Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

Hey guys,

It's been a while since I posted on here, but I have a question that I have been thinking about for all you experts. If a hunter can pull 80lbs on a bow and currently only shoots 70, will he benefit from the increased bow poundage in terms of arrow speed, accuracy and distance?? I was just curious as to your thoughts. It would seem to me the arrow would gain speed and have a flatter trajectory, which should improve down range accuracy, but then would it be enough to actually matter?? Thanks.

Kelly

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

Will he benefit? Most likely not. What I mean is this. Speed will increase, KE will increase, momentum will increase and bad shoulders will also increase. You reach a point of diminishing returns here. If you're shooting 70# and producing let's say 73 pounds of KE......yer gonna blow through most anything you shoot. How much more could you possibly benefit from shooting 80#?

There's some financial reasons as well. When you go to trade that 70 #'er in, you'll have a much easier time finding someone to buy it. Only very few people shoot 80's making them an item not in much demand.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

I agree 100 %..
There isn't a big game animal in North America that 50 # won't bring down with proper shot placement. I got into that macho thing about a year ago. I am fifty six years old, and can draw that weight, but what would happen if I blew out something. ( too old to recover) I just sold a bow that was set on 75 #, too much.. My bow is set on 64 # shoots 288 with 370 grain arrow what more do you want. Plenty of K.E.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

More poundage means less forgiving for most people, and less accurate.Perfect tune is critical. And perfect form.I have blown thru shoulders with 66lbs and 270fps with 420gr arrows.

Flatter trajectories doesn't mean more accurate at all either.

I still shoot two bow that are from 66-68lbs. As long as I am between 60-70 and over 240fps, I don't really care. I use bow poundage to tune the bow to the arrow.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

I do not think most people know what a heavy bow will do. I shoot a mathews safari set at 94# shoot s 680 gr arrow.I goup way better at 100 yards than any I soot with.If you gett any wind at all my arrow never dose any crap in flight.I can tell you pound a 680 gr arrow over 300 fps and see what comes out it.

Now do I think you need to shoot 100# . NO Do I think I benifit from it heck yes.I have shoot many many elk with my bow EVERY one of them has died in less than 100 yards. Now here for the shocker. I have never gotten a pass though. My wife has allso killed elk. She shoots little under 60#.

I will not see a reason for me to drop to a lighter bow. If I had to shoot 200 times a day I would go to a light bow. I do not have to do this and can see no reason a hunter needs to.I can stop in mid draw. I can allso draw so slow most white tails dont even see me move.

I say if you can draw the puondage slowwlllyy and hold the bow for over 3 mins. Shoot the top you can.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

For got to say some thing about tuneing.

The mathews safari was the eazyest bow I have ever tunes :} I have allso shoot many many broad heads though it and every one of them has shoot perfict. I have never had a bow do that befor. But I gess iff you put a 32in arrow that is 530gr and has 5 in flights. It should tune eazy.


Now it you shoot 60# and what to shoot 300 fps you dang shure will need to do a lot of tuning.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

wow, now that's an arrow.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

I intimately acquainted with what high poundage bows do.I used to shoot 110 pounds on a compound. 120 pounds on a longbow. My 'light target bow' that I shot field archery with was 80 pounds. This was back in the 80's. Now, 20 years later, my shoulders won't let me shoot ANY bow at ANY poundage. At this stage of life,I wish I'd never shot anything more than 60 pounds.

I have learned that looking for flatter trajectory by increasing poundage to ridiculous heights is a fool's errand. It will hurt you. Maybe not now, maybe not all at once, but eventually, you willget hurt. Either by slowly wearing out your joints, or by a series of minor injuries, orin one calamatous event, you will get hurt.

Besides that, heavier draw weights means you need stiffer arrows. Stiffer arrows = heavier arrows. Heavier arrows offset at least part of the gains you're looking for in speed and trajectory. The DUH factor comes into play here.

The SMART thing to do is leave the high poundage bows tothose who are going on safari for elephants andCape buffalo. Learn how to judge distance - or use a range finder-and learn your trajectory.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

good words art. i'm 39 and am not shooting anything over 60# any more. i want to have a long life in archery.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

Words of wisdom from such a young feller...:D... You are so right my friend... When I first started in the construction business after I came home from Viet Nam, I did more than any one. I lifted more than anyone. The old timers told me, " Keep this up and one day your going to hurt like hell", they were right. Same thing with shooting them macho bows... "One day your going to hurt like hell"!

