regret going to 70lbs?
 

Does anyone regret moving to 70lbs limbs. I have a mathews feathermax and really don't want anything newer (its ibo is still 310). I pulled back a few bows in the shop that "said" 70 and it honestly felt only slightly heavier than my 60....and my 60 is not heavy at all. Its been awhile since I've changed my setup, for 100 bucks I sorta have a new bow. Fair price...would anyone keep it at a lower weight?

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

I probably would.

After shooting 70 pounds for many years I found myself shooting more in the 60-65 pound range for hunting now and "only" 60 pounds for 3D. I have found that particular draw weight rangewith my setup to offer more than enough speed and kinetic energy to get a flat trajectory and excellent penetration. 70 pounds for my purposes is excessive. Keep in mind though that I have a 31 inch draw length.

But, even a person with a below average draw length....26-28 inches...should be able to get decent KE and speed numbers out of most of today's bows with a draw weight in that range.The efficiency of the current designs lends itself to as much.

Lastly, keep in mind your future. After many years of shooting a heavier draw weight alot of folks experience shoulder problems which negatively impact their shooting experience.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

I shot 60# for years but last year I started cranking my bow up a few pounds a week till I peaked it at 70#. A bow performs best at it's peak weight and the arrows are a lot faster and a flatter trajectory now. My muscles built up to this easy and no regrets and very happy. At 70# one pin is covering all of your shots out to 25 yds with the others stacked tightly.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

i'm not sure about a bow operating more effeciently at peak wt anymore. i believe that pivoting limb pockets have changed all that. i could give you an example of a 70# bow turned down to 60# shooting the same arrow the same speed as the same bow - same draw shooting the same speed with 60# limbs, but i don't think 1 example proves anything. i actually was told by someone i trust that a bow with pivoting limbs will shoot at pretty much peak efficiency up until the bolts are backed so far out that they fall out.

anybody know about this?

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Yea ,I am curious as the guys at my pro shop said thatmy oldXtec and my newTrykon will perform best at their peak weight.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Excellent question....

I tried my Reflex Highlander in the bow shop at these weights:
65# - Original setup. Easy draw. No big deal.
72# - Maxed weight. Limb bolts cranked all the way in.
70# - Backed off a hair. Was okay, but the guys noticed me raising the bow a little while drawing it.
68# - Current setup. Backed off just a little more to where I can smoothly draw it, and it will still have tremendous speed, K/E, trajectory, etc...

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

This is a very good question that I've been wondering about this season ,I have been thinking of going to that next level whenI buy my new bow .
I was thinking of going to 70# over my current 60# bow in order to get some extra KE and speed for hunting. I know I'm quite capable of drawing this wieght, and that while hunting I most likely would only be getting 1 shot anyway's . The main reason is right now I'm drawing at 28" ,but have come to term's that 28" may be a tad long for me ,so in order to keep what I already have with speed and KE ,I was thinking of lowering my draw lenght to 27" and going to 70#. Just wondering if it's worth doing this ,or should I stay with60#. I know that I could alway's back the 70# down to 65# and shoot ,but just want to be sure that my bow will be at maximum efficiency.I've heard lot's of mixxed review's about this ,should I move to 70# or stick with 60#?

nubo

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Although my current bow is very smooth at 65-70 lbs. it definitely will be my last 70 lb. bow, mostly due to getting older. I almost bought a 60 lb. bow this year but maxed out at 61, it just seemed too easy. Being old school and a past finger shooter I prefer having more weight at full draw. From now on they will all be 60 pound bows.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

me too.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

For spots and FITA, I like a 60lb bow, but at that draw weight it is critical in my opinion and for my shooting style to have 65% letoff with a decent valley to get the holding weight I prefer. I still like 70lbs for 3D and hunting because the shots are so far between 70lbs doesn't give me a problem at all. I have a new Liberty bow though that I plan to hunt with a little bit this year that is in 60lbs.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

For a deer hunter there's no reason to shoot more than 60 lbs., and probably a lot of reasons to shoot less. However, up here the critters are a bit bigger and tougher, so that extra 10 lbs. of draw force really comes in handy. I wouldn't consider shooting less than 70 up here since I hunt brown bear and mountain goat quite often.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Not directed at anyboby, but I like the 70# if it is comfortable for you as the arrows are flying much more quickly out off my bow and I use the same pinfor 10-25 yds. My 30 and 40 yd pin is stacked on top of each other. It is a lot less critical on judging the range of your shot with a higher poundage bow. When I first started turning up my bow it was hard to pull back. I damn near went with a 70-80# with my new bow but thought that at 44 years old why do that. I can tell you this though; 70#'s now feels like 60# did a year ago.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

If you are shooting 70lbs purely for more speed why not go with a lighter arrow instead? The only reason I go with 70 is to get more holding weight at full draw in situations where I am not shooting multiple arrows back to back like spots and FITA.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Soil if you do any hunting ,you would find out that the xtra wieght would kill you in cold weather. I learned the hard way! Rich K.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Heavier arrows shoot quieter out of my bow. My old Xtec was set at 63#'s and I shot a Beeman ICS 400. If I shoot those same arrows out of my Trykon they shoot good but they are not as quiet as my Carbon Express Maxima 350's. I was told to shoot 350's with this 70# setup as 400's are too light of spine and it is slightly dry firing my bow with a 400. Is this correct? I have a 28'' draw and shoot a 29'' arrow.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

ICS 400 hunters should be heavier if given the same components and length as a maxima 350........

