Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Poundage - Accuracy Correlation?

I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced "sweet spots" in accuracy across the range of poundage their bow is rated for? For instance, I'm wondering if it is possible for a given bow to shoot very well at say 60lbs, not so well at 63lbs, then very well again at 65lbs. I had always heard that a bow shoots its best when set at the highest poundage it is rated for, but does that mean it shoots steadily worse as the poundage drops or are there sometimes sweet spots?

I was shooting great with field points and then a couple months before the season I upped my poundage a bit and felt like I lost some accuracy. When I started shooting nothing but my broadheads closer to the season opener my groups opened up quite a bit. I was just wondering if it would be worth it to crank the poundage up a quarter or half turn to try and get a little closer to a "sweet spot" or if it isn't worth it. Things are okay the way they are if I don't change anything, but it got me thinking about it and I figured someone around here probably has a good idea about it.

TIA

I don't believe that shooting a bow at its max makes it more accurite. My target bow a Hoyt Contender Elite is set at about half way up and it shoots lights out when I do my job. As long as the timing is correct, the arrow is spined correct, and your setup is correct the accuracy should be the same across the board. Now the weight could effect you the shooter, to little may make you unstable, to much will wear you out both effecting your accuracy.

you are fretting miniscule issues ....shoot and practice more best way to increase accuracy

Don't know about "sweet spots" ,but I've always ran my bows at top end.

Getting a full "roll" on a cam is more important than weight for true performance.

I upped the poundage months ago and shot every day. I made sure to eat plenty of protein as well to ensure that my muscles would be up to par when the season rolled around. I don't like to hunt with my bow set to a weight that causes me to shake at all when holding at full-draw for a minute and a half. If I can hold it at full-draw for 2 minutes without any shakes that's even better. Just some numbers I pulled out of the air to use as goals, I don't know if they really mean anything. Just something I use to gauge when I'm ready for more power/flatter trajectory.

I think I gave my body enough time to compensate for the extra 3lbs or so that I turned it up. I know what you're saying though, and I agree. I'd rather shoot at a lighter poundage that I can manage well than ratchet it up and get all shaky after 30 seconds of holding at full-draw.

I was mostly just wondering if I turned it just a hair one way or the other if it would make a difference. I have an M1 Garand and I used it as a backup rifle on a bull elk hunt last year. In order to shoot hot 180 grain bullets and still protect my op-rod from damage I installed a Schuester adjustable gas plug. You start with it at factory setting then adjust it until you let just enough gas through to operate the system without too much to pound the heck out of the op-rod. After you get that set you further fine-tune it to adjust for best groups. I guess that's what got me thinking about if compounds might act like that or if they were more linear, i.e.- higher poundage = better performance.

Thanks for the input, I'll continue watching this thread for any other thoughts on the matter.

Dude...

duuuuude

I'm a sys admin, I got all the time in the world. I'm just hanging around here until I'm off call then I'm going hunting.

Anytime you change poundage you should re-tune. Shoot some paper and tweak until you get your accuracy back. Most people don't realize how much a small change it takes to get a bow out of tune and to lose accuracy... Some bows are a lot more forgiving, and you can get away with changing the poundage a bit, but other bows aren't forgiving. Also, when you change draw weight make sure you turn the bolts in the same amount. Sometimes that doesn't work (one limb is weaker than the other) and it throws your tiller out of whack, causing accuracy issues. Tiller is just as important on single cam bows as it is on dual cam bows.

Depends on your arrow... i hate to keep riding this horse, but spine has everything to do with tune, and poundage/energy is one of the four variables to arrow osculation.

For optimum arrow flight

Arrow + length + head weight = only one poundage

Arrow + head weight + only one poundage = length

Arrow + length + only one poundage = head weight

and so on.

If the bow is in tune, change one and you must change another to stay in tune. That's why it's best to not think about poundage as a given, unless you are willing to chase different brands, lengths or head weights to have optimum flight.

Chose an arrow charted for your mid weight at the desired length and head weight, cut, walk back tune, then fine tune by increasing or decreasing poundage/energy.

The proper arrow osculation will be the most accurate and penetrate the most. Thinking of it as tuning an arrow is more important than tuning a bow.

Also why a Pse may be more accurate than a goldtip for your bow poundage, or visa versa, at 8.8 gr per in vs 8.2 for the same charted length, the spine will be different... and so on for each manufacturer.

So if you start out at 63 lbs shooting great, lucked out on the arrow tune, then decide to up the poundage, you will not shoot the same. adjusting rest and nock will have no effect on osculation. you will need to change either, arrow, length, head weight or a combo.

Kent

I'm shooting fine for hunting (or I wouldn't be hunting) but I know I can shoot this bow even better. I think the bigger problem is with the switch from field points to broadheads. I'm using NAP Thunderheads, but I might try G4 or Rage next year. I also changed to Blazer vanes thinking I'd get better groups with those going through my whisker biscuit, but they didn't seem to make a big difference either way. I like them though, it's so easy the way you just shrinkwrap them right on.

I've had it into the shop before this season and everything seems good as far as tiller settings and cam timing. I was just wondering if there were sweet spots and I think I got my answer. Thanks everybody (except dvdgeorge) for your contributions.

