Old ProLine Bow Still Good?

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

View attachment 2545583

So, my brother has let me borrow his 1985 vintage ProLine Hurricane XG-1 Magnum bow for target practice out to 35 or 40 yards.
Another friend wants to borrow it also.

But he might also be in the market for buying A compound bow, and although he likes shooting this one, I'd like to be able to tell him the difference between this bow and a modern compound bow with non-circular cams and different geometry to the bow limbs.

(That's aside from all the different types of sights, arrow rests, and release triggers, because this old bow could be retrofitted with newer accessories of those types.)

When it comes to things like the percentage of draw weight that you have to hold once you've pulled back past the peak pressure point --in other words the letoff number-- how does this bow that was designed of the 1970s compare to a cutting-edge design from the last few years?

Assume the purpose is target shooting, not hunting so we won't be needing to hold the bow at full draw for long --just several seconds at most.

This old bow is said to be adjustable at 55 to 70 pounds, and I think that if my friend goes with a different bow, he would want one that could be adjusted lighter maybe 45 or 50 pounds on the low-end and 60 lbs. would be fine for the top end, peak draw weight.

This bow is made of laminated wood. Is it still safe to use after 35 years in storage?

(It was used for one season back in 1986 and that's it; it was put away and never used again until I tried some backyard practice with it a couple years ago).View attachment 2545586

 

[jeep78]

Wheel bows vs cam bows.

Cam bows have more let off, a lot more in some cases. They often have more fps on launch. But, many are not as smooth on release as acceleration is more violent.

Wheel bows are smoother , I am way more accurate with a wheel bow. Let off is usually 50%, that is it. To me the wheel bows are quieter. Arrow speed not as high in my experience.

As to age inspect well looking for cracks. A dangerous crack should start at the surface somewhere, so suspect problems should be visible.

I still use a wood wheel compound now from the mid 70s. No problems except I would like new cables.

 

[jeep78]

That pick looks like my bow

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

Do you still shoot that old bow?
Have you compared it to anything more modern as far as how it feels and how much of a let off the more non-round geometry cams give you?

 

[24on48hunting]

That bow would probably need a new string and cables at the least. I myself wouldn’t want to risk injury shooting it with the original string on it. Do that and shoot the heck out of that thing.
As far as a good ole compare/contrast is concerned, bow technology nowadays compared to back then is like day and night. Your friend could set up a newer, lower weight compound that would easily outperform the old bow at its max weight. The only problem with new compounds is the cost of a new setup being so stinking high. That’s one thing that turned me away from compounds. I don’t fool with anything but traditional archery now.

 

[Adamjen15]

I use a newer single cam and it is 80 % let-off. I think the older bows like the one you have are 65 % let-off. The single cam bows are not as fast but I think they are a lot smoother to draw and they can’t go out of tune like a dual cam. Any newer compound will blow that one out of the water too. Like what Mark said above me, I would definitely get new string and cables before shooting that one.