Bow stacking & too much draw weight question?

[sundowner]

Gents just need some advice;
Q1 what’s the best way to find out (other than just feel) that my recurve is stacking or not?

Q2 I’m shooting a 55lbs @ 28 Fred Bear T/D. I draw about 52lbs.
How many shoots at practice should you be able to do before being too fatigued to shoot? I can get about 20 good solid shots and then fad fast till 45 shots & I’m stuffed.

Thanks
Sundowner

[adam]

A good recurve will gradually get harder to pull to full draw, a bow that stacks will jump up rapidly in draw poundage towards the end. Making it feel more uncomfortable to shoot and I believe the cast of an arrow isn't as good.

There was once a time I couldn't shoot my trad bows all day, now I’m shooting 63# and can easily shoot 200 arrows a day without getting sloppy, so your muscles will form to handle more shooting, However if you are getting fatigued this will lead to poor form and being over bowed can lead to worst long lasting injures and also turn you off the trad gear.

I'd opt for lower poundage till you work your way up(that’s what I did), or only shoot the amount of arrows you can while in full swing. Main thing is you enjoy your shooting and with a stacking bow if its working for you and has killing power then stacking really means jack.

Is your draw length 27” is that why your drawing 52#????

Glenn and a few of the other trad lads should be able to shed a bit more light on this subject too.

Adam

[sundowner]

Hi Adam,
Thanks for the reply

Yes I’m drawing about 27’ with recurve.
So my thoughts were that it should not be stacking.
I just need to be able to shoot more arrows per session so I can work on my form and tunning my bow / arrows ect. Or as you say, just shoot what I can while I feel my form is not adversely affected.
Cheers
Sundowner

[woody]

Sundowner,
If you really want to get stronger so that you are handling the bow with ease, you should consider strength training exercises.

Push ups are good, and need no special equipment, other than a determination to keep going with your program.

As many as you can every second day, trying to build up repititions. It will take a few months, but your bow wont "stack" anymore.

[johnno]

Ditto on the pushups...and there are various types apart from the standard shoulder width..try a military style with your arms out wider well past your shoulders..there are also "diamond" pushups where you place you hands close together more or less under your sternum with the your thumbs and idex fingers touching forming a "diamond". Each one will use different muscle groups..cheers...

[sundowner]

Gents,
It looks like - no pain no gain. Will get started tonight on that.
Cheers
Sundowner

[jasonfish]

one thing to remember though with muscle training if you push yourself hard give it a rest the day before you go out for a hunt or a shoot at the range. This will give your body a rest and you will feel stronger for the day of your hunt.

[perry]

Stacking is caused by the string angle approaching 90 degrees , thats the angle as measured between the string and limb tips as the bow is drawn . A well tillered bow will not stack at normal draw lengths . Longer bows will be less prone to stacking at longer draws . Short recurve bows usually have less cast than a same weight longer recurve not due to stacking but due to a shorter power stroke caused by higher braceheight and also because of shorter limbs ie look at the brace and limb lenth on a sub 52 " recurve such as the Bear Super Mag 48" vs a 62" recurve like a Martin Hunter . Short limbs are best suited to light arrows longer limbs too heavier arrows .

I believe a person should be able to shoot 200 arrows a day from there bow without waking next morning with muscle soreness . If your bow is heavy simply draw and hold it for a few seconds 20 or 30 times spread out over a day for a few months as well as moderate practice and you will build the strength quickly enough.

You do not need big draw weight to hunt with traditional gear , you need arrow mass . According to Dr Ed Ashby's arrow penetration study[ tells me the other day that he has more data available soon fresh from another buff hunting trip ] a minimum of 650 grains . Just shoot the heaviest bow you can shoot accuratly all day and heavy arrows and you cant go wrong . Sorry if I went off on a tangent . regards Perry

[adam]

Sorry if I went off on a tangent

Don't be sorry mate it was good reading.

[Kimall]

Something that I have found that has helped heaps is the amount of arrows you shoot each end makes a big differance.I have also been building up my draw weight to 63 and if I have the whole doz arrows in the b/quiver I shoot them each time I get back to my shooting spot.I can do this for an hour or so and get tired and form suffers but if I only have four arrows in the quiver then there is enough time between ends for the muscles to recover and I can shoot for as long as I want with no sorness.Some people find they concentrate better with only one arrow shot at the time but I am a bit lazy to do all that walking so have found 4 a good compramise.\
Cheers KIM

[sundowner]

Gents,

Thanks for all the info and tips. I’m working on building the mussels up.

Kimall, I think you spot on with only shooting 3 to 4 arrow per end. As I’m finding I can keep practising and shoot 3 or 4 times more arrow per session with out my form suffering. I also used your blank bail at 2m system of tunning which worked a treat- thank you. I will need to add some more weight up front to soften up the spine a little. But all in all, it is a big improvement on my tunning and form.

Cheers
Sundowner

[Paul R]

Gents just need some advice;
Q1 what’s the best way to find out (other than just feel) that my recurve is stacking or not?

Q2 I’m shooting a 55lbs @ 28 Fred Bear T/D. I draw about 52lbs.
How many shoots at practice should you be able to do before being too fatigued to shoot? I can get about 20 good solid shots and then fad fast till 45 shots & I’m stuffed.

Thanks
Sundowner

In answer to your first question sundowner, the best way to find out if your bow is stacking other than by feel is to use a bow scale to measure the poundages in the last few inches of the draw.
I wouldn't worry about it though mate, Bear make a very good bow that in my opinion will be smooth to draw out to 28" and probably a little more before stacking will occur. At your draw of 27" you shouldn't have any problems at all.

As for the 2nd question mate, there have also been plenty of good replys already.
In my opinion 52# is a good weight to start with and continue with as you won't have any problems taking most Aussie game with properly tuned arrows from a well made 52# bow. If you are shooting 20 arrows before becoming fatigued then you are not over bowed in my opinion and the more you use the bow the easier it will become.
Have fun :D

[bigwal_123]

i agree with adam here sundowner. there was a time not long ago when i could only manage about 20-40 shots per day with my recurve (50#). i have now built up my muscles by just pushing myself in the aba rounds i shoot and i can finish a shoot at the local club without feeling fatigued. you should just shoot what you are capable of now and then move up when you feel ready.

Wal