Bow Performance

[Giggles]

I have a 60-70 lb bow and have it set on 70lbs. I've heard that a compound bow is most efficient when it is set on it's maximum weight. My 2 part question is:

1. Is this true?

2. If it is, besides arrow speed, will I notice any difference in performance if I shoot it at it's lowest weight of 60lbs?   

[Old Dog]

1. Yes. it's true.  When the limbs are backed out it lengthens the brace height a little, and that shortens the power stroke, so... less performance. 

2. No.  Although a 60# bow @ 60# will out perform a 70# bow @ 60# as explained in number 1

Hopefully Radsav will chime in, and really explain how it works. 

[bullfisher]

That pretty much sums it up old dog. I will add however, that the limbs perform the best at their maximum rated deflection. More tension equals quicker rate of return.

[Band]

I have heard that all else being equal, a bow set to it's maximum pull will be more accurate than at it's minimum pull.  True?

[Come Get Some]

More efficient not more accurate. You are a big part of the accuracy equation. Bottomed out will be more efficient and quieter if you can shoot comfortably at the peak weight. Given the performance level of the bows now days it is not necessary to shoot a higher weight than you can be comfortable or accurate with. Proper arrow spine , good form and proper arrow placement are far more important than a heavy draw weight.

[Giggles]

Thanks for the info everyone.  I was just wondering, because 70lbs is starting to seem a little heavier than it used to be.   

[demontang]

Same bow youve been shooting? You really wont notice a differance if you drop some draw weight. Its better to be comfortable and shoot less weight then to miss or wound an animal or not beable to draw your bow

[Giggles]

Yea it's the same bow. G5 primal. That's what I'll do; just drop the weight a few pounds. Nice bow and only a couple years old.

[demontang]

The primal was a great shooting bow with a smooth draw! Ive heaed complants about some serving wear and the cable guard pulling out but never seen either problem. I bought one and had to send it back because it had been dry fired at the store I ordered it from

[RadSav]

More efficient not more accurate. You are a big part of the accuracy equation. Bottomed out will be more efficient and quieter if you can shoot comfortably at the peak weight. Given the performance level of the bows now days it is not necessary to shoot a higher weight than you can be comfortable or accurate with. Proper arrow spine , good form and proper arrow placement are far more important than a heavy draw weight.

   Great post!

[RadSav]

I have a 60-70 lb bow and have it set on 70lbs. I've heard that a compound bow is most efficient when it is set on it's maximum weight. My 2 part question is:

1. Is this true?
2. If it is, besides arrow speed, will I notice any difference in performance if I shoot it at it's lowest weight of 60lbs?   

A: #1 = Yes
A: #2 = Not on your bow or 98+% of bows made in the past 10 years.


Bow performance at less than max weight setting is very much subject to what bow you are shooting.  Back in the days of heavy stiff limbs with very little pre-stress backing off from the peak weight caused all kinds of nasties like poor energy transfer, extra noise and vibration.  Newer max pre-load limbs like those on PSE, Bear, McPhearson, etc you are talking percentage of efficiency loss by the minute decimal point.  Most heavier less than max pre-load limbs like Hoyt, most Mathews, Elite, Martin, G5/Prime, etc. do lose a bit more, but it is still far from the levels we saw just a decade ago.  And really don't add up to anything of concern.

Parallel limbs change so little in brace height when backed out that argument rarely applies these days.  Perhaps a little on the high end target bows with little to no parallel, but so little on hunting bows it's really a non-issue.  Of course a 70# bow is going to store more energy than a 65# or 60# bow of the same draw length.  Doesn't add up to a hill of beans with todays bows.  Give a modern compound bow backed off 10# to a top target shooter and he is still going to shoot it better than the average guy at 70#.  And most of those top target shooters will probably shoot it equally as well if not better than they would that same bow at 70#.  A single cam is less efficient than a hybrid, hybrid is less efficient than most all binary cams.  If that meant one ounce of difference no one would ever shoot a Hoyt or Mathews target bow.  And yet Hoyt and Mathews have set just about every target record out there.  Efficiency percentages are far more important to the brain than the performance on paper or trophies on the wall.

Come Get Some said it very well, "You are a big part of the accuracy equation."  I might edit that and say, "You are the Biggest part of the accuracy equation."  If you can't handle the higher weight of a 70# peak weight bow you are not doing yourself any favors by shooting outside your comfort range for the sake of efficiency.  The "Man Ego" so often gets the best of us male bowhunters.  Believe me that NO ONE CARES what legal poundage you shoot!  In my 33+ years of bowhunting no one has ever looked at my elk totals and said, "Your last 10 bulls don't count because you don't shoot 70 or 80 pounds anymore."  I know what counts to me!  Since dropping poundage I've watched nearly 80% of my animals go down because the arrows found the right spot!  That's a much better percentage than when I shot 74# from a 70# bow maxing out it's efficiency!  And until recently I shot 70-74# peak draw weight bows at 62-65#!

Efficiency is one of those words bowhunters use when we are looking for excuses to explain our failures.  But it is a word for seamheads and anal retentive engineers like myself.  With the modern compound bow one would do himself a great favor by concentrating more on improving himself rather than worrying about fractions of performance advantage.  Since peak efficiency is probably the least important part of the "accuracy equation"  (I like that verbaige Come Get Some!  I might have to steal that from you on a regular basis )