Selecting Bow Weight for a Longbow?

That depends, are you new to the sport?

If you are you need to start light, around 45#. Its very important not to overbow yourself while your working out your form and anchor point. Then move up from there. Happy shootin!
 
j williams said:
That depends, are you new to the sport?

If you are you need to start light, around 45#. Its very important not to overbow yourself while your working out your form and anchor point. Then move up from there. Happy shootin!
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Yes I'm a newbie. Over 6' tall and can do 50 pushups straight easily(if that matters LOL :D ). The bow would also be used for hunting animals up to and including whitetail.
 
j williams said:
That depends, are you new to the sport?

If you are you need to start light, around 45#. Its very important not to overbow yourself while your working out your form and anchor point. Then move up from there. Happy shootin!
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J summed it up...:thumbup: he learned from the best...:o

it is very imortant when starting out, that you find a bow that is easy and comfortable for you to use... in the early stages, you should focus on your form and developing a solid anchor point... once you're all dialed in and settled in your form, you can move up in weight...

45# should be plenty fine.... a lot of folks hunt with 45#-55# bows..

check out "the traditional bowhunters handbook" by T.J. Conrads... it's a great book for archers of all skill levels... it should answer a lot of questions you might have... www.tradbow.com

feel free to drop me a line if you have anymore questions...:)
cheers... mike
 
The best thing is to pay a visit to a custom bow maker. If you have really long arms or something your draw length could be longer and if it is that can push a bow up a few pounds or even push it beyond its original design. Draw length plays a important factor, most of the time its pretty generic and interchangeable but it still needs to be observed.

If your hunting anything up to white tail deer 55#s is plenty, thats going to shoot straight through even at that weight often enough. When you start getting into trying to kill a Moose or even a Black Bear, you need more weight, heavier points, heavier shafts, mostly for shooting through bone and deflection off bone. I have never shot anything heavier than 55#s myself but in my understanding 75#s is more suited Moose and Bear.

If you look at some bows you will see them marked things like 45#s at 28 inches, 55#s at 28 inches, and similar ratios, thats why you need to know your draw length. Any Archery shop can get you sorted in 5 minutes on that.
 
Yup, any archery shop can measure your draw, but don't let a shop that is primarily a compound shop, sell you arrows. They get em wrong, nearly every time.

I'm with the previous responders here about starting lower in weight, because no matter how strong you are, you are going to be using muscles that you do not always use and they will get tired and sore. Which brings up another point I should make. Do not shoot when your body is tired. You will start short cutting and you won't be able to draw the bow to a solid anchor (short drawing) and your form will not be consistent, causing serious bad habits that are danged difficult to break when they get ingrained in your shooting. Bad habits mean inconsitent shooting and arrow groups. It's best to rest a full day after a shooting session to let your muscles rebuild themselves and become stronger.

If your draw is over 28" and the bow you will select uses high performance string material, you will add 3# bow weight, to each inch of draw length over 28". So if the bow you purchase is 45# @ 28" and your draw length is 30", you are actually drawing 51#. In theory anyways. How the bow is designed will have a lot to do with that too I think. With that said, if your draw is 30", you will need to buy a bow that draws 40# @ 28", to stay in that 45# range and if it is an inch more, or an inch less, you need to do the math to get to that 45# figure and buy the bow with the appropriate weight. Does that make sense?:D
 
K Williams said:
My drawlength is 29" going by the arm span / 2.5 method.
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Another way to check your draw, is to use a yard stick. Stand with your back to a wall and your shoulders pressed tight against the wall. Place the yard stick (1" end) in the middle of your chest and have someone hold it there for you. Reach out both arms and clamp the stick between your hands, fingers fully extended away from you. Make sure shoulders are still against the wall. Where the end of your fingers touch the stick, is your draw length. Did this with a friend and then went to a shop to have him measured and it was dead on to the shops measurement.
 
yeah i would start with 40-45#....i have a 45# longbow and a 52# recurve. i hunt w/ both.....hunting whitetail, turkey, and hogs...i do shoot heavy weighted aluminiums out of both also( arrows weights from 480 grs to 600grs). funny thing is i bowfish with a 55# recurve...it was cheap so i got it for fishing.

just make sure you are comfortable and can shoot the bow easily. that makes getting your form down pat that much easier. good luck
 
I have two double recurve bows. My first one was #65. After a year or so, I moved up to a #90. I was trying to work up to a full size war bow, (120#), but my shoulder couldn't handle it.
 
