BigJ71

With all of the talk about draw force and the different draws of the different bows out there, I got to thinking........does it really matter?

I just purchased a new bow and in the process shot many different brands. All shot well and all had a different draw curve cycle. Some were harsher than others some built up quick, some slowly. Some felt heavier than others (all were shot at 70lbs) and some felt lighter. Not to drastic of a difference between them allthough. I mean it's a 70lb bow, what did you expect?

I must say.........I think this whole "draw force" thing is overrated. At some point you will be pulling 70lbs or whatever weight you have it set at. So if the little differences mean THAT much.........are you pulling too much weight?

If every compound bow were set at say......50lbs, would we be so critical of the draw cycle? I think not.


What say you?

Germ

It is all mental(IMO) If it feels good we shoot good! Comes down to what we are use too. I have always shot longer slower bows. So when I draw a shorter speed bow I feel the clunk on it. After about 100 shots I won't even notice it, but the first pull Ithink what the heck it pulls to hard

mez

I don't think it matters much. A certain bow may have a better feel to it but just personal preference. I think a lot of the things we talk about with the new bows don't matter much. The technology is all so good and so close you are splitting hairs.

String buzz, jumps in the hand, dead after the shot, etc. I shot new models last year from Hoyt, Mathews and Bowtech. To honestly tell a difference you had to really concentrate on every aspect of the shot from draw to follow through. You can do that on the range in a shop. Out shooting with your buddies I think you would be hard pressed to tell much of a difference.

For me it came down to brand Loyalty. I had a Bowtech, I like the company, they have a cool logo, ads, etc. I bought the Allegiance and am very happy with it. I really don't think it is a better product than the others except in my mind which was biased to start with.

BigJ71

I tend to agree with you and this was the premise of my post. Do people really have that hard of a time pulling different bows set at the same draw weight that it would cause them not to buy that bow or are they just "splitting hairs" as you put it?

I know I had a heck of a time noticing the differences. To tell the truth there is not that much of a difference between the high end bows and the low end bows for that matter.....well except the price.

GregH

I think that draw force curves matter. They tell the story of the draw cycle. For hunting, I want smooth draw charicteristics for when I have to draw slow and steady. With the big let-off bows they have today, I'm afraid of jumping the arrow off my rest. That is not smooth. I'm a data nut and have plotted draw force curves for all of my bows. I'd like to see all bows come with a card showing their draw curve. It would save you some time while shopping. You could see everything before you ever drew it back. But since they don't come with one, you have to go out and test draw all the bows. Then you pick the one that felt the best to you. Shoot them too.

BigJ71

I have never picked up a bow that I couldn't draw smooth and slow no matter how the draw curve was. To me it's a non factor. This is my point, how in the world could it matter? If the draw curve makes that big a difference, then I suspect the person drawing is WAY overbowed!

I didn't mean you in particular GregH, just in general. Do you not agree?

GregH

I guess I'll agree to a point, but why should a guy of slight build, have to shoot a 50 lb harsh drawing bow, when he could be shooting a smooth 60 lb bow? For hunting, speedisn't that big of an issue that a guy needs a totally uncomfortable bow. In this respect, draw force makes a difference.

Washington Hunter

I don't agree.

Some bows do not draw as smooth as other bows, period.

Can you draw them all smooth and slow? Sure. But some will draw smoother than others.

When I was looking for a bow this year I drew and shot every bow I could get my hands on, I'll use two for example;

I shot both the Allegiance and Martin's Bengal the same day, back to back. When testing bows I plan on purchasing I always draw as if I've got a deer in front of me. I draw as slow as I can in order to really feel what the bow is doing.

I drew the Allegiance back and it was smooth as slik. It built up nicely and rolled over smoothly. There was no harshness in the draw.

The Martin however seemed I was pulling all 70# back at once. The draw cycle wasn't smooth and when the cams rolled over you really felt it. Because of this, while drawing slow, there was noticable movement on my part from hitting the wall harshly.

I think it matters, but its just personal preference.

BobCo19-65

The force curve on a compound could also be important to a person with bad shoulders.

BigJ71

You guys are acting like a smooth drawing bow makes70lb feel like 50lb.Hey the scale doesn't lie, no matter what at some point during the cycle, you still have to pull the weight it is set at.Dan I never said some bows don't pull smoother than others read my post, what I did say isdoes it really matter? I can pull ANY 70lb bow out there just as smooth as silk in any position and in any weather. I still contend it's over rated.

I do think that it's important to those who are at the very limit of their pulling stength limits.

GregH, does a harsh drawing 50lb bow really pull harder than a smooth 60lb?I don't think so,maybeI'm wrong.