# Measuring Draw Weight Using Cheap Scales



## thebatman (Nov 28, 2016)

So my cheapo digital fishing scales have turned up from Amazon.

I marked an arrow at 28 inches from the nock mouth. Then hooked the scale on the string under the arrow, and drew back until the mark on the arrow hit the front of the riser.

I checked both my bows, both at 28" and 27" (about my DL).

The Buffalo limbs are marked 40#, and the scale measured around 42.5#. The limbs bolts are right down so this is probably spot on with Hoyt's calculations.

The Montana is marked 45#, but the scale only measured around 41# at 28". I'm a bit disappointed as I thought Bear would be closer or slightly higher.

The scales seemed fairly accurate when I checked some test items, so bit miffed with Bear. I did read somewhere they used to write the actual weights under the grip wraps so may have a look sometime.

For info, this is the scale I used.


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## emrah (Aug 28, 2012)

Hmm. I use a cheapie luggage scale I bought from Walmart and it seems to be spot on. At least when I've compared/confirmed it with the scale at my local archery shop. Can't remember which brand.

Also, it can be tough to draw exactly to your desired draw length and keep it there while you measure. Tough to see your mark when you're behind the bow pulling. I wrap a zip tie around the shaft at my mark on the arrow. When you draw, the zip tie will bump the front of the riser, giving you a positive cue. Pulling more bumps the arrow up, letting you knowyou've pulled too far.

Emrah 


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## thebatman (Nov 28, 2016)

Got rid of the factory 'leather' shelf plate, as it was kinda breaking up anyway.

Underneath I found someone had written 43.

So guess I got a bottom end tolerance 45lb'er, rather than a top end tolerance 45lb'er.


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

tbm -

IIRC AMO allows manufactures to be within 2-3# of the marked weight.
Some companies like BW will get it within 1# of your ordered weight, but you have to pay extra for that. 
Technically, you Bear should have been marked 40#. 

Just remember, when a bow is being made, companies use formulas to predetermine the final draw weight.
Wood, being wood, there's always going to be some variance. 
Back in the day, most companies like Bear, Pearson etc would mark the weighed draw weight under the strike pad. 
That may or may not have agreed with the sig on the legend, which was usually in 5# increments. 

I would be curious to see if raising the brace height would show a difference in draw weight. 
Some bows show that more readily than others - might be interesting to try. 

None of that really matters, you have a 42.5# and a 41# bow. If you like the way they shoot, you're good to go. 

edit - posted at the same time - guess you figured that out 

Viper1 out.


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## centershot (Sep 13, 2002)

Officially measured draw weight is from the throat of the grip plus 1 3/4". The 'front' of the riser is not always (often not even close) to that measurement. I like to take the brace height measurement, transfer it to the shelf (tape and a marker, etc.) then mark an arrow at 26 1/4". With that I can draw and see where the 2 lines meet up and have an accurate way to measure the draw length. You can also draw by hand and easily and accurately see what your personal draw length is. Verifying a scale is a simple as weighing something ~40# on a certified scale, then weighing it with your scale to see if your are on.


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## Brad Lehmann (Sep 4, 2010)

That is the way that I have my drawboard set up, Centershot. It works pretty well on most bows but some customs will be a pound or pound and a half off unless I use a tape measure. Some of the bowyers must not play by the AMO rules. The old Bears often had the weight under the strike plate and that was the weight to believe. The old Howatts almost always measure more than is marked on the bow. I have a '74 Hunter marked 44 that scales 48 at 28 and 52 @ 29. I bought an old Brackenbury marked 61 @ 31. It had been on the market for a very long time. I did some calculations and figured that it would be 53 @ 28. Sure enough, right at 53 when I measured the AMO way. I think that the 61 was scaring buyers off. 
I saw a late model Bear the other day that was marked 45/50#. It is getting to where you need to weigh a new bow before you buy it. That is just laziness on the part of Bear.


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## JINKSTER (Mar 19, 2011)

I've had Bear TD limbs marked as being 35#s that were 31#s all day long. (The newer "Red Tips" at that)

My 64"/35# Super Kodiak scaled 37 1/2#s.

That said?....last I read?...Bear Archery gives themselves a *+2#/-3#* range (from marked)


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## thebatman (Nov 28, 2016)

Perhaps due to cutbacks, they now have actual bears working in the factory making the bows :lol:


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## JINKSTER (Mar 19, 2011)

thebatman said:


> Perhaps due to cutbacks, they now have actual bears working in the factory making the bows :lol:


Bear Archery has a soft spot in my heart because as a younger south florida archer I had a mentor who was close friends with Papa Bear himself but the past 5 years?....has been very spikey for Bear Archery. (which has been owned by Escalade Sports for quite some time now)

Seems to me the irony started out about 5 years ago when they came out with their highly promoted 50th Anniversary line of bows and?...almost immediately encountered a severe "Back-Order" situation which in turn?...the rumored response at the time was they put on a 2nd shift and?...took on quite a few new hires to play catch-up and thus began the horror stories....including high end 50th Anniversary Super Kodiaks (and other models) suffering everything from stres cracks in the clearcoat on the first few draws too catastrophic failures and a plethora of quality issues that seemed to plague their entire line where to make matters worse?...many complaints got answered with...

*"It's Only Cosmetic and Doesn't Affect The Functionality Of The Bow"*

where sour grapes became the war cry of the masses but?...I might imagine some serious management changes took place as Bear Archery managed to work their way through that and I'm sure the diminishing amount of new orders helped but then?....*FIRE!*...where the factory that made their highly touted new, old futurwood burned too the ground and their replacement material?...was what many felt was the ugliest wood known to man...."Black Maple"...where only a handful championed that..."it added character too the bow"...but many others thought it an insult too their eyes. (I have a friend who returned the one Super Grizzly he purchased 3 times where the 3rd time was his last time)...and BTW?...he emailed me all these pix you see here...

Here he's showing me the crack in the side of the grip of his new Super Griz...(his 1st one)...










and this is how the 2nd one arrived...looks good right?.....










But this is what the flip side looked like....










and this is what the grip side looked like....










but I think it was the gouge in the finish that caused him to not even bother taking it out of it's plastic sleeve before jettisoning this 2nd one back too Bear Archery...










and I have about 1/2 dozen more pix of his 3rd one (his final return) where it was littered with cosmetic flaws and he was beside himself because my experience with my 2013 64"/35# Grayling Green Super Kodiak was the exact opposite of his experiences with 3 brand new Super Grizzly's...and it was then I presumed that the seasoned help was making the high end models (for the most part) and it was their new hires building their lower line bows.

Then?....there was the run on *"Bear Take-Downs"* where once again?...there was a time not too long ago that Bear TD Risers were flat out *UNOBTANIUM*....AND NOT FOR JUST A FEW WEEKS!....we're talking...."Months Upon Months". 


so to say that Bear Archery has had it's ups and downs the past 5 years?....would be quite the understatement...which cuts me deeply because all the above aside?...

I Love Fred Bear.


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## nrhoffman93 (Sep 18, 2016)

My 45# Bear Montana has 46 written in silver behind the strike plate, similar to yours thebatman.


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## thebatman (Nov 28, 2016)

Picked up some F7s off ebay. Marked medium 42#.

I calculated these should be around 48# to 50# with the bolts right down on the Buff riser.

So I measured it using the digital scale - was fluctuating between 42# and 44#.

Not sure whats going on, maybe these cheap digital scales don't like the way I'm drawing to 28 inches?


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## gnome (Oct 22, 2006)

emrah said:


> Hmm. I use a cheapie luggage scale I bought from Walmart and it seems to be spot on. At least when I've compared/confirmed it with the scale at my local archery shop. Can't remember which brand.
> 
> Also, it can be tough to draw exactly to your desired draw length and keep it there while you measure. Tough to see your mark when you're behind the bow pulling. I wrap a zip tie around the shaft at my mark on the arrow. When you draw, the zip tie will bump the front of the riser, giving you a positive cue. Pulling more bumps the arrow up, letting you knowyou've pulled too far.
> 
> ...


I do almost the same thing. I hang the scale, and pull the bow down to a measured stop(your draw length). You get the exact same draw every time.


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## thebatman (Nov 28, 2016)

@gnome 

Thats quite a simple and clear method, might try that sometime. Would want to make sure the wood screws aren't gonna snap or giveway first though.

I was looking at the Buff's limb bolts, and can see there is quite a bit of space left, even with the limb inserted.

Wonder if I can squeeze even more draw weight out the limbs by adding a washer or pad into those limb bolt gaps?


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## thebatman (Nov 28, 2016)

Also just noticed the clear top layer has cracked off at the limb butts, where the previous owner had used them on their riser.

Is this just superficial, or is this likely to compromise the limbs?


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## ibehiking (Oct 25, 2008)

I use a very similar technique to what gnome described. It has worked well for me.


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