Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

I am looking at getting a new bow. Probably a Bear Truth or something along those lines. I am shooting an old High Country Excalibur set at 65# and would like something a little easier to pull. I am getting older and don't shoot as much as I used to. I read that some of the new bows feel like 60# when pulling 70# and was wanting some feedback. I thought I remember that it is better to have the bow on the higher end of its max. I hope to get a chance to test some but thought I would check here first. Thanks.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

60 lbs will kill anything on this continent.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Newer bows perform pretty awesome at 60lbs. I too think about going down in wieght. I actually see some setups at 60lbs outperform mine at 70lbs.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Or you could buy a Parker with 50 to 60lb limbs and later on trade them out for60 to 70lb limbs for $50. Mine is a 60 to 70lb, but I think I'd rather have gotten 50 to 60lbs because newer bows apparently perform better with the limb weight tweaked toward the higher end rather than the lower end. 50/60lb limbs perform better at 60lbs than 60/70lbs limbs do.....or so I've heard.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

All I buy is 60Lbs bows. I have no problem shooting 70, but 60 is easier to shoot. And new 60Lbs bows can take down any thing in North America. Then again I think you can also do it with 50Lbs too, but that a debate for another day. I have also found that a 60 maxed out (61-62) will usually out perform a 70 set at 65.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

i have a mq1 set at 60..and it shoots good...

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

I would go with 50-60, but the final decision is yours. It's what you are comfortable with that counts. If you can comfortably handle a 70 pound bow, then go with it if you want. But don't let your testosterone override your brain when you make the choice. It's archery, not strongman competition. Like bigcountry said, the things they've done with bow design in the past few years have 60 pounders doing things almost as good as 70's.

I shoot a 50-60 Hoyt ProTec. It gives me the exact same performance as my old ProVantage did at 80 pounds 20 years ago.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Go with what you can comfortably shoot.My bow at 703# feels easier to draw than my old Whitetail Legend does at 60#'s. If you can shoot 70#' sitting down or at odd angles go with that. You might not be able to do it at first and it may take time. If you have to jank all over the place go with 60#'s.

Yes, the new 60's shoot like the old 70's. But why not go with the highest DW you can? Your performance with even heavier arrows will be better than that same arrow from a 60# bow.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Shoot whatever poundage you can comfortably pull when in a hunting situation and comfortably hold without ANY strain.This includes heavy clothing and COLD weather.


Usually a drop in poundage is preferrable in the winter over what you are comfortable with in the summmer and as you get older,your shoulders will thank you for not over stressing them over the years.


I have shot too many 3-d tourneys with older gentlemen that can barely pull 50# anymore due to shooting heavy poundage bows for years.They will tell you shoot on the lower end of your comfort range rather than the upper end.


I shoot 58# and have no problems with passthroughs on deer size game and really doubt I would have problems on elk.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Thanks a lot guys. I think I will go with the 50-60# bow.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

It sounds like you made the right choice. I am at the point that I have some microtears in my my rotator cuff. Looking back its just stupid that I let it get that way from bow shooting, and especially since a 55lb bow easily kills deer.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

okiejaco,
Good luck with your new bow and have fun shooting.


This topic usually brings up a debate and being the only onethat posted on this threadthat I know shoots over 70#'s I'm going to weigh in on this some more.

I've been shooting over 60#'s since I was 18 yrs old and have 0 shoulder problems from shooting. I've even dislocated my right shoulder and injured my left shoulder while playing basketball and when shooting my bow at 73#'s it does not bother me a bit. Why, because I also work out a few days a week or at least when possible.

I have no doubt that there are a lot of people with shoulder injuries from shooting. The draw cycles were harsh and even 55# bows were nasty. The let-off wasterrible and if you had to let down a bow it just about janked your shoulder out of the socket. That's just not the case anymore.

If people would spend a few hours a week working out instead of that time shooting they'd be thanking themselves down the road. Besides the benefits it gives you while hunting and shooting archery your body will thank you when you get older. If you have time to shoot your bow 5 times a week you have time to work out too. Even if you shoot at 50#'s more people should be doing this.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Same here. I shoot a 50/60 Hoyt Pro Tec as well - maxed out 61.7 lbs. Just recently got a Reflex Growler 50/60 - also maxed out to 61.3 lbs. I'm getting 260 fps out of these bows with 400 series Axis arrows. Not sure what real advantage there would be to a 70 lb. bow shooting the heavier 340 series arrows. And he disadvantage is that I would not be able to shoot as much without shoulder pain; and would eventually require rotator cuff surgery sooner.

