Pull weight on Compound vs Recurve

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   I'm wondering about the weights comparing a recurve to a compound.  
If both have a 45# rating will the draw (or pull) feel the same?  And if each one has the same # will the compound shoot the arrow faster and farther?  
While looking at bow and arrows on the internet I've also seen arrows that seem to be rated for different #s.  Some at 30, 50, and so forth.  I'm real new at this stuff and I thought an arrow was an arrow.  I do realize that broadheads are different weights, but the arrow ratings themself confuse the heck out of me.   
I hope someone can give a little info on this.

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Gunrunner Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List .416 Rigby Forest Grump Joined: 05 July 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1970	Topic: Pull weight on Compound vs Recurve Posted: 09 September 2004 at 17:32
	I'm wondering about the weights comparing a recurve to a compound. If both have a 45# rating will the draw (or pull) feel the same? And if each one has the same # will the compound shoot the arrow faster and farther? While looking at bow and arrows on the internet I've also seen arrows that seem to be rated for different #s. Some at 30, 50, and so forth. I'm real new at this stuff and I thought an arrow was an arrow. I do realize that broadheads are different weights, but the arrow ratings themself confuse the heck out of me. I hope someone can give a little info on this.
	Somebody better call the Secret Service. Let 'em know there's an illegal alien in the White House...and it ain't the cook!!

mr mom Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List .30/06 SpringField Joined: 10 June 2003 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 342	Posted: 09 September 2004 at 17:46
	gunrunner: let start with arrows> they have them set for diffrent #'s cause if you dont they will spliter when you shoot them. if you get an arrow chart they take into effect for compounds like the type of wheels or cams, poundage and string and arrow leigth. they might have 5 or 6 diffrent sizes for what you want. the 2 boys shoot a 2317 arrow. the first number 23 is the dieamitor of the arrow. the last number 17 it the wall thickness. wood arrows go by spline weight. if you are shooting a 45 lb. bow you night get 1 that is for 40-50 lbs. and so on. as far as bows with a stick bow the say 45 lbs at 28 inch draw. that is what you will be pulling at 28 inches. it almost the same for a compound but you have to see what the let off is. you might get 1 that can adjust from 50 -70 lbs. and a let off of 65 % when you pull back a compound at first you are pulling what seams like the full weight but after the cams or wheels break over then you are holding the let off weight. when the kids are out of school tomarrow i can find you a bunch of their bow site. alot of guy that can answer most of your ???
	mr mom

The_Mountaineer Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List .416 Rigby West BY-GOD Virginian! Joined: 02 July 2003 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 2653	Posted: 10 September 2004 at 02:49
	Mr. Mom is right. 3 types of arrows - wooden, aluminum and carbon. Wooden is rated by spline and usually work for lower end weights, great for the traditional (recurve or longbow) archer. Aluminum is good and is a long time performer for me. Charts at any bowshop can point you in the right direction for the size you want (sorta like buying bullets for reloading - you gotta know weight and caliber for guns, but for arrows you gotta know your arrow length, bow poundage and weight of your broadhead or fieldtip you'll be using to select the right arrows). Carbon is the new kid on the block and will stand up straighter, literally, than other arrows. Usually lighter, they'll also fly faster than other arrows out of the same bow. The stick bows work on the principle that the further back you pull the more weight you pull. My longbow is 48 lbs at 28 inches of draw but at 31 inches of draw is about 51 lbs. Similar results are for a recurve bow. Compounds works a bit different. Depends largely on the wheel system you're using. The poundage you see advertised on a compound is usually the warranty's maximum poundage. Say if you look at the label on a compound and it says 70 lbs then you can adjust usually somewhere between 10-20 lbs below the maximum of 70 lbs. Yes, you can exceed the 70 lbs by adjusting the limb screws some more but it will add excess torque to the bow and void the warranty in most cases. However, if you're buying a used bow off the internet then it doesn't make a dern bit of difference as the warranty is usually not transferrable to a 2nd owner. Hope this helps!
	Paritur pax bello - Peace is obtained by war.

Guests Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Guest	Posted: 10 September 2004 at 04:22
	Compounds deliver less energy than a recurve of the same max weight. A 65 # compound is generally equivalent to a 45-50# recurve. The reason is simple the compound doesn't give the same force over its string travel, so the energy must be less. also the compound doesn't have the same sting travel as a recurve. The weight isn't as important as energy into the arrow. Energy is mass of arrow times the velocity squared (back to Roy Weatherby thinking here). If a compound and a recurve move an arrow of the same weight at the same velocity, then they give the same energy regardless of what the max pull/weight is. A chrono is a good test tool, if you want to get involved. Generally a recurve with light aluminum arrows having the same weight as a compound will shoot the arrow considerably faster. IMHO the "fast arrow" thing is not important to the deer hunter, brown bear maybe. At hunting ranges 25 yds a 50 fps difference will not make better kills, shot placement will. Accuracy is far more important. Compound crows bows are even less efficient so that a 120 # compound crossbow has about the same energy as a 65# compound or a 50# recurve. As i said earlier the length of time the force acts on the arrow is reduced by the short draw of a compound crossbow. so even though the pull weight is listed at 120# it is not even close to what a 120# recurve long bow would be, if you could draw it. I use to hunt with a 65# recurve int 1960s, that was real work and you could 'feel' every muscle in your back as you shot it. Laugh....I'll never be in that shape again in this life. BEAR

Gunrunner Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List .416 Rigby Forest Grump Joined: 05 July 2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1970	Posted: 10 September 2004 at 05:14
	That helped a lot guys. Like Mountaineer said, kinda like reloading. Lotta new stuff to learn. Thanks.
	Somebody better call the Secret Service. Let 'em know there's an illegal alien in the White House...and it ain't the cook!!