understanding arrow length and help please.

[rluttrell]

I was shooting with my anchor being too far back.  A friend took the time to help me find the right spot. My accuracy has improved a lot and it feels better. My question is now my draw is shorter by an inch an and now the arrow hangs over the rest well by an inch longer. Does it really matter how much it hangs over is there such a thing as shooting an arrow that is too long.
If someone wouldn’t mind helping me understand the pros and cons.
Thanks

[JimB]

The amount of arrow overhang doesn't matter at all.

[JRY309]

For a tuned arrow it doesn't matter to me how long it overhangs.With carbons,they don't come in as many different spines as wood or aluminum.So I shoot and trim or add weight and let my tuning determine their final length.

[monterey]

You might even harm your arrow flight by shortening them.

When Howard Hill killed an elephant with his bow he used a very long arrow.  Started a fad and guys were hunting whitetails with extra long arrows.

[Pat B]

All of my arrows are 3" or so inches longer than my draw length(26" draw, 30" arrows). I've done it for years.
  Shortening your draw length does lesson your draw weight so in some cases it may matter. Wood arrows(at least) are spined at 28" and for each inch over 28" you can decrease your affective spine by 5# per inch and the reverse for arrows shortened below 28".

[Night Wing]

If it sticks out 3" or more beyond the shelf, it just looks "too long", but if it gets the job done, then it "doesn't matter".

I have a 30" draw length and shoot 32" BOP (back of point) arrows so I have 2" of over hang before the field point or broadhead is attached.

[Javi]

Personally I see no advantage to an arrow more than one inch longer BOP than the back of the bow at full draw and I cut my shafts accordingly. Nowadays it is just too easy to add point weight or go down in shaft spine to accommodate the shorter length. Arrows get in the way enough without having them unnecessarily long..

[Hud]

Shooting wood or aluminum for practice or with blunts, I cut them short, and broadheads about 3/4 longer for my index finger. The shorts are 27.5" to the back of the head and serve as a draw check.

I understand why guys leave carbons long, but would use a lighter spine and cut them the same, IMO.

Howard Hill referred to the part of the arrow hanging over the rest as "dead wood". If you check photos you can see he drew the head onto the rest, except for broadheads which were cut to allow for the index finger. The elephant arrow was an exception, and was 41" for a reason.

Wood shafts are pretty spine specific, aluminum is somewhat the same and carbon much less. It is entirely up to you. If you lost an inch, then the draw weight is about 3+/- lbs less. You should determine if the arrow is still the correct spine, before cutting.

[JRY309]

Adding point weight to weaken a carbon doesn't always work especially on longbows not cut to or past center.I bought some used carbons .400 spine that were 1" longer then my draw and showing alittle stiff.So I thought I could add more point weight to weaken the spine.Well they got worse the more point weight I added.They were in effect bouncing off the riser instead of flexing around it.They would not tune no matter how much weight I added.Now for the same bow I tuned some new .400 spine to it.They ended up about 1.5" longer then the used .400 spine carbons.I never just cut a carbon without shooting it first,wasted alot of money buying used carbons that were not long enough to tune.

[Pat B]

My arrows fly great and the deer don't care if I have too much arrow sticking out.