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

I too was on the macho train anduse to shoot heavy bows. I started out at 80# and shot that for years, then down to 70# for a few years, now for the last 5yrs i've been shooting 60# and may end up going lower before it's all said and done.I have bad shoulders at the age of 44and i have no doubt at all that it came from the years of shooting those heavy weight bows. When i hear someone talk about shooting 80# now a days it makes my shoulder ache just thinking about it. I totally agree with Arthurwhen he says toleave the heavy weights to those going on safari for elephants andCape buffalo. Indeed very good advice!

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

Not arguing, just asking. Do you think that's because of the poundage or a well placed shot? I GUARANTEE you it was because of a well placed shot. The high poundage had not a thing to do with it.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

Kcison do'nt kill your self with a heavy bow, when things get cold ,it becomes a bitch to pull these monsters back,your arms just stiffen up.Rich

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

I heard someone put it this way once: Do you care if your arrow blows through the deer and sticks in the ground six inches or ten inches?

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

I just don't understand this fixation with SPEED. If you want to shoot 300+ FPS at 100 yards why not use a rifle? I thought the whole idea of bowhunting was to get close to our quarry. I shoot 63 pounds I have no clue how fast as I've never shot through a chrono, don't really care either. JMHO. If I could hit anything with a longbow or recurve I, personally,would hunt with one, but I cant hit the proverbial broadside of a barn.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

I like that Greg/Mo...I'll remember that one. Thanks for responding.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

by the way kcison, good seeing you post on here again...

Don't know if you've been on since I switched usernames; I was MQ1shooter. Wow... felt weird typing that again. :D

Anyway, stop by more often...

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

Shooting 90lbs plus and a 600 plus grain arrow and not getting pass throughs on elk? Yikes. Almost unbelievable....at least if you are taking good shots.
I have a buddy that shoots a bear with a shooting star cam. Around 650 grains at 265 a 2419 to be exact. Nothing stops that arrow. Not hog shields, not deer shoulders, not elk ribs. I saw him shoot through the brisket of a 200 lb deer and the arrow blew out the rear femur, passing through.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

The draw cycle on some of these newer bows allow us to go heavier, if we like. For example...my 05 allegiance is easier to hold at 84 lbs than my patriot dually, 03, was at 73. I shoot the allegiance at 78. I shoot it well at that weight. I would hazard a guess to say that my allegiance at 78 is easier to draw and hold than a lot of the bows of the past where some of you guys hurt your shoulders.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

What he said. I shoot a 70# Trykon and I just can't see any reason I would need any more speed. Consider too that most treestand shots are 10-20 yds. To me archery is a close up in your face sport. I don't want to get good at shooting at 100 yds with a bow. I also don't see myself elephant hunting.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

Exactly!!

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

Well I have shoot many many deer.I can pound though 2 sholder baldes with no problem. I have allso shoot pigs. Every arrow passed though them. But elk are a dif story. I never shoot long shots . I shoot angled away shots.And never have had a pass though . For that matter not any of the hunters I hunt with Have hade pass though UNLESS they shoot to far back. Than they blow right though the elk. maby tuch 1 lung or the liver and we have to track it. Mine we never have to track. I think most of the elk hunters shoot to far back.This is what i have saw.I allso shoot black bears most every year.They are eazyer to kill than than deer or elk with ever be.

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

I shoot 61 lbs and get 64 in KE according to a my local pro.. we just kept working with different arrow til we got matvhed perfect for the bow... also I get a flat trajectory out til 30 yards..

RE: Bow poundage question - 70 vs 80
 

High poundages are great and some go for them but its best to back off a little from your max. I shoot 68# & could go for perhaps 15# more. BUT I couldn't hold that for what i consider a minimum(5 minutes with 65% letoff). It payed off two years ago when a buck froze up behind a tree and I held for 5 and a half minutes (I kept glancing at my wristwatch by my cheek) before getting a shot. Yes I was shaking at the end but I made it. To me a 140" 9 pnt is worth it