Thoughts on 80lb bows.

[Brandon_SPC]

So over the last year I have had the pleasure of shooting a couple 80lb bows around the 330-340ibs and some high rated IBO 70lb bows in the 350+ibo speeds. From what I have experienced I am starting to love the 80lb bows over the fast 70lb bows. Over the course of a year I have had or shot the following bows:

• 82lbs Elite Impulse 34
• An Elite E32 build that had 80lb option limbs
• Shot an 82lb Hoyt RX3 Ultra
• Shot an Elite E35 at 82lbs
• Shot an Obsession Lawless at 72 lbs
• Had a Bowtech SR6 (still loved this bow) at 72lbs
• Shot a Matthews Triax with 80lb Wake limbs

Granted this is a very small sample but from what I have found the draw cycles on 80lb bows, that range in the IBO speeds of 330-340, have been more of a pleasure to shoot than a 70lb speed bow 350+ ibo. Between the buildup, rolling into the back wall, how jumpy the bow is. etc I have also chronoed the 82lb Impulse 34, 82lb Hoyt RX3 ultra, and the Bowtech SR6 at 72lbs. Here are the following speeds.

Hoyt RX3 Ultra:

Draw weight: 82 lbs

Draw Length: 30”

Speed: 500 grain arrow 298 fps and 620-630 (forgot the exact weight) grain was 265 fps

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Bowtech SR6 on Performance

Draw weight: 72lbs

Draw Length: 30”

Speed: 500 grain arrow 298 fps and 620-630 (forgot the exact weight) grain was 265 fps. Exact same speed as the Hoyt RX3 Ultra

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Elite Impulse 34

Draw weight: 82 lbs

Draw Length: 30”

Speed: Shot a 610 grain arrow at 267 fps. I never got to shoot a 500 grain arrow but I would assume it would be around 295-298 fps.

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My final thoughts, if you are looking for a faster bow or want to shoot a heavier arrow faster do not be scared to look into an 80lb vs going to a 70lb speed bow. I bet a lot of people would honestly be surprised on how they draw and how well they shoot. They arn't like the 80lb bows 10+ years ago.

 

[rekkr870]

While not an 80lb bow, I shoot a VXR 31.5 with 75lb mods at 31" and it's an absolute dream to shoot.

If you can shoot higher poundage without sacrificing form..I say go for it. The benefits.if pushing that heavy arrow faster are there.

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[Topo_trekker]

Depends on the bow. I had a shop try to talk me out of ordering a 80#, he thought that I wouldn’t be able to pull it back cold in the field, ha. He then went on to blame the fad on Cam Hanes...ok man...I left that shop and went to another and ordered the bow. Owner actually shot a 80# as well and encouraged it. Done deal, love it.

I shoot a 612gr with 78.6# Prime CT9 at 264fps.


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[Beendare]

Take it from a guy in his 60's;

Protect your joints. Shoulders [rotator cuff] knees, elbows, etc.....from wear and tear.

I used to shoot 80# bows...and throw 300 pitches in batting practice to my kids baseball teams all the way into my mid 50's. I'm a big strong dude but that wear and tear accumulates.

There really is no reason to shoot a heavy compound these days unless you are hunting Water Buffalo. Its more bow energy that results in more bow noise. Now if you shoot a very heavy arrow to negate bow noise...sure it has more power...but guys are blowing through every critter in NA with a 60# compound and decent weight 500gr =/- arrows...so why wreck your joints?

....

EDIT; so I'm thinking about this...and doubt I would be able to talk sense to my 30 yr old self- grin. Note; if you are going to forge ahead on this heavy bow thing....best strategy is to do the 5 rotator cuff exercises with light bands...and stretch daily to protect yourself from injury.

Same goes for the rest of your body...the reason everyone is getting the plantar injury...or achilles is they aren't stretching their calves. Rant over- grin.

