Highs Lows and Senior Moments

I went out on Sunday to sight up the crossbow at 30,40,50 yards, it was a 25 minute drive, I got there, unpacked the target... no crossbow.
Calm calm... drive home, tea and toast and try again.
After all that messing about, the performance was disappointing. Having sighted it at 30 yards reasonably, I went up to 40, same again, not great but just about ok.
Found I couldn't get out to 50 yards as the elevation meant the scope was looking at the bow mount, must admit I was thinking the trajectory was a bit soft and I felt that was cocking the bow rather easy.
I went back down to 40... ok... ish. Went to 30 and it was shooting 6" low, also shooting right! What's going on? It was grouping ok, but low and right.
Anyhow back home I was checking for slop and vertical movement in the sight elevation mechanism, but also thinking that the bow was tiring rapidly in use and that I should check it on the tiller.
I demounted the bow bolted it to the test plate, got it on the tiller and could hardly believe my eyes... about 75# Waaaaa!???
That was 120# when it started! No wonder it was feeling easier to cock (and there was me thinking I must be getting fitter!).
As a crosscheck I put the original repaired boo/Yew prod on there and that gave me a bit over 80#.
(Note:- I'd shortened the draw on the cross bow a little since the early measurements)
The conclusion is that I've pushed the materials as far as I can, although some of the losses are possibly in it breaking down at the mounting. I may make a glass/wood/glass prod at some point, but I'll give it a rest until I fancy it but I've already put in motion the buying of some glass back and belly lams.

But by way of a contrast, a high, my mate John Turton won the ILAA Mary Rose Shoot which is a two day event.
He was helped by the performance of Il Bastardo the short Yew ELB flight bow which was the subject of much attention. It got some Oooohs, Aahs and WTFs when shot, because you simply couldn't see the arrows go! Its apparently got some of the other bowyers plotting shorter longbows for next year!
The hot weather wasn't helping the distances achieved, but Il Bastardo trounced the other bows by a good margin achieving 301 and 320yards in a two way shoot, where the others weren't much over 250 yards.

Meanwhile the Yew primitive is back to 40# at 24", so very nearly there... time to do the horn tip overlays, shaping the grip a bit more, cleaning the back further (all the bark is off now)