What it's like being me
Thrugg said:
You have the ranges almost right (it is 26-40 for the middle one) but there are no hard rules applicable to all items.
Here is a nearly-correct list of each item type's maximum in each ilvl range. It is almost correct (it was correct for 1.09) but if you are a double-checking kind of guy then you might want to double check with adeyke's
calculator. Harder to use but guaranteed to be right.
I don't actually quite know what you are asking for - I can see you want your one to have 3os but why do you want the item type to have a higher max sockets sometimes? I don't quite follow.
Anyway, the bigger bows are mostly 3/4/6, zon bows are 3/4/5, medium sized bows are 3/4/4 and the smallest ones 3/3/3.
It's a matter of my twisted logic on what I do with superior weapons. No bow is valuable with only one socket since all cross/bows can get at least three and runewords are a minimum of two. With that in mind any cross/bow (assuming perfect superior) with two sockets is a Zephyr, with three it's either ideal for jewels (if it's maximum, which only applies to short bows/light crossbows and exceptional/elite versions) or Edge/Melody, depending on the level it has. In the case of originals/exceptionals they should all be Edges, and all elites should be Melodies. Granted perfect elite superiors are hard to find, which is why I stick an ORT+ETH in any dual-superior elite I find with two sockets.
When you hit four the fun starts, so I'm looking for something that doesn't clash with a dueling bow (which that perfect superior edge bow might be for RLvl18), like a perfect superior razor bow that only gets three sockets. Since four is for jewels, three must be for runewords, in this case Edge. I have a superior short battle bow, long battle bow and short war bow, but not sure where I found them and, therefore, if they'd get three sockets or more. Obviously, if I used a few socket quests I could find out (or if I cheated, therefore you know I'm not using maphack

, so I'm forced to either use one socket quest for sure and spend the runes in the edge bow or possibly use multiple quests on three low-level bows hoping one of them (the first, preferrably) gets only three. I'm hoping the minimum ILvls on the host website are correct, but I'll double check with that link.
Now you know what it's like to be me. Run away.
Edit: I used a perfect composite bow (the lowest minimum ILvl bow I could find) and crossed my fingers: three sockets. Obviously jewels are wasted in a 3oS because you want as many jewels as possible, and four is what you can get in a composite. A three-socket gets Edge, no question, and all this for a mere 15% reduction in vendor prices.
I repeat, run away!