Short Draw Longbow

[skopia]

Everyday reader, occasional writer. I have not been blessed with even a standard draw, I draw 25". I am currently shooting a 56" longbow, 47lbs at my 25" draw. Even though I am comfortable with my 56"er, I think I would prefer a little bit longer bow. Most bowyers try to direct me to the shorter side of things because of my draw. I notice that Kota bows and Kohannah longbows start about 58" in length. I am even considering a Yellowstone Hunter which comes in at 60". Can anyone give me their opinion with any of these bows as far as how they would handle a shorter draw. Any opinion on any other make and model would be welcome. Thank You.
In His Peace
Steve

[McDave]

Can't really help you with the bows you're interested in, but if I had a 25” draw length and wanted a short longbow, I would try to get one with the lowest recommended brace height.  Your “working” draw length really starts at brace height, and ends up at 25”.  If you had two bow you were equally interested in, and one had a recommended brace height of 7” while the other one had a recommended brace height of 7.5”, you would get another half inch of “working” draw length out of the one with a 7” brace height.  While that might not make much difference at a 28” draw, the shorter the draw length the more difference it would make.

As far as other bows are concerned, I would always recommend taking a look at Toelke, who has an excellent reputation for making quality bows.  I notice he makes a short longbow called the Whistler in a 58” length that would be worth checking out.

[Alexander Traditional]

I know Jim Neaves of Centaur has a 25 inch draw,and he makes bows from short to 64 inch.

[Gil Verwey]

I would contact A&H Archery. Their ACS CX longbows load quick and are very fast. They have them in shorter lengths also.

Gil

[Alexander Traditional]

I would contact A&H Archery. Their ACS CX longbows load quick and are very fast. They have them in shorter lengths also.

Gil

Did Stalker Stick Bows buy them out as well as Dryad?

[Gil Verwey]

I think they were bought out by whoever bought Dryad. I forgot they were sold.

[Sam McMichael]

I draw 25" and all my ASL longbows are 68" long. I may lose a few fps, but the smoothness of the longer bows makes this all right with me.

[skopia]

I guess Sam kind of touched on what I'm trying to inquire here. If it's ok to shoot a longer bow at a short draw, putting aside aesthetics, then why bother getting a custom bow? And how important is it if purchasing a custom bow to inquire if the bowyer is just "hitting your weight at your draw" or designing your bow from the ground up? If losing a few