Get a 50lb

 

40-50# all day long.

Thanks for the replies!

Can you elaborate on the answers? It seems very obvious to you 50-60# would be a bad choice. What gives it away? Should I already be able to pull 60#?

 

40-50# all day long.

 

always follow the manufactures specifications on backing out limbs. Do not decrease poundage beyond those specs

 

I think it depends how you see it: they recommend no more than 8 turns, and 8 turns is -16#. Is this something widely regarded as a bad thing? The archery shop guy told me it could be done with no issue.

50# would likely max out around 53# or so. So if you get in better shape, can always max out those limbs. Good luck!

Interesting, I didn't know that! But some people (such as @CASHMONEY) say one shouldn't go beyond the bow specs. So wouldn't it be an issue to go above the spec, or is it just going below the spec that is an issue?

With that particular model and your situation I would suggest going with the 45 to 55# limb optionon that bow has. at the low end your well with in your comfort range and can easily work up from there to more weight.

Yes that would have been the best solution but unfortunately it's not in stock anywhere and lead times are over 3 months.

If you’re over 50 years old I would get the 50. If you’re younger I would get the 60 and drop it down to 50. After a few weeks you’ll be able to raise the poundage and have a more versatile bow and also have more arrow options if you choose to pursue different avenues.

If your only shooting your backyard it makes no difference what poundage uou shoot.

I'm 28! I will mainly do competition target shooting indoor (18m) and outdoor (50m). And 3D just for fun.

 

Always shoot a bow as close to the max poundage as you can. Just a good rule of thumb. You want to be as close to "bottomed out" on the limb bolts as possible. I know this is an older school mentality, but I think this still holds true with the modern designs. The cable string harness is as tight as it can be.

 

50# would likely max out around 53# or so. So if you get in better shape, can always max out those limbs. Good luck!

 

With that particular model and your situation I would suggest going with the 45 to 55# limb optionon that bow has. at the low end your well with in your comfort range and can easily work up from there to more weight.

 

I was just thinking that 45-55 pound limbs is what he needs. Also what discipline is he shooting?
Also with the lower weight, it will be easier for him to work on his form.
Indoors I shoot 46 pounds and outdoors I shoot 52-53 pounds. I also don't care about the speed of the arrow since I shoot open / Freestyle class.
Another bonus with the lower draw weight, he will be able to shoot more shots before getting tired.
A Field Target match is 112 scored arrows. You want your 112th scored arrow to be as strong a shot as your 1st warmup shot.

 

If you’re over 50 years old I would get the 50. If you’re younger I would get the 60 and drop it down to 50. After a few weeks you’ll be able to raise the poundage and have a more versatile bow and also have more arrow options if you choose to pursue different avenues.

If your only shooting your backyard it makes no difference what poundage uou shoot.

 

50#. As previous post stated most bows max out a couple pounds higher than advertised max. Big thing is that its much more enjoyable to shoot your bow when your not moaning and groaning to pull it back.

 

Buy the 50-60lb bow if your 28yrs old you will easily be able to handle 60 lbs in few weekends of practice. Dial it down as low as manufacture suggests and start shooting there in no time you will have it cranked up to 60 lbs

 

Thanks for your reply! I hope you're correct 😬!

The 45/55 option would be perfect (for me also), but I would go with 50# if just for targets. For hunting the 50/60 is better and it will work ok at 50 but be better at 52 or 53 plus just to firm everything up a bit better.

Yeah that's the outdoor 50m part I'm not sure about :/ It would be interesting to have statistics about the scores at 50m of a 50# vs. 60# guy.

If the manufactures specs are 8 turns do not exceed 8 turns. Their specs on backing out limb bolts and the bows draw weight window sometimes do not correlate. Just dont exceed the 8 turns if it drops 16# so be it

💯

GuiTek: Most of the limbs normally max out a pound or two over when bottomed out. That does not hurt the bow or the limbs. But going below the minimum will or can cause damage and have the bow out of spec.
Keep the weight on the lower side because 40 years from now because your shoulders will thank for for doing that.

Thanks for the details about the bow poundage.
Yeah that's wise... better be safe than sorry... but can't help but think that I could optimize my outdoor scores with a little more power perhaps.

I have a 40-50 lb Hoyt Stratos and it is set at 52 lbs and is very comfortable to shoot and holds great
I'd go with 40-50 and enjoy it

Thanks for the feedback! Do you shoot at 50m/yards with it? How does it perform compared to a 60#?

You’ve been on a 10 year break from archery. I’d shoot several bows before deciding which one to buy. Your Hoyt of 10 years ago really compares to nothing of todays bows.

I know but unfortunately I have no bow to try. The archery shops here don't let people try (you can pull the string but not shoot) and at my club almost everyone shoots recurve.

My recommendation would be to get a 50 and back it down to were you feel comfortable with it being easy. 50 sounds like it makes you a bit over bowed but you can build up to it quickly. From experience I would rather have someone with a bow that’s easy and build great form than a bit over bowed and create bad habits that need to be fixed later. As I had to do I started with 70 when I really needed a 60. Now I can shoot any weight I want. For hunting I shoot 70 for 3D and outdoor I shoot 60 and indoor I shoot 50 to 60 depending on what feels the best for 100 plus arrows. Also getting rid of the bad habits takes a long time I wish I didn’t have to do that I would be so much farther along in my archery journey than I am because of it.

Edit: as mentioned do not back the bow off more than the manufacturer states normally bows are 10# limbs such as 40 to 50 and such but always follow the manufacturer guidelines.

Thank you so much for the feedback and advice!