PS - I finally got rid ofmy Pro Vantage Hunter this spring - traded it for a dozen Axis arrows. :)

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Dave, I have never understood why its so important for you to try to push people to shoot 70 or 80lbs. Anytime the subject comes up, you are first in line. I guess I am asking is why do you care so much? I still shoot several 70lb bows, but assure you, PA MD deer do not require it.

I bet I work out more thanmost of the people on this page and can assure you, that might make your rotator cuff worse. One of my best friends, in this area is the power lifting champion for the DC/Balt area just blew out his right rotator.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

I'm assuming the difference here is a 35 year old point of view as opposed to a 55 year old. Not to down play exercise; but no amount of working out is going to fix anaging rotator cuff.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

big,

Here's the problem. You say I'm pushing 70# bows? Aren't you all pushing 60# or less bows? I'm not promoting anything. I'm just giving my point of view on the subject. I'm the first one to speak up because I've been shooting heavy bows for a long time without incident. I also know a bunch of people that do the same. Aren't I allowed to respond to why I think 70#'s is better or only the guys that like lighter shooting bows allowed to speak up?

You will get a dramatic increase in performance out of a heavier arrow out of the 70# bow. Will it matter on a perfect side shot, no. Will it matter if that deer turns while you are shooting and hit the shoulder, yes. A lot of people on here promote heavy arrows. Why not push those arrows as fast as possible? I bet it helped when you took the 60 yd shot on that doe.

No, working out will not fix rotator cuff damage but i assure you it will prevent it if done properly. Furthermore, power lifting isa totally different venue than the type of work outs I'm promoting. I'vedone about every type of lifting you can think of since i was 14 yrs old.I know therisks involved with power lifting and why youshouldn't get into it unless you plan on putting your body through heck. I've torn the sheathing on my right quad and the dislocated shoulder is from power lifting. So please don't compare that to doing high rep low impact workouts to protect the body. Or, assume that I have no experience inexplaining why I thinkworking out is important.


Roscoe,

Iagreewith your lastpost. However, today's bows are so much smoother to draw and hold than the bows I grew-up with and definitely what you shot at a younger age. I pulled out my old Whitetail Legend this spring and at 60#'s it felt like I as pulling 80+ lbs. There are still a lot of guysthat shoot high poundage bows out there that are older. I think that also needs to be brought up anytime people start to say that all the older guys are dropping to 50#'s and such. Plus, this is a hunting website, not target.

Every time this issue is brought up someone says about the target shooters they know that have bad shoulders. Repetitive motionwill wear out a joint.Repeat an unnatural motion a few hundred or thousand times a week and it will wear out joints. Just look at golfers. There is no weight involved with the golf swing. However look how many golfers have bad backs, shoulders or elbows


Bottom line is that I'm not pushing anything. I'm just giving the other side of the story and this being an open forum I believe that is why we have a forum in the first place.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

I have been shooting 43 years at 70 lbs and 60 years old and stiil shooting 70 lbs TFOX It wouldn't feel right to me if I didn't. I alway shot around 65 lb recurve when I was younger back in the 60's I would been a call a P%$# if I didn't shoot ar least 55 lb,s becuase every one shot around that for hunting. You need to shoot what you can handle and can pull good out of a tree stand, but I think if you can do that with 70lbs thats what you should be shooting, but if not only can handle it shoot 60 lbs shoot that. I will always shoot as much as I can handle. If I can only handle 50 Lbs thats what I will shooting. I hope that day never comes I owe it to the game to shoot as much as I can.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

I believe you should hunt with a bow that has as much poundage as you can comfortably and safely handle. If that means 40lbs or 95lbs...so be it. This topic is all about personnal preference. Absolutely nobody can tell me or anyone else what poundage of bow to use.

Low poundage bows can typically be held longer.

High poundage bows have better arrow performance.

