Draw weight changes in the last 15 years.

[Ghost Dog]

As I scan the classified ads here on TG there are often bows that interest me but are often too light in draw weight for me. I am not a big guy, nor am I a young guy, but I am in good shape.  

What is going on? Is the traditional community just getting older or is it a matter of better bow dynamics in combination with carbon arrows and better broadheads? It used to be that a 40 to 45 pound bow was a woman's bow, but now that range is more common for men.  One ad caught my attention today but the draw weight is 42#.

 Any thoughts?

[xtrema312]

Well most all the old bows I find and have are 50# or less.  Most of the old bows listed for sale here are 45-55#.  From what I can tell and remember not all that much has changed, but that is just me.  I also see some nice bows to low of draw weight, but a lot of them were for someone with a longer draw also.

[The Night Stalker]

I went from 65, down to 60, 57, 52 . Now I shoot bows 46-48 lbs. My shoulder use to hurt like someone was sticking a knife in it . Two years ago, I broke my elbow and had it wired back together. Last year, I broke my right collar bone and 16 ribs but my shoulder pain went away. I changed my draw to a rotational draw ( that got me back into shooting.) I draw 29 inches so I can get by with a little more. The last big bodied deer I shot was with a 50-52lb recurve. The arrow went through the deer and in the ground about 6 inches.

[Ghost Dog]

Yes, recurves tend to be lighter than longbows overall, especially older recurves,  but not too long ago 55# was an average draw weight for a longbow.  I look  primarily for longbows to be at least 55# @ 28", and up to 60#.  Many bowyers I know have told me that draw weight has gone way down for men, with 43# being a common average for a longbow.

[Ghost Dog]

Originally posted by The Night Stalker:
I went from 65, down to 60, 57, 52 . Now I shoot bows 46-48 lbs. My shoulder use to hurt like someone was sticking a knife in it . Two years ago, I broke my elbow and had it wired back together. Last year, I broke my right collar bone and 16 ribs but my shoulder pain went away. I changed my draw to a rotational draw ( that got me back into shooting.) I draw 29 inches so I can get by with a little more. The last big bodied deer I shot was with a 50-52lb recurve. The arrow went through the deer and in the ground about 6 inches.

All good reasons to shoot lighter bows. And good for you for adapting.

[Orion]

There was just a 7-8 page thread on this topic.  Also, there'a a poll running asking folks how old they are.  I believe 50% are 50 and older or maybe that's 40 and older.  Anyway, we are an older group compared to the general population.  That's true of the entire hunting community.

Injuries and age have caused a lot of folks to drop down in bow weight.  I used to shoot in the mid-60s, primarily longbows.  Now that I'm past the mid 60s in age, I shoot bows in the mid-50s.

Lots of folks are also discovering it doesn't take a real heavy bow to kill deer size critters.  I still consider 40-45# on the light side, though.

[bornagainbowhunter]

I still like mid 60s to lower 70s.  They just feel good to me.

[LKH]

Although I'm a dedicated hunting archer I go long periods without shooting.  Winter.

I've had 4 different shoulder surgeries and while I don't shoot the 75# Knight anymore, I do shoot my 63 and 69# longbows.  

What I think makes it easy is a dedicated program of shoulder therapy exercises plus some modest weightlifting.  

Hadn't shot in months and just tried the 63# with no problems.  It's all about continuing to work on the muscles to slow the atrophy of age.

Got my medicare card last month.

[heydeerman]

I used to shoot the occasional 75-85 pound bow back in the day. I consistently hunted with 60-65 pound bows. Several years ago I broke my left shoulder and collar bone in 2 separate motorcycle accidents. The shoulder healed up fine but where the collar bone attaches to the shoulder didn't. I just this week received my first 45 pound bow, a ******** Titan with Sebastion carbon limbs. I can draw and shoot with very little pain and by next season I will be able to kill anything in Ohio with it. BTW, this is a fine bow.

