poundage jump

[bowmaster12]

Im thinking of getting a new bow right now im shoot a 50lb recurve was thinking of jumping to a 60 lb bow is this to much of a jump in your guys opinion?  Should i be thinking more in the 55 lb range for the new bow? thanx for your thoughts and opinions

[joevan125]

Yep thats WAY to much poundage, i can tell a big difference in my 47lb bow and my 50lb bow. You are shooting a bow that will kill anything that walks in North America so i would only go up 5lbs if and only if you can handle your 50lb bow with ease.

[xtrema312]

Well I think it depends on your condition and what the 50 feels like for you.  If it feels like a comfortable weight you can shoot a good amount, but not way light then I would say 5 for a jump is best in general.  If it feels like a kids bow and your are in good shape upper body wise then maybe you can do the 10.  You don't want to develop an injury or bad habits.  I have personally found 5$ to be plenty for a jump.

[Bjorn]

If you jump too quickly, or are getting on in years (like me) you are risking long term injuries to bow arm elbow, wrist, or shoulder-it is not the pulling that will hurt you-make sure your health insurance is current too.

[BUFF]

unless you are old or have health issues, I can't imagine a 60 pound bow hurting you

[legends1]

I biuld more bows in the 45-55# range than anything.Even if you can shoot 60# to hunt, wouldnt it be nice to shoot a 3d range or stumps without get'n worn out.Im not sure a 60# bow can kill any better than a 50-55#.Just a thought.

[Earl Jeff]

I can tell you I just changed from 54# to 61# Same make of bow and model and those 7# are very noticeable.

[overbo]

Depends how often you shoot?If you warm up w/ your 50lbs and move up to your 60lbs and shoot one arro at atime and add more arros as you gain stregnth.I say go for it.I just got a 76lbs bow that I'm using to condition myself into a 65lbs bow 4 hunting.

[rappstar]

shouldn't be a problem to make a 10 pound jump if you are healthy.  i went up 20 pounds over the summer without issues...went pretty quickly as well.

[trashwood]

can you hold your current bow for 10 seconds without creeping?  i have seen quite a few bow hunters that are overbow with their current rigs?

rusty

[mcgroundstalker]

I remember when I asked myself the same question. Then I figured out that a ten pound increase was a bit too much for me. I'd like to stump shoot all day, shoot a couple sets of 3D and hunt with the same (weight) bow and arrows. It is MOST IMPORTANT not to be over bowed.

Now... If you are young, strong and barrel chested I'd say go for it. But if you need to ask the question I'm gonna guess you are an average build fella and maybe 5 pounds is just the ticket. Some people, myself included use a heavy arrow (10-12 grains per pound draw weight) to make up for our lighter weight bows. I shoot and hunt with 47-51 pound set ups. All day-all night Maryann. Alot of fun and no stress asking myself... "Can I get this to full draw when it's cold or when I'm on my knees?"

Thanks for lettin' me rant a bit.  

... mike ...

[LongStick64]

I recently made the jump from 60 to 72. Could I do it, yes, did I like it, no. When shooting stop being fun, it's not for me. So long story short, I sold every bow I had over the 58lbs mark. With the money I picked up new 44lbs longbow limbs from Bob Morrison. Glad I did, now it's back to being a fun thing to do.

[Gil Verwey]

There is an excercise which you can use to determine if you are ready for a jump up in weight. It is done with a Formaster, but you can just use your fingers to draw the bow instead. This excercise was documented on a Texas archery site. I use it for conditioning and to help me jump up in weight. Draw your bow and hold at full draw for 30 seconds. Let down and rest for 20 seconds. If you can do 20 reps you are ready for more weight. I use a Formaster and a 65# workout bow to do this and shoot a 60# bow while hunting. Doing this with a bow 5# heavier than the bow I shoot makes my hunting bow feel effortless. This isn't a hard fast rule, but it is a good barometer to see if you are overbowed. I would rather be 20# under bowed than 5# over bowed.  

Gil

[Guru]

All depends on how easy 50#'s feels drawing now....

 To say definitively yes or no is being kinda closed minded...

Everyone is different...I'd get the 60#'er and use it more as a workout bow for a while as you keep shooting the 50#'er....then slowly start shooting it more and more....

[amar911]

My bows range from 40 to 70 pounds. I like shooting 50 to 60 pound bows the best. Fred Eichler has taken every species of North American big game with a 54 pound bow, so you really don't need any more if you can shoot well.

For hunting here in North America, I personally prefer about a 55 pound bow. Unless you are going after grizzly (including brown) bear or going to Africa, there is not a particularly good reason to go above 55 pounds, but if you can draw 60 pounds and shoot a bow of that weight accurately under all situations, then go for it if you want to. For African big game up through cape buffalo you need to be thinking of a minimum of around 70 pounds.

I can shoot an under-50 pound bow for a couple of hours straight. I am ready to stop after an hour or so straight with a 55 pound bow. At 60 pounds I am good for half an hour or so. At 65 pounds I can shoot for half an hour, but I have to rest some along the way. At 68 to 70 pounds I can shoot for maybe 15 minutes before my form starts breaking down and my shots start getting erratic.

For hunting from a standing position where I would only shoot one or two arrows, fatigue or inability to properly draw a bow up to 70 pounds is not a problem for me. But for target or field archery where I am going to be shooting a lot, or when hunting from difficult positions in cold weather with bulky clothing, I want to be shooting a bow that is 60 pounds or less.

I sure understand the people who think shooting a 45 pound bow is more fun. I shoot a 50+ pound bow better because I get a cleaner release, so that is more fun for me. I don't shoot my heavy bows a lot, but I am glad I have them when I do want to shoot them.

For some people out there, 60 pounds is a light bow. A few guys can easily shoot an 80 pound bow. I wish I were that strong, but I definitely am NOT! I have been buying some lighter bows for when I am older and can't pull the weight I do now. I am 57 now, and those days are going to arrive before I know it.

Allan

[excelpoint]

I jumped up about 8# and didnt have any probs but what I did do was put in months of strength training before hand. I was doing close on 100 push ups and bent over rows with weight a night leading up to the arrival of the heavier bow. Draw length will paly a big part in the bow performance too. Fred Eicler was mentioned above only shooting a 54# bow but that is at his draw of 30+" which is a little different to shooting at 54#@ 28" or below.

[TheFatboy]

Though I would recommend a 5lb jump, you can easily jump up 10lb. It will just take a little longer, getting used to it.

[LongStick64]

I think the guys who have made the jump have all remarked on how hard they needed to work to get to that point. Don't attempt it if you don't want to work on getting stronger and if you don't have the time to commit to it. What you are thinking of doing probably accounts for a large reason bows are sold in the classified section.

[Bonebuster]

Usually threads about draw weight have to do with going down.

Bows in the low to mid fifties have plenty of punch for most hunting. A little extra weight is not a drawback either. If you are even thinking of going up, it must mean that fifty is easy for you. If fifty is easy, sixty will be too, with a little bit of SMART practice.

Just be certain that your draw length does not shorten because of the extra weight. More weight, and less stroke defeats the entire purpose.

[overbo]

After doing this trad thing for 15+ years   and shooting bows from 48lbs to 75lbs.I beleive if one isn't jumping at least 10lbs in bow weight,you don't gain much in performance.For me jumping from 50lbs to 55lbs is a waste.