Draw weight....

[grnhed]

im looking into getting a new bow and wanted to know if 60 pounds was enough, how is that gonna affect 40 yards, or a big buck???

[hillhunter]

i would say get what suits you... i have a matthews and it is set at 60 lbs., I can easily go higher than that but this bow shoots plenty fast and accurate at this weight, plus i can hold it for a long time waitin on a shot..

[matt.courtney7]

focus on accurate shooting and well placed shots and 60 lbs will be plenty sufficient for the biggest of bucks.

[Dutch Dog]

The last 4 or 5 deer I killed with a bow was out of a High Country Split Force at 58 lbs. Shot completely through all of them except the one quartering away that hit the off side shoulder dead in that big bone.

[tombstone]

60 is plenty, no doubt.

[jdbuckshot]

60 lbs is plenty, if you ever wanted to go elk hunting you might consider a 70lb draw weight. guys kill deer and elk with stick bows pulling less than 60lbs all the time. its not how many pounds you pull, its how much force your arrow carries that makes the impact.

[LawDawg]

I shoot 60lbs with 100 grain broadheads and have shot through a deer at 43 yards. the main problem you will have is that you are left handed....

[1Ranger75]

60lbs is enough. Sharp broadheads and good shot placement are more important to me. Most people have draw weights that are to much for them anyway.

[Bglenut]

My Matthews is set at 62lbs - the bow is a 50 to 60 lbs - it will go up to 64lbs so i have it backed off one full turn.

All my bows that I order or buy at the stores was 50lbs to 60lbs bows.

[duramax]

60 is more than enough. The difference in speed in a bow set at 60lbs and 70lbs is very little. Speed comes mostly from draw length. Ted Nugent has his bow set at 54lbs I believe.

[Dutch Dog]

Speed does come from draw length for sure...It use to equate to "roughly" 10 ft per second for every inch of draw length added. Now, on to the poundage deal. Some time ago it equated to 2 fps for every 1 lb you went up in draw weight if everything else remained constant. It use to be for every 5 grains you added/dropped in arrow weight you would lose/gain 1 fps. So switching from 125 grain broadheads to 100 grain broadheads would gain you 5 fps. Theoretically speaking, the higher poundage you shoot with arrow weight remaining proportionate...by that I mean if at 60 lbs you shoot a 300 grain arrow equalling 5 grains per pound, you could shoot a 350 grain arrow at 70 lbs which is still 5 grains per pound and your arrow will shoot faster. You went up 10 lbs in draw weight (from 60 to 70 lbs) gaining 20 fps, yet you went up 50 grains in arrow weight (from 300 grains to 350 grains) thus losing 10 fps....in the end you actually gained 10 fps. When I use to be hot into the 3-d scene I had all this stuff down, knew it inside out, upside down, backwards. Bows are also suppose to perform best near their peak limb weight. A bow with 50 to 60 lb limbs will be more efficient (shoot faster) at 60 lbs than a bow with 60 to 70 lb limbs set at 60 lbs. I'm not a physicist, so don't ask me how or why, but it's true (or was) back then. The longer the arrow flies with feathers the quicker the speed will drop off, due to more drag. Your pin-gap will be larger with feathers on longer settings such as 40 to 50. This generally doesn't effect bowhunters as their shots are generally 20-25 yards. Target (3-d) archers with the exception of traditional equipment users (longbows/recurves) will use vanes exclusively, and rarely will they have any offset. Usually 3-d archers' vanes will be in the 1 1/2" to 2" range...just enough to control the arrow with as little drag efficient as possible. A well balanced arrow 7% F.O.C. is theorized to have the best flight path. Where they came up with that, or how they came up with that...once again I'm not a physicist, but someone who is determined that...and if it ain't broke... I, quite honestly, don't have a clue how my hunting arrows are balanced...but they shoot good!!! Hope some of this helps.

[Tedl10]

In my younger years I shot at 40lbs and it did the trick like a charm. I shoot at 65 now. As far as dropping at 40 yards, that more less depends on your arrows, weight and length all put together along with broadhead size. Get Easton AXIS!!

[grnhed]

!Thanks for all the help....It was all very helpful....I just bought a 2005 AR34....i have the draw length set at 29, and the draw weight set at 62.....here is where the fun and hard part begin, taking my first deer with a bow....im sure the pope and chop will get a few entries

[Tedl10]

Best of luck to you. If it catches you like it did me, you'll sell your rifle too

[duramax]

You'll love that AR. I also have an AR 34 with the Ram and a Half cam. Very quiet bow. Not really fast, but quiet, and no shock. I had mine on 70lbs and dropped it to just less than 65. I can hold it longer, draw it easier and slower, and almost no difference in drop at 40 yards.