# 99 percent letoff?!?!



## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

So, I realize I'm not up on my archery knowledge, or even what new technology is out there (I have a Fred Bear I got in 2002 for a graduation present and that's all I've ever used). But while perusing the internet, I stumbled upon a bow company touting it's lineup of 99 percent letoff bows. My question is: How is that even possible? I mean, that energy has to be stored somewhere, right? So you have a 70-pound bow at full draw, that means 69.3 pounds of energy is getting stores somewhere besides your arm. That must put a TON of strain on the cams, limbs, string, etc., right? I've not done a lot of research into high letoff bows, but I have a sneaking suspicion their negatives outweigh the positives. 
Also, doesn't Pope and Young have limits as to how much letoff is allowed for an animal to be registered in its record books?
Anyway, here's the website http://www.conceptarchery.com/bows_home.html. I apologize if this is terribly old news, but it just struck me as odd.


----------



## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Personally i'm not a fan of high letoff bows but it's getting hard NOT to buy one because thats all that is available. The biggest problem is getting a smooth transition when you draw the bow. The greater the letoff the more "snap" you have when you hit the rollover. It's not that big an issue unless you ar face to face with a deer and are trying to do a slow smooth draw. A large letoff alows you to hold at draw for long periods of time...however..... it has been my experience that the longer a person holds the bow at draw the less accurate the shots tend to be. One because of fatigue but most importantly because of loss of focus. I saw this a lot in our archery league. You mention disadvantages.... The higher the letoff the more critical the tuning of the bow and shooting form is. . A shooter of a recurve can get get a bit sloppy in his form and still shoot well, while high letoff compounds are not as forgiving. This is one of the reasons most shooters use a release. Compounds are not real forgiving to "finger" shooters which is what I prefer.

And yes Pope & Young does have limits. It is still 65%( nominal ). They alow for slight variations caused by draw length. If it is over 65% it is noted with an * . I don't believe the current 85% letoff bows would qualify. Most guys these days probably don't care if it is actually registered as a P&Y anyway. They will just call it one if it meets the measurements. Bows must also be 30" or longer.


----------



## barebackjack (Sep 5, 2006)

99% let-off sounds like a marketing ploy. Id be interested to see if thats what they're actually getting, or what they're advertising they're getting (kind of like IBO speeds :wink: ).

As far as high let-off, super fast bows, dakotashooter pretty much nailed it. These bows are pretty picky in tuning, which is why so many guys are opting for mechanical heads. Couple that super finicky speed demon bow with the fact that most guys are shooting underspined arrows. They cant get fixed blades to shoot well.


----------



## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

I got so overwhelmed with the marketing on it....I went the other way.

Just picked up a new Raven Bow.
http://www.horsebows.com/bows1.htm#Raven


----------

