How many people are shooting 60#? I'm on the verge of getting a htx, but I'm thinking of getting it at 60#. I mainly hint whitetail & pigs. I have my Arena 30 for pigs. I know you can turn the 70# down to the 60's but I've heard that running a bow at max weight is the best thing to do for efficacy & accuracy. I'm thinking 60# with a 376-400gr arrow.
The need to keep a bow at max pounds for efficiency is an outdated idea. It became irrelevant when pivoting limb pockets were invented. As for your poundage question, I shoot my 70 pound bow at 60 pounds with a 400 grain arrow. That setup works very well for me. I wouldn't be afraid to hunt any north American game with it. Turning it down was one of the best things I ever did. Now I can practice longer since I experience no fatigue in my shoulder at all. I can hold steadier since the holding weight is reduced and that does more for accuracy than anything related to the bow being maxed out. As an added bonus, my son and I can now use the same arrow which is handy. Don't worry, going from 70 pounds to 60 will NOT cause your testicle to shrivel and fall off.
I've been shooting around 60 lb draw for the past 20 years. I've never had an issue with whitetails or black bears.
60lbs is perfect for deer, can't say for pigs, never shot a pig. But I've shot a ton of deer at 28.5/60, and from much experience I would say an arrow in the 375-425 grain range is ideal. Definitely don't go any lighter unless your using a small two bladed fixed head. For years I used XX75's 2117, not sure what they weighed, they were heavy, but man did those things penetrate!
60# is more than enough for deer and pretty much anything in North America. I've seen a lot folks kill elk and bears with 60#. What many of us fail to realize is that todays bows at 60 are more efficient than ever and offer the same performance that we used to only get out of the higher poundages. I'm seriously thinking my next bow will be a 60# as well.
I like 60# bows, in fact 3 of my last 4 bows were 60#. In 2014 I briefly owned a 70# bow for the first time in years and doubt I ever will again. I actually prefer 50-60 compared to 60-70 because if I need to I can go down into the 50's. I had my RPM 360 set at 58# (it just felt good at that weight) and at 22 yards it buried the arrow 6-8" in the dirt after passing through a buck.
My first bow was an old hand me down high country, I could only pull 50# and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I now shoot 60# with a 400 grain arrow and it is absolutely devastating with a fixed blade. Heck, the deer in my avatar was killed with a 45# recurve and a 400 grain arrows! You will be just fine man.
Elite was smart and make 65lbs limbs. Best of both worlds. Can run it anywhere from 60-65lbs which is perfect IMO.
I shoot #60 as well, and it is perfect for deer. I still shoot XX75s, but mine are 2314s (30"). With a 100gr 3 blade Muzzy they weigh 501grains. And yes, they do penetrate! At 250fps that arrow is kicking out 69.5ft lbs of KE. That's what I'm talking about!
I am shooting around 57/58 pounds right now. A few week ago i turned my bow up to 60 and shot like that that for about 3 weeks then I turned it back down.I can now pull 57/58 smoother than before. O and I am shooting about a 380 grain arrow with a fixed blade head and had full pass thrus on both of my deer this year.
Mathews used to do the same, but the numbers showed that nobody was buying them so they stopped. My Z7 Xtreme was a 65 lbs bow. Technically you can run a 70 lb bow in that same 60-65 lb range, so what's the difference really? I typically shoot around 65 lbs for hunting and have never had an issue.
The difference is there is a strong opinion out there that you should run the bow in the upper limits. Not the lower half. If you don't subscribe to that premise then there is no difference. If you do, a 65 lbs limb is nice if you want to shoot in that 63-65 lbs range which that seems to be a popular range. We all know you can crank the limb bolts tight and get maybe 62 lbs out of 60 lbs limbs, Or 67 lbs out of 65 lbs limbs so that is another factor. I like shooting in that 64-65 lbs so I found 60 lbs limbs too low and 70 lbs too much. 65 lbs was just right.
Keep that 70lb bow and practice with it all summer. Then when you hunt with 60 it pulls back soooooo easy!
I know that's right!!! I've been practicing with my Arena 30 at 70# for hunting pigs since deer season is closed for us & going from that thing to my Chill R there is a world of difference & my Chill R is maxed out at 71#. So I'm thinking that a 60# will be a dream to shoot & hunt whitetails with!!
My Charger has 60# limbs. When I first got it set up the shop turned it down a couple of pounds because it's my first bow. So it's probably around 58# but I'm not 100% sure. I considered maxing it out but not sure it's worth it if I'm shooting comfortably. I use Piledrivers that are around 417 grains and I'm going to be using a fixed head. The minimum draw weight for deer in IN is 35# ha.
Nothing wrong with shoot at 60lbs. People have been killing all sorts of animals at weights much less than that and speeds a lot less than what 60lbs can produce today. So it really comes down to what you are comfortable with. If you never plan on shooting over 60 than a 60lb max draw weight is fine. You say you have another bow for pigs, personally, I would want them both setup as close to each other as possible, so the adjustment for between range shots are as close to the same.
I have my bow maxed out at 62#. I shoot there all winter and throughout the summer. Come hunting, I shoot 57#'s and animals seem to keep on leaking and falling over.
60lbs is plenty...shoot I know guys that 50lbs is plenty. All in the arrow you are launching at that point, you can still get pass throughs too.....gasps I know. Imagine that a low pound bow launching an arrow that isn't as light as a noodle with a 4 inch mechanical head can do that!!???!?!???!
