Do you guys think there is much of a performance difference between 50 lbs vs 55 lbs? I continue to feel like I gain nothing with the additional 5 lbs other than early fatigue. Would love to hear opinions.

I've been shooting 50 lbs for many years. I never saw a need to go higher even though 55 or 60 would not be a problem. Oh, and no surgeries either.

What you gain with more draw weight is that you can shoot a correspondingly heavier arrow. That's all.

My flight testing has convinced me that there are plenty of 50# recurves that can outperform their counterparts at 55#, using yards of cast per pound of draw wt. as the parameter, and shooting equal gpp arrows from each bow. But, as Jim Davis points out, you might prefer to be sending the heavier arrow at your target.

Jim nailed it.

Well it is 10 percent. That could matter depending on the intended game.

I shoot bows between 50-60#.

Yes there's a difference but not anything to get in a twist over. Just don't try and tell me a 35# bow is perfectly adequate for elk. Then I get a little agitated.

Lots of variables ( bow design, string material etc...)but the short answer for me is "no". Not much difference.

I shoot both 55# i get better release and flatter trajectory with the same arrow

IMHO, enough of a difference is there for me to continue using 55# for hunting and 50# for 3-D. My 55# bow is heavier, because it is a take-down and has a stabilizer, whereas, my 50# bow is a lighter one piece w/out a stabilizer. After a 3-D season with a lighter bow and no stabilizer, my hunting set-up seems easier and more accurate to shoot.

Not just a 35# bow, but 35# @ your draw length.

Grizz has it, I have a forty pound bow that has to shoot 55 to 60lb. spine arrows because of the material and design. Then I have a forty pound bow that requires 40 to 45lb spine.

So all bows are not equal.

If you are shooting a 50lb. bow there is no need to go higher unless the game requires it.

I hit the wrong button and entered what I was typing.

I was going to add unless you have a dog for a bow. Some fifty pound bows don't shoot like 50.

I like to get as high as I can comfortably get because of the flatter trajectory with a heavier hunting arrow.

sinew backed black locust 45 lbs.450 gr arrow 152 fps.Fivics foam core graphite ilf bow 40lbs same arrow 168fp.As was said above,not all bows are created equal.

You gain nothing. There is no need for anything over 50lb for deer sized game. Hogs are tuff but 50lb and less can bring them down. No hunting in Africa maybe a different story. LOL

Not all bows are created equal, but if you want to know the performance gained by going up 5 lbs dw you have to compare 2 bows that have similar performance. Nothing learned by shooting a slow 55 lb and a fast 50 lb.

MP

Crookedstix, that’s a very interesting observation, how do the numbers work out?

It's actually a trick question.

There are 50lb. bows that are more efficient shoot faster than some 55lb. bows with the same arrow. There are also some 55lb. bows that out perform some 50lb. bows by a good margin.

Arrow spine tells you nothing about performance. Arrow spine is determined by a combination of draw weight and sight window measurement, and to a degree string material.

This is great insight. Bows in question are ASLs. I should have mentioned in the beginning. I don’t feel like I’m gaining much when I shoot the extra 5 lbs.

If you're shooting 10 grains per pound on each bow they're going to shoot the same speed no matter what. JF

Yes all things being equal a 35 lb. bow 350gr. arrow will shoot the same fps as 70 lb bow shooting a 700gr arrow,in a perfect world that is.A high performance 50 lb.bow 500 gr arrow will dispatch of most animals on the north american continent when used properly.This has been proven time and time again.Stay with the 50lb. bow , in the long run you will be better off for it.If your bows are ff compatable try an 8 to 10 strand ff string on that 50 pounder.Made a big difference on my bows vintage ,new,and even selfbows.JMO.

My 50 pound bows will shoot a 2016 well. My 55 will shoot a 2016 or a 2018 well. (Either will shoot a 500 carbon well.)

If I were after heavier game than deer, the 2018 would be my preference.

Many years back when I had 4 sets of limbs for my Bear takedown, I was disturbed when I had a set of 55 pound limbs that easily shot harder than my 60 pound limbs. Flight shooting showed the same, the 55s were simply better than the 60s.

But that’s because one pair of limbs was simply better than the other; if the dice had rolled another way, you could lead yourself to believe that there’s a world of difference in the efficiency of a #60 vs. #55...

All else being equal - and I mean perfectly, exactly equal in the way that never exists outside of a thought experiment....

JMO, there’s enough of a difference that you’d have to be a real chucklehead to pass it up if it had no adverse effect on your shooting, but they’re so close that you’d have to be a complete idiot to sacrifice any meaningful amount of accuracy for the sake of a very modest bump in your horsepower.

The more I shoot at longer ranges, the more I appreciate a fast, flat-shooting arrow, so I find myself speculating on what I might be able to do with another #5- #10...it’s just that so far, I haven’t been able to convince myself that it’d really make much of a difference. Or not enough of one to warrant the expense and the physical wear & tear that I’d run into if I were to go for it...

"If you're shooting 10 grains per pound on each bow they're going to shoot the same speed no matter what"

No...that's not correct. The bows may shoot the same speed if they are identical in perfoamnce and design, but a the lighter bow may shoot 10grs. per pound faster than the 55lb. bow will shoot 10grs. per pound, or vice versa.