You want the 60 pounder. Unless you have an underlying health condition your body will adapt to the weight very quickly if you shoot regularly. A healthy adult should be able to draw 50 pounds with no prior archery exposure. Someone who shoots regularly should be able to draw 60 pounds easily unless they are well past their physical prime or have a physical condition that limits their strength like shoulder or back issues.

Thank you for the answer. You really make it seems obvious... which makes me hesitate even more.

It's like 2/3 votes for 50# and 1/3 for #60...

I guess I should really go to the shop and pull these strings for 1 hour straight to decide.

 

The 45/55 option would be perfect (for me also), but I would go with 50# if just for targets. For hunting the 50/60 is better and it will work ok at 50 but be better at 52 or 53 plus just to firm everything up a bit better.

 

GuiTek: Most of the limbs normally max out a pound or two over when bottomed out. That does not hurt the bow or the limbs. But going below the minimum will or can cause damage and have the bow out of spec.
Keep the weight on the lower side because 40 years from now because your shoulders will thank for for doing that.

 

I have a 40-50 lb Hoyt Stratos and it is set at 52 lbs and is very comfortable to shoot and holds great
I'd go with 40-50 and enjoy it

 

You’ve been on a 10 year break from archery. I’d shoot several bows before deciding which one to buy. Your Hoyt of 10 years ago really compares to nothing of todays bows.

 

My recommendation would be to get a 50 and back it down to were you feel comfortable with it being easy. 50 sounds like it makes you a bit over bowed but you can build up to it quickly. From experience I would rather have someone with a bow that’s easy and build great form than a bit over bowed and create bad habits that need to be fixed later. As I had to do I started with 70 when I really needed a 60. Now I can shoot any weight I want. For hunting I shoot 70 for 3D and outdoor I shoot 60 and indoor I shoot 50 to 60 depending on what feels the best for 100 plus arrows. Also getting rid of the bad habits takes a long time I wish I didn’t have to do that I would be so much farther along in my archery journey than I am because of it.

Edit: as mentioned do not back the bow off more than the manufacturer states normally bows are 10# limbs such as 40 to 50 and such but always follow the manufacturer guidelines.

 

I love 50# bows and I hunt with mine

 

I was in a similar place to you a year ago after a long hiatus and a shoulder rebuild from a bike accident. I bought a 60lb bow and shot it at 50lb to start with. Within three days I'd cranked it up to 53lb. Within a month I was comfortable shooting 60 arrows at 55lb. Now drawing 57lb on that bow, which I use for target. Got my hunting bow at 60lb. Can comfortably draw it, but wouldn't want to shoot 60 arrows with it at 60lb.
Hope this helps. 👍

 

40-50lbs is what I would go with. I’ve been shooting 45-50 for the last fifteen years and harvested plenty of deer.

 

60#. It will take you a month or two at most to go from 50# to 60# if you haven't pulled in 10 years if you so desire to do so. Even if you end up at 55#, at least you have room to grow with a 60#.

 

55lb bow if they make one in that model

 

I suggest 60# and start it dialed down to 50#. If you used to shoot, it won’t be long before your muscles bulk up and you can crank up the pounds. It’s not a macho thing, but who doesn’t want to shoot more speed… assuming you can do it comfortably and safely.

 

One other consideration is resale value (in case you decide you don't love the bow). Since 60# is the max for sanctioned target competition, that is what the vast majority of participants use. Thus, it will be easier to resell a 50-60# bow than a lower draw weight bow.

Beyond that, I have limited experience, but having started archery at age 62 (less than a year ago), I purchased a 50-60# compound bow. I currently have it set to 54# and have had no problem with it. I'm not sure I will ever want to increase the draw weight, but the bow seems quite happy to shoot at the lower weight. My previous compound (I did not love my first bow ;-)) was also a 50-60#. It did have a problem with being set to 54#. Specifically, the brace height increased by about 1 to 2 inches and the string damper did not adjust out far enough for this brace height. This is not a problem with my newer bow as the brace height only changed a few millimeters when going down to 54#. Thus, for your chosen bow, you may want to check on this issue.

Best of luck with your decision.

 

So here's my takeaway from buying 3 target bows , 2 of which are 50# and one is 60# . My absolute max comfort draw for extended 40+ shot outings is about 48 - 50# . Im a target only guy , not a hunter and arrow speed is of NO concern to me. That being said the reason I purchased a 60# bow knowing that I would never max out the poundage is the fact I wanted a 50+# potantial for off season winter fitness training. I shoot about every other day down in my basement and I have my "training" bow set at 54# and i'm comfortable shooting about 16 shots then I start to get fatigued. If I was to only have one bow it would only be a 40-50# . You would not think that the extra 5# on my training bow would make a big difference in pull but it absolutely does. This is my fitness strategedy and I feel very strong, the best ive felt upper body in many years (im 57 ) .

 

Maybe I missed it but what is your intent with the bow?
Target, hunting, or recreation?

 

You’re using quotes out of order to take things out of context. But ultimately I’m simply sorry if you can’t draw 70 pounds. Please use the weight you’re comfortable with. But also don’t tell others they must shoot very low weights when its a disadvantage. Given your post you’re between 75 and 110 years old. If you read my previous post as I said you would see my suggestion that 50 pounds is fine for people moving out of their physical prime. Have a nice evening.

 

I always want draw weight capacity to go up... you're a young guy and will gain strength quickly with regular practice... I'd buy the 60# bow, drop it to 50# right away. In a few weeks 50# will draw pretty easily for you... also, I'd recommend shooting several bows, lots of today's bows draw much easier...