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Last night I was shooting these back to back out of my quiver as I hadn't taken my broadheads off of my maximas from turkey hunting and I have lots of 400's so I would shoot one 400 and than a 350 and the 350 was much quieter. I thought that the smaller the number on an arrow the heavier the spine weight. Any way, the 400's create more noise than the 350's do upon release from my bow.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

I did a bit of experimenting when I bought my Mathews Ultra II a few years ago. I am shooting a 27" draw (I thought 28" but rechecked) at 64# and shoot 274 fps. At 60# it shot 270 fps. At 70# it shot 280 fps. So, it is about 1 fps per pound on that bow. I decided to stay at 64# because it is easy for me to draw and that is just where it sort of ended up. For 6 fps I am not going to go to 70#. There is just no significant difference there to make itworth worrying about drawing in cold weather when I am allbundled up. Shoulders take a long time to heal when injured, so don't stress yourself for literally a few fps. Just MO.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Just ordered my Allegiance last Monday...Dave the Archery tech at Chuck's in Warner Robins GA tested two Allegiances, one maxed out right at a 60# and the other a 70# bow, turn down to 60#, the speed difference was 12fps with the 70# limbs being the faster of the two, that my friends goes against everything I’ve read on this topic...I was there to special order the 70# bow anyway and only shot the 70#, so I was happy to see this outcome... i can always back mine down to 65# which is what i plan on shooting anyway...it's going to be a 28.5 DL in Max-4 camo...I can't wait...will post pics once it comes in and I have set it up with the Mantis V-drive pendulum and the TT rest that I have already purchased for it.






OH YEAH, OH YEAH!!! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!





Bo

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Until recently, all my bows were 70lb draw weight.
Have a new 50lb Bowman Spot bow and love it.
Shoot more accurate and much longer with the lighter weight.
From now on, my bows will not be over 60lb draw weight whether for 3-D or hunting.
Don't want to take the chance of a shoulder injury down the road.
Read where a lot of guys have shoulder problems in the last year and it has made me paranoid.
With todays carbon arrows, 70lbs is not needed, jmo.
But I do benefit from a 31" DL like Frank so it's not that much of a sacrifice going down to 60lb draw weight. ;)


Sag.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

"Spine weight" is an inaccurate term as spine refers to the stiffness or a lack thereof in an arrow, the less spine the more " flex " in an narrow and vice versa, right?

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

PSEbow, that just ain't fair:(.

I went with a 60 Tribute this year but always wonder what a 70 backed down to 63 or 64 would feel like.

My Patriots draw seems to get smoother when I back it off from peak weight. Kinda like it's relaxed or something. I'm not talking about just the weight, but the draw cycle. Sounds silly I know, but what's new.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

PSEBO, thank you for that info. That is very interesting as I have never talked to anyone who has shot the "same" bow with different weight limbs, but only different weights on the same limbs. Great, now I need to go buy new limbs to test it out. Thanks a lot for costing me money :D

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Sorry fellas i almost made the mistake my self...i was lucky that my favorite tech at my favorite shop was doing this test at the right time...and again this was only tested on the Ally!

Bo

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Guys I called my pro shop tonite and talked with my pro shop buddy and quizzed him on this 60-70 lb issue. He says that a 70# bow has to shoot the heavier arrow than the 60# bow so the two are basically equal in speed.He agrees that you don't gain any speed shooting a 70# bow with 350's over a 60# shooting 400's. He also said that he feels that a Mathews performs better at peak weight but that with a Hoyt it doesn't matter. He said that I am not gaining anything with my 70# setup thatI couldn't achieve with my bow turned down and shooting the lighter arrow. He said that where the heavier bow poundage and heavier arrow shine is on bigger game such as moose, elk,caribou, and Africa game, so since I am going moose caribou and bear hunting in New Foundland next year to stick with my setup. What are your feelings on this?

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Wouldn't it be nice if a "Huntingnet surfing" shop owner would shoot the big three, two of each, one a 60# bow maxed out and 70# bow back down to 60# with the same arrow for all six bows;)


Sure would love to see those number!

Bo

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Thats the biggest reason I've kept my Protec with xt2000's for 2 years now. Its a 70 pound bow for hunting, yet I can back each bolt out 6 times and be shooting 58 pounds with a very solid backstop for 3d with backtension.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Can anybody answer me? What about big animals?

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

I think there are few things that can be tougher to shoot through than the plate of a wild hog's shoulder, and I accidentally center punched one at 60 lbs and burried the arrow to the fletchings.

