Arrow length v. Draw length

[curly birch]

Hi Folks,

New to archery (a little over a year) but picked up a lot from lurking in this forum and the masters of the barebow videos.  I learned I need to know more    

Sorry if this type of question has been asked before, but I didn't see any topics on it.

If the dynamic spine of the arrow is the same for a given arrow, what are the pros and cons of using an arrow which is much longer than your draw length? Is the preference to have a correctly spined arrow close to draw length?

My draw length is about 26" or 27" depending on anchor, and i've been using a 29" arrow (GT trad 1535) for the past 6 months.  I'm shooting about 8 or 9 grains per pound currently. For a heavier arrow (GT Trad 3555) to spine the same i need to use 30" arrow with heavier points. Heavier arrows seem to feel better out of the bow.

Bear in mind I shoot field and 3D, so i'm less worried about penetration, than about a quick flight.  Thanks in advance for your inputs!

[Bear Heart]

I am no arrow scientist but I wouldn't worry much about an inch of arrow.  Id you are not concerned about penetration I wouldn't bother with the heavier spine arrow and heavy point.

[McDave]

If you don't plan to hunt, I would shoot the lightest arrow that will fly well out of your bow.  Generally, this means about 8 gpp, although some bows will accomodate even lighter arrows than that.  The tradeoff is you're getting a flatter trajectory in exchange for a noisier bow, possibly more vibration, and possibly shorter bow life.  If you don't like that trade-off, you can go for a heavier arrow, say 9 gpp.

One benefit of the GT arrows is that if the arrow is in the correct spine range for your bow, you can tune it to fly well out of your bow at just about any arrow length you want, by adding supplemental weights inside the shaft to the front or rear of the arrow.  The best way to determine what weights to add is to bare shaft tune the arrow, which you should learn to do, if you haven't already done that.

Again, if you're not hunting, I think the proper arrow length would be pretty close to your draw length.  If you haven't been shooting for very long, your draw length may increase over time, so you might want to leave a little hanging out the front.  For you, that would be about a 28" arrow.

Once you settle on an arrow length, try to stick with it, as the arrow tip is a part of your sight picture, whether you use it to aim or not.  If you shoot different lengths at different times, your accuracy will suffer.

[Rob DiStefano]

san, please do bear in mind that the focus of trad gang is trad bowhunting.  you appear to come from a target oriented perspective that might better be addressed in one of the target archery forums on the net.

not to say we can't help you!

imo, for the most part, the answers to your questions are best sleuthed by you and your personal testing.  further comments ...

there are pros and cons to shooting below 9gpp.  in my target dayze (i spent nearly 2 decades on the northeast tournament trail for naa, nfaa and paa events), heavier arrows with increased foc were best for the longer outdoor marks.  and heavier missiles are easier on yer bow and you.

as to arrow length, all that matters is what works and what doesn't work.  a well flying arrow can be as short as need be to stay on the rest or shelf, and as long as need be.  i've seen superb tournament archers using arrows that were a good 3" longer than their draw length.  

what matters most is an arrow that is consistent, durable, flies well at all distances, and is of a proper mass weight.  that's the criteria you need to consider.  the pro's and con's of arrow selection for target archery are the same for all bows - a well flying fast arrow that's not too light (not much less than 9gpp, imo).  the rest is up to you, the testing you do, and the results that work best for you (not for me or anyone else).  

how you shoot - your form, your aiming methodology - is also a critical component of arrow selection.  

almost all of archery is an "experiment of one".  enjoy the ride.

[ishoot4thrills]

Listen to Rob. He's knows his stuff!

My arrows are 2.5" longer than my draw length. It matters NOT at all, as long as you're arrows are properly spined and of decent weight but not too heavy. As already stated, you need to have all of your arrows at least close to the same length.

I wish you well in your journey.

[curly birch]

Thanks for the input guys, some great info for me to keep in mind.  Yes i'm trying out a heavier arrow because there's a little less handshock and seems better in flight especially with some crosswind. I didn't want to have to change the length of the arrow, but I guess i'll use whatever works.  I'll play around with tuning (oh yeah Stu Miller is a genius for selecting arrows!) my arrows this weekend - my form isn't perfect so its gonna take some time   :D  

I haven't ruled out hunting completely at this point, but in terms of accessibility 3D shoots are what are available to me. While there are other forums, fact of the matter is you guys are pretty much the best resource for traditional tackle!

Thanks for the help.

[dragonheart]

The best advice I can give you in shooting a bow for the past 32 years is DO NOT CUT YOUR ARROWS OFF.  An arrow that is longer, and not cut right at the point of contact on the shelf is more accurate and forgiving.  I shoot 26 1/2 draw length with 29" arrows cut to the back of point.  If you want to know why PM me.

[Night Wing]

My draw length is 30" and all my arrows, no matter their size from light to heavy, are cut 32" BOP (back of point).

[monk]

Arrow flight is the key regardless of the arena (target or hunting) in my estimation. Of all the components in creating the best arrow flight possible one of the LEAST important is length (by itself not as it relates to spine/poundage/draw length etc.).

[RUTANDSTRUT]

if both shafts bare shaft and tuned exactly the same, the longer shafts are in theory a more stable projectile but there are too many variables that make up an accurate shaft besides shaft length.  let your tuning show you what arrows you need.

[curly birch]

Well just a quick update on my weekend experiments:

 

So about a 24 yard shot.  Only got a couple to actually hit the lid at that range (but that's me not the arrow!) So that's a 30" GT Trad 3555 with about 225 grains up front, out of 49# @ 28 Mohawk (43/44 lbs at my 26 draw?).  Flight seems pretty good.  I'm going to try to tune my 1535s next and see if i can't get a flatter trajectory - i think I need only about 175 upfront for them.

But one thing I noticed is that the bow sure seems to like a weak arrow - is that true for most Mohawks, seems to be a 0.25 Inch from center if not more?

For kicks I shot 30" GT Trad 3555 with 125 grains up front from my friend's Tomahawk SS 45# @28 - that bow sure seemed a lot more forgiving shooting what should be a stiff spine!

[sawtoothscream]

my draw is around 26.5" and my bow is around 43# at that length.  i shoot full length carbon express heritage with a 250gr point, stock insert, and 5" left hical feathers.  both bare safts and fletched arrows seem to fly great for me.    so i dont think it matters how much longer the arrow is vs your draw length.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by curly birch:
... But one thing I noticed is that the bow sure seems to like a weak arrow - is that true for most Mohawks, seems to be a 0.25 Inch from center if not more? ...

carbon shafting, unlike alum or wood, has a very different dynamic spine from static spine.  my 29.5" carbon arrows are .500" spine, have 350 grains up front, and fly extremely well from a 55# mohawk longbow cut 3/32" proud of center, with a 1/32" leather arrow plate.

the bow does add to the equation, in terms of centershot and other design factors.

then there's you, the shooter, and what you bring to the performance equation.

as mentioned b4, it's all an experiment of one.

and don't question whatever works well!