Question about Brace Height

[benjiec]

I normally shoot a Kodiak Magnum and the brace height is 6 3/4 inches from the back of the shelf.  A friend found and gave me a Black Bear with 60 AMO and 45# at 28".  I ordered a string for it that was 4 inches shorter than the AMO.  With the string on it the brace height is only 5 inches.  My feathers are on the shelf.  This doesn't seem right to me.  Does anyone know what the brace height for this bow should be or can give me some insight.

Thanks,

[kevsuperg]

did you measure the new string? sounds like its 2" to long. brace should be high enough to clear your feathers

[Orion]

String is definitely too long.  Might be able to shorten it enough by twisting.  But if the builder built it too long, probably best to send it back and have him/her send you another.

[Dave Worden]

If the bow is AMO 60, then the string should be an AMO 60 string which would actually be 57 inches overall length.  If the string you have on it is actually 56 inches long, and the brace height is too low, then your bow is not an AMO 60 bow.  AMO lenght on a bow is not a measurement of the length of the bow.  AMO is determined by adding 3" to the length of the string that properly braces the bow.  It is only indirectly related to the length of the bow.

[benjiec]

What is the proper way to measure the bow length (AMO)?

[kevsuperg]

Originally posted by benjiec:
What is the proper way to measure the bow length (AMO)?

lay a flexible tape along the belly of the bow from nock to nock

[Old York]

"the brace height is 6 3/4 inches from the back of the shelf."

Not to split snowshoe hares here, but isn't BH measured from string to deepest part of grip?

[Dave Worden]

Benjie,
You can't measure the AMO lenght of a bow.  The AMO length is 3" longer than the string that properly braces the bow.  That's the definition of AMO length.  The response above is the proper way to measure a bow, but the number you get is the length of the bow, NOT the AMO length of the bow.  

Also, as Old York says, brace height is properly measured from the deepest part of the riser/grip/handle to the string at 90 degrees.

Take a look at the AMO Standards Book in the How-to section of TG and it will explain all this stuff.  What it doesn't explain is why they came up with the term "AMO Length" and defined it as they did.  All it does is confuse people!!!!!  It would seem to me that the number people need is the length of the proper bow string for their bow.  A better definition of "that term mentioned above" (to me) would be a number that equals the length of the string, period.  No need to confuse the issue by 3 inches in my opinion.  BUT THEY DID.