Where to start

[bambeklr]

thanks for the info guys. I have another question. What is stacking? I dont mean to sound stupid but I am a compound guy!!! I looked on the quinn sight and the prices arent to bad. But I am still unsure of what length to get. The longest they have seems to be a 64". Would that work for me. I am, thinking 64" long 40# @28" draw. Any other sight that I can check out for ordering?

[smj]

Stacking... When you draw the bow, there should be a nice increase in the weight you feel. When you hit stack, the bow draws notably harder for each inch drawn. This might seem as though you've found extra juice - but the bow can not translate this extra draw weight in to arrow speed. Performance actually drops off, and the bow is being over-stressed. This is stack. In compound terms, it is rather like pulling the bow back and through the valley! Those puppies stack up quick if you do that. You hit the valley and the let-off happens, keep drawing. The let-off goes away in a heart beat! That is major stack, and not good for compounds either. Let me know if you need more info about stack!

[bambeklr]

I have been looking around a bit and really like the looks of this bow. What do you think?
www.martinarchery.com/bows2001/trad/thun.html

[BT]

Hey guy....this is starting to concern me a bit here.
Although I have a huge amount of faith in smj and his opinion I am concerned as to the weight of the bow.
I don't want to see you spending money on something that you cant shoot.
I have a 50# @ 28" that has practically no stack at all at 30" and if you want I will ship it to you and you can try it.
That way you will know if you like it or not before buying.

[vonottoexperience]

My 40lb Martin draws to 56lbs @ 31"..I can shoot this all day..get a take down and if you want to add weight later, you can buy another set of limbs

[smj]

Sorry guys! Again, I don't mean to load up bambeklr with to much bow... When I found my way back to traditional, I'd been shooting an 82 pound compound and started with a 50 pound recurve. The bow was a bit short tip to tip, I had to shorten my draw length to use it, it pinched my fingers, and after a couple weeks of shooting it I felt the draw weight just a tad on the weak side and was looking for something more like 55 to 60 pounds at full draw. Also of note, a 60 pound draw at full draw is 23 pounds under the compound he is currently shooting, thats over 25%. This is all consistant with what was listed above. Still, bambekler - don't let me lead you astray! A 50 pound draw @28" with a bow that fits is a joy to shoot, and you should be quickly able to shoot it for hours without feeling beat up. It will have the juice to take just about anything you want to hunt as well. One other thought, if you are over 45, go for 50 pounds at full draw rather than a 50 pound draw at 28 inches. Most of the shooters I know start to drop the draw weight as they hit 50 years old. Just not as much fun to shoot anymore is what they say! Anyway - that's where my thoughts are coming from.

[smj]

vonottoexperience said:

My 40lb Martin draws to 56lbs @ 31"..I can shoot this all day..get a take down and if you want to add weight later, you can buy another set of limbs

WOW! You get over 5lbs per inch of draw from 28 to 31 inches? So, at 25 inches are you down to 34 lbs? Sounds like an interesting force curve!

[BT]

Votto has the Hatfield and it is a real smooth bow indeed.
I would believe that (to me) it feels alot less than it actually is in regard to it's weight

My concern with bow weight is not that he cant shoot 50# or more but that as a start of more than 50# he will not have the advantage of being able to overpower the bow as easily.
If he starts with too much bow it's going to effect his learning curve (I contend) and weight is not the most important thing until hunting season approaches and then it's still not the biggest consideration IMO.

I just know what I have seen and thats why I always start adults at 45# and kids at 25#
The first week is going to bring alot of improvement as the muscles strengthen but during that time alot of bad traits and habits can be ingrained.

That's why I like the idea of a take down bow like the PSE which is affordable.

JMHO

[bambeklr]

I am still looking at stuff. I dont want to start off on the wrong foot. If you guys think I should start of with under 50# for learning purposes then so be it. I have no problem with that. I would much rather learn all the right techiques than the bad ones. I know that it is hard to beat old habbits and I dont want to learn under the wrong conditions.

Oh and SMJ I am only 26 years old. *lol*
BT you tell me what you think I should start off with and thats what I will do. I think the right form is the only way you can be accurate. This will set me in the right direction.

[BT]

I think that a take down is the way to go and make sure that you can get heavier limbs for it before you buy.

At your draw length I would go with a 45#@28 bow which would bring you to 51 - 53# max @ 30"
Easier to buy a set of limbs a couple of months down the road than to replace an entire bow

You can also invest in a much better bow this way since you will only be replacing limbs

I would also be comfortable seeing a 30" draw starting with 40# that would end up at 46 - 48# if the expense of another dozen arrows doesn't effect the decision.