Let off ???

[jez]

If a bow has a let off of say 65% does this mean that when the cams take over you are left holding 65% of the bows draw weight?

[Jerry Tee]

YES. 65% let off is the usual amount of let off for finger shooters but there are those release aid shooters that use that amount of let off . Release aid shooter can use 80% if they want to.

[jadlem]

I always thought that the let off was what was let off, so what was left was 35%. I'm sure this is the case on my bow!

[Marcus26]

I much prefer being around the 55-65% letoff on my bows (20-30b holding weight) but most modern compounds have a very short valley at those letoffs, which I don't like. My Bowtech is running at approx 75%, so I have to really pull hard into the wall otherwise I float alot.

[Adam]

Jez, one of the other posters was correct: 65% let-off leaves you holding 35% of the draw weight.

Be careful in choosing which you want: more let-off will leave you holding less weight and therefore your muscles will fatigue more slowly, but this will also make it easier for you to deflect the string and make a poor shot.

It's pretty difficult to torque the bow with your bow hand badly enough to cause a really poor shot, but much easier to deflect the string from a straight path (especially with high let-off cams) and cause a "miss".

65-70% let-off is about right for most people, especially in target archery.

Adam

[Jerry Tee]

I'm at about 60% on my Pro Eagle at the moment. No problem with the valley its about 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches wide.

[jez]

Thanks Adam that clarifies what i thought...and thanks to evereyone else for your input...i feel drawn more and more to the Darkside

[Zanda]

Originally Posted by Jerry Tee

I'm at about 60% on my Pro Eagle at the moment. No problem with the valley its about 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches wide.

Hi Jerry I am a new archer, can you please define what you mean by Valley.....Im keen to learn all I can...thanks buddy

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Zanda

Hi Jerry I am a new archer, can you please define what you mean by Valley.....Im keen to learn all I can...thanks buddy

Well, I'm not Jerry, but I'll jump in here if that's OK?

"Valley" refers to the flat spot that you feel at the end of the draw cycle. On round-wheel bows (generally, older bows) there is, at the end of the draw, a point at which the holding weight reaches it's lowest level. If you continue to pull however, the cams continue to rotate slightly (maybe another quarter inch of draw length) and the holding weigh begins to ramp up again. Drawn on a graph this would look like a V, hence the term valley.

Most modern bows have cams with a fairly hard draw stop, so it's just not possible to pull harder and make them roll-over more. This means the valley has really disappeared. Although the flat spot remains, the "length" of it varies from cam to cam (depending on the cam profile and nature of the draw stop). Some cams (Hoyt's spiral cam, or PSE's Hybrid Cam for example) have a very, very short "valley" and hard stop (or wall). This means that you have to keep plenty of back tension applied to hold the bow against the draw stops - relax and it will very quickly drag your draw back down causing people around you to laugh and you to change your underwear.

Which cam type you shoot is a matter of personal preference. I find that I shoot better with a hard cam (like the spiral cam) because it helps me keep back-tension going and keeps my draw elbow in-line. Other people prefer a softer cam (i.e. one with more valley or a softer wall) because it allows them to relax more at full draw.

Adam

[geoffretired]

Hi Zanda,
Valley is the way the bow feels light at and around full draw. Some bows have a wide valley which means the light section of the draw lasts for quite a long distance before it starts to feel heavy again. Some bows have a short valley, suddenly the weight seems to let off and then goes light. At the same time the light section is often short so a little extra pull will make the wieght go up quickly. Long wide valleys tend to come with round wheels and the more sudden short valleys come with agressive or hard cams. If try try both it is very easy to feel the difference. There is a lot of debate as to which is better.