Get a light bow to start with!!!
I would suggest a #40 and shoot it ALOT!
Form is everything. Keep your bow arm steady after the shot. Shoot traditional isn't like compound, you will throw the arrow off if you move your bow arm.
I've been through the times when I was young and wanted a heavy bow. My compound was #80 and when I changed to traditional I figured I could easily shoot #70. I shot that for awhile and never really got good at it. I have since learned my lesson and now my heaviest is a #58 Brackenbury. Most of my bows are #50-#55. I have a few #40-#45 and I still shoot them often. I'm recovering from shoulder surgery, from shooting heavy bows, and I haven't made it back to my #55 bow yet.
I've shot through elk with one of my #50 bows so yes...its plenty if you have good arrow flight!!!
Where are you located?
If you're close to me you're more than welcome to come try out a few bows.
 
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K Williams said:
What is the right way to select bow weight for a longbow?
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1. Go to a pro shop that specializes in traditional bows.

2. Get your draw length measured at the pro shop. All the other ways are mere estimates.

3. All draw weights are measured at 28". I was taught to add or subtract 5 lbs. per inch over or under.

4. If you are starting out in trad. archery you may want to consider a recurve. They are a lot more forgiving than a longbow, which requires a bit more technique. Also, the longbow grip can be a challenge for a new archer.

5. If you are just starting out, consider an imported take down recurve in a very light weight. 30# is not a bad weight for a beginner. If you are worried about the ego of draw weight, put a piece of tape over the poundage. Shoot a lot of arrows and work on your form, especially your anchor point and your release. You may even find that your draw length increases. With a take down recurve, you can increase draw weight by buying new limbs.

6. Try a lot of bows. Some people shoot recurves better than longbows. Some people longbows better than recurves. The trick is to find the bow that works for you.

7. Once you get good, consider what you are going to use the bow for. Targets, 3Ds, hunting. Select a bow that is appropriate for your use. If hunting, keep in mind that shot placement is critical, an accurate shot from a well tuned lighter weight bow with a matched hunting arrow and razor sharp broadhead is worth more to you than a poorly shot arrow from a heavy bow, poorly tuned with a dull broadhead and a miss-matched arrow.

8. When you buy your good bow, get it from a local custom bowyer.

Shoot safe.
 
AmmoHouse said:
Get a light bow to start with!!!
I would suggest a #40 and shoot it ALOT!
Form is everything. Keep your bow arm steady after the shot. Shoot traditional isn't like compound, you will throw the arrow off if you move your bow arm.
I've been through the times when I was young and wanted a heavy bow. My compound was #80 and when I changed to traditional I figured I could easily shoot #70. I shot that for awhile and never really got good at it. I have since learned my lesson and now my heaviest is a #58 Brackenbury. Most of my bows are #50-#55. I have a few #40-#45 and I still shoot them often. I'm recovering from shoulder surgery, from shooting heavy bows, and I haven't made it back to my #55 bow yet.
I've shot through elk with one of my #50 bows so yes...its plenty if you have good arrow flight!!!
Where are you located?
If you're close to me you're more than welcome to come try out a few bows.
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Thanks for all the advice and information. Keep it coming! I'm in NY...nowhere near you. Thanks for the offer though.
 
My longbow is 48 lbs at 28". The bowyer who made it also made a 48 pounder for a woman who later won a female archer of the year award in her state when she took a 7x7 elk with it.

As noted above, form and practice are two of the keys so get a bow that is comfortable enough that you have fun shooting a lot.

DancesWithKnives
 
before..

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after..

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this is my favorite longbow.. it's a 58 in. longbow, draw is 47# @28.... made by a Ca. bowyer named Steve Abbott...
 
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Snow said:
Where does a person buy a good beginner recurve?
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You know, Samick makes a pretty good bow...they also make tournament bows that are crazy money.
They're not very expensive and they perform really good.
I bought one thats a Black Widow copy to use for bowfishing, gotta buy something that I ain't afraid to get wet. So far that sucker really has shot good!!
PSE makes some pretty good entry bows and they don't cost alot either.


There are ALOT of bow companies out there. One thats pretty good is:
www.tradtecharchery.com
They really have a good selection of production bows...from beginner to olympic shooters.
Custom bows...it all depends on how much you want to spend.
 
I shoot a compound, but made my own self bow from a Juniper that I cut down a little over a year ago. It is just over #40 lbs draw and I would not hesitate in the least to whack a whitetail with it.

Accuracy is more important than draw weight once you get above #35 lbs or so.

If I were going to buy a new longbow or recurve, i would go for a #50 lb bow but would not pass up a good deal down to #45.
 
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