Find out what turns you on the most and go for it.

The biggest myth that I would like to kill right here and now is injuries due to higher poundage bows. Just because you shoot at 70lbs, doesn't mean you are going to injure yourself or have rotator cuff problems. There is proper form for drawing a bow just like there is proper form forholding a bow for the shot. Learn proper techniques and know your physical limitations. Too many old farts come on this site and complain about injuries due to their bow. Well, if you learned how to properly draw the bow in the first place and listened to your body when it was growning on the draw....then you could have avoided such injuries.

Lets all usea little common sense and stop preaching to these younger hunters what they should be using because YOU are using it.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Sure you are, but I think our reason for pushing is entirely different. Mine reason is because I know what can happen, and sure don't want that happen to someone else. Yours reasons are well obvious I think. You say working out helps this or that. I show it may or may not. Accidents happen at any gym. No matter what the workout. Sooner or later, you will hurt yourself, no matter if your doing 5 sets of10 of 120lbs, or if your doing 3 sets of 3 250lbs.Proof is in the pudding.

I currently don't have a 60lb bow, but plan on changing that in the next few years. I own 3 compounds, and 3 trad bows. All compounds are 70lb bows. And trads range from 40lb to 55lbs. I guarantee you I could hit with a 60lb bow at 60yards just as easy.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

My reasons are sinister and evil.I want everyone to shoot 100# bows!!! lmao

I'm not pushing anything. But it ruffles all your feathers not to agree with the "old school" guys on here. Every time some one new disagrees you guys all get your panties in a bunch for no reason at all and it quit humorous. You are disagreeing with me on how working out helps the body even though anyone with common sense knows that to be true.

To say sooner or later everyone gets hurt working out is ridiculous. It's virtually impossible to hurt yourself with low weight lifting if done properly. If you don't want to do weight at least do push ups and such to keep the muscles toned so that the stress from drawing the bow doesn't cause a pulled muscle. To compare that to doing heavy 3X3 sets is preposterous and really show how little you know about weight training. I worked out in a nationally ranked drug free weight lifting facility from the timeI was 16 untilI moved here 7 yrs ago and before that was given training routines that were used by professional athletes.The only injuryI ever suffered was from a poorly constructed incline bench doing heavy lifting. The amount of stress that is put on a body doing power lifting or heavy lifting is far great than used for strength andconditioning. And to say that it will not help is down right idiotic on my mind.

Making guarantees is like crapping in your hand. Both make no sense and after they're made all you have is a handful of $--t.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Yea, if you are bowhunting deer and are looking for a new compound, I'd also suggest going with the 50-60 pound bow.

I also believe as others have mentioned that weight training will not necessarily help to improve your draw weight.

I've seen huge muscle bound folks who do not shoot much have trouble with a 55 pound trad bow and I have also seen people that are string beans easily pull 90 pound longbows.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Though it seems the decision has already been made I thought I would chime in anyway. I have shot 70 pound peak weight bows for quite a few years. The last few years I felt more comfortable with 60 pound peak weight bows predominantly because of the draw cycles on those models. This year I ordered 70 pound models (shooting them all at 65 pounds) and I am not currently regretting it.

I guess my point is that peak draw weight is not necessarily the deciding factor in terms of how easy a bow is to draw but rather the bow's draw cycle.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Bob,

Ihave a lot of respect for you from your posts and you've never been one to jump on the band wagon. However, I never once said it will help draw more weight.I said that it will help prevent injury. I've never once told anyone to lift so that they can draw more weight.I've never once promoted power lifting or body building for bow hunting or shooting. When I weighted 150 lbs I could lift more than many guys 50 lbs heavier than me. Physical size does not matter andI never said it did. Drawing a bow is about form as well as strength

I recommend conditioning and strengthtrainingto everyoneI know to help them deal with any current injuries or withstand injuries and disease as they get older. Thishas all been proved inmany studiesand why people keep burying their head in the sand is beyond me.

