axehind

Hi all,

I recently bought a Wing model "red wing hunter" in near perfect condition, that has 58" and 55# on it. I'm guessing that this means it's 58 inches long and
has a 55# pull. I'm only really familar with compound bows so I'm wondering if drawlength matters in a recurve and what would it be? I normally shoot (in a
compound) 30 inches.

Thanks,
axehind

Arthur P

Congratulations on your bow! The Red Wing Hunter is a great hunting bow.

Draw length doesn't matter nearly as much with recurves and longbows as it does with compounds, because traditional bows do not have a set draw length. Mass produced bows are all marked what their poundage is at 28" draw because that is the AMO standard. If your draw length is shorter than 28", you'll draw less pounds. If your draw length is longer than 28", you'll draw more pounds.

A rule of thumb to find out how much you're drawing a bow is to take the marked poundage, divide by 20 and multiply that by how many inches you vary from the standard.

You draw 30" on a compound. With a recurve, you won't stretch into the bow like you do with a compound, so you won't probably draw any more than 29". So, 55/20 = 2..75. That bow will likely draw 57 -58 pounds for you. I draw 32", so it would pull 66 pounds for me - assuming it didn't stack. (Stack is what happens when draw weight begins increasing at a higher rate at longer draws. You won't have to worry about stack though.)

The bow will be pretty stout for someone who's never shot anything but compounds before. It'd be better if you had a lighter recurve to start with, but you gotta go with what you've got. If you take it slow and easy, you can work into it. You've got to train your muscles to handle maximum draw weight at a completely different point in the draw cycle. Just keep keep good form with your shots and quit before you get so tired your form goes south. You might not be able to do that more than a few shots at first, but eventually you'll be flingin' arrows like an old veteran.

Hope you enjoy the bow.

axehind

Thanks for the reply! It is odd when drawing the bow. I feel like I'm going to break it.....
I drew a 40# recurve a couple of weeks ago and shot it a few times. It is different than
a compound. But I like the smooth drawing it gives you.

axehind

LBR

The only thing I'll add is when you replace the string on it be sure to stay with dacron (B-50 or B-500). Congrats, and welcome to our addiction!

Chad

Bowshopper

Welcome to thee trad. forum. I will be using a Red Wing hunter for whitetail this year. I have a 29" draw, mine does stack a bit past 28. Your brace height should be 8 to 8.5.

axehind

Thanks for the replies.
I have a couple of questions.....

What do you mean by "brace height"?

Someone told me that you have to be careful when using carbon arrors with a recurve. They stated that
if the carbon arrow is to light that it's like dry firing the recurve bow. Anyone ever hear this before?

axehind

Arthur P

Yes, I have heard that and it's true. Most recurve shooters, if they shoot carbon arrows at all, will have them weighted up. Weight tubes, brass inserts, heavy stainless steel or brass points.... Most of us shoot aluminum or wood arrows. I also like the Carbon Express Terminator Select shafts. They've got all the benefits of ICS carbons but are generally straighter and much more consistent in spine than the all-carbon arrows I've tested. They're a carbon/fiberglass composite shaft so they are relatively heavy already without having to add weight to them.

Your bow is at least 30 years old. It will serve you well for a long time to come if you don't abuse it by shooting too light arrows. I'd not go lower than 8 grains of arrow weight per pound of draw weight. 10 grains per pound would be even better.

Brace height is measuring how far the string is from the deepest part of the grip when the bow is strung.