Hello,

I am upping my poundage on my recurve. I shoot since I was 10 years old, started with a very light one, i think it was something like 15lbs or 20lbs, then got my second bow, which I have until now, which is a 35 pounds bow, and I was thinkging about going for a 60 pound bow now. I'm not a very large person, I weight 154 pounds and I am 5,6ft tall, I know that may seem a little bit on the chubby side, but that weight is actually only muscle, my fat percentage is around 12%. Anyways, all that to say: while researching if that poundage would be ok for me, most places i've stumbled upon there are people giving advice for people that have never shot a recurve, so they say they should go for a lighter bow, but as you see, I'm experienced with recurves, and I think I could handle the draw weight, what do you think?

It's a LONG way from a 35lb recurve to a 60lb recurve.

I don't know you, don't know anything about your form, your physical ability, or your intended use, or your level of dedication to ensure you shoot the heavier bow correctly. But I would suggest you move up to no more than 50lbs..

I would stay at 45-50lbs you can take all kinds of game with that set up.

I'm with fdp on this. That kind of jump can lead to bad actions; short drawing, hurried shots, and fatigue will ingrain bad shooting habits. If it were me, I would go no higher than 50, and would need to work hard at that.

Is their any place you can try a 60# or even a 50#? Like said above, also, get to much weight an sometimes the "fun shooting", starts to decline.

NO, no, no. If you really want to do it...still no. I can tell you're going to do it anyway. But don't :)

The difference between 35-45# is large. A good coach would tell you to move up 3# at a time. You might consider getting an ILF riser so you can buy and trade limbs and work up.

Having a low percentage of fat it fine, as is being strong, but the muscles used in drawing a bow are quite different than those used to lift with. I too agree you should probably go no heavier than 50# when you've mastered that weight then move up.

Bob

Depends on your draw length. If you draw more or less than the standard reference distance of 28", you'll obviously have +/_ 2.5- 3#/inch from 28" basis.

I'd vote for a draw weight-at YOUR draw length- of about 45# (44- 47#). If you are looking for a "big game" recurve, then check hunting regs for those areas you intend to hunt. Could be a 50# min level.

45# should take care of any deer, boar, turkey you'll get within 20-25 yards. Elk or big bear? Need more (but ever hunted them), probably 50# on low end.

45# at your draw length, would be my choice.

Free advice is worth what you pay for it.

Yeah, given your advice i'm not going for a 60lb bow.

Car54: No, no commercial place at least. I could do some research and find another fellow bowman in my area to maybe try, but then it would require them to be a good fellow and let me try their bow.

In response to JustSomeDude: I don't have a coach, my area actually is very underdeveloped archery-wise, so anything I wish to have I have to buy online, or travel a very long distance to get, thus the need for thorough research before buying anything. I think I might stick with 45lbs for now, or 50 if i find a very good sale somewhere.

If you are in the northern Colorado area, I have a 40, 43, 48, 54, and 62# that you are more than welcome to try. Where are you located? Try as many brands weights and configurations that you can, prior to spending the money. Every bow has a different personality just like people, you may like a few but there will always be some that you just cant work with. Good luck. Cowboy

Is this a hunting bow or a target bow? If it's hunti I would go between 50/55 lbs, plenty of weight for any NA game. As mentioned, 60 is a big adjustment from 35.

I predict your interest in shooting and archery in general would drop fast if you bought a heavy bow. I think a 45 pound bow would be the next logical weight for you.

Second the idea of an ILF bow. One riser can accommodate several sets of limbs. (Actually, as many as your budget allows.)

A jump from 35 to 45 would be doable, and limbs can be had from inexpensive to 'holy cow!'

Good quality and high value 3-piece recurve bow:

Samick Sage (62") or discontinued Samick Journey (64"). Limbs from 25-60#. $140 for bow. $75 for limbs.

Updated versions of these bows are called "Spyder" (62") and Spyder XL (64") from southwest archery ( check their website).

These bows are versatile. Inexpensive, not "cheap". Great shooting bows.

The fact that he is from "other" indicates he lives across the pond somewhere. Maybe he will share where he lives with us.

Actually not across the pond, more like a long way walking, through a few rivers etc, haha. I live in southern Brazil, close to Argentina and Uruguay. I usually don't say where I'm from because people instantly consider me "unworthy" of their time.

I figure it would be helpful if I specified my draw lenght and the time I can hold my 35lb at that lenght.

Draw: 28'', 30 seconds with ease, than it starts to get hard to mantain my form.

I usually buy bow apparatus from NA, so advice for stuff from there is not worthless.

You never mentioned your age. Type of work etc. personally that IS a big jump in weight. I went from 70# to 80+# but I was 36 years old at the time. I used old ordinary push-ups as my excerise, morning, noon and night. Took me a month and that was only 10#. If 60# is a personal goal I would wait on custom bow. Buy used and resell when your ready to move up.

I'm a 60lb bow advocate, well actually the heaviest you can build into. But you do NOT go up that much in one fell swoop. If you must go up right now go to 45 first till you can handle that with ease. Use a 60lb bow to work out with but don't shoot it till ur ready physically.

M60gunner, I'm a 24yr old mechanical engineer, but I don't quite see how that is relevant. And yeah, 60lbs is a goal, but people here convinced me that i should take it slowly, so I'll just make it a long term goal.

What will it be used for?

Saatsin - the questions of age and occupation are HIGHLY relevant because we now know that you have many years ahead of you; plenty of time and testosterone to work into the heavier weights, and (my opinion) you will be better off in the long run owning a bow or two in between 35 and 60, because shooting that heavy a bow on a very regular basis can take a toll on your body. I've been shooting about #55 since I was your age (which was a few years before you were born!), and my right and left sides look like they came from two different people.

