OK, my curiosity is getting the better of me..

After reading some of the feedback on my post about whether longbows are actually faster than recurves...

What is the up-side to cutting a bow past center?

Is it more tolerant of imperfect spine? Do higher-spine arrows penetrate better on game? Is cut-past-center easier to aim with??

It's just that after being advised to build a strike plate way out to accommodate the same spine on a recurve that I use on a longbow.... Why not just cut them the same to begin with?

Enables to shoot stiffer spine, and/or larger diameter shafts. You can always build it out easily

Because arrows have a diameter, that's why.

GF...maybe I can answer your questions here....

Q1: What is the up-side to cutting a bow past center?

Answer: It gets the arrow more aligned with your bows string path which in turn gets more of the bows energy into the arrow.

Q2: Is it more tolerant of imperfect spine?

Answer: Yes...it is..but a better way to put it would be to say that the closer the arrow is aligned with the bows string path?...the less sensitive the bows preference for exacting dynamic spine values it becomes thereby leaving the archer with a greater range of tune-able spine/length/point weight options.

Q3: Do higher-spine arrows penetrate better on game?

Answer: Yes...they do...reason being is because all that flexing a low dynamic spine arrow does as it goes through it's many in flight oscillations comes at a cost...the cost being "Lost Energy"...as it takes and robs energy to make that rubbery arrow do it's hoola dance on it's way to the mark.

Q4: Is cut-past-center easier to aim with??

Answer: No...same same there provided the archer is railing their minds eye down the arrow shaft as they should and the rig is well tuned.

Q5: It's just that after being advised to build a strike plate way out to accommodate the same spine on a recurve that I use on a longbow.... Why not just cut them the same to begin with?

Answer: Longbow risers are typically far less beefy than are recurve risers...there's only so much material the Bowyer can remove from the arrow side of the longbow riser without compromising the bows structural integrity however?...

More recently we're seeing a trend where Bowyers are either adding more mass to their longbow risers and/or incorporating far stronger materials than just wood where the Longbow winds up sporting a riser with the mass of a typical recurve that's also made of stronger, denser modern materials such as Phenolic and G10 which in turn permits the Bowyer to cut his longbows riser window past center without compromising it's structural integrity.

and now I'm ready for my 2nd cup of coffee! LOL!

Good morning all! ;)

Mr. left brain says, if the arrow is closer to center travel...or as Bill says, in line with the string, it has to flex less. If it flexes less, than more energy can be put into the forward movement of that arrow quicker. Now....what does that mean?

I will also add that "stiff spines" are not as important as "quality arrow flight" when it comes to penetration on game. An arrow that doesn't have to correct itself "flexes less" when it comes in contact with an animal, will have more power on the continued flight of the arrow...through the animal. I've seen 1816's go through whitetails like they weren't there. Any spine, must be the one that recovers the quickest both from the bow and on impact, and of course be of proper dynamic spine so flight is perfect.

Thanks! This is a very informative thread. Never did understand cut past center.

Jim Ploen taught me some years ago that any bow, centershot or not, will shoot a number of arrow spines very accurately. Bows that are centershot, or past center will shoot a wider selection of spines.

All bows, centershot or not, will group the stiffest arrows that fly the best and are appropriate to that bow/shooter the tightest.

I disagree that past center bows are not easier to aim with because they certainly can be. It depnds on the shooter, and how they shoot. If you use the string blur cutting stright down the middle of the shaft to the target, they are easier to aim with.

Shot a deer with a selfbow last fall, 7/16ths out from center, dacron string with an overspined arrow, perfect arrow flight and the arrow blew thru the deer and stuck in the ground on the other side.... I had lunch with Jim Ploen about a year ago :)

Have to disagree somewhat that a stiffer spine penetrates better. If your arrow is tuned properly to the bow then it should be done flexing before it hits the animal, it will flex when it hits the animal but stiffer does not really help all that much. Shooting a high FOC, I believe helps that as it pulls the arrow straight through the animal. Stiffer is not better, that is a belief compound shooters have as they tune the bow to shoot the arrow and I tune my arrows to shoot from my bows. I myself do not like a bow that is cut way past center as it gives people a false belief that they can shoot a high spined arrow. That is what Black Widow did for years, they perpetuated a myth that their bows needed a higher spine because they shot so hard(more effiecient) then other bows. NOOOOO, it is because they are cut so far past center, period! Shawn

I couldn't shoot high FOC because I could never get those little guys on the other side of the deer fast enough to pull that arrow through :)

Never shot extremes either way. However I like selfbow with no pass cut out. Off knuckle or built out rest. My gut tells me that type of selfbow is what archers shot for untold eons. Worked for them and it still does today.

Jinkster you get a 100 on that test. >>>-------> Ken

"Jinkster you get a 100 on that test. >>>-------> Ken"

Boy, I'll say!

I've gotten a lot of great feedback here on the wall over the years, but that is one of the most detailed and sensible ones ever.

So that leaves me in a bit of a quandary… I really love shooting these high- performance long bows, but my inner Suspenders-And-A-Belt weenie is 100% on-board with the "stiffer arrow penetrates better" camp ...

Maybe I should just find a good R/D (or is it D/R?) Longbow in the #65-#70 range.....

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