Need Longbow # advise

[no nothing]

Ok I ordered a longbow for my wife from Maddog 60" # 35 @28". For Christmas she wanted a longbow. She loved it! And so do I. Now it's time for old daddy to get his bow on    . I have not hunted before. I would like to order a long bow, but what weight    . I would like something that I can hunt anything with, but 99% of the time it will be for target shooting. I am 6'01" 225 normal strenght. Suggestions please.

[Raging Water]

I guess I would be that last person to give advice on this topic.

Somebody with better sense than me can give you an answer.

Matt

[Zradix]

You have a 85# training bow don't ya Raging Water? lol

How does the 35# feel to you?

When you say "hunt anything" what do you really mean?

I'd say 45# could kill anything...even elephant...if you shoot from between its legs.


Really though you shouldn't go much higher than 45# at first. at least that is the general wt I hear.

[Hermon]

If you want to hunt with it you need to check the regulations in the state(s) that you want to hunt in to see what their minimum draw weight is.  Here in Kansas it is 45#.  When I was younger I would have told you 60#.  But as I get older the 50# bows are a lot more fun to shoot.  You stated that 99% of the time you will be target shooting, so I would not recommend too heavy so that you can master your form and have fun without wearing yourself out.  If there is a club or range where you can go and try out some it will help figure out what poundage you are comfortable with.  Again, if you are going to hunt with it, just make sure that it is of legal draw weight.  Have fun picking out that new bow!

[Orion]

45# is a good starting weight. Won't tire you out on targets and sufficient for deer size critters.

[Dick in Seattle]

45 is just about optimum for starting out, and, for the most part, carrying on.  It's legal for most game in most places.  If someday you draw a moose tag or go after elk, you can build up from there, but starting off any heavier (or making too big a jump, if you've been shooting your wife's 35) is usually an invite to bad shooting habits.

I had a guy come down for coaching last week. Moose of a guy, but hadn't shot trad before.  He'd equipped himself with a 50 longbow and a 55 recurve and figured he needed form help because he couldn't hit anything.  I took him out back and gave him a 40# Hill and ran him through an aiming drill.  Right off he started hitting pretty darn well.  Wasn't anything wrong with his form if he was using a bow he could handle. He ended up taking one of mine home with him.  Once he has shooting down pat and convinces himself he's a good shot, he'll be able to work up in weight.

Starting off with bad habits and ingraining them can take you a lifetime to get over.

[Montanawidower]

Struggled with consistency years ago until I started shooting in the offseason with 45# bows.  Really a good compromise in my mind between fast enough to kill, but light enough to really groove your form.  I jump up to 58# during hunting season and really stroke the target.  However, by the end of hunting season, it seems I have developed some variety of a bad habit.  Its then back to my light bows to work it out.

Dick hit the nail on the head...don't start off too heavy. You gotta work your way through the learning curve first.  It won't take long and you will learn to really enjoy shooting.

There is a thread Rob posted at the top of the page here in the PowWow.  a "newbie" topic - good advice/cautions there.

Good luck and keep asking questions    

[USN_Sam1385]

I am right there with Montana. My hunting bow draws 61# at 28 inches. I would have gotten around 55# at 28 inches if I had ordered the bow myself, but got it in a trade for one of my rifles. My wifes bow draws 27#'s at 28" and is a dream to shoot.

Find myself really paying attention to every detail of form with her bow, and shooting close to 100 or more arrows in one sitting. Then, with my own bow I will shoot maybe 30-40 arrows total. Once I start feeling muscle fatigue I stop the session.

If I were you, I would order your bow 50-55#'s at your draw weight. That way you won't ever get the desire for more weight, as you may if you stay in the 40's, and you can perfect form on your wife's bow at any time. It depends how the weight feels to you though. Each person is different.

[Ben Maher]

A 45 # bow will send a well placed arrow clean throught the vitals of most mid sized game animals. Learn to shoot well at that weight and then you'll be on the right track .
I still shoot my heavies [ 70# ] for fun and training , but I hunt with 50/52# longbows and shoot target with 40lb

Get a bow you can shoot comfortable and the rest will take care of itself.

Here's the thread:  
 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=082053

Personally I think, at least initially, 50-55# is too much for a beginner....but that is my opinion.

[Skipmaster1]

I was used to shooting 80-90# compounds and would shoot a lot. I bought a 55# Recurve and struggled with it. I dropped down to 50#'s and it was like night and day. I was able to learn proper form and work on building the right muscles. I would lean toward 45#-50# to start with, you can hunt most big game with it and really work on proper form

[no nothing]

Guys thanks so much for your time and help in this matter. I think I will be calling Mike and ordering a 45#.

Alfredo,
IMO, you might want to keep your eye on the classifieds here.  There are usually several bows that would/could be good for you...some of the best custom made for lots less than buying new.

When you are strong and have acquired good form, then shop around and spend your hard earned bucks.

Good luck!

[Apex Predator]

Originally posted by no nothing:
Guys thanks so much for your time and help in this matter. I think I will be calling Mike and ordering a 45#.

You have made a good choice!

[cbCrow]

Go to Bass Pro or something like that and try the different weights. Make sure you can hold the weight for the count of 3. This will help you to shoot more accurately later.

[lpcjon2]

Go to a bow shop and try some bows, Pull a few back and see what you can handle. Or ask some people around the area to see(hunting club or at a range).thats the only real way to get the feel for what you can handle.

[LONGSTYKES]

Start at 40# to 45# and you will enjoy. Don't worry you become addicted like the rest of us and you will own many bows. Really work up slow and work on your form, form, form. Really enjoy

[EHK]

Another vote for 45#.  I started out with 50# and never really learned good form, so I reach a plateau pretty quickly.  Dropping 5 pounds made a huge difference in form and accuracy for me.  Also depending on what you get, pounds don't always equal pounds.  I don't typically chrono my bows, but happened to be in a shop one day when someone else came in with another custom longbow.  My 45# bow shooting a 100 grain heavier arrow was faster than his 50# bow.  Better to err on the lighter side than the heavier side if you don't plan on hunting any really big game in the near future.

[GRINCH]

45 is perfect to start,not to heavy but still heavy enough to hunt.