# Bottomed out limbs = best performance ?



## Brendon_t (Aug 12, 2013)

imho, if your struggling with the weight, your shooting is going to be lousy anyway. go where you are comfortable and raise it a pound a month if practicing every day... you have 9 months to work up to it.. 

practice does not make perfect.. perfect practice makes perfect..


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## BTM (Dec 31, 2002)

It's interesting to read Norb Mullaney's tests. _Sometimes _the bow is a bit more efficient at less than full poundage. 

I'm hardly an expert, but I have a hunch that it's not as important as it may have been in the old days. It's more important to me to have a hunting bow that I can get to full draw when I'm cold, tired, nervous, etc. If that means backing it 5# off max, then so be it.


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## moog5050 (Oct 23, 2012)

I have tested 70lb bows maxed vs. the same bow with 80 turned down to 70 and on some bows the turned down limbs were faster. If it makes it smoother or more comfortable, a few pounds won't make much difference.


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## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

You found the number one problem in archery "I heard X so I made a change". How was your bow shooting before? I'm guessing fine. People make changes all the time to their bows, often the changes aren't necessary.


I've heard the same thing you have--bows shoot better maxed out. The reason for that is the specs are set at max weight (or so I've heard)...solution, set your specs at what ever weight you're currently at and don't worry about it.


You said you maxed out the limbs-- have you retuned your bow? Where do bare shafts impact compared to fletched shafts? You very well may be shooting weak arrows now--BS test next to fletched to verify.


I'd suggest lowering the weight back to something that you can shoot a lot. If you want to build strength, then increase the weight on strenght training days (session)--get the proper arrows for that..


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## BowManKurtis (Jan 2, 2014)

I have lowered the wait. The Arrow i am shooting now is Easton Carbon Powerflight 400, 8.4gpi. My draw weight is about 58 pounds. My tips are 125 grain. does this sound okay?


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## SonnyThomas (Sep 10, 2006)

BowManKurtis said:


> I bottomed out my bow today because I heard they will shoot best at maximum draw weight? Can anyone back this statement up?
> The bow is somewhat difficult for me to draw repetitively right now but I can definitely build up to it for next season.
> Thanks


I believe you heard wrong. Of long years gone past it was said that a bow was most accurate with limbs maxed. This was said because of the tolerances and designs of time. Today virtually every bow is as accurate with limbs backed off as it is with limbs maxed out. Tolerances so much tighter and designs so much more productive make this so.

I do not adhere to "building up one's self" to shoot a bow of draw weight above and beyond. I never used 70 pounds of draw weight when I could draw 70 pounds of draw weight. My most accurate Field and 3D bows were of 57 and 62 pounds respectively. Today, my last few bows are every bit as accurate and every bit as fast in the 55 pound range. With select arrows I can match this with only 50 pounds of draw weight. 

Heavy draw weight is not needed to put down any animal in the 300 pound range. So figure rabbits to big whitetail, even black bear. And for sure it doesn't take a whole of lot of power to kill 3D and paper targets. In either case, shot placment is paramount.


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## Superbee1 (Dec 4, 2013)

Be careful bottoming out your limbs. Read your owners manual. Some bow manufactures will tell you to back the limb bolts off from bottomed about 1/4 turn. The reason that I was told was the limbs being bottomed out have no give and can cause excess shock to the limb concentrated where it goes into the pocket and can crack the limb. If they are backed off a little they can flex inside the pocket a little and it reduces and spreads the shock out.


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## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

BowManKurtis said:


> I have lowered the wait. The Arrow i am shooting now is Easton Carbon Powerflight 400, 8.4gpi. My draw weight is about 58 pounds. My tips are 125 grain. does this sound okay?


that sounds about right.

to a bare shaft test...if you can shoot well- 20 yard- say, under 2"- (just an arbitrary number)...bare shafting will show everything you're doing wrong in your form.

That said, fire 2/3 fletched shafts, now shoot 2 bare shafts (no fletching)...they should hit within the fletched group. 

assuming DL is correct
For a RH shooter- if the BS strike to the left- your DW is too light-- crank the limb bolts- maybe 1 turn, test again
If the BS strike to the right- Your DW is too heavy-- back out the limb bolts 1 turn, test again.

keep testing til the BS are hitting with fletched.

BS will also tell if your nock height is too high or low.--low BS strikes, lower nock height, high BS shots- Raise the nock height.--some will say raise or lower rest (do not do this--get the center of the shaft aligned with the center of the berger hole (rest bolt hole)) and adjust nock height-


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## ron w (Jan 5, 2013)

Fury90 said it best......
half the stuff we read on the net is wrong information or not complete information.
today's bows perform just as well when turned down because limbs fit well in their pockets and the pivoting pockets are screwed tight to the risers. the rigs are generally under more tension as well, this keeps the entire assembly in good alignment all the time.


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