long bow power.

[spiderbait24]

i would just like to know what kind of power a 55-60# long bow has and is it enough power to take any game?

cheers.

[Kimall]

Yer mate that weight l/b with heavey arrows will take anything in Auz with a good shot.
Cheers KIM

[Neix]

If i'm right the difference between compounds and Longbows/recurves is:

Compound: You pull the full weaight from the start,

Recurve/Longbow: You Draw the weaight gradually untill you reach the peak.

NOt too sure correct if i am wrong.

[Aimless]

You might be right, but I have a feeling that the drawing curve is similar (though perhaps a bit easier on most compounds) but the drop off at the end of the compound's draw is the most significant difference, because with a traditional you would be holding full poundage at full draw.

edit:
I should say I'm not absolutely sure about all this but I have heard from others that the drop off on weight is the most significant difference.

[spiderbait24]

i will probebly be using carbons with feathers.

[Glenn]

Just be carefull you don't overbow yourself Danny. Biggest mistake most people make with buying a longbow or a recurve is buying a bow that is too heavy for them. There is a big difference pulling a bow in a shop or the back yard and then spending a long hard day in the field and drawing the bow then. If the bow for any reason makes you shorten up your natural draw length you will loose heaps of penetration on game, whereas a lighter bow that allows you to come to your natural full draw position eyery time under all conditions then you will always get the maxium out of your setup and your results will be much better. A 60# bow that has been under drawn will not have the same hitting power as a 55# or even a 50# bow that has been fully drawn...Glenn...

[spiderbait24]

will porb go 50# as i can easily pull back my ads 50# recurve.

[perry]

Judging from your photo you are only a young fella - like Glenn said do not overbow yourself . When I was a young fella I shot heavy bows [ ridiculously heavy 80 # plus] just because I could with no regard to my developing bone structure .

I ended up causing permanment damage to my right shoulder - bacisally its calcified and flogged out and hurts contiuously ,the bones in my left forearm are ovalized from the strain - does not cause any pain at all but its testamont to beging overbowed . Still got the strength to shoot a heavy pound bow no worries but my bones cant take the strain and give me merry hell for weeks if I shoot more than 20 arrows from a heavy bow .

A 53 # straight laid longbow with matched perfectly spined extremly heavy arrows and modified 2 blade broadheads as tested by Ed Ashby in his soon to be released 2007 arrow penatration update study was acheiving exit wounds on Asiatic water buffalo . So there is no need for a heavier bow .

If I were you I would be looking at a bow in the 40# to 45 # range and learn good form and control then after a few years step up to 50 odd pound , look after your shoulder . regards Perry

[ENGLISH]

listen to these guys danny ,this is good advice im 25 next month and fairly stocky and i now have a 55# longbow but this is right at the top end of what i want to be shooting.over the last 4 years ive gone from a 40# flatbow to a 50# recurve and now im shooting a 55# longbow, you cant compare them to your compound i shoot a 60# compound and i brought a 60#flatbow a couple of years agoi couldnt shoot it acuratley and my form suffered a great deal from shooting something i was un comfortable with and in traditional archery form is the key to success, i got rid of it cause my shoulder kept hurting and when i figured it was after i used that bow, it was gone .
so take heed of what these guys are saying cause there trying to help you avoid problems that theyve learnt from the hard way .
its good to see your getting into trad youll have a lot of fun ...
cheers .
mark.

[Paul R]

I agree with the others Spidey, 40-45 pounds is what you should be looking at starting with. A 40-45# well made longbow/recurve shooting correctly spined arrows, has ample power to efficiently take most Australian game. When I was a much younger lad, I used to shoot a 35# recurve and took a lot of game with it no problems at all. I can comfortably draw and hold at full draw an 80 pound bow, but I choose to shoot a 55 pound bow and I can shoot all day getting a lot more enjoyment from doing so. I want to still be bowhunting after I retire and hopefully I'll still be able to shoot a bow when I'm 70 because I didn't over bow myself when I was younger.

[NormGunston]

Really mate, listen to what these people are saying about a 40#- 45# draw weight. I'll chime in- when I was your age I was training for national target competition archery- shooting 100 arrows minimum dailyusing a 35# @ 29" bow. I was also doing light weights every second day. I bought an early Hoyt Pro Hunter recurve at 55#- couldn't shoot it accurately because I was overbowed. The high poundage made me shoot all hunched up, my fingers were sore and I just never enjoyed shooting it. The only limitation you may have with a lighter than 50# draw weight is that some states have a minimum legal draw weight for deer (I don't know about other game).

[Nomad]

Hey guys. i am same as danny. however, i am 1.9m tall, got the muscle, and have been shooting a 30# since i was 12. i am 17 now and looking to upgrade to a Samick Talon 62" 50#-55#. i read all the advice about the form and stuff but still want the bow. i am not a 24/7 shooter, just 2 or 3 times a week and only for about an hour at a time. I DONT WANNA BUGGA ME SHOULDER!!! i need advice on what the best way to go is.