Pa has said it very well. There are high poundage bows with sweet draw cycles and lower poundage bows with terrible draw cycles. To base it all on a number makes no sense. Go shoot the bows and then decidewhat you want.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Thanks for the clarification Dave. Didn't mean to point anybody out. Just put my opinion in as it seemed to be mentioned a few times. I would agree that weight training is in general a very good thing, as long as it is done right. As I'm sure you know there is a large percentage/majoritywho do not. I have a brother in law that owns two gyms. He is now 55 years old and he can still put most teenagers to shame.

I was really into the weight training thing for a very long time. I met Arnold a few times before he made Governor. I'm actually longing to get back into it after a few years of not training much at all. Unfortunately I have a meniscus tear that really hampers things right now. I'm looking a surgery very soon for it though along with a bone spur.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Bob,

I didn't think you were but it seemed like that's the impression that people might have been getting so i thought it was prudent to clarify.

Meeting Arnold would have been cool. Used to be into all of that stuff in my 20's myself. And after a back surgery last year realized thatI need to keep working out orI have all sorts of aches and pains. for me it's a matter of fighting that through fitness.

Good luck with your knee operation.Don't put it off too long. I made a mistake like that and now am paying for it with other issues. Having a bad wheel is never good. I hope that it's a success and let's you do get back into doing the stuff you like to do.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Dave - 20 years ago I would have argued for the heavier draw weight as well. And I certainly don't mean to minimize the benefits of weight training when done properly. Maybe I'm trying to rationalize that fact that bad shoulders will no longer allow shooting a "big dog" 70 lb. bow. All I know is I like this sport and want to be able to continue to enjoy for a lot of years to come. I can still pull an 80 lb. bow, but it hurts significantly after a couple of shots. A 70 lb. bow is comfortable to draw but smarts after about ten shots. With the 60 lb. bow, I can shoot 15 or 20 shots every day without much issue. Maybe seven or eight years from now, I'll be sporting a 45 lb. compound. Bowtech will make one by then with an IBO of 350 :)

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Roskoe, you may seriously want to take a look at traditional archery equipment. It is an aweful lot easier on the shoulders.

I really believe it could be the cams that are effecting your shoulders more then the weight. Moving down in weight may be a temp fix but the problem may still be there. That 45# bow must have one heck of a radical cam.

Don't be fooled by the large round wheels that many companys are now using. That is not the cam.

Not that I expect anyone with bad shoulders to try it out. But at least consider it.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

You may be right. I noticed a couple of months ago thatthe new Bowtech Guardian, in a 70 lb, felt like a 60 lb. bow to me. I have yet to find anyone else who shares that opinion. Maybe the way a bow stacks in its draw cycle affects the shoulder joint wear and tear. I know the old compounds, that have a very heavy pull in the first couple inches of draw, feel the worst - in terms of shoulder pain.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Cam shape hasa lotto do with the problem.Look at the where the cables roll over on the cams and there is wheremost of speed and power curve for a bow come from.Especially a single cam like Matthews. The cam is so sharp that it causes the serving to fray off the cable.Even my allegiance shows a wear spot from the cam rollover.

If the cam loads slow it puts less stress on the shoulder than one that loads fast. however, you loose speed because the bow is not in the power curve as long. Furthermore, if it has a severe valley it will cause more problems if you have to let down the bow. And even though high let-off bows are great to hold they will cause more wear if you let down the bow a lot with a severe valley. The hatchet cams that some manufacturers used to make were all the rage because of speed. However, they loaded fast and then dropped off quick and I'd bet are the culprit for the majority of the shoudler issues that shooters are talking about now.

Congrats on the buck by the way Bob.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Good Choice. I had a shoulder injury last year that cost me half of the archery season. I won't ever shoot any bows over 60 lbs again. It takes forever to get a shoulder healed.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Thanks for all the help. I think we have chased a rabbit some. My main question was how a 10 year old bow set at 65 lbs. compares to a new bow set at 70 lbs. When I got this bow, I was 30 and shot a lot. Now at 40 I don't get to shoot that much. I do appreciate everyones opinion on this subject. Off topic a little. A friend of mine used to shoot an 80 lbs bow with fingers. Of course he was 6'8" tall and weighed over 300 lbs. How many people have you heard of that could shoot over 80 lbs and how much did they shoot? Just thought it would be interesting to hear of the strong guys out there.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

I went from a 60-70lb bow a couple of years ago to a 50-60lb bow and am REALLY glad I made the switch...

