Does anyone shoot 100lbs+ bows?

[BHTGdogs]

It will get shot at targets and maybe try to take a deer with it. As I weigh 3 times as much as the bow I'm not worried about the poundage. I started out at 15 with a 70lbs bow. Weight has never been an issue. And at the least it will be a good strength training bow.

[Morning Star]

I've got a cat I'd trade for a bow...any bow!

This thread makes my elbow and shoulders hurt!  60lbs is where the pain starts for me...

[habujohn]

Be prepared to have a short career in archery shooting that much weight.  As I get very close to 60 I am glad I gave up my 70# bows years ago as I plan on shooting till they are pushing dirt in my face.

[pinky]

I am imagining that that poundage shortens one's draw length a bit.  After playing around with 3Rivers dynamic spine calculator for my draw length and 55-60lb @ 28" bows, I wonder what Shaft options someone has when they are shooting 100+ lbs?    

[cmh]

Believe I read Mr Turay of Northern Mist bows plucks those big bows.....

[BHTGdogs]

Guys this will not be a bow that is my go to bow. This is a bow for fun.

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by pavan:
As poundage goes up, efficiency per pound goes down.  I would not over estimate the spine requirement until you have the bow and you are certain that you are shooting it to your full potential.  I expect you will experience dorsal/cervical area changes if this is a big jump of any kind.

The RATE may go down....but at same arrow weight per pound with same bow design. ...effeciency will go UP......NOT down...just wanted to make that clear.

[Terry Green]

BTW....Arrow Dynamic Golds work for me....with a 175 gr head and mini aquarium tubing inside shaft.

[Daz]

Even if it was your "go to" bow, as long as you are comfortable with the poundage and accurate it is your journey.

You will find that there are some fairly strong and divisive opinions when it comes to draw weight.

Carbon Tech Safari's with a three inch + footing on the front (to stiffen spine) may be your best bet for durable/tuneable/spine plus gpp requirements.

[Charlie3]

Just be careful. I am a young and strong guy, started shooting 60 lbs at age 13 or 14 and can easily hande 100-plus, but choose not to exceed 60 lb draw weight because I want to shoot for years to come. Rest assured that if you overdo it you will have problems. Your shoulder is not designed to withstand the level of stress shooting a heavy bow any significant amount of times will put on it.

Look at major league pitchers that throw hard- typically last until age 30 or 35 only if they have rotator cufff/tommy john/ect operations. Is it posible to throw a baseball hard thusands of times? Or shoot thousands of arrows out of a heavy bow? Yes and yes, but it will destroy your body in time. Like I said, don't overdo it.

[brianbfree]

Try some re-bar or broom sticks the plastic coated ones are better

[el chupa nibre]

And don't underestimate the value of weight-training. I've noticed the greatest carryover to my bow pulling strength from doing conventional deadlifts and front squats (utilizing a clean grip really hits the upper back).

Very impressive that people can pull 100+ bows! 67lbs can kick my ass after extended practice incorporating Rick Welch's shooting style of holding at anchor.

[jebeckjr]

Serious question - how are you guys stringing such heavy bows, especially the longbows?

[pdk25]

Webster stringer.  Nate from Bama bows lays the bottom tip on the ground, puts his kneenon the riser, them pulls the topnlimb toward himself. I am not coordinated enough for this.

[nineworlds9]

Pdk, chupa and the rest all threw in some good advice.  I've shot bows all the way to 105# and I tell you, once you get into the 80's and above you'd better be doing some serious focused training to stay on top of it and not hurt yourself.  Bow length and type is a big factor.  Shooting a 76" 105#@32 bamboo backed English longbow with a little stringfollow is WAY easier than a 69" glass 94@29 straight or backset Hill Style that is for dang sure.  The big long ELB lets you really lay your body in the bow as the old English used to say.  Its amazing how much leverage increased bow length gives you at higher draw weights too.  I actually became pretty decent shooting the big warbow with broadheads on 33" poplar arrows at 20 yds...I had plans of hunting with it, but the setup proved too cumbersome and I shelved that plan for the time being.  The 94@29 Hill was a beast.  I also had a 105@30" 69" Hill as well, also a monster.  Bows of those kind of poundages take a high degree of dedication and discipline to shoot with any measure of control.  You need to train drawing the bow and holding on non-shooting days, shoot it, cross train with weights and calisthenics like pull ups, and also give your body time to rest.  You can pull a muscle or strain a ligament/tendon and develop tendonitis real easy if you get cocky and overdo it and do too much too fast.  It pays to work up in poundage, and me I'd want a bow in the 70's at least to have some "light days" in between when I was shooting the 100#er.  I've found that I can be a little more lax with anything 80's or less.  That's my comfort zone.  Once I hit the 90's on the glass Hill I realized it was a whole new ball game.  I've since taken a break from heavies.  My last bow was the 94@29 Hill.  I think I may try an 84@29 next time and know that I can play around a bit more and not have to be so systematic and consistent with the drawing and shooting.

