Optimum bow length

[Black Moshannon]

My draw is 27”. I just finished a 60” bend through handle bow which came out nice with reflex and all. I’m concerned when shooting it that it doesn’t feel or shoot as easily as my 64” or longer bows. All mine are D bow style, around 50-60 pounds. What is the better length to make this style of bow to achieve the smoothest draw and most stable shooting. Should I go longer than 64”? Is this something I have to feel out with my shooting style or is there a general rule of thumb here. Thanks

[Black Moshannon]

I should add that I don’t make the bows any wider than 1 1/4”.

[Del the cat]

Post a pic of the bow maybe ?...
At that draw weight 60" is maybe a tad short for smoothness.
Most of mine are 64" or over except the flight bows... and they aren't smooth!
Del

[Black Moshannon]

Ok here's the bow. I made it shorter because I shoot almost completely vertical and the longer limbs are sometimes an annoyance when i'm sitting in my blind on a 5 gallon bucket and the lower limb seems too close to the ground. I had to squinch down in these photos because my ceiling is low and the bow tip was hitting it.

[Black Moshannon]

The other full draw photos. These appear distorted when I post them

[stuckinthemud]

A couple of inches of deflex helps

[Black Moshannon]

Does that help with stability? This one has about an inch of reflex after being unstrung awhile. Most of my bows are flat or have an inch or so of deflex

[mmattockx]

What is the better length to make this style of bow to achieve the smoothest draw and most stable shooting.

I don't know that the style of bow matters much on this. Olympic archers shoot bows that are 69-70" long for these reasons. In general, the longer the bow the smoother it draws and the more forgiving it is to shoot. I don't know if there is an upper limit to that beyond the bow becoming too unwieldy or so long it is hard to hold the bottom nock off the ground.


Mark

[StickMark]

If a bow gets too long for draw length, better to have lighter tips.
I like 55-63" for me, hunting on my rear, ambush style, and my draw from that position is fairly short. I relate to the ground hunter's issues.
60" / 27 = 2.22
63/ 27  = 2.33

For me, the ratio is from 2.2 for sinew backed to 2.5 unbacked.

D bows rock IMHO

[George Tsoukalas]

I think it is personal preference. I  like 64" for a 26" draw. Jawge

[Black Moshannon]

Ok I was wondering because I have a 67” elm bow with too much handle bend which I wanted to cut down some and retiller. I ended up cutting it to 64” and giving it a heat treat while removing some string follow. I don’t think the shorter bow is going to be a thing I do anymore.

[txdm]

Maybe it's just that the inevitable stacking of a short length is making the full draw/release less comfortable.

Kenneth, what kind of wood is that bow, and is it backed? Just curious, because it looks nice.

[Black Moshannon]

Thanks, its hickory, no backing. I finished the elm D bow re-working. I made it my standard 64" it definitely shoots more easily for me. It was fun to make the shorter one though

[bownarra]

Make a 60" recurve

[Morgan]

My preferred length is 64-66” draw length of 26 or 27” depending on if I’m shooting split or 3 under. I can shoot short bows accurately, but it takes some shooting to get into a groove. If that’s all I shoot for a while, I can pick one up and shoot fine with it. If I get on a kick of shooting one of my longer bows for a while then pick up a short bow, I’m all over the place, just a feel thing I think. It’s easier for me to tiller shorter bows as the bend is more pronounced and easier for me to see.