Jake

[Jeffro]

Spider go a 45# bow and you will be able to hit what you want to hit
go a 55# or a 60# and you will miss a lot and wont enjoy it

45# is enough to drill goats no worries and a pig if you hit it in the right spot

[cooke]

i am only 24 and noticing the effects of being over bowed at a young age. used to be a competition between all the young guys at our club on who could shoot the higher poundage. we would go to the shoot shoot all day and brag about how much poundage we had and draw back each others bows then go home and all crank em up!!i now have a bad click in my right shoulder. i wish someone hada kick me in the ass when i was 14 -15

[Glenn]

Bow poundage must have been one of the biggest misconceptions in bowhunting. I was told back in the early 70's that my 55# bow was too light to hunt pigs with and I needed at least 60# and when I bought a longbow I was told I should shoot 70#. It was amazing how much bad advice was around across the board in those days. Bow poundage does not give you better penetration but arrow speed and arrow weight will determine penetration on game.
These days I shoot sub 50# bows but with arrow weights of around 14 grains per pound and sometimes 16 grains I am getting better penetation on pigs than I have ever had. Wish I had of know all of ths 30 years ago, would have saved me a lot of greif with the heavy bows...Glenn...

[woody]

A famous longbow archer once said, to shoot as heavy a bow as you can handle accurately. ( Hunting bow)

Most people I know would agree that holding a bow at full draw for 15 seconds without getting the shakes, is a fair gauge of being over bowed or not.

I am not going to tell you a weight to use, because I have no idea how strong you are.

This is something you need to work out for yourself based on your physical strength.

[Chuditch]

Hey this is my first post on this forum, how exciting! I just have this to say about hunting bow weights. As Glenn has said above 50# or less is plenty. I find that I 'can' shoot heavier bows but find it's more enjoyable to shoot a nicely balanced 40 to 50lb recurve or longbow and arrow combination, can loose more arrows, in a more accurate manner. Shooting a heavier bow is not solely dependant on the strength and size of the hunter but also depends on good form.

[pete w]

Go light in draw weight and heavy in arrow weight.
I hunt Moose and Elk with bows under 50# and most times last fall I used 45# longbows, recurves and flatbows. The 55 and 60 pound bows seem to stay on the rack these days, as the weight is not neded. a good performing bow in 40 to 45# will take moose ,Elk or deer if you do your part.
Stay out of the big bones. If you do break them the arrow will not get past them on large animals.
Have a read on the trad reviews i do at www.peteward.com and see in the Rodney Wright Stalker review what can be done with a 41# bow drawn to 39# at 27".

Pete

[mungus]

I have one longbow - 26 inches @ 68 pounds.
I have one selfbow - 26 inches @ 62 pounds.
Both made by Alan Camp.
As I'm getting older, I seem to favour the selfbow more......lol
Bamboo backed, its absolutely smooths as, which helps a great deal.
What ever you do, dont over bow yourself, as your form will begin
to drop ect....etc.
Start at 50 and go from there.
Find the best bow you can possible get, that suits you.
Handle shape etc.
Good luck.

[Glenn]

That's a good review Rodney, just goes to show you what can be done with a light poundage bow with the correct arrow set up and shot placement. To think that the light poundage bow could drive the arrow with enough force to bend the broadhead like that when it hit bone just goes to prove that it is not just bow poundage that matters. You have to have a well balanced outfit for hunting. You see it all of the time when there is a lot of money spent on a bow and the hunter is using unmatched arrows that are only good for starting the fire with...Glenn...

[nev]

when i was a young feller i never went over 55# never had to, now im getting older ive gone down in poundage, earlyer this year my mate had a pass through of a goat at 30mtr with a homemade 43# longbow...its not the power of the bow but the skill of the hunter...
there is an artical in primitive archer of a 90 y.o who with a 40# selfbow went to africa and shot a wilderbeast and a worthog that was last year and he reakons hes going back this year ....makes you wonder dosnt it

[Glenn]

Over the years there has been a lot of confusion about about bow poundage and a bows killing power. Not all bows are equal in design, you can have bows of different makes shoot very efficent and some not. I have seen a 60# bow shoot a 600 grain arrow at 160fps and I have seen another bow of 50# shoot a 600 grain arrow at 160fps. Those two bow of different draw weights have the same hitting power. Bow poundage doesen't have a lot to do with penetration on game especially if the bow is not a very good design and there are plenty of badly designed bows out there..Glenn...

[howie]

A mate of mine Michael Lehmann has taken 4 scrub bulls, each with one arrow and recurve bow weights were 49 to 55 pounds. I witnessed two of these shots and the bulls went down nicely. I know its a longbow question - but thought it might be of interest.......Howie

[nev]

As glen said its what their made of glass or carbon limbs are quicker but ive found boo backed is quicker than other woods.