The hardest part honestly is building a decent tunable arrow for these monsters.  There are options out there, but to get a heavy enough stiff enough shaft and enough FOC can be a little chore, and it can cost a bit too depending on what you go with.

Modern bows are so efficient that shooting these high poundages is more for enjoyment than any real practical use anyway.  No need to hunt a rhino with a 100# Hill when a 75-80# hotrod recurve or hybrid longbow will do the job as good or better.

[nineworlds9]

Oh and stringing...I used webbing stringer or step through.

[robtattoo]

Originally posted by nineworlds9:
Pdk, chupa and the rest all threw in some good advice.  I've shot bows all the way to 105# and I tell you, once you get into the 80's and above you'd better be doing some serious focused training to stay on top of it and not hurt yourself.  Bow length and type is a big factor.  Shooting a 76" 105#@32 bamboo backed English longbow with a little stringfollow is WAY easier than a 69" glass 94@29 straight or backset Hill Style that is for dang sure.  The big long ELB lets you really lay your body in the bow as the old English used to say.  Its amazing how much leverage increased bow length gives you at higher draw weights too.  I actually became pretty decent shooting the big warbow with broadheads on 33" poplar arrows at 20 yds...I had plans of hunting with it, but the setup proved too cumbersome and I shelved that plan for the time being.  The 94@29 Hill was a beast.  I also had a 105@30" 69" Hill as well, also a monster.  Bows of those kind of poundages take a high degree of dedication and discipline to shoot with any measure of control.  You need to train drawing the bow and holding on non-shooting days, shoot it, cross train with weights and calisthenics like pull ups, and also give your body time to rest.  You can pull a muscle or strain a ligament/tendon and develop tendonitis real easy if you get cocky and overdo it and do too much too fast.  It pays to work up in poundage, and me I'd want a bow in the 70's at least to have some "light days" in between when I was shooting the 100#er.  I've found that I can be a little more lax with anything 80's or less.  That's my comfort zone.  Once I hit the 90's on the glass Hill I realized it was a whole new ball game.  I've since taken a break from heavies.  My last bow was the 94@29 Hill.  I think I may try an 84@29 next time and know that I can play around a bit more and not have to be so systematic and consistent with the drawing and shooting.

The hardest part honestly is building a decent tunable arrow for these monsters.  There are options out there, but to get a heavy enough stiff enough shaft and enough FOC can be a little chore, and it can cost a bit too depending on what you go with.

Modern bows are so efficient that shooting these high poundages is more for enjoyment than any real practical use anyway.  No need to hunt a rhino with a 100# Hill when a 75-80# hotrod recurve or hybrid longbow will do the job as good or better.

This, exactly.
I used to shoot a 112# warbow, back in the UK (that's 112@36") & length is your friend. My first warbow was 76" & it didn't take long before I switched to an 84"
At the same weight (give or take a pound) it was much easier to draw & hold.
Keep shooting lighter bows, but make sure that you're drawing in the same manner & anchoring in the same place.
Also, you WILL have to modify your draw significantly. If you try & draw with your bow arm straight, you're going to get hurt. A dynamic 'V' draw, or vertical 'T' draw makes life much easier, although neither are particularly suitable for hunting. There's a huge amount of movement involved in either.

[longbowman]

Here's a picture of my son shooting his 90# longbow.  I posted this a few years back but he still shoots this weight even at 3D shoots.

Oops!  I just figured out you can't cut and paste a video.  You can view it on a May 6, 2011 posting I had made unless Terry Green can put it in here for me.

[DaveT1963]

for weight lifting you cannot beat; deadlifts, bent over rows and one arm dumbbell rows to build back muscles to handle serious bow weights.

[monterey]

What happened to our member RagingWaters?

He seemed to shoot everything over 100#