 

[Zac]

I've shot an 80 lb Defiant for a couple years. My experience is that I couldn't keep it in time. I'm on my 4th string in 2 years. Went through a crappy generic string, two ABB strings and a Threads. Now I'm using a Gas Ghost. Hopefully this will be the ticket. Probably go with 70 lbs for my next bow.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

Take it from a guy in his 60's;

Protect your joints. Shoulders [rotator cuff] knees, elbows, etc.....from wear and tear.

I used to shoot 80# bows...and throw 300 pitches in batting practice to my kids baseball teams all the way into my mid 50's. I'm a big strong dude but that wear and tear accumulates.

There really is no reason to shoot a heavy compound these days unless you are hunting Water Buffalo. Its more bow energy that results in more bow noise. Now if you shoot a very heavy arrow to negate bow noise...sure it has more power...but guys are blowing through every critter in NA with a 60# compound and decent weight 500gr =/- arrows...so why wreck your joints?

....

No offense and I'm not sure if this applies to you but the majority of individuals I see with injuries from archery are generally because they never take the time to work the joint and muscles used for that movement. You can generally just tell by looking at how these individuals take care of themselves.

Not working the muscles, joints, shooting cold without stretching every time they practice , putting the majority of the load on your shoulder vs your back muscle, and the list goes on. I don't think an extra 10lbs causes the issue I think a lack of hunters tending to their health is what causes the issue. Oh an also pitching wrecks havoc on a rotator cuff lol

 

[Brandon_SPC]

Take it from a guy in his 60's;

Protect your joints. Shoulders [rotator cuff] knees, elbows, etc.....from wear and tear.

I used to shoot 80# bows...and throw 300 pitches in batting practice to my kids baseball teams all the way into my mid 50's. I'm a big strong dude but that wear and tear accumulates.

There really is no reason to shoot a heavy compound these days unless you are hunting Water Buffalo. Its more bow energy that results in more bow noise. Now if you shoot a very heavy arrow to negate bow noise...sure it has more power...but guys are blowing through every critter in NA with a 60# compound and decent weight 500gr =/- arrows...so why wreck your joints?

....

EDIT; so I'm thinking about this...and doubt I would be able to talk sense to my 30 yr old self- grin. Note; if you are going to forge ahead on this heavy bow thing....best strategy is to do the 5 rotator cuff exercises with light bands...and stretch daily to protect yourself from injury.

Same goes for the rest of your body...the reason everyone is getting the plantar injury...or achilles is they aren't stretching their calves. Rant over- grin.

Sorry just saw you edited and started talking about exercises.

 

[Beendare]

Sorry just saw you edited and started talking about exercises.

Yeah, I edited because once I wrote it...I realized it was a waste of time.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I shoot an 80lbs bow and love it. As for wear and tear on joints.... maybe... for some. Everyone is different, depends on how you take care of your body and probably genetics. Some people can run marathons their entire life and push out 50-60 miles a week and never need a knee replacement in their lifetimes. Other folks jog intermittently and end up needing one at 50. A lot a variables. It’s probably not ideal everyone, but few things are.

 

[Ratspit]

I agree with the rekkr870 but i will add one thing. Make sure that you can handle that draw weight not only at the range but also in the field. I can comfortably draw and shoot a 72 lb bow but I hunt with it set at 66lbs. Why? Because there are so many factors that are out of my control when hunting.

 

[FLAK]

I shot a 82lb. Proline when I was younger. Amazing at the penetration on deer.
That said, I ended up doing some damage to my shoulder and had to quit shooting for about 6 months, whatever it was to let it heal.
I'm older now, shoot 67lbs. Quite sufficient.

 

[Phat Cowboy]

My first bow was an AR 34 70# @ 29.5" draw 305 ibo nice shooting bow fast at the time. Compared to these days the AR was slow but I got really good arrow flight and penetration. I cannot recall my speeds kinetic energy etc with that setup.

