now the average is probably closer to 50, and as this thread illustrates, is coming down. That's a good thing. 40# from a modern efficient bow will kill anything on the continent. I'm living proof that those heavy bows will damage your body if you overdo it. I can't shoot nearly as much as I'd like to, now. Shoulders.

My first buck was taken with a 45# recurve.  My next one will likely be in the same range.

[Jedimaster]

Thanks for the information and history Don.  You also brought some very fond memories back to me - the Superceder shafts.  I still have two left out of my first dozen.  I would shoot nothing else if I had them today.  I loved those arrows and they served me well out of several different bows.

[Biggie Hoffman]

Like Don my 1st buck was taken with a 45# bow. Shot clean thru. Add about 50 after that with the same weight bow and cedar shaft.
I got caught up in the heavier bow deal too. Ended up at 65# and shot that weight for years until my elbow told me no more!
I'm back down to 55# and have no qualms about dropping more if I have to. I love seeing my arrows in flight again too.

Hey, I have an idea for a new slogan;

45#ers, putting the arch back into archery!

[STEVE R.]

My accuracy is about the same. I enjoy shooting much more. I have taken more game. I probably move less when drawing the lighter bow.

[Swamp Pygmy]

lol. @biggie.  I like that one. I always thought that was a cute slogan for a bow company.

Hey I got one for hoyt.

"We hit ya where it Hoyts" the checkbook.

[OkKeith]

Just this year I pulled out an old 1968 Bear K Hunter with a C style handle while some buddies were over. It is 44# @ 28". I pull nearly 31" so it is shooting a little stronger. Dang if I didn't shoot it really well!

Not just well, BUT GREAT! I hadn't shot that bow in years. I forgot how smooth it was. I'm thinking the 55#@28" DH Hunter may stay on the wall for hunting season this year.

That evening the guys were over may have been the first time that bow had EVER had a carbon nocked up on it (actually it may have been the first time it has ever had anything but cedar nocked up).

OkKeith

[Teacher_of_the_Arcane]

Hi All,

I sold my Bear Kodiak Takedown (82#) to a fellow Tradganger, and bought a Tomahawk (50#) from a fellow Tradganger.  Didn't increase my accuracy, but it only took a day or two on the range to come back on target.

[Shawn Leonard]

I shot 75-80# bows for a few years and than settled on 60-65#s for around 7-8 Years. I took a bad fall going up a tree and dislocated both my shoulders. After shoulder surgery I dropped down to 52-54#s at my draw of 28.5"s. It took a few months but my release became better than it was and as long as I stay away from hard bone I have no problem killing any deer. I will also say this, I have a tendency to shoot deer a little forward and with a sharp 3 blade(Snuffer)and an arrow around 9.5 grains per pound I can shoot them thru the shoulders and get an exit on the off side as long as I do not hit bone. I am working on staying off that shoulder though. Th edeer I shoot with 50#s or so are just as dead as the first one I killed with 82#s by the way. Shawn

[scriv]

Accuracy was not the issue.  If your form and release are good, so will your shot be.  I wanted to be able to shoot a couple of hundred arrows in a day without getting tired.  Whitetails are about the largest animal I hunt these days so I dropped back to 43# so I can draw when cold.  The only problem I have now is that I can't put my bow down.  Maybe that's why I am shooting better than ever.   :D

[Don Stokes]

Now I've started thinking about that set of limbs for my Patriot TD that's about 40#, maybe 43. I think the arrows I shoot from my longbow will be just right, but I'll have to make some for hunting- my draw will increase about an inch. And those rabbits that have been threatening my garden...