draw length?

[david32cal]

how do you measure your draw length and how important is it, i mean can a bow's draw length be within an inch or so of your actual draw length and still perform well.

[Longhunter]

The best way to "measure" your draw length is have someone mark your arrow at a point where it comes to the back of the bow. The back being the side of the bow away from you. Be sure you pull to your anchor point which should be drawing hand finger to the corner of the mouth.

You can also use a clamp on clothes pin on the arrow shaft just behind the point. Draw and adjust the pin until it touches the bow when you're at your anchor point.

Your draw length may be 26, 27 or 28" on the average. If your bow is marked for example 45# @ 28", add or subtract 3# per inch for over or under the 28" and that will be the poundage you are getting from your bow.

What your draw length is, what it is. Don't try to over draw or under draw to fit the bow.

[david32cal]

Ron, i dont own a bow. i am looking to buy a longbow but i dont know where to start so i figure i would start by finding out what my draw length is and go from there.

[Fletcher]

When you talking of a 'longbow' I assume you mean a straight bow without recurve in the limbs and I would suspect a bow length of 66" or longer.

With a bow that long, your full draw would not be a problem whether it was 26" or 30".

The most important decision is what do you intend to shoot the most?

Target
Hunting
Events that have a theme or are dated

Then what is your comfortable draw weight and what is your comfortable price range.

I am sure there are quite a few on the site here can help you find what you want if you nail down some of those questions.

[david32cal]

well i have done some web searching and have determined my draw length to be 29''. i came to this conclsion by measureing out stretched arms tip to tip of index fingers(73'' in my case) then divide by 2.5 or, measure tip to tip subtract 15 and divide by 2. will be used primarily for deer hunting,figure 50-60# should be plenty.  as for price eh!!?. i've been looking at some decent ones in the $150.00 to $200.00 range and figure another $100.00 or so for a dozen arrows cut to length with tips and nocks installed, six broadheads,six field points. does this sound realistic. how do i determine arrow length.

[Fletcher]

As longhunter said, the safest bet is to actually draw a bow similar to the one you would want and have someone mark and measure the arrow to the back of the shelf.

I make hunting arrows once inch longer than the nock to shelf length.

Most States only require a bow draw of 40 to 45 lb for hunting.  I would use as much as I can comforatbably hold for about 15 seconds without shaking.  For me that is about 55#.  I do shoot a 70# English longbow, but I have to get on it fast or I will start to shudder with that one now that I am old and weak!

[The Baron]

I just got into trad archery this summer.  I measured my draw using the yardstick method, and thought it was 30" (I'm 6'4").  So, I bought a dozen arrows cut at 31".  Got my first longbow, and was surprised to find my draw is really about 28.5" with a corner of the mouth anchor.  No problem though... I can cut my arrows shorter a lot easier than I can lengthen them.

My advice is to choose a longbow of modest weight (45-50#) and of about 66-70".  I bought a used Internature Viper (68" bow, 50#) for $150 and have been very happy with it.

Hold off buying a lot of arrows until you get your bow and determine your draw length.  Maybe buy 1/2doz. cut longer than you think you will need.  In your first day of shooting, you will know your draw more accurately and can start fine tuning from there.

Traditional archery is a lot of fun.  Good luck!

[R.M.]

I also have been toying with the idea of getting a bow to just play with. I'm looking for something quite cheap, but again, draw length comes into play. According to the charts, with my 77" wingspan, I need a 31" draw, and they seem to be like hens teeth to find for cheap.
Could I get away with a standard length bow? Like I said, just to play with. I have no intentions of hunting with it.

[Fletcher]

I would say that you need a bow of at least 68" and a 72" would be smoother.  When you draw back a long way the string will 'stack up'  The shorter the bow, the sooner it stacks and the more pronunced the effect on a long draw.  Even to the point of over stressing the limbs if the draw is too long and the bow is too short.

There are always exceptions, but this is certainly general.

What type of bow are you looking for?

Traditional
Primitive
Longbow
Recurve
Full grip with recessed arrow shlef
Plain grip where you shoot off a side rest
Plain grip where you shoot off the hand

You will be lucky to get a good bow to meet any of the under $100, but It is possible.  I used to do well at garage sales and pawn shops - but the garage sales seem to have dired up and the pawn shops have now raised there prices to unreasonable levels.

See what the response is and if interested PM me.  I have about 50 bows on hand, maybe something for you in your price range.

[R.M.]

Thanks Fletch
I know so little about bows, that I have no idea what I want. Probably closer to traditional? Just a plinker to play with here at home. Weight can be low, and ugly is good (translate-cheap).  
I was wondering if a slightly longer sting can be used to increase draw length? Bad idea??
I shot in school, and did OK, so I thought it would be something that I could do at home to avoid the travel to the range.

[Fletcher]

No, the string length is usually a manufacturers reccomend.  It was originally based on the fistmele (make a fist and stick your thumb out - it was the distance from the base of the fist to the end of the thumb)

Of course this will differ based on the size of your hand!  Anyway, it averages about 6" from the belly of the bow to the string on a longbow.  This works to provide a number of things:

Proper string tension for the bow
A distance that does not overstress the limbs
A distance long enough to help avoid string slap on the forearm

On modern recurves, since the handle is recessed and the limbs curve back - this string height will be more than 6" from the belly (back of shelf) to the string.

In general, the string is usually about 4" shorter than the AMO length put on the bow by the manufacturer.  The AMO is usually the measurement from nock to nock across the back of the bow (unstrung).
Again this can differ a bit.

Sometimes it is a challenge for me to build a bowstring for someone's bow that I do not have or worse has no information on the bow.

In your case - I would stick with a well made bow that is as long as possible.  For plinking, I would suggest a draw weight around 35#

[Christiaan]

Thank you for a most interesting post.  I appreciate all the questions and answers. There is still so much to learn.

[pathfinder]

I agree. There is a ton of awsome information on this site and I've re-learned more in the last few weeks about bows and arrows than I ever could have from books. Thanks to ALL of you

[Spotted Bull]

Every time I read something on this site I find out I don't know nearly enough about this hobby!!

[Fletcher]

One more thing......

If I am making a double loop string for a bow I don't have, and can get a reasonable nock to nock measurement - I will make the string about 3 1/2" shorter.  Then the owner can try it, and if the string height is too low, he can put 10 or more twists in the string to shorten it and take up the distance.  You can go about 15 twists without overstressing the string.  If the string is too short you start over.

On my primitive strings, made of artificial sinew, which has a Dacron base (the same as B-50 bowstring) I use a single loop string.  The owner can then tie the bowyer's knot or timber hitch on the lower loop and adjust the length accordingly to get a proper string height.  This also is good for shortening a bit when the string stretches.  the sring may stretch or shrink slightly with moisture content or temperature.