Learned my actual draw length and wow!

[Nidhoggr]

So after a lengthy absence from archery due to personal Issues I came back about a week ago. I did a ton of research and discovered I was having a hard time of it due to improper arrow length matched to my draw length. Turns out I've got a 23ish" draw length which shocked me. So I've been shooting my 50# longbow for years with 29" arrows at a 23" draw. Cut one of the wood arrows I'm making down to 24.5" and shot it. Flew straight as can be... And it has no vanes on it or arrowhead yet. Fired a carbon fiber I cut down and put a field point on and same Result. Went exactly where I wanted.

Who'd have thought that was my issue with consistency?! Debating now on upping to a 65# bow as I have zero problem drawing this bow back and holding it at 23" but the loss of poundage concerns me For when I begin hunting soon.

Any thoughts on that last bit?

[DC]

I've always wondered how the game wardens check this if they don't have a tillering tree in their truck. Just make sure that you have at least 40#(or whatever your local laws decree) at your draw length.

[Strelets]

If your bow is 50 lb at 28" it would give about 37 or 38 lb at 23". If you get a bow that is 65 lb at 28" it would  give about 48 lb at 23". However, as DC said, can the wardens check the actual weight at your actual draw length? If they check at all, would it be just by looking at the weight marked on the bow?

[burchett.donald]

  Your 50@23 is more than enough for hunting...More importantly your perfect arrow flight will give optimum penetration...Not enough said about near perfect arrow flight...I strive for flight over weight, getting the weight of the shaft directly behind the point is where it's at...
                                                                                                                   Don

[Nidhoggr]

  Your 50@23 is more than enough for hunting...More importantly your perfect arrow flight will give optimum penetration...Not enough said about near perfect arrow flight...I strive for flight over weight, getting the weight of the shaft directly behind the point is where it's at...
                                                                                                                   Don

It's 38 at 23.

I've always wondered how the game wardens check this if they don't have a tillering tree in their truck. Just make sure that you have at least 40#(or whatever your local laws decree) at your draw length.

There's no minimum on bows in KY.

[bradsmith2010]

if the bow is designed to shoot at 23 inches, it will be more effecient

[Nidhoggr]

if the bow is designed to shoot at 23 inches, it will be more effecient

I've not seen any 50#@23" or even 40# bows.

[sleek]

With a 23 inch draw, you can make some crazy short bows work for you.  If you shoot well at 23 keep going, but speed will suffer, so you will need to make up for it in draw weight.  If you have a chrono, you will want at minimum 150 fps with 400 grains. Any less and you start to risk poor penetration. Thats my minimum to hunt, others may disagree.

[Nidhoggr]

With a 23 inch draw, you can make some crazy short bows work for you.  If you shoot well at 23 keep going, but speed will suffer, so you will need to make up for it in draw weight.  If you have a chrono, you will want at minimum 150 fps with 400 grains. Any less and you start to risk poor penetration. Thats my minimum to hunt, others may disagree.

Short as in those 60" recurve I keep seeing? And while I don't know fps, I do know at 30 yards I'm sending field points through a canvas target cover that's on a traditional circular hay bail. Bullet points get about halfway through.

[sleek]

Short as in 50 inches and less as you learn more.

[k-hat]

Nid I had a very similar experience.  Starting into archery in 2010 i  tried every method to measure my draw length and arrived at 28" (go figure).  After a few years of making bows and sending them on their way, but not yet hunting I never rechecked my draw.  Well my draw finally settled in pretty consistent and I was given a beautiful osage recurve in the PA trade by rps3 (I asked for a 28" draw bow, thinking still that's what it was).  I COULD NEVER GET IT TUNED!  It gave me fits trying to use the "math" and my arrows flying crazy.  I gave up for a while.  A couple years ago I was shocked to find my draw was 26", no wonder!!  That 2" makes a huge difference, about 5# in my case.

EMBRACE THE SHORT DRAW!!  Take full advantage of your draw length, esp in hunting.  Short bows are super efficient.  I just finished a 51" osage static, only 5/8" of set.  At 60#@26", she is a screamer.  You will find, however, that drawing a short bow to full draw is quite a different experience from short drawing a longer bow.

I agree that if you're over 50# or so at your 23", you should be good to go, and you'll be surprised at how much faster a 50" bow is than a 60" bow when the same weight at 23".

[rps3]

Hi k-hat,were you ever able to tune it? The fault is probably my poor tillering. I've been accuse of being tall at 6'4", and I have trouble getting past 28" draw.

[k-hat]

Hey! I did have a hard time finding shafts in my batches that were light enough for my draw, and wound up doing ok with using my shafts nearly full length.  Then i trained quite a bit with that 60# shorty, and found after that I could easily pull your bow back the full 28" consistently (use thumb-knuckle to ear for anchor ) and she was shooting beautifully and sent the arrows speedily away. 

No complaints, your craftsmanship was top notch tiller included, it was all me not knowing my actual draw length. That was supposed to be my point, i got distracted and left that out.   

[rps3]

Glad to hear you were able to figure it out...thanks.

[bradsmith2010]

at 23 inches a bow can have nice performance,, at 20 inches its more difficult,,
I am usually shooting my bows through a chrono while tillering, and at 23 24 inches they start to shoot pretty hard,,,
exceding 150 fps with 10gpp,, 150 fps can be achieved with the 20 inch draw,,