Got a question for the guys that have a long draw and tall. Do y’all shoot short bows? If so, does it bother you and are you scared you are going to bust the bow? What is the shortest bow you shoot! Thanks. <><. del

I draw 30” , I have shot bows from 58” to 64”

It’s more about the bow design than just the length alone.

One of the worse stacking bows I had was 64” and one of the smoothest was a 58”

The 60” 59 kodiak and bear takedown handles my 30” just fine the 64” takedown is smoother.

Another think to consider is finger pinch , shorter the bow, longer the draw the more string angle is going to come into play.

But again I haven’t had any issues with it on the bows i shot.

Lot of it’s just personal to the shooter.

I do stay away from the vintage(old) bows because I am afraid my longer draw will stress the aged materials to much. No proof of that just my thought

Both sub 60" (58" Grizzly and a 54" Browning Nomad) broke on me. Not sure if it was the 31" draw or just old bows. I do know that the string looks like it will pop off the bow when at full draw.

Yes, years of research have convinced me that it's a crime against nature to own, build, or shoot any recurve shorter than 58"...at least for those of us with a 30" draw. My own formula is that bow length must be no less than 1.9 times your draw length, and no more than 2.1 times it. Recurves falling on the short side of this ratio are called Evil Dwarf Bows; those on the long side are known as Target Bombers, or B-52's for short.

These regulations, along with others addressing the allowable weights, materials, and wood combinations all carry the force of law here in my imaginary country, and as a result all of my subjects live and shoot quite happily.

30 in draw and really like the 62 in bow im shooting now. RD longbow

I have a 31.5” draw length, I don’t like anything under 64” and prefer my 66” Stewart longbow

I draw 32" and shoot a 66" PLX and 64" PMA. Smooth all the way out yonder.

I stay away from anything under 64. The shorter bows I've drawn for comparison seemed to stack pretty good past 30".

I currently shoot 30 inch draw and have longbows from 60 inches to 68. They all shoot fine and the 60 inch Shrew is as smooth to draw as the 68 inchers, only I shoot them better because I shoot them more, I suspect. Only one bow ever bottomed out on me and I gave that to a son-in-law.

I've drawn 32" all my life and havr shot most lengths. 64 and longer is comfy and some deflex handle 62" also. Any shorter has enough finger pinch to make my finger sore shooting split. I don't notice it as much 3under. I killed a turkey one year sitting flat on my butt with a 48" super mag but it was no fun to shoot. Smoothness depends mostly on design more than length. As for breakage no I never worry about it on a glass backed bow and have never had a short bow break. But the shortest I shot for at least a year was 58".

32"here,66-70"recurves

“ My own formula is that bow length must be no less than 1.9 times your draw length, and no more than 2.1 times it. ”

That’s good humor... 2.1 X 28” means that the “average” archer has “too long” a bow at 60”.....

Yeah, probably not.

I draw 31.25 and my bows are Black Widow MA II 64" 70 & 55 # , a KB X 60" 55# , and a PCH X 60" 95 & 85 #. The difference is almost not noticeable in length and no finger pinch to speak of with split fingers. I also have a super magnum 48" 40# that I made a longer string for to keep the curvature of the limbs within what they were intended for. Not care much for the Bear bow . I prefer the Widows I used to shoot 32.5 draw with my old 85# Oneida Eagle compound before I saw the light some 28 years ago and went traditional 100%

for me I have a 30" drw. I will only shoot 62"-64"bows. It was said about the way the bow is made, and yes I believe that. However when I tried shooting a 58" bow more than stacking it was the finger pinch from the sharper string angle I don't like. The shortest I want to shoot is a 62" bow, and I have no issues with it for hunting.

I have a 31" draw and shoot a 62" martin hunter with no problems, a 60" bow gives me a little more finger punch, but that's just me.

30.5” prefer bows over 62”. One bit of leatherwall advice that always rang true for me:

As draw weight goes up bow length should as well. I find I can shoot a 40# 52” bow all day long and enjoy it. It’s easier to pull through the stack. When I shoot over 50# I have to have a bow 60”+

30.5” prefer bows over 62”. One bit of leatherwall advice that always rang true for me:

As draw weight goes up bow length should as well. I find I can shoot a 40# 52” bow all day long and enjoy it. It’s easier to pull through the stack. When I shoot over 50# I have to have a bow 60”+

I once shot a 48 in. bow with my 30in draw and the limbs broke. Shortly after that I sold my 52 in kodiak magnum. I also sold my 52 in Red Wing Hunter.

I have a 30” draw. Short bows are doable but stack like crazy. A 64” recurve is very comfortable and smooth for me.

Not much to add to the previous - there are 58" bows that will handle a 30" draw (redwing hunter for example). Finger pinch? I am convinced that finger pinch effects some archers more than others. At my 30" draw, I have better success with bows in the 62" to 66" range. I can shoot a 58" bow good enough, I'm better with longer limbs - I used to own a 52" kodiak mag, I could not shoot that bow to save my life. My current go-to bow is 64". The only bow I broke was a 64" bow, and that was in the riser, not the limbs.

I draw 30.5 and have a wild horse creek Mariah that is 54" and shoots like a dream.

Finger pinch will be increased on how fat your fingers are also.

My son in law has a 31" draw and shoots my 58-60" bows all the time with no issues

Finger pinch mostly hurts guy shooting split. Causes callouses and sometimes a bad release.

What Jamie said, for recurves for certain. I think it is due to stack- short bows, once they start to stack, seem to do so very progressively. I have one "sage clone" bow that is like hitting a frickin wall, and I have to use limbs that are 30% lower in rated weight to feel about the same as on my bigger bows. And it is a LOT slower. That got retired for a "beginner" bow for short folks.

Longbows don't seem to stack the same way.. my very limited experience is they feel smoother.

My 64" Black Widow with belly mounted limbs seems very comfortable at my draw, although I prefer the bigger 68" X-200 1965 target riser.

Lately (last 6 months primary bow) I have been shooting my ILF 27" riser and long limbs for a 72" bow. Wow, feels great!

I tend to shoot longer bows. I am just 73 inches, but my upper body and wingspan are as if I was 75 inches.

A rule of archery is that no mater what OAL you fit into from warbows or Yumi, to 28" compounds there is always someone who thinks there would be a totally critical difference if they could drop a few inches of OAL. Doesn't mater if you hang with guys who shoot 32 inch bows, or 72 inch bows. It is generally nonsense. So I let the feel of the bow be my guide and that does not tend to lean towards short bows.

It might also have something to do with the fact that my first adult archery bow was a Browning 52 inch recurve that I drew to 31 inches...

I have a 31"1/2 draw,I have shot a 64" RD longbow,prefer 68 to 70" and 66"recurve,my buddy Gordy built me a 3 piece longbow 70" 55 lbs yew core and ziricote riser that is real smooooth and forgievn

In my younger days when I could pull more weight and just generally pull a bow easier than in my elder years, I had a 32 inch draw length. It was a pain. I couldn't shoot wood arrows because I couldn't find them long enough and most bows stacked like crazy on me. The other problem was wear and tear on bows. I have had 5 different bows blow up on me. I try to stay at 64 to 66 inches now but there are a few bows in the 62 inch length that don't stack for me. I'd be surprised if I draw much over 30 inches now. I am a long or longer bow proponent who suggests shooting as long of a bow as you can. Smooth draw, less finger pinch and easier on the equipment. The other alternative is to get old and not be able to pull a bow anymore. Not my choice but it is creeping up on me. Good shooting to all and enjoy whatever you shoot and shoot often. jwingman

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