Just remember, some states require 50 lbs minimum for elk.
I have no specific experience with the PSE model you now have, but I would suggest that it should be safe and still reasonably efficient when backed down to 40#, as long as there are sufficient threads left in the limb bolt anchors.
For rehabbing and continued practice while waiting to see how the shoulder is going to do, it would be a lot cheaper than buying another bow to serve in that capacity.
I think you might be better off with a bow that has a gentler draw cycle than your current PSE, even at the same weight range
Also, if you do end up going hunting with either a different bow or your current one cranked down, I'd sacrifice speed for a heavier arrow, especially for elk sized game.
A heavy arrow is imparted with more energy leaving the same bow, and loses energy more slowly as it travels. A great many elk have been killed with arrows travelling less than 180 fps through the years.
You won't be hunting Wyoming elk it requires 50lbs.
If you have to shoot 40lbs chose a good cut on contact head and limit your yardage.
Good luck!
If you go that route my advice would be to up your arrow weight to somewhere north of 450 grains and choose a 2 blade COC head, something like a Magnus stinger or other similar less than 1-1/4 wide two blade head.
The biggest thing is that you will need to limit yourself to more ideal shots but it's definitely doable.
By the way I owned a PSE G-Force back in the 90's and those cams had an extremely harsh draw cycle, the above advice about newer bows being easier to draw at the same weight would definitely be valid in this case.
I helped a lady kill a moose this year with a 45 lb RD longbow shooting a 450 grain arrow. Moose didn't go 30 yards after the shot.
I suggest you find another shop.
It is virtually impossible to damage a limb by bending it less. The harness will be spongy and efficiency will suffer a bunch but it damn sure won't hurt the limbs. You could also pull the limb bolt out of the last cpl threads but that's the extent of it.
The shop owner probably also had a few choices for you to select from, didn't he? 8^)
Not knocking local shops, I do as much business as I can with mine and enjoy dropping by to chat when they're not busy. But I just hate to see a guy who needs an allen wrench and five minutes get talked into a couple hundred dollars worth of gear that may do him no good.
IMO, even the efficiency loss that did occur back in the days of round wheels, laminated wood/glass limbs. and heavier hardware like steel cables and axle brackets, has now been pretty much a thing of the past for a generation. The speed drops at the reduced draw weight, sure, but the efficiency is the KE of the arrow when shot from a bow of whatever draw weight you are USING, not the one that the bow is capable of being cranked up to.
The excellent bow tests that were done by Norb Mullaney for Bowhunting World magazine years ago often charted the efficiency at both the full maximum draw weight and at a draw weight cranked down 10#, and even occasionally 20#. The efficiency loss was extremely small and sometimes couldn't even be found at those levels.
My Mathews LX that I shot across a chrono while it was reduced 30# of draw from its rated max confirmed to my satisfaction any such loss wasn't significant (except maybe to my local shop owner).
Even back in the round-wheel days most of us who had tinkered with the compounds to any extent, when setting one up for a newbie, would crank it down until it started to rattle, then put a turn back into the limbs to quiet it down while the newcomer got used to shooting. Those old compounds tended to get pretty noisy when you reduced the tension in the system very much. And the actual efficiency reduction then was surely more, as there were longer limbs, with heavier tackle, pulling steel cables through smaller-diameter pulleys, all of which had to be subtracted from the energy that was being transferred to the arrow.
If you really want a new bow get a 40-50# bow, lots of good options out there. Elite's are known for their smooth draw. Might be a good place to start looking.
Any doctors out there please feel free to let me know if there is a reason this should not be done.
I have killed 3 elk shooting 41 ft- lbs of KE with arrows in the 395 to 425 grain range. All with broadhead pass through and one with a three blade mechanical. Don't worry about your arrow weight, worry about hitting them in the right spot. However, I would recommend a 2 blade COC, a well tuned bow, a calm animal and < 25 yards shot.
FYI, a general rule of thumb for minimum thread engagement is to have 1 1/2 times the bolt diameter. If you do this, the bolt will break before the thread in either the nut or the bolt will strip. Having said that, in this case you should be safe with a thread engagement down to 3/4 of the bolt diameter. Any less than that and you are likely to strip the threads.
I have killed 3 elk shooting 41 ft- lbs of KE with arrows in the 395 to 425 grain range. All with broadhead pass through and one with a three blade mechanical. Don't worry about your arrow weight, worry about hitting them in the right spot. However, I would recommend a 2 blade COC, a well tuned bow, a calm animal and < 25 yards shot.
FYI, a general rule of thumb for minimum thread engagement is to have 1 1/2 times the bolt diameter. If you do this, the bolt will break before the thread in either the nut or the bolt will strip. Having said that, in this case you should be safe with a thread engagement down to 3/4 of the bolt diameter. Any less than that and you are likely to strip the threads.
The real answer to your problem however is aggressive rehab of your shoulder with physical therapy. Also between shooting sections use rubber bands to strengthen your shoulder girdle that simulate the draw sequence. Only shoot one arrow at a time while practicing. I bet you can be shooting 55lbs within 6 months which will kill any elk in NA.
This photo was 24 years ago with a 40# Hoyt Raider, today's bows at the same poundage would blow that bow away! 40#-45# is plenty of bow! Keep shots at 35 yards & under & you will be good to go!
ElkNut1
ElkNut1