It's not quite apples to apples but my current setup set at 53 lbs shoots around 245 FPS which is what my other bow shot at 63lbs...

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

It depends on the bow. Some bows just draw so much smoother now and the weight increase is gradual and then lets off. If you are only holdingpulling the heavy weight for a short period it will not feel as heavy. Plus, if there is less friction in the cam bearings themselves it helps. My 20 yr old Whitetail legend feels so much heavier but is only 5 lbs different. Using a release to take the pressure off the fingers also helps tremendously.

There used to be a lot of guys that shot fingers with heavy bows. Manufacturers just don't seem to be making bows that high. Hoyt is the only one that comes to mind that still makes them and I'm sure there have to be others. A brother of a friend of mine used to shoot a 90# bow in the 80's. The guy was short but very stocky and very strong. I have mine at 75#'s during the summer and to be honest if it went higher I'd shoot it higher. I'm not 6'8" 300 lbs though. Just 6'3" and around 200. The guys I shoot with draw 70#'s with ease. Both are shorter than me but weight 220 and 270 or so respectively.

Using the large back muscles to draw instead of your arm and shoulder will go a long way in helping to drawhigher poundages. That's why Bob said about the smaller guys that could draw more weight than thebody builder type. The big guy probablywas using mostly his shoulder muscles instead of letting the back do the work. While the smaller guy knows how to draw properly. However, if the big guy had good form he could draw a lot more weight due to strength.If you had two guys with good form but one wasstrongerthe stronger guy will be able to draw a higher weight longer.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

If you look into the traditional world, you'll find a lot of people who shoot over that amount. My highest poundage bow is a 75# Howard Hill Longbow which I plan on using on Moose in a few years. How many times I can shoot it depends on how long I hold at full draw. If I shoot as soon as I get to anchor which is normal, I can get about 20 shots in before my bow arm starts to shake. But if I hold a few second on each shot, then maybe 12 or so.

Howard Hill used bows up to 150 pounds or so. You can get cleaner releaseswith higher poundages. Howard shot bows well over 70 pounds into his seventies. John Schulz and Byron Ferguson also use higher poundages. If you saw John Schulz's actual body size though, you'd never expect it. I believe Byron's stage bow is 70#'s and if you ever saw him shoot, you'd know that he shoots it a lot. I saw Byron shoot a life saver and a baby aspirin out of the air.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

I shoot a 50-60 set at 60# and can pull it easily straight back with no hesitation or strain. I can pull a 70# also pretty easily. I guess after I have sat in the cold for a while, my arms and shoulders get kind of stiff (getting older), so the 60# becomes a little tougher to pull. I thought about getting a 70# on my next bow, but after seeing what my 60# bow did to two deer this season, I may not.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

When I have talked to Bryron before, he said he never practices more than 4 arrows at a time. Usually 2-3. He said he can't hold the concentration needed to make those shots with more arrows than that. But he said he has his range right behind his shop, and goes out and fires off arrows thru the day.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Yup, that what he does. Said the same thing to me. Can't concentrate on shooting more then 3 at a time (I think it's in his book also). Then takes a small break to get the arrows and regroup.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

Point I am making is, thats fine for Bryon who has decades of experience and extremely clean release. But sure don't recommend it for a new shooter to be so overbowed.I guess IMO, its best for a trad shooter to be able to hold thier bow for 20sec and still have a clean releaseand accurate shot.When they get some experience and develop a few back muscles, maybe then move up to a bow where they can't hold it for 20-30sec at full draw.

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

I totally agree with you big.

But I didn't think we were talking about setting up beginners. My reply was in response to this:

RE: Should I get a 50-60# or 60-70#
 

If he said he can't hold the concentration how does that relate tohavingthe strength?Sounds to me it's more of a case ofburning himself out on high degree of difficulty shots.

Trying to make high degree of difficulty shots like he does wouldrequire the type of concentration that would burn you out fast if you tried to do it over and over 20-30 times. It doesn't sound likeand issue of his shoulder getting tired

I'd never recommend that anyone shot more than they can handle. I'm just stating that you can't use lack of concetration to mean that a person is tired or overbowed.