How lite is too.....
 

Light? I'm not sure if I am doing the math right, but it looks like some here are shooting roughly 5 gr per pound of draw weight. I have heard 5.5 gr is around the lightest one should go, but my owner's manual says that going below 6 gr will void the warranty.
Would this be because I have an older bow? I have a '94 Golden Eagle Pro Formula 30" draw set at 65 lbs shooting 27 1/4" Carbon Aeros Excels (400) I think I am at about 6.5 gr per pound.
I am happy with the speed I get now, but have no access to a chrono so I dont know what my true speed or KE is. For 3D and general target shooting, could I drop another gr per pound?
Thanks

RE: How lite is too.....
 

Mathews says 5 per # minimum on their bows. The owner of the old proshop I went to shot even less with his. He told me 5 was fine on my MQ-1 and Ultra 2. I shoot 6 per # normally(doubt if I'll ever go under again) , but tried 5 this season(just had to break the 300 fps mark). My bow didn't really get any louder , but I could feel a little more vibration. I put a Simms Enhancer 2000 stabilizer on and it took out the vibration. I am going back to the 6 per pound mainly because I know it's better on the bow and the 12 fps I picked up didn't really change a thing in real world hunting situations .

RE: How lite is too.....
 

Woody,

I shot my bows at 5 grains per pound and have not had any problems and still do with my hunting rig. We were told be a bow company engineer on another forem that the real damage starts at about 4 grains per pound. Personally I would not go much below 5 grains per pound.

Aim Hard!

RE: How lite is too.....
 

5.5 gpp on a bow that's nearly 10 years old? I'd have to know several things: How well has the bow been maintained? How long has it been since the string and cables have been replaced? Does it already have any wear and tear problems that need to be fixed? How soon can you be prepared to buy a new bow?

Without knowing those things, and with the disclaimer that I don't care at all for the practice of shooting arrows less than 7 gpp on ANY bow, I'd say NO.

RE: How lite is too.....
 

I shoot about 15,000 arrows per year at 5 grains per lb. 4 years with my Clearwater and 2 years with my Martin MV2. No problems at all. No wear on my axle bushings. Changed string and cables each year though. But, I think the year of your bow is before the technology in bow mfg. started to support the 5 gr/lb push. I don't think I would go it with yours. If my memory serves me right (which it rarely does at my age) AMO recommends 6 gr/lb at 30" draw, and they support even less at shorter draws. I don't remember how much though.

RE: How lite is too.....
 

Arthur, you have me nervous now. I feel that I have taken good care of the bow, change the string every year, wax it etc. The cables havent been changed in quite awhile, I think I had them done a few years back, but I cant say for sure now. [&:]
I am thinking a trip to the ' ole bow shop is in order.
Thanks guys.

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RE: How lite is too.....
 

Something else to consider is what specific setup in terms of draw length, draw weight, etc.. you are shooting the bow at as well as the amount of energy that the bow generates for any given arrow weight. There is a big difference between shooting a 60 pound Hoyt Protec with Accuwheels at a 28 inch draw length with a 5 grain per pound arrow in comparison to a Bowtech EXVFT at a 70 lb draw weight with a 30 inch draw length and a 5 grain per pound arrow.

The difference being the amount of energy that is released into the arrow.

RE: How lite is too.....
 

Woody, I had every intention of making you nervous.

IMN23D brings up a good point, one that probably influences me on my arrow weight more than anything else. I was active in field archery for a good while and I' d go to the range 3-5 times a week and shoot anywhere from 250-300 arrows each trip. Then one or two tournaments each week from February thru September. I would average shooting around 50,000 arrows a year. If I' d been shooting very light arrows with the 80 pound, round wheel bows I competed with (VERY heavy for field archery, but I was an animal in those days), I' d have probably been buying a new bow every few months.

Not only could I not afford to do that, but once I learned all the little tricks it took to get a certain bow to shoot good, I didn' t want to switch around and learn a whole nuther bow. I' d shoot a bow for several seasons before I retired it to backup duty.

Not to mention that it wasn' t very healthy to pop the teardrops off them ol' steel cables by shooting light arrows. When 3D started up, there was a lot of blood shed by folks hotrodding those old steel cable bows with them skinny Bemans. Performing a lot of first aid on the range and seeing some guys coming within a hair' s breadth of being blinded left a sour taste in my mouth for light arrows that will NEVER go away.

Today' s bows are definitely stronger and more able to withstand the stress and strain of 5 gpp, but I never will say the manufacturers warranty limits have a built in safety factor. If you push the edge, you are taking risks. In the case of your old Golden Eagle, you' re talking about pushing past the edge.

If you want more speed, play it safe and buy a new bow.

RE: How lite is too.....
 

Well, Arthur you can pat yourself on the back.;) You have been successful in raising my level of nervousness.
Seriously, thanks. First I need to drop my pull weight down, which wont hurt too much. (Arm gets tired anyway.) My bow is rated 55-70lbs, which then leds me into another question. Doesnt a bow perform at its best when it is closer to max weight? Just wondering.
A new bow isnt an option when I got two teens, a toddler, and one on the way; so I gotta make this one last a long time. (grown kinda fond of it too) And since I just bought new carbons, buying more now isnt an option either.
Will be in the fall though. thanks for the fyi