The only sure way to know is measure them.

fdp that is why i said in a perfect world above, and all things being equal, what you are saying is true.

Well, maybe the heavier bow has more potential, but many archers do not. I have seen a number of archers get higher impact on the target with a lighter bow, with the same arrow. I believe that is because they are able to draw it a bit further and execute their shot a bit better.

I believe few archers can fully master a bow heavier than 50 pounds and correctly shoot the large numbers of arrows needed to get really good.

In my prime a kept a heavy setup in case I won the lottery and could go hunt something big and bitey. But I did my best work and competed best with bows of less than 50 pounds at my draw. - lbg

Lota crap being shot.LOL

What CrookedStix said. I have at least one 50# bow that is faster than a 55# bow I own with the same arrows. Unless a bow is a total dog speed-wise, I let accuracy (for me) determine whether or not it's a keeper. - John

Glenn ole pal whats up?

Sometimes i feel like the only harsh never pull a punch prick out here,,,then you chime in ; )

This past year i was able to test two bows, same make, model, length. I shot 55/60 out of the 50# and 65/70 out of the 55#. The 65/70 was 1" longer.

After repeated shots, the average difference in penetration into a Rinehart 18-1 target was 1/4" more for the 55#.

I think the 50# bow was just a better performer, pound per pound.

I have a dial gauge built into my torn rotator cuff that tells me I get better performance at 50-53#; above that I get the needle into the red zone and start wearing out parts. Popping the clutch above 65# tears up my transmission.

"...was 1/4" more..."

Do you remember what the total penetration was?

Two bows for me come to mind. I had a great plains takedown recurve with two sets of limbs of the same material. 47lb and 56lb. I could only get 10 yards further with the 56lb limbs using the same weight arrow on a distance shot. Also had two Black Widows SA's, same poundage. One was 58" long and 62" long. The 62 always out shot the 58 in by a good margin on a chronograph. I assume the length was the factor since everything else was equal. About the only way you will know for sure if 55 will out perform 50 is with the ability to increase pounds on the same bow with the same set of limbs. That way everything else is canceled out.

I have a 50# bow that out performs a few 55# and 60# bows I have tested it against, using the same arrow. Maybe it is me just unable to handle the extra draw weight and short drawing, but I've accepted that and they are gone. Using the same arrow on a 35# Sage and a vintage 52" bow with a 45# draw, the Sage shot the same speed. The 52" bow was a sweet shooter but a dog, it's also gone. I have learned that I shoot longer limb bows better. With the exception of the Browning Wasp which is 56". I like that bow a lot and shoot it the most.

"About the only way you will know for sure if 55 will out perform 50 is with the ability to increase pounds on the same bow with the same set of limbs. That way everything else is canceled out." But that would be bringing a bit of the rigor of scientific inquiry and description into a forum thread. Where's the fun in that?

All things being equal...yes there is a significant difference! You are gaining 10% in draw weight which translates to more energy available to your arrow. You can shoot a heavier arrow with the same trajectory as the lighter bow or shoot the same weight arrow faster. Assuming you can readily handle the heavier bow there is no downside.

55 is a real gain from 50 as long as the bows are equal. There are some real advantages like trajectory and better penetration. Of course if you can't or don't want to shoot that weight and it is a struggle for you then the advantage goes to 50 lbs provided you shoot it well. If you do both well then 55 will provide you with real advantage.

If you shoot #55 normally, you will see a difference when shooting a #50. When you shoot #50 most of the time you will think is not worth the trouble to shoot #55.

sorry, I do not remember. I may be able to shoot the 50# bow today and measure it. its mine.

My experience says each pound over #50 nets you really close to 1/fps/pound with the same arrow weight.

The 5 pounds buys you some mistake room... but if you shoot your 55 pound bow worse... then it may also give you some mistakes. With the right arrow and shot placement 50 pounds is likely adequate for almost all NA game.

I have been playing with different linbs. I find that on my Covert Hunter, the heavier are a bit more efficient. I.e. same gpp but a few fps faster. Biggest advantage is the heavier arrow with the heavier poundage.

Use to hear it from some old bowyers that no one needs to shoot over 60# since not gaining much except the wear and tear on the shoulders. Shooting 40# Max 4 that is shooting the same hunting arrow from my 50# recurve.

Cripes,

Lets see how many less obvious reasons we can name as to why most of these comments while probably correct in that archer's experience have ZERO value explaining the truth.

1. Brace height

2. String construction

2A. Material, 2B. Strand count, 2C. String nock position/material 2D. Type and length of serving, 2E loop size/construction

3. Arrow nock tension

4. Archer release form/skill and overall strength

5. Arrow weight/ energy transfer from bow to the arrow. The heavier draw bow can fail to deliver any more (or sometimes less) energy to the arrow before it has left the string.

Question: Identical twins, identical setups on identical bows, identical hunting shot delivered to the identical spot on identical critters under identical conditions. One twin's bow draws a bit lighter than the other twin.

Which archer/setup will out perform the other on a game shot?

A: The one with the more sharp broadhead.

Rick R

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