Help please. Arm Slap D bow (FD pic added)

[Morgan]

Just finished an eastern woodlands style D bow today. Got about 90 arrows through it and it is beating the bejeezus out of my arm. Cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. It is a 10# heavier than what I usually shoot. Shoots well and I can hit where I want to with it but something's gotta give or it will become a permanent wall decoration. Don't know if measurements matter but it is 1 3/8" for most of its length, last 8" tapering to 3/4" or so nocks. 55#@ 28". I've tried taking brace anywhere from 5" to 7.5". May have to build up the handle to give me something to hold on to? If I short draw, or snap shoot, I get no slap. Accuracy is greatly diminished when I do though. I'd like some advice before I shoot it anymore, but that will be a bit anyway as my forearm is one giant blood blister.

[burchett.donald]

 Morgan be careful you don't want surgery on a busted vein ! Try flipping the bow and shoot from the other side, could be a string alignment problem...
                                                                                     Don

[Morgan]

Thanks Burchett, I'll give that a try. Didn't know arm slap could put you in surgery!

[burchett.donald]

 If you bust that vein you will need vascular surgery, wear an armguard or sleeve until you work it out buddy...
              don

[bjrogg]

Morgan is it just your wrist or whole arm? I don't hold my arm totally straight. I have a slight bend in my elbow. I sure hope you figure it out, I hate getting those wrist slaps.
Bjrogg

[Morgan]

Morgan is it just your wrist or whole arm? I don't hold my arm totally straight. I have a slight bend in my elbow. I sure hope you figure it out, I hate getting those wrist slaps.
Bjrogg

BJ, was just the meaty part of my forearm till I started playing with brace height. When I had it braces low, mid forearm to wrist fell victim. I don't hold my arm straight either. Haven't had a problem with slap in a very long time. I think it is the way I'm holding it, although I'm unsure what I'm doing different, but it feels different in the hand, and I think I'm adjusting my grip odd or something. I may have my wife video me to see. Bad part of it is that I can shoot Better than my average with it and I hate the thing  I'll play with it some more sometime when it don't hurt lol.

[loon]

Grip a bit more askew (rotate arm+hand clockwise for a right handed shooter), increase brace height slightly, use an FF string?

[Eric Krewson]

I have one of those arms that the string always finds on a release. I used to make my bows with the string a little to the rest side but found the alignment would literally wear my cordova arm guards out. I am making them now with a centered string and get much less string slap.

[bradsmith2010]

a thick arm guard will fix the probem,,it maybe be the way you hold the bow with the heavier draw ,,, but arm guard is the answer,,

[DC]

Does anyone have a slick way of telling if the string is hitting your arm guard. I thought i would cover it with chalk but I've oiled the guard and chalk won't stick.

[bradsmith2010]

the string is hitting my arm or arm guard on all my bows,,

[Eric Krewson]

If the string is hitting your arm without a guard it is making contact with the guard but harder.

When I really whop my armguard my shot goes a foot to the left.

[bradsmith2010]

Eric in my experience shooting bows for 50 years,, on a low braced bow there is some slap on the arm guard, not throwing the shot off at all,,
if the bow is throwing the shot off a foot,, I dont have any experience like that,,and would not know what to recommend,,
when I am wearing hunting jacket,, the arm guard is keeping the string from catching on the heavy jacket,,
even the best shots in the world wear an arm guard,,Byron Ferguson for example,,
I do rotate my hand to a 45 degree angle on the bow handle, and that moves my arm away from the string a bit,,
I dont think the string  is hitting the arm guard harder,, but that is just my experience, and  yours and others may vary,,,
but there is a good reason an arm guard has and is an important part of gear for shooting a bow,, its serves a purpose and on a well set up bow, does not impead accuracy or performance,,

[DC]

If the string hits your guard after the arrow leaves it I can't see it doing any harm. If the string hits the guard before the arrow leaves I can't see it doing any good. The trick is knowing the difference and I don't.

[Morgan]

Thanks for the tips guys. When I had the bow braces low, my wrist got the slap. No harm to accuracy, braces high it hit my forearm, and I would shoot off. Badly. In drawing the bow a lot, and comparing it to others  the past few days, I've decided that the bow is rotating slightly in my hand just before full draw. 1 1/2" before full draw it doesn't. It is 100% a me thing and the way the bow fits my hand or rather doesn't fit. Like holding a 1x2. Literally. I may build it up with some leather or cork or something flexible. Really wanted to leave it true to style though. :-(