How To Adjust Recurve Bow Draw Weight

Published February 28, 2018 in Archery TipsPast P.J. Reilly

Yes, you tin adjust the describe weight on certain recurve bows

Compound bows are well known for their power to have the depict weight adjusted. Nigh take a 10-pound adjustment range, only there are some that can be adapted from five-70 pounds.Did you know it'south possible to adjust the weight of some recurve bows?In an episode of "Backside the Riser," filmed by Shrewd Archery, which follows U.S. Olympian Brady Ellison during the 2018 Lancaster Archery Classic, Ellison talks virtually "taking three turns out of" his Hoyt recurve bow after the starting time day of contest. That action inverse the draw weight from 52 pounds to 47 pounds. (Ellison went on the win his 2nd consecutive championship at the Archetype in the Men's Recurve Division.) Brady Ellison Then yes, you can change the draw weight of certain recurve bows. The simply bows this will work on, however, are those Olympic recurve and Traditional recurve bows that accept ILF limbs and fittings.ILF stands for "International Limb Fitting," which is a universal limb attachment system that allows ILF limbs and risers from various manufacturers to be mixed and matched. Several Hoyt recurve bows use a modified ILF connexion system that uses the same hardware as ILF bows, but the hardware spacing is distinctly different than ILF. This unique limb connectedness organisation is the Hoyt Formula system. Formula bows adjust in exactly the same style as ILF bows. limb bolt32 An ILF or Hoyt Formula riser will have dovetail pockets to capture the dovetail bushings on the limbs. And they'll likewise have limb bolts. The limb bolts on these risers are adjustable. Turning the limb bolts clockwise lowers the bolts closer to the riser and increases draw weight. Adjusting counterclockwise raises the bolts and decreases draw weight. Besides, virtually all risers with adjustable limb bolts use some type of locking screw to keep a limb bolt in place after adjustments have been made. Information technology is very important to unlock these screws earlier adjusting limb bolts, and so lock them again when adjustments are consummate.According to John Wert, who heads the TradTech division of Lancaster Archery Supply, which produces ILF and non-ILF recurve risers and limbs, the bolts on ILF recurve bows have a recommended best working range. Starting at a maximum height of 20mm (thirteen/xvi of an inch) for everyman draw weight and adjusting in to a minimum summit of 15mm (five/8 of an inch), for the highest draw weight. Those distances are measured from the underside of the limb bolt to the surface of the limb pocket beneath it. limb bolt22 limb bolt12 "This is the all-time range for the unabridged sphere of ILF bows," Wert said. "You tin take some in or out farther, but then you are in a grey area that can lead to problems. If you lot know what to wait for, you can adapt to as low equally 12 mm and as high as 25 mm on some limb and riser combinations."The chief problem with turning in a limb bolt shorter than 15mm is the leading edge of the limb bolt cap tin start to dig into the limb surface. Back the limb bolt out more than 20mm, and the dovetail limb bushing can demark in the riser hardware– or even worse, the limb could wing out from under the commodities altogether. limbss1 The number of turns an archer can put in or take out of a limb within that 15-20mm frame varies, according to Wert. Some screw patterns on the limb bolts are more aggressive than others, which would affect the full turns.It'due south up to each archer to figure out how many turns the limb bolt can withstand to stay within that 15-20mm gap. As well, the amount of weight that can be added or subtracted varies from bow to bow. It's up to the archer to effigy that out, then he or she knows how many turns are possible, and how much weight each turn gives up or puts back on. But mostly, a set up of limbs has an adjustment range of 8-10% of the limb'due south draw weight. limb bolt72 During the Lancaster Archery Archetype, Ellison was able to reduce his draw weight by nigh 5 pounds past taking iii turns out of his Hoyt limb bolts.It'southward of import to notation that equal turns must be put into/ taken out of the top and bottom limbs in order to maintain the tiller. Diff turns will touch on a bow's tiller measurements, which can touch on the bow's tune and the way the bow sits in your hand.Bow manufacturers vary on how they make up one's mind limb weights. Some, like TradTech archery, stamp their limbs with the depression finish of their weight range. And so a TradTech limb rated at 50 pounds would describe at a minimum of 50 pounds at 28 inches with the limb bolts backed out to 20 mm. The weight would increase from there as the bolts are turned in and the limbs would attain a maximum weight of approximately 54 pounds. limb bolt10 Other companies, similar Hoyt, utilize the middle of the range for their limb ratings, and some rate their limbs at the top end of the aligning range.And then all of this begs the question, "Why would I alter the draw weight on my recurve?"In the Shrewd video, Brady said he was having trouble holding his bow still at the college depict weight. Then he lowered it to gain more than control. Other archers might observe more control by increasing the draw weight.Another reason to adjust depict weight might be to get an arrow to melody better. If the melody is shut at a set depict weight, changing the weight just a little could be all that'southward needed to go perfect flight.