Determining Your Bow Draw Weight: The Top 3 Considerations

Determining bow draw weight is a decision that has huge bearing on your success in the sport of archery/bowhunting. The three main deciding factors in determining the best bow draw weight are:

1. Form & Strength
2. Target Type
3. Personal Preference
   
   

Background

The resurgence of archery in recent years has been a blessing for the sport. New recruits are constantly being added to the mix of battle-tested archers around the country, even at a time when preserving hunting rights faces mounting pressure. While some new archers come from hunting backgrounds, many do not; often inspired to join the sport by movie characters, mythical figures of lore, or talented modern archers, the magic of archery itself often completes the captivation.

However, being a newbie in archery comes with a steep learning curve. Rookies have many decisions to make including whether to shoot a traditional or compound bow, a host of various gear decisions, in addition to learning all the basics of form, technique, and the mental challenges of the sport.

One aspect of equipment that is easy for people to get wrapped up in is bow draw weight. There can be a degree of machismo that enters a person’s mind when it comes to the topic, and it can get you in a heap of trouble. Determining bow draw weight is a personal decision, but if you are an archery newcomer, or simply looking for some advice on the subject, here are a few general guidelines to follow.

1. Form & Strength

The first thing you need to consider when determining bow draw weight is to be realistic about your own strength. One thing that stands out when watching experienced archers is the smoothness in which they draw their bow. These folks are smooth because they are all shooting bows within their strength ability. Even shooters of extremely heavy English longbows for example (traditional bows in excess of 110 pounds) still make pulling these heavy bows look easy. You don’t want to start out with a bow that is a nightmare to pull and encourages poor technique.

One good drill to practice before buying your new shooting rig is to try and draw the bow while sitting down. You can do this while sitting on the floor, sitting in a chair, or kneeling on both knees. This will isolate your upper body and core to do the pulling which is what you want. If you can't come to full draw in this position to bow is too heavy for you and it you'd do well to choose a lighter draw weight. 

Sitting draw drill

When I first started out in archery I shot an old Darton my dad picked up from a local pawnshop. As is the case with many parents introducing their youngsters to anything, I know Dad was looking to see if I had a taste for the sport rather than see hard earned cash go straight down the toilet with a new bow. What I ended up with though was a bow far too heavy for my build. I could only pull back a few times before giving up in frustration or complete muscle fatigue. Not only that, but the only way I could actually get it drawn was through a what likely appeared to be a series of body contortions and angle manipulations that would have made my science teacher proud. If you are getting started in archery, take my advice and get a bow that is comfortable before anything else. It truly is a sport where accuracy is nearly everything and finding the right bow will encourage that.

2. Target Type

After finding a bow weight range you are comfortable with the next thing you need to ask yourself is do you plan on hunting or target shooting? If you will be hunting, what species? Not all game animals are created equally, and finding a bow that is capable of ethically taking an animal is a great responsibility all hunters face. Some states put a bottom-end limit on draw weight for big game animals with the low end typically somewhere in the 40-pound range. Although bowhunters should be more concerned with kinetic energy than draw weight or speed, it is much easier to legislate draw weight than kinetic energy. Developing a better understanding of calculating the kinetic energy of a bow and arrow setup is much more important than just shooting a heavy bow.

If you are not interested in hunting animals you could likely opt for a lighter draw weight. 2016 Team USA Olympic Bronze medalist Brady Ellison shoots a recurve bow that registers in the range of 50 pounds of draw weight. Even at the Olympic range of 76 yards he can still be effective with a relatively light draw weight because his form is unwavering and that weight is comfortable for him to shoot. Again, accuracy is paramount and draw weight comes later.

3. Personal Preference

Finally, when determining bow draw weight you have to defer to your own personal preference. Some folks like a heavy bow, and some folks prefer a light bow. It’s just the nature of people. This holds true for both traditional archery and compound archery as well. Whatever you choose there are trade-offs involved. A heavy bow will likely have a flatter trajectory, thus making aiming easier. One proponent of heavy bows was the legendary Howard Hill. Howard Hill starred in the 1930’s version of Robin Hood as the iconic character and otherwise made a living by his prowess with a longbow. He favored heavy bows because he felt they made aiming easier as there was less adjustment to be made within hunting ranges.

On the other hand, one of today’s most respected archers, Fred Eichler, uses a lighter draw weight to get the job done. I’ve heard Fred’s rationalize this by noting his ability to draw, hold, and aim steadier with a lighter bow. In a video series titled Masters of the Barebow Fred explained that he shot a 52-pound recurve for that reason. If you think 52-pounds doesn’t sound real manly, consider Fred was the first traditional archer to complete the North American Super Slam by taking all 28 big game species with his recurve. Enough said.

However you decide when choosing bow draw weight, the biggest pitfall to avoid is getting in over your head. When you consider how much more important accuracy is than power in archery you’ll soon focus all of your attention on form and accuracy. Howard Hill was a world renowned archer with a longbow pulling more than 100 pounds, and Fred Eichler has earned as much accolade pulling a bow half that draw weight. What they have in common is their ability to shoot accurately under any circumstance and using a draw weight they are comfortable with. Determining bow draw weight shouldn’t be a test of manhood, it should be a decision to make you a better archer and hunter.

Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.

We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.

We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings.