Swap Bow opinions needed!!

[k-hat]

Need y'alls thoughts on this, and hopefully my recipient will chime in!

Here i have a hick-backed-osage elb-ish bow that's ready to finish.  It has longhorn nock overlays and i hope to do an inlay of some type for the arrow pass.  I hope to sun it some to darken up the osage as well.  I am by no means a constistently accurate shooter, but here is a typical grouping i got with this bow this morning, half-aiming, no contact lenses, instinctive shooting at 15 yards:



I NEVER get groupings like this, and these are not matched arrows by the way.   AND she really zips them in with authority!

THE PROBLEM IS: at AMO draw measurements, she barely hits the low end of my recipients requested weight.  At actual draw (due to not built up handle) she is about 3-4# light.
She is still over 45#, i'll say that much. AND she returns to flat profile (from less than an inch of string follow) shortly after unstringing.

THE QUESTION IS: IF THIS WAS GOING TO BE YOURS, WOULD YOU WANT IT EVEN THOUGH IT'S UNDER WEIGHT?

I've got plan B in the works:  an elm pyramid with tempered in reflex, but i'm going to be pushing it to be done in time, though i have no doubts about hitting target weight.

So whadya say recip??  An underweight Texas Longbow arrow-slinger, or an sweet little elm pyramid with a li'l natural camo??

Whichever one i don't send is going to my brother down in East Texas, so both will find loving homes either way;)

[Pat B]

I'd take it as is and be very happy with it! 

[dwardo]

Instinctive and without contacts lol that's got to be a winner.
A fast accurate bow at 45 is better than one less so at 50

[k-hat]

Appreciate your input Pat

Yeah dwardo it was kinda surreal.  I was just casually looking where i wanted it to go, raise and draw the bow and release.  I guess that's the ideal of instinctive, but I'm nowhere near practiced enough to have the consistency and accuracy I had this morning.  Maybe i was just "in the zone", and it may be that i just shoot this kind of bow better due to mechanics, etc. 

I hope the recipient (whoever it is ) has as much fun with it!

[Slackbunny]

3 to 4 lbs is pretty close in my opinion. Maybe its just because I'm still an amateur, but I struggle to hit exact draw weight goals. I'm usually 4 or 5 lbs high or low. If it is shooting arrows fast and consistent, that is way more important to me than a few lbs of draw weight in my opinion.

[Del the cat]

Right mr Hat,
Lie down on the couch:-
Now tell me , how long have you had this bowyers anxiety?
Breath deeply, relax, repeat after me...
'The bow is fine... the bow is fine'
Now breathe out, let it all go... and... relax.
That'll be $150 please.
See you next week.
Del

[autologus]

There ain't nothing wrong with that bow.  If you are hesitant you can always work on plan b and if you get it finished on time and you are happy with it send it if not send this one.  I would be happy with either one.

Grady

[half eye]

That bow will kill anything ya care to shoot, and it's not too heavy for some target fun.....hell if your guy don't want it send it to the old man    That there is venison tenderloin samitch's fer sure.

[canoeroller]

The idea is to create a bow that hits the target dead center, not one that hits the target with a perfect amount of foot poundage.  You have a good bow, don't monkey with it.

[BOWMAN53]

Send that baby out.

[k-hat]

Thanks for all the input guys, really appreciate some outside perspective. 

Del u crack me up old cat!  I'll send that check right over to you UPS ground

I just put about 30 or more arrows through it again.  A few wild ones but i ventured out to 20 yards, which is my max for hitting my target currently.  My backyard neighbor unfortunately will see a few holes/splits on his side of the wood fence    Hope he don't mind!!

As soon as i came in from shooting i put'r on the scale and she's coming in still above 45 and only a pound lighter than when i previously weighed her.  She picked that pound back up after resting a bit.

I swore this would be my second and last laminate bow after a bunch of headaches, but now i wanna make her twin for myself!

I'll spend the next several days doing all the finish/detail work, then send her on her way I hope a few days before the 15th.

[hunterbob]

I don't even weigh mine when I make them . I did in the beginning but the last few I have made for myself . I just pull by hand . No tillering tree . And just made them by feel . And I bet the last few I made are under 50 pounds. But they are smooth hard hitters

[doulosparachristos]

looks beautiful to me; you can send her my way as-is!

[juniper junkie]

i agree with the others, a good shooting efficient bow is better than one that is over built to get poundage

[hunterbob]

I had a bow I over built 65# . With the help of blackhawk we took it down to around 55# . And the bow ended up shooting faster since we got rid of a lot of unneeded wood . I still ended up giving that one to my son . This old man is down to 50 and under