Unlimited?

[avcase]

The trend over time is that the shortest arrow that you can get a clean launch with will do best.  Every year, I go out and shoot and catalog the performance of arrows with a shooting contraption that maintains a fixed draw length, shooting angle, and measures the launch speed.  Each year, my best flying arrows got a little shorter.  I used to think the arrow with the smallest diameter should do best, but a shorter arrow of the same mass with a thicker maximum diameter always did better as long as the arrow tapers to the point and same diameter nock end as the longer thin arrow.

Last year I finally ran into a bit of a limit where the arrow was too short and I could not get as clean a launch. This because I was overdrawing the arrow about double the arrow’s length.

Alan

[DC]

How do you keep the string from running into the overdraw device?

[avcase]

The arrow tip is supported on several flexible pieces of Mylar. It provides a very secure support for the tip of the arrow. The string blows right through when the bow is shot. I have to change out the arrow rest about every 20 shots.

Alan

[DC]

Thanks, my mind was imagining two sliding troughs and I couldn't see that working.

[PatM]

  DC,  Have you ever seen a Korean overdraw?   It will blow your mind when it comes to short arrows and long draws.

[avcase]

Yes, Bede Dwyer once tested out one of the Korean overdraws at our flight event a time the salt flats. The short darts flew considerably farther than the full length arrows, although I don’t recall if the arrows weights were the same.

Alan

[DC]

I did a search and got the PVC bow guy shooting with one. That is a cool rig. I had to look a couple of times to see what was going on.