I've got limbs marked at 38lbs and have them at the top of the adjustment range. The weight on my fingers is about 39lbs according to my scales (which I calibrate using kitchen scales and a number of readily available household items
)
I always smile when I see people recommend the "+- 2lb for every inch of draw weight" rule of thumb for estimating actual weight. It might work, if:
1. all manufacturers measured their limbs at the same point. (Hoyt measure in the middle of the range, W&W at the bottom).
2. all bow handles adjust by the same amount.
3. the marked weight is always accurate (and by *that* I mean no more than +- 1lb from what it purports to be).
Nowadays, if someone asks me what their bow weight is, I measure it (or tell them to go measure it, if I'm not there, or scaleless). I wouldn't trust any estimate.
And that's just the start really. Are they modern design limbs, or old style? String material? Stabilisation? What most people want to know the weight for, is in choosing shafts. There's just too many damn variables, even before you have to figure out if you can trust the manufacturers charts to give a good result!