And occupation is relevant because a 70-kilo body builder/weight lifter is nothing at all like a 70-kilo ranch hand who does demanding physical work all day, every day. Perhaps if you were also a gymnast or a wrestler...

I think you're on the right track taking the advice to go no more than #45-#50. #60 is just too much in one go, and if you already have a #55, there is no sense in owning a #60 ...... except to help build into a #65...

saatsin at your age I was shooting 85# bows and I was a big strong guy. I am now 52 and still a big strong guy and I shoot around 45-47#s for everything. My shoulders are shot, not due to shooting a bow but years of playing football and beating up my body. I would think 47-51#s would be ideal weight for you and you can shoot that til you are 70. If you hunt it is more then enough weight and if you like to shoot targets and rove it will be just fine. Shawn

Pulling a 60# bow and effectively controlling it are not the same thing. Jumping from 35# clear up to 60# is a recipe for bad habits leading to frustration. In short order it could result in dropping out of shooting recurves altogether.

Good advice given above. Mechanical engineers are smart and the OP would be wise to heed it.

45 Max!

That's a 70% increase in draw weight. A lot by any standards. Like others stated 45-50# will kill any North American game animal. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Not to be rude , really I'm not , but why would you ask these guys on here what weight you should get ,, you have to know .....

Go for your 60 lbs bow, I just ordered my first under 60 bow and I am soon 60.

Irs your choice. You know your b ody but thats a big jump in lbs.Good luck and i hope your happy with whatever you choose. Maybe a 3 piece in 60 and you could alaays drop pounds with a new set of limbs just incae the 60,s are a bit tuff.

Saatsin, you are as welcome here as anyone...anywhere, so I hope you feel comfortable asking questions. Yes...that's a big jump, and I agree to take it in steps. I'm 71 and and still shooting without any old surgeries or shoulder damage, but I also quite shooting bows of 60+ pounds about twenty-five years ago. Work into it gradually. Your body will thank you when you reach 71.

The worst problem you can have is your form going to pieces if its too heavy.It can lead to serious problems that will be very hard to break.Especially if you proceed to shoot hundreds and or thousands of shots and your not in complete control.You dont want to go down that road IMO.It can lead to short drawing,snap shooting,an inability to get to a secure anchor,form issues,target panic.You dont want to fight that fight of getting over issues.

You might opt for a 3 piece T.D with some more moderate poundage limbs and when you master those get another set that are heavier.I think its a huge jump from 35 to 60#s.

why do you want to go up in pounds ? hunting ? or competition ? 45-50 is good for all things except elephant . Remember if it to hard it wont be fun anymore.

I would advise 45-50 lbs with a good solid hunting weight arrow. You can kill anything with it if set it up correctly. Worst case it's easy to pull, your shoulders last longer and you can shoot more. Worst case it's lighter than you want but fun to shoot and you can always go up in the future.

Saatsin, welcome! I personally am thrilled that we have members from outside the US. Makes it kind of a global community and often offers a different perspective on our sport. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here if you can ignore some of the negativity. You've gotten some good advice and it sounds like you're listening, don't hesitate to ask questions and good luck.

In my experience i have shot all weights between 25-55lbs in my 11 years of recurve shooting. All lengths between 56- 64". 1 consideration is what length bow works best for you. Longer lengths different weights are gonna handle differently than shorter length bows @ the same draw weight. I have finally settled upon a 60-62" 36-38# setup. I can shoot all day without feeling run down whether roving or 3d as long as my knees hold out. Best thing is thru all my test and tribulations this is the draw eeight/

Lengths that i dont form bad habits with. Sorry for the split posts, my phone messed up on me.

Well "little train" if you think you can why do you ask ? Just get one and find out , it is just money and you can all ways sell it if it does not work out

I'd do 45# personally. 60# is a lot of bow to jump into

I think you should shoot a bow weight that you can easily control, and is fun to shoot. Only you can determine that.

Forget recurves. The natives in your South American neighborhood are manly men and babely babes...therefore they shoot longbows :-)

Don't have advice that differs much from above but here is some long winded personal experience.

I went from 48lb down to 32lb my first year of shooting. The 48 was a great hunting bow but the 32 was a target bow and much more comfortable to shoot on field ranges where four arrows per day would be shot at 56 targets. The 48 lb'er was 45 percent of my body weight at the time.

Fifty five years later my bows average 40 lb (35 to 45 lb) and I can shoot them all day every day for any type of shooting. An old fellow I met at a 3-D event in McAlester OK said he felt that 40lb was a great draw weight for almost anything that could be shot in that state, including long days of shooting targets at events. I paid attention to his advice.

If I have medical problems, which happens, I can still shoot my lower 35 lb bow (35@26in draw length). Even have an old 25 lb bow which will shoot targets fine in that situation. If I want to fly'em in hard, I have an old target recurve that is 10 or more lb heavier that spits out skinny carbons with light tips pretty good. If I need a 60 lb bow to use for moose or bear, I'll buy one, but it will sit on the rack more than it will get used.

There's some very appropiate, and excellent advice in the above posts. Now some advice to the contrary; Go for it. 60# first time out will let you know quickly if your body can sustain a full draw, that said, I'm no Doctor. Make no mistake, 60# puts some mighty pressure between your shoulder blades. But you're young. Watch this video first, I used this guy's instruction to go up 10#, and It's the best way to shoot the heavy bows, imho. Good luck! It works for shooting any bow period. It will save you from the big pain in the neck.

https://youtu.be/Wu8PSs-4HCg

eBay is full of vintage recurves in the 40-45# range, get one of those first. Once mastered, you can get your money back and go bigger. That weight always sells, and there is a good reason why...., It's all anybody needs.

If you have already registered, please

sign in now

For new registrations

Click Here