I gave you the best advise of all but you choose not to listen or take off the blinders....comes a time when all the tinkering with the equipment is done and your still not happy with groups that just maybe those are the groups your capable of shooting....again if it's not the equipment as you state everything is tuned and timed it's you and you need to put more time in at the range.

Your bow probably doesn't have a sweet spot. Tuned properly, it will shoot arrows of different spine differently. I help people all the time, and I bring a box with all my old arrows to the club with me. If I tune a bow and it's not ripping paper cleanly, I try a couple of my old arrows. ACC's, Beeman Carbon Hunters, Gold Tips, Radial X Weaves, Maximas... Some rip cleaner than others, and we try them on the range.

I also carry different tips and switch weights. You can get improvements. Most of the time, they're small.

I'll give you an example. A friend bought a Bowtech Destroyer. He had a 60 pound bow which a Gold Tip 55/75 should have fit nicely. He couldn't shoot them, went up to 75/95's and was grouping and busting nocks his first day on the range.

One day, I set my chrony out in front of the backstop and shot through it at 20, 30, and 40 yards using a 5575 and a 7595. The loss of speed with the heavier arrow shocked me. At 20yds, it was 6 or 7 fps slower. At 30yds, it was 1 fps slower. At 40yds it was dead even. Since then, I haven't fretted much over using a heavier arrow if it tunes better. I have 101's Airborne in 70 pounds that I shoot at 61. It shoots the 5575's better with 3" quick spins and 100 grain tips.

It's pretty well accepted that compounds shoot most efficiently and usually more accurately with the limbs locked down at full rating. Sure this probably varies between bows of the same Mfgs and between Mfgs as well.

I think it's due to the crisper release IMO but whatever it is this is a typically well accepted data point. I have lowered my bow to 10lbs under max and I for one shot less consistent with that then I did cranked up.

Many times when you buy a bow it's going to be several pounds higher draw then the rating show. I think lots of guys buying a 70lb bow have actually bought a 74-75lb bow because locked down limbs are nearly always higher then the rating. So to get it down to 65lbs they have to really crank them out, this is typical and goes against the means of getting maximum accuracy.

I always wondered why 65lbs was not the standard rather then 60 or 70lbs. with a 65lb max draw you would get 68ish and be exactly in the sweet spot for the majority of guys, Adjusting up or down a turn from 60-67 is easily within the sweet spot. My last new bow was a Martin Bow, they offer 65lb limbs as a special order. When my bow was done and the limbs cranked down I had it at just over 68lbs, yet one and a half turns off of locked was 63lbs. What a difference from ordering a 70lb bow that locked down at 74 and turning it down a rotation and a half was still nearly 70lbs! I would not want to shoot my bow with the limbs cranked out more then a couple turns at most. It feels too sloppy to me with them that loose.

Get rid of the whiskerbisket and you will gain accuracy from a good launcher.

I'm with krp on this. any change in poundage effectivly changes the spine of the arrow.It also changes draw length in small amounts.The limbs cranked all the way down for best results does'nt apply to bows with pivoting limb pockets.Broadheads can magnify any tune/form issues and slightly change FOC depending on the style of broadhead.
Lots or more pracice with an ill tuned bow or bad form yeilds more of the same-less than optimal accuracy.

I'm with Montana and Kcnboise on this. Forget about the poundage so much and concern yourself with tuning your bow and doing your part. Higher weight does NOT equal accuracy. And it could lessen your ability to be accurate. Paper tune the bow/arrows and be happy with it.

Thanks guys, that is a lot of good stuff to think about. I am shooting a Martin Jaguar currently. Gold tip pro hunter 55/75's and NAP Thunderheads. Scott itty bitty goose release and the whisker biscuit rest. I'm buying new arrows this summer, maybe I'll check out some different kinds but I've been pretty happy with the GT's.

I would get rid of the whiskerbisket and spend the money on a good launcher rest.

Such strong opinions on the WB?

I've used a lot of stuff but never had such a struggle with the WB that I would dismiss it altogether. It has it's place and is hard to beat for so many different types of hunting.

Maybe not olympic/national archery competition quality, but certainly not the limiting factor for hunting accuracy. Using two bows one with a biscuit, and the other with a drop away, I've never seen the accuracy advantage to the drop away. I do think is is quieter, a little bit anyway, but never accuracy related.

We probably just get comfortable with what we like and want to share that opinion. I'm good with a drop away that has arrow containment when drawing, but man it's hard to beat the biscuit for all around hunting conditions. just so simple and foolproof.

I don't care for a whiskerbisket or a dropaway. I personally don't see the need for either. Do they work? Sure but not ideally. Just not for me, I want as little of contact as possiable. Honestly I mostly hunt fingers anyways so I have a plunger and flipper rest on that bow. On my release bow I use a launcher W/Blade for deer and turkey hunting, and change the blade to a two prong for elk hunting. You will never get the full accuracy potential out of a whiskerbisket. I guess I subscribe to the same concept as guys that hunt with custom made rifles that want all the potential accuracy. Would a over the counter stock Rem 700, Ruger 77, Win 70, ect get the job done absolutely, but their custom rigs will have more accuracy. Either way dead animal.