[stickandstring]

I think we've all got older and the bows today are absolutely dynamite. My desired bow weight today is 43 - 44#, however, I can pull much heavier bows left handed.

[Flying Dutchman]

Maybe it just that the bows are performing better and better. Personally I like drawweights between the 45 and 50 lbs, though I can shoot 70.

[Terry Lightle]

Hunted with 63# for lots of years.Hunt with49# now,elbow problems.Did not get to shoot or hunt with a bow for 2 years with the bad elbow.Will not take a chance on it anymore.Doctor said never again but I proved him wrong.

[duncan idaho]

65# to 70# for me, use those weights for 3D, stumping, and hunting.

[drewsbow]

A bad shoulder has me shooting lighter bows but I believe you should shoot as much weight as you can handle.

[Lotech Joe]

I find that as my testosterone goes down, so does my draw weight. When I was 35, I could shoot a 100# Howard Hill longbow. Now, 30 years later, I'm getting a 40# recurve in the mail soon and I'm wondering if I'll be able to shoot it. Two back operations, one neck fusion and arthritis will take it out of you. They say you can kill a grizzly with a .22 if your placement is accurate. Not that I'll ever be hunting again, but I think greater accuracy will come with reduced draw weight. If you can still shoot the heavier draw weights, that awesome. I wish I could, but I can't.

[Jedimaster]

15 years ago I shot 60@28 and my draw length was 28". Gradually I went to bows of less draw weight as conditions mandated. I'm now shooting bows around 45@28 but my draw length has grown to 28.5 - 29". I consider this my "from now on" weight.

Arthritis played a role in this. I can still shoot higher weights but my shoulders ache later if I do so for very long. I find I can shoot less weight, for an extended period of time, and still feel fine afterward. As indicated by my increased draw length, it has helped my form and I'd say it has helped my accuracy too.

Not all of it is artritis, some is age. I know I'm not as strong as I was back then but back then I had more time to work on maintaining strength - and made it a higher priority too. Things change. I like my life but my lifestyle has been modified by necessity.

Lastly, I read quite frequently of archers undergoing shoulder surgery. That is something I wish to avoid. Can I say definitively that their issues were caused by shooting heavy bows? No sir. But, I'm sure it didn't help. Repetative motion, heavy weight and cold joints can cause injury.

I don't feel I'm alone in the above reasons. Probably a lot of folks out there like me. Besides, I bet I could still shoot higher weight better if I worked harder at it but bowhunting isn't my sole passion and time is precious.

[dnovo]

15 years ago I was shooting 643@27".  Now I am shooting 51 # @ 28".
I had always shoot in the mid 60's for years and years, then dropped to 57#, then eased on down to 51# over the last couple years. One shoulder with pain, then the other and an elbow bothering me also. Trying to avoid surgery if I can. I just turned 57 and hope I can stay at this weight for a long time. No problem with killing, as deer and bear have gone down quick.

[Traxx]

Also,
I think that modern people,are coming to some of the same conclusions that ancient people came to,long ago and that is,that heavy draw weights are not as critical to get the job done,as modern people believe.

[frankwright]

I did not have a bow below 64# 15 years ago and now I do not have one over 53#.

Especially with the hill style bows I found that I can draw smoother,anchor better and get my back tension in play with a lighter bow.
I don't want to get injured and I want to shoot bows the rest of my life so I just made adjustments.
I was getting to where shooting a 20-30 target 3D course, eating a bite and then shooting it again just for fun was starting to tell on my shoulder.

Plus I found a 45# bow will shoot right through a deer.

15 years ago my heavy bow was 96 pounds and my light bow was 64 pounds.  5 years ago 64 was my heavy bow and 55 was my light bow. 4 years ago 72 pounds left hand bow was my heavy bow, 64 pounds right hand was my right hand heavy bow and 51 pounds
was my new light weight bow. 2 years ago left hand 72, 51 and 45 left hand, 64, 58, 55, 52 right hand.