Maxing out Limbs????

[careybirdwell]

I have a Mathews DXT 70lb limbs and I have it set at 65 lbs. I was thinking on dropping to 60lb next year. I don't have a problem drawing back the weight but several times this year I had to hold at draw for a long time or ease back to rest. That is where I have the trouble ( quietly with minimum movement). I always heard that a bow performs better with limbs maxed out Should I buy a pair of 60lb limbs or just lower my limbs. I'm planning on refurbishing my DXT this year.

New String, New Cams, New String Stop, Etc

What does everyone think about the limbs?

[gatt40]

I have same question. Both my bows are 70 pound and I one set at 60 and the other around 58. I've killed w/both and haven't had any performance issues that I can tell.

[bow_nut81]

If your redoing it anyway...

[muddyfuzzy]

that's really not the case with modern bows anymore. new limbs can be bought through you're dealer for about 200 bucks if you want new, or you could trade your 70's for some 60's maybe over on archery talk, or you could just back them off any roll with what you got. personally, if it were me I would just buy some 60's and have essentially a new bow.

[muddyfuzzy]

^^^^if it was a bow I plan on keeping. that's what I did with my switchback.

[ShaBow]

When you let out the limbs that far it can lengthen the draw a little!Not sure if it will make a difference to you but it kinda stretched me out a little too much.I would trade for some 60#limbs.The DXT is an awesome bow!

[old killer]

Why change cams? Check axle. I the bow tunes and groups there is no reason to change limbs. The most you count on with efficiency of 60lbs over 70lbs is 5fps. Not enough to change pin gap.

[careybirdwell]

Why change cams? Check axle. I the bow tunes and groups there is no reason to change limbs. The most you count on with efficiency of 60lbs over 70lbs is 5fps. Not enough to change pin gap.

I'm meant axle, I'm just going to give it a good going over before next year

[muddyfuzzy]

Why change cams? Check axle. I the bow tunes and groups there is no reason to change limbs. The most you count on with efficiency of 60lbs over 70lbs is 5fps. Not enough to change pin gap.

I disagree with this statement and believe you can see some real differences when you get out to greater distances. 10 #'s of draw weight either +/- is worth more than 5fps and will increase gaps exponentially past 30 yds.

[Rat]

There is nothing wrong with backing the limbs down. It is true that the limbs (and bow) are more efficient when they are fully deflected, however, this is an energy in Vs. energy out equation; has pretty much nothing to do with what we are really talking about.

Which is, will it still shoot... of course it will.

If you are shooting indoor and need every ounce of perfection to hold that 40 pound bow on the X at 20 yards then yes, you need to be as efficient as possible, and so does the bow. Shooting a hunting rig you will never know what you are missing.

This isn't about FPS changes (which are going to happen with lower draw weight), this is about how the energy is stored in the limbs or FPS per Grain Vs. Energy Input. Yea, like I said, not something we normally look at anyway.

If the draw length gets too long, which may happen, just twist the string down and get it back to your draw length. It's not going to change by more than 1/4" to 3/8" anyway. I hate to say it, but most people don't shoot enough or have good enough form to notice a 1/4" difference...

Tighten the limbs all the way down, make sure the ATA and brace height are correct; if they aren't fix them.
Then back the limbs to your draw weight and check the draw length; if it's too long twist down the string to get it back.

Easy Peasey Rice and Cheesy...

[TxRip]

^^^^what he said

[old killer]

I disagree with this statement and believe you can see some real differences when you get out to greater distances. 10 #'s of draw weight either +/- is worth more than 5fps and will increase gaps exponentially past 30 yds.

The original question was about efficiency of the limbs at 70lbs vs 60lbs. As I stated the efficiency will show very little loss. The average loss of speed is approximately 2 to 2.5 fps per pound of draw weight.
If you go from 65 to 60 lbs draw weight without lowering arrow weight you will lose at least 10fps total. This will show more pin gap at 40 and 50 yards.

[Rat]

The original question was about efficiency of the limbs at 70lbs vs 60lbs. As I stated the efficiency will show very little loss. The average loss of speed is approximately 2 to 2.5 fps per pound of draw weight.
If you go from 65 to 60 lbs draw weight without lowering arrow weight you will lose at least 10fps total. This will show more pin gap at 40 and 50 yards.

True...
Of that 10 FPS loss maybe 9 FPS loss is due to the lower weight of the limbs and 1 FPS loss is due to the limbs being slightly less efficient. I have no idea if this number is even close to legitimate, 10% seems like a lot to me, but just an example of the loss due to draw weight Vs. efficiency.

Again, in the real world we don't even measure this; all we care is there is a 2-2.5 FPS loss with each pound of draw weight; whether it is due to less weight, efficiency losses or magic makes no difference.