I upgraded to a Mathew Z7 Extreme with 75# Limbs @ 29.5" draw 330 ibo started out focused on maximizing the arrow speed (+-300fps) and discovered it was very difficult to tune the arrows at that speed and every minor deficiency in my form or technique would be accentuated. Ended up turning the bow down to 70# and was able to achieve (tho slower +- 280fps) far better arrow flight. I changed arrows, going a little heavy up front as well as an overall heavier arrow and turning the bow back up to 75# essentially maintaining the same speed (+- 280) but increasing the kinetic energy. However I was left with a slight issue with NOT always being able to draw the 75#s with proper form consistently this especially rears its head when your cold, tired, hungry, in odd positioning etc.

Moving to today I'm shooting a Mathews Halon 32 70# @ 29" draw 340 ibo I got my arrows flying at 279fps my arrows are around 485gr the arrow flight is perfect my penetration is excellent I figure around 83-84ft/lbs of KE. More importantly my shotting is far more consistent the bow is a dream to draw. I feel incredibly comfortable shooting.

I think that the sweet spot for arrow speed is around that 280-285 fps. I also believe that proper arrow flight has as much or more impact on penetration then the pounded you shoot. Obviously if your a guy that feels good pulling 80# and you can shoot it good than that's even better. This is just what I found works good for me.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

I'm definitely not saying a 80lb bow is for everyone and it isn't but all I am saying is individuals that want to send a heavier arrow faster. Instead of looking to a 70lb speed bow give an 80lb bow that has a good draw cycle a try. It seriously isn't as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. Especially the way cams are designed these days vs years ago.

 

[FLAK]

My 67# Diamond shoots a 612gr. 2219 arrow much better than those light/fast carbons.
Hope to do some hog damage soon with that 165gr. Zwickey.

 

[Greenmachine_1]

Totally interested in looking into an 80 lb bow for this year. I'm working on my arrow setup this year and would like more speed without sacrificing arrow weight.

Currently shooting a PSE Drive R at 70 lb 30.5 inch draw with a 570 grain arrow @ 255 fps. Bow is super quiet and hits like a hammer, but prefer some more speed to reduce the gaps.

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[RazAlGhoul]

I would like to add that one of the things that never gets discussed in these converations is letting down. It is my opinion that if you cannot let down as slow or slower than than when you draw then a person is overbowed. Being able to let down slowly can mean the difference between taking an iffy shot because you don't want to spook the game with a fast erratic letdown now that you are drawn or letting down slowly with minimal movement in order to wait for an optimal shot.

 

[Brandon_SPC]

I would like to add that one of the things that never gets discussed in these converations is letting down. It is my opinion that if you cannot let down as slow or slower than than when you draw then a person is overbowed. Being able to let down slowly can mean the difference between taking an iffy shot because you don't want to spook the game with a fast erratic letdown now that you are drawn or letting down slowly with minimal movement in order to wait for an optimal shot.

Thanks for mentioning that. That's another reason why I prefer these mid IBO speed 80lb bows like the I34 or the RX3 ultra. When letting down they did not feel like they would want to rip your arm out vs some 70lb bows with a harsher draw cycle.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Appreciate your thoughts on 80 lb bows and sharing your arrow speed/weight data. I'm planning to go with 80 lb limbs on my next bow (leaning toward an APA Mamba). I find it hard to believe that a 14% increase in draw weight (80 vs 70 lb) would majorly increase injury risk if you gradually work up to it, use proper form, and stay in practice.

 

[Fishn4eyes]

Personally I like 80 lbs. bows as well.

I wish Bowtech would make them in 80, just got my SR6 in yesterday.

I've owned three 80 lbs. bows and shot them all really well and they sure push a heavy arrow fast and are hard hitting.

 

[MattB]

When I separated my shoulder playing hockey, the orthopedist I went to (who also happened to be the Oakland Raiders team doctor) mentioned he was a bowhunter. He suggested that folks who want to have longevity in the sport should focus on bows in the 50#-60# range because the shoulder joint is not designed to handle the stress of that movement over time.

To Beendare's point, we all though we were the guy the rule didn't apply when we were in their 20's and 30's. Turns out many were wrong.