what poundage for short draw lengths

Insanity-Rocks

New member
I've been shooting recurve for the first time this winter and have been happy with the results considering the little amount of time I've put into it. I've been using a 66" bow with 30lbs limbs, which weighs not a lot at my draw length of 24". I'm looking into getting a set of limbs that I can still shoot easily but will allow me to shoot a full fita (or whatever it's now called) if I want to.

I'm holding 35lbs on my 70" longbow and that's about the weight I'm happy at, I could go a little higher but not by much.

As far as I can tell a pair of short 42lbs limbs on my 23" riser would be best, any thoughts on this? And any thoughts on the brand that makes limbs that work best at short draw lengths?
 

Simian

Supporter
Supporter
This is a first principles sightmark calculator. Unfortunately, you need to know things like what the offset of your eye is above / below the 0 on your sight for it to have any hope of being accurate (+ve = eye physically above the zero mark). Anyway, fill in the green bits, marvel at the numbers that come out.

https://docs.google.com/a/semi-evol.../1RVuz9CnnyFDSKePMwj5zfK3BiNBtBNECbUABvetQUJs

You can either copy it, if you've got a google account, or download it as an excel spreadsheet. It's currently set for a draw length of 24", 42lb limbs, 23" ACE with spin wings & 100 grain points

It may well have significant faults...

Simon.
 

Easily Confused

New member
I'd expect 42lb short limbs on a 23" riser to give about 35lb wound out up to about 38lb wound in. To get the most out of a set of limbs with a very short draw length you want to be using them wound in most of the way (greater pre-load on the limbs for more stored energy with the same holding weight). Bearing that in mind, you might be better off with a set of 40lb limbs wound in a bit further if you're aiming for the 35lb mark.

In terms of brands, I'm a bit of a W&W fan but I've heard Samicks are also fairly good for a short draw.
 

Phil Reay

New member
Will admit it's been a long time since I shot a gents FITA with sights and as my bow is 36lb the end of the long rod got in the way. Now shoot barebow so that isn't a problem anymore and still string walk down slightly. Is it ladies or gents FITA u want to shoot as it does make a difference (20 metres)?
I shoot with w&w limbs but I thought samick had gone now (probably wrong) but they did shoot 36lb with 34lb limbs if you see what I mean. I just found they where a bit snappy for me and I was shooting Hoyt at the time. Good luck with whatever you go for.
 

Insanity-Rocks

New member
Simian - thanks for that, I'll get someone to measure the offset of my eye at the club tonight and see what it says :)

Easily Confused - 42lbs would sound about right then, I could have them wound out to 35 to start with as that's what I'm used to, then start winding them in as I get used to the bow...

Phil Reay - It'll be a ladies fita, and thanks!
 

Stash

New member
You're looking at it the wrong way. Don't ask what poundage you need. Shoot the heaviest poundage you can handle for a full day of shooting, and let that determine your maximum range. That's one of the few absolutes in target recurve archery, and it applies to every aspect of the sport.

There is little point in getting limbs heavy enough to reach a specific long distance if you can't handle the weight well enough to shoot a decent score. There is little point getting limbs that are just barely heavy enough to reach the specific distance if you can handle heavier.

Heavier draw weight not only gets you the long distances, but a cleaner release and heavier arrows that won't be affected by wind.
 

Insanity-Rocks

New member
You're looking at it the wrong way. Don't ask what poundage you need. Shoot the heaviest poundage you can handle for a full day of shooting, and let that determine your maximum range. That's one of the few absolutes in target recurve archery, and it applies to every aspect of the sport.

There is little point in getting limbs heavy enough to reach a specific long distance if you can't handle the weight well enough to shoot a decent score. There is little point getting limbs that are just barely heavy enough to reach the specific distance if you can handle heavier.

Heavier draw weight not only gets you the long distances, but a cleaner release and heavier arrows that won't be affected by wind.
I know I can handle shooting 35lbs for a full two day competition, so that's not the issue here. The problem is what limbs I need to get to achieve this. I know I'm not getting anywhere near the marked weight of the limbs as I've a short draw length, so I needed to know what poundage the limbs have to be marked at to get me the poundage I want.

I've also been told different things by different people, some say to go for short limbs for the speed, some say go for the medium as there'll be more options at the poundage I'll need. I've also been told that some limbs work better than others at certain draw lengths but I've not had anyone explain which ones are best and why...
 

Easily Confused

New member
I've also been told different things by different people, some say to go for short limbs for the speed, some say go for the medium as there'll be more options at the poundage I'll need. I've also been told that some limbs work better than others at certain draw lengths but I've not had anyone explain which ones are best and why...
What do you mean by more options? I would really recommend going for short limbs at that draw length as you'll get a significant speed increase and no risk of stacking. There are two main reasons why someone might say a certain limb doesn't work well at their draw length: lack of speed and stacking. Certain Samick limbs have a reputation for stacking at draw lengths that other limbs might be fine at (no issue at your DL though). On the other side, some border HEX limbs don't reach their full speed potential if the draw length isn't long enough due to the unusual DFC. If you were to post a few you're considering here then I'm sure some of us will have shot them or know people who have :)
 

Phil Reay

New member
unfortunately, that's probably because everyone is different. even with the same drawlength, what poundage suits one person, maynot suit another. The slight problem is you don't want to Overbow as that can put too much pressure on arms, back and everywhere else. If you start shaking when at full draw, then the limbs are definitely too powerful. I will admit that it sounds as if you could stand to go up a couple of lbs without too much problem. using heavier limbs and then winding them down is always an option as we have done this with one or two of our club members. Just remember, not too heavy or your shoulders and arms will not last.
 

urbin

Member
Have you measured your draw-weight OTF of your current limbs? That compared to the marked weight should give you a goodish offset rather than subtracting 2# per inch under 28" (I always forget if it's 2# or 1#?).

I have a similar, possibly marginally longer draw-length and was shooting with some bog-standard Kaya (possibly Tomcat Carbon) short limbs on a 23" riser. I was getting 34# out of 36# limbs on a GMX (although looking at my notebook the sight was in at 70m - I'm not sure how much in though because I can't interpret my own notes...).

TBH I didn't put too much thought into it - I just bought short limbs to get the most power I could out of them. Now, given what people are shooting around me I'd upgrade to a set of W&W Inno ex-power. They're eye-wateringly expensive here but all the feedback has been brilliant and they look smart too. Having said that, no-one at my club shoots short limbs so I'd be going off the experience of the medium and long folks ;)

There will be more options with medium limbs but you only need to find one set, right?
 

Insanity-Rocks

New member
Did you find anything left in the borders sale list after all ?

Sent from my GT-I8160 using Tapatalk 2
I've gone for the extra short 42lbs CXB limbs! Already in love with them and they haven't even left the shop yet!

After shooting a 38lbs bow that turned out to be a little under 30lbs at my draw length they should be a comfortable poundage and speedy as hell on my short riser!
 
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