BamaBows 68" 102# at 28"

[Cottonwood]

Hey gang,

I just got these videos from BamaBows Bower and owner Nathan Steele.

Now, Nathan and I are about the same size and strength, so I just may give this one a try. The longbow being shot was made for a guy I know Matt who lives down in Texas. Actually, I really don't need a 102# Longbow but for the price of what he charges, its worth the try see. But am also going to wait to hear from Matt to see how he likes his bow first

Shooting at 100 yards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88KcTkCGu9s&feature=channel

Shooting at 50 yards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I5DUsuZyek&feature=channel

Shooting at 20 yards - audio hard to hear but video of the bow is good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwp-WvCRgBY&feature=channel

When and if I get mine, I will post my own videos 

[Graybeard]

There was a time when I could pull a bow of that weight and even ease it back down if needed. Those days are long since gone. With both shoulders in need of rotator cuff surgery which I keep putting off I can't even pull a 60 pound bow any longer. I might could still pull my 35 and 45 pound recurves tho I've not tried in years.

[Cottonwood]

I do know from the guy who bought this bow, that it take one heck of a good bow stringer to string this bow.  Drawing it because of its length is another matter.  With a longbow, the longer they are, the easier they seem to be to draw.  I do know it takes practice, but I don't know if I will get this paticular bow.

[Frank V]

Wow, having watched some old flight competitions, I kind of enjoy watching those shooters.
  I'd be careful guys, once you tear up a shoulder, it's torn up, If you decide to try one be sure to work into it carefully.
Good shooting.
Frank

[Cottonwood]

Frank your absolutely right, and from talking with Matt after he got his bow today, even he has to work into this one.  I think I will leave the heavy poundage bows to the younger guys.

[All Hawks Kill]

I think I will leave the heavy poundage bows to the younger guys.

Those are my exact thoughts, heck I'm likely going to have to step down from my 55#, I hate to think what drawing almost twice that would do to my ole shoulders......

[Empty Quiver]

Don't know as I would like hunting with a truck spring myself. I shoot a #64 LB and am soon to be backing down. The noise coming out of my joints is beginning to worry me.

[Frank V]

There is no shame in backing down in poundage, when the time comes I'll cheerfully back down. I'm not shooting all that heavy a bow now, but have no qualms about backing down.
  45-50 lbs with matched arrows is plenty for deer.
  When I ordered my Blacktail elite several years ago & we'd gotten the woods & draw length out of the way Norm asked what weight I wanted. I'd been shooting a Martin X200 @ 50lb & could dominate it. I told Norm that & told him I had no plans to ever hunt Elk or Bear & thought 55 lbs would be plenty. I could tell by his tone of voice over the phone he was dreading me saying 70lbs or similar weight, He immediatly said pfhhttt, 55 will handle that, & I could hear relief in his voice. ( it came in at 56 & is very sweet) Then I moved to Montana & the Elk situation changed.
Frank
 

[Cottonwood]

MAtt had the Bower put a special inscription on the side of the handle that reads:

"Some Day I Will Not Be Able To Draw This Bow, On That Day I Will Use It For A Club"


Seem's pretty fitting.

Matt is having a time working up to this bow, muscle memory and conditioning.  I'm glad its him, and not me. 

[Frank V]

MAtt had the Bower put a special inscription on the side of the handle that reads:

"Some Day I Will Not Be Able To Draw This Bow, On That Day I Will Use It For A Club"


Seem's pretty fitting.

Matt is having a time working up to this bow, muscle memory and conditioning.  I'm glad its him, and not me. 

[JonD.]

There was a time when I could pull a bow of that weight and even ease it back down if needed. Those days are long since gone. With both shoulders in need of rotator cuff surgery which I keep putting off I can't even pull a 60 pound bow any longer. I might could still pull my 35 and 45 pound recurves tho I've not tried in years.

I used to be able to do this too, but now my 65lb recurve is about all I want.(and I might trade it for something of less draw weight) My uncle used to own a bow shop and received an old York Mojave compound that was a factory fluke that had 120lbs draw weight with 65% let off. I'm a left hander and was very sad that this was a right handed bow as I would pick it up and draw it back and drool over it. Had it been a lefty I would have bought it in a heartbeat. My uncle called the company and they said they would warranty it, so he kept it on the shelf. I don't remember what ever happened to it or if he ever sold it(he had to go out of business due to health problems) but now I'm glad I wasn't able to buy it.

Sorry about your shoulders being in bad shape. Time sure takes its toll on a body don't it?  I can tell it already and I'm not even 40 years old yet. I wish I hadn't been so hard on myself when I thought I could conquer the world

[Cottonwood]

Any average man is able to work himself up to a high poundage bow, as long as he has the will power to do so.

If I had a bow in every poundage in 5# incraments from 55# to 102# I could work my strength up to it, but I ask myself... "Do I Need To?" and the answer is simply no I don't.  After a good workout with my 60# longbow I feel my left shoulder and colarbone for quite sometime after wards.  Its telling me something, I need to listen to it.