Does it matter if a bow is built for your draw length

[72highboy]

I have alway been under the impression that draw weight at a particular draw length was just that. If you drew the bow less distance you just had less draw weight and if  you drew the bow further you had more. I also thought that ideal performance at your draw length was related to the design and the length of the bow (not taking stacking into consideration). Now to my question.....Are these assumptions incorrect? Do bowyers design and tiller a bow different for different draw lengths? Since I draw 26.5" would I see any difference if I ordered a bow for the weight I want at that draw length as opposed to 28" and just did the math to get the weight I want. Maybe it also is a case by case basis depending on the particular bowyer. Your thoughts on this would be appreciated.
Thanks
Jon

[bowdude]

Less draw length could be made just a tad less tiller difference.  The highest performance for any given set of limbs is thought by theory (by some) to be just before the stack without causing extra stress on the materials.  Most bow designs could be made to perform better at shorter draws by shortening the working part of the limb, increasing the riser length to keep total bow length.  Plus a shorter draw can require the recurve tips to be made lighter to get them to roll over sooner.  One size does not fit all by design.  Not trying to step on any bowyer toes here.  

[Cherokee Scout]

In my opinion, it makes very little difference unless your draw length is very short or very long.

[Orion]

Highboy.  You already have it figured out.  Really is no difference.

[Dick in Seattle]

my experience, purely subjective, is mixed.  I have a 25" draw, and some bows I've had that were built, or at least sold marked for that length, have good "zip" left at my draw... others are kind of dead... my pull isn't getting into the good working part of the limb.   Bows I have had built for 25" are pretty uniformly good performers for me.   Doesn't make me turn down an interesting bow that's 28"... after all, hope springs eternal... but I have to accept that sometimes a bow I'm hopeful about just won't be satisfactory for me at my draw and I'll have to let it move on.

[Red Beastmaster]

Good question.

I have a bow on order that is to be 47# @ 27". I found that wt to be comfortable by shooting bows marked 50# @ 28". Is a 47# bow just a 50# bow that is not drawn as far?

[Craig Warren]

I believe it does matter if you are looking for maximum performance at your draw length and desired draw weight.  It is a matter of physics.
For instance, if your draw length is 26 inches and you want to shoot 50 pounds at that length and you buy a bow marked 55 pounds at 28", you will draw pretty close to 50 pounds at your 26" draw....BUT, that bow was made to draw smoothly (no stacking until just after 28") and it was made with heavy enough materials to produce 55 pounds at 28".  By only drawing to 26 inches you WILL get your 50 pounds of weight, but the extra mass weight of the limbs will slow down the recovery rate of the limbs relative to the rate they would recover at if they were made with less mass weight as they should be for the 50 pound bow at 26".

More simply put, if you have a 2000 pound automobile with a 200 hp engine and another that is 3000 pounds with the same 200 hp engine, you can bet that the lighter one will go faster.

[laddy]

I think it all depends on the bow design.  I have done tiller experiments with hill style bows that are 68'' drawn to 26+.  That length is usually a 28'' draw, but by increasing the bend in the tips and getting the tips to move in an arc more similar to a 64'' bow I have 68'' bows that have the same cast as 64'' bows, plus the advantage of 21/2 pound per inch build up in draw from 25 to 27''.

[James Wrenn]

Unless you draw long enough the bow starts to stack with you I have never been able to measure a difference.Get a pen and mark it at your draw length if you need to.  

[James Wrenn]

BTW.The difference in mass in two glass bows 5lb diffence in weight is really not a factor.In a narrow limb you might see .015 difference in thickness of the core and half that in a wide limbed recurve.Considering only about the last 10" or so of the limb is moving enough for the weight to have any effect it is so light that the difference in the lam material itself would mean more.jmo

[hera]

Well said Craig Warren .

well said.

[tecum-tha]

It depends on the bowyer. He may have to do extra things. Like making a recurve limb open before 25". With a normal standard recurve there is quite some zip lost.Like above mentioned there are different working limbs length and different recurve (siyah) angles involved to make a bow more efficent for shorter draws.
Bows which are made for shorter drawing people are hard to find. Only a few bowyers really take the effort to do something different than normal. My WAPITI recurve is such a case: shorter than standard bow length and a little shorter recurves,I think. They open up fine...
Or try bows from people which are naturally not so tall,like a korean bow. You will see the difference in zip and cast, jm3cw

[GameGetter]

Well said Craig and tecum-tha; I will add that if built to maximize performance the bow will start to "stack" one inch beyond or at your draw. This is were the materials in the limbs are at close to their peak stress. Most important of this is that the belly glass is at its peak compression which supplies most of the power to the limb by pushing its self back to its braced possition.