The important thing is having razorsharp cut on contact broadheads and being able to place the arrow where you want it to go. If you are comfortable with 70 lbs, by all means shoot it. But I remember seeing a show with Vicki Cianciarulo (sp?) shooting a moose with 50 lbs or so and getting great penetration.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

I saw that same show with Vicki. I think that is the one where she kept waving the broadhead around after the shot and Ralph showed a cutup T-shirt after the commercial break. LOL. Yea 70# is very easy for me so I will keep my setup. The xtra heavy arrows that I shoot will penetrate better than a light one and will be less suseptable to wind. I need to get a chrono.My 400's shoot accurately in my 70# setup but they are too light and cause a higher noise level. My bow with my current setup makes no noise except for the release of the string.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Difine "performs better at peak weight" for me. I think this is myth, especially with modern compound bows. I hear it a lot, but I think the people saying it really don't know what they are talking about. And when you ask them in what way the bow performs better it stumps them for a minute and you can see the wheels turning in their head trying to come up with an answer for you.

Of the 5 bows I own and several I have tried at shops none of them have performed any differently regardless of where the weight was set. On some really old bows they are more quiet with the limbs cranked down, but performance seems to be about the same.

Obviously a bow with more draw weight will be faster, that is a given. But when you do the math and take into account for the reduced draw weight and lighter arrow the max speed still comes out pretty close. There is a slight advantage to the higher draw weights, but it isn't dependant on it being "maxed out". A 70-80 lb bow set at 73 lbs would perform slightly better than a 60-70 bow maxed out at 70. It has nothing to do with the limb position, it has to do with the increased draw weight.

And I would agree most mathews perform better with the limbs maxed out, that is because almost every mathews I looked at peaked out almost 5 lbs above it's listed draw weight. Technically if your limbs say 60-70 you should not turn them above 70 lbs, doesn't matter if they will go higher or not.

I feel draw length and cams are a different story though. If you are shooting a cam that has a lot of draw length adjustment to it and you are shooting it at the lowest setting it could effect your performance as far as energy goes. Depends on the cam design though. This is why Hoyt and some other companies offer different cams, and why mathews is cam specific on draw length. I don't know how they are now, but hoyt used to offfer different cams with different draw ranges, some overlapping. It would be best to pick the cam that puts your draw length in the mid to upper range of adjustment, not the bottom. It probably will not effect alot, but it can't hurt;).

I tested my Bowtech mighty might at different weights and a few different draw lengths and it came out almost dead on at every setting when you did the math. It always came out close to the upper end of the specs for the bow (320's). At that is at 25-26 inches and draw weights from a bit under 50 lbs to 60 lbs (50-60 lb limbs). That is a pretty effecient bow to me.

As far accuracy goes, where your limbs are set have absolutely nothing to do with it. It all depends on the shooter. If you like more holding weight and don't mind a harder draw cycle then you will probably shoot better with more draw weight. You probably will not be shooting as many arrows though. I prefer a smoother draw cycle and not a lot of holding weight, so I shoot light draw weights and high let offs. However I can shoot for eight hours if I want to.

It also depends on the bow you have and your physical limitations. I can draw 70 lbs on most bows. It is a struggle though and I would never hunt that way. However I am little, so 70 lbs for me is impressive. I used to hunt at 60 lbs, but am backing it off to 55 with my mighty might. My bow also has a very agressive draw cycle! Probably why it is so effecient. Now I can draw a bit more weight with my Darton and the CPS cams, because they draw smoother. And I have shot some bows that were even smoother yet. If you were a bigger guy and shooting a bow with a nice draw cycle 70 lbs probably wouldn't be a big deal.

My feeling is that with the newer bows you really don't need it to hunt, especially in the midwest where shots are pretty close. Now out west where the shots are longer it may come in handy. My buddy shoots an older darton maverick with round wheels. He shoots 27 inches at 73 lbs with round wheels. He is in good shape and it doesn't bother him much. He has been shooting this bow for about 15 years as well. He shoots it well and it's accurate. However when he shoots it it sounds like a cracked 2X4 hitting a cement block, and it isn't very fast with the 2213 arrows he uses.

Compare it with my bowtech mighty might, I shoot 26 inches and 53 lbs with 450 grn aluminum arrows. My bow shoots as fast, if not a bit faster and you can barely hear it go off. No to mention my holding weight is way less than his is. He could get a newer bow and easily drop his draw 15 lbs and have a bow that is faster and quieter. And not to mention might shoot better for him.

I will never buy a bow larger than 50-60 lb limbs again. And my next bow will most likely be a target bow and it will be 40-50 lb limbs. I do not shoot 3-D though so speed is of little concern to me. I am more interested in how long I can shoot the bow comfortably and accurately.

That's my opinion any way.

Paul

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Keep you set up its great for big animals, in Idaho its required to have a 400 grain arrow with broadhead and 65% let off. We can't use expandables but for elk a good fixed blade or Cut on contact is the best anyway. I do hope we change the 65% let off rule, we are the only state in the nation to have this rule. A lot of bow companys don't even make 65% let of for certian bows. I myself like a fast moving heavy arrow, it will slice through a elk like cheese. As far as Mathews performing the best at max weight, that is true with the older bows, but not so with all the new modles out right now.

RE: regret going to 70lbs?
 

Thanks guys!!