what pound setting to use

[Max]

Hey guys, one more question.

As I've posted before I have an old Fred Bear Whitetail hunter. Right now it's set for 50# and is adjustable to 60#. Next week I'm going to the pro shop to have it tuned. Here's the question:

With the bow being old should I keep the poundage at 50# or should I raise it up to 55# or 60#?

Seems to me 50# is 50#, old or new. It's a great shooting bow but, of course, it doesn't have the technology as the new bows have. Is there any benefit to raising the poundage?

Max

[KwackWacker]

the biggest benefit from raising the poundage is a faster arrow. A faster arrow means a flatter trajectory and an arrow with more penetration. Raise it to what you're comfortable with. If it feels good at 60 and you're confident you can practice and shoot accurately under hunting type situations then by all means shoot it at 60, but if there is any doubt, stay at 50. When it comes to archery it's all about what you are comfortable and confident shooting.

[Brow Tine]

You may gain a few fps. But you will have to make sure that the arrow you are shooting is built for that poundage. Im almost always at 50# I shoot an older Browning bow and have found that the bow shoots better at 50#'s and is more accurate. I have found that for a 20-30 yrd shot a few more fps does not make much of a difference.

[gary c.]

Another important thing to remember is that you need to be able to draw and hold your bow without getting tired or the shakes. If you are just starting it may take some practice at the lower setting before you'll have the strength to move up.
Gary C.

[bambeklr]

One thing i have found to be true with older and new equipment is that the more poundage you are shooting the louder the bow will be. Just make sure that you are comfortable with the bow and poundage you are shooting. Trust me, if people are still taking deer with traditional equipment than you will be fine with the old compound set at 50lbs!!!!!!!

[DocHolladay]

Everything that has been stated I agree with. Another thing to note is that all bows should perform best at their max setting. IF you can shoot it at 60lb and feel comfortable doing it, then do it. IF you have any trouble, then lower it back down. You dont have to have your bow maxed out to be a good shooter. Comfort takes precedence over weight.

[bambeklr]

Another thing I always tell people is " your bow will never be faster than the speed of sound " speed is great but its not everything!!! Accuracy kills!!

[seancasey]

the more fps the better the group. And be sure that you tighten the screws in sequence when raising your lbs. I dont shoot mine all the way maxed out. I shoot a 70lbs. bow and have it set at 69.2. reason for this is that if the bow is maxed your limbs are touching your frame and vibrations is more erratic when a shot is fired.

[DocHolladay]

the more fps the better the group....... if the bow is maxed your limbs are touching your frame and vibrations is more erratic when a shot is fired.

I dont believe either of these to be true. I have great groups to 40 yds out of my 70lb bow set at 60lb.

Manufacturers take limb noise into consideration when a bow is made. They would tell you not to crank it down all the way if they were concerned with noise.

Sean, I would bet that if you cranked your limbs down the rest of the way, you wont notice a difference in sound between 69.2lb and 70lb. If you do hear noise, my guess is that it is something on the riser or string and not the limbs.

[bambeklr]

I agree with you doc. Not all bows are best at there peak weight. They may be faster and flatter but that doesnt always mean they are better at that poundage.
I also dont think that more fps has anything to do with a better groups. If anything I have found that it will hurt them. That is unless you change to stiffer arrows.

But I have found that by changing your arrows backbone you can make just about any bow shoot. There is always a way to retune a bow!!!!!!!!

[Max]

Thanks. After looking at the bow more closely I found it was real simple to change the poundage. I'll try all three and see what I'm comfortable with keeping your advice in mind.

Max

[KwackWacker]

Thanks. After looking at the bow more closely I found it was real simple to change the poundage. I'll try all three and see what I'm comfortable with keeping your advice in mind.

Max

Keep in mind that if you change your poundage you may also throw your bow out of tune. If you up the setting then you may want to shoot it through paper again to make sure it is still tuned.

[seancasey]

I will try tightening my bow all the way tomorrow. Its just that I have heard about cranking bows all the way down and causing more vibration. I will let you know how it goes. It makes since to me that cranking the limbs down all the way would do this because your limbs will tighten down to where they touch the frame. There might only be a little bit of vibration in the limbs but a little vibration is worst than less than a fps... I will try it out tomorrow and let you know how it goes.