Nomercy448

This is the same question that gets asked about rifles over and over again... "Why do guys shoot a .300win mag for deer when a .30-30 does just fine?"

There is no denying that a .300win mag shoots flatter and carries more energy than a .30-30, so there is equally no denying that the mag offers distinct advantages over the .30-30. On the flip side, there is no denying that those advantages come with a price (higher recoil, higher ammo cost or powder cost).

I pulled a 3 horse trailer all around the country with a F-150 with a 302ci, so why does a guy need a F-350 diesel?

Frankly, who cares? To each their own. Shoot what you want, and I'll do the same. It's not hurting YOU that I shoot a heavier bow than you're comfortable with, and it doesn't hurt me that you shoot a bow that doesn't have the range that I want.

For the archer, there were literally millions of deer, elk, buffalo, etc etc that were killed by handmade bows and arrows using flint heads and turkey feather vanes and fingershooting. So why do you need a compound bow at all?

Personally, I'm in good enough shape and still young enough that I don't struggle pulling a 70lb bow. Why I shoot as heavy as I can handle is because I don't limit my shots to 40yrds. Lighter arrows lose KE and drift in the wind much faster than heavier arrows, so I'd much rather have a 400grn arrow trucking 320fps than a 280grn arrow at the same speed. At 70-80yrds, you'll DEFINITELY see the difference in a 50lb bow and a 70lb bow, even if they have the same speed at the bow (same as a .223rem and a .300win mag, both are 3300fps at the muzzle, but at 1000yrds, the 50grn .223rem is off the map, while the 180grn .300mag is still smiling).

I'm also a pretty big believer in creating trauma. The more energy and momentum an arrow has, yes, the more likely it is to pass through, and once you exceed the energy transfer and pass through, all that energy is wasted. However, when you have WAY too much energy and momentum, you can make changes to your arrow to improve the energy transfer, i.e. shooting more blades, or shooting 'punch cut' heads instead of "cut on contact" heads. With a 50lb bow (running KE around 45-50ft.lbs.), I'd almost NEVER recommend a punch cut head, nor mechanicals. With a 70lb bow (running 65-75ft.lbs.), you can STILL get pass throughs even with punch cut 4 blade heads, and you'll get MUCH more bleed.

10-15yrs from now, sure, I'll probably reining in my shots and shooting a softer cam bow with a lower draw weight, but until then, gimme a hard cam 70lb bow and I'm good for a day of shooting.

From the cost perspective, there's almost no difference in price in the equipment to get set up for a 50lb bow or a 70lb bow. The bows will generally be within $50, the arrows will cost about the same, broadheads (80s vs 100s vs 125's) will all cost the same, so the only REAL difference is that a heavier bow is harder to draw, and has a little extra range.

Ultimately, I agree, for a guy that's only accurate enough to shoot at 30yrds, for whitetails, he won't see any difference between the two. But for someone that shoots a bow well, a heavier bow can REALLY extend your range.