You increase the draw weight of a bow by turning the limb bolts clockwise. I wouldn't mess with turning these yet since it can potentialy affect your accuracy and you said you were pretty happy with how you are shooting right now.

You use a bow scale to determine actual draw weight. It hooks onto your string and you 'draw' the bow. You might want to have a pro shop show you how to use one. Or use theirs. Here are two types from the Cabelas catalog:

Longer draw lengths mean a longer 'power stroke' and greater arrow speed, all other things being equal.

Assuming that your bow is tuned, concentrate on your shooting form and don't worry too much about penetration just yet. Many things can affect penetration of arrows into a target. Are all your friends using identical arrows and field tips? Some bows are more efficient than others and might shoot an arrow faster (deeper penetration, usually) even though it is the same draw weight as the others.

Have fun.



Edited by - The Mouse on 09/22/2002 22:22:14