Many-most bows will shoot fine at a shorter draw than built for but one that is built for your specific draw will perform better if done right, I believe.

[DeerSpotter]

I just finished talking to Rob, at Bob Lee, about that very subject.  They had a bow with my poundage that I was looking for, but it was in a 28". I asked what it make any difference if they made a bow with a draw length 1 in. longer to a 29" ? Rob indicated there would be absolutely no difference.  The only choice would be I could make it in the woods I wanted.

I was under the understanding that it made all the difference if you had the bow made to your draw length.  This is the second person that has told me that it makes no difference.

Needless to say, a Bob Lee is being sent my way.  The one that they are sending is a 40 #.  At my draw length it will be 43#for me, that is what I wanted.  It was the right price, and the right size for my ground blind.  It replaced my Kodiak Magnum.  Not as cheap, but much superior in performance.(No fiery darts piease) I could see where it would be a difference if you were under 28" because of the bow not reaching peak performance.  But in my case I think their answer was right, because that performance is matched.

Just my uneducated opinion !


Carl

[wingnut]

In a glass bow it's all about engineering before the bow is built.  I know some that will alter tapers and such to accomidate a short draw but most use the same combo that works for all.

Now in an "all natural" bow it's a different game.  We design and build the bow to the customers draw and weight.  The bow is tillered to one inch past the target and the bow is setup to shoot by the customer.  The drawback is that you really shouldn't have your buddies shoot your new "all natural" bow.

Mike

[bowdude]

Maybe you should have specified bow type.  It would be more noticeable on a recurve the effects of a short draw.  Going from 28 to 29 does not effect much as long as the curves are designed to be in use at the 28" draw already.  The question was for a short draw.  Buy a bow built specifically  for someone with a long draw length and short draw it.  Like shooting a stubby longbow with big funny nocks!  And if it makes no difference, than why can a well built kids bow out perform a big bow if they are the same weight at the same draw?

[DeerSpotter]

."(No fiery darts piease) I could see where it would be a difference if you were under 28" because of the bow not reaching peak performance. But in my case I think their answer was right, because that performance is matched."

With a short draw it would make a difference, because the bow has not reached its peak performance, and gone a little past.  I don't understand, your comment.  He can plainly see it would make a difference in that scenario.

And I could also understand why it would make a difference on a well built kids bow, to outperforming, there are a lot of bows that outperform each other, at the same poundage, that depends on how they're made and what they're made out of.

There is too many variables to properly answer the question, and less you are comparing apples to apples.  For it to be a good comparison of what performance would be, you need to make two bows out of the same material, with the same poundage, one at 28" and one at 26", then you can compare them by shooting the 28" at 26" and see what your loss is, and vice versa with the other one.  Some problems cannot get solved on a thread.  But the making of those two bows would be expensive if you weren't the bow maker.  And it would do any good to try and use production bows.  Not enough control factor.

Carl

[R H Clark]

I think I have to go with John on this one.A difference of an inch or maby two in draw length wouldn't be enough to matter.If however you are talking about a difference of say a bow designed for a 30" draw and you only draw 25" that is a big difference.In that case it would only matter if the bowyer used a different design for different lengths.As said already a bow should be right at the stacking point to reach max cast.

I shoot a DAS and with a bow like this you can effectivly change the limb pad angle thus changing the length at which the bow starts to stack.There is a little difference in performance but depending on the consistency of the shooter they will notice it more or less.

If you can shoot a dozen arrows through a chrono and get a one or two fps variation you would notice the difference.If however you have a ten fps variation you wouldn't IMHO.

[bayoulongbowman]

Depends on the bows design, and some recurves diffently does...longbows not as much ...some bows pull 4 pounds , per inch but some good ones 3pounds per inch of draw..some 2 and some change...but answer is yes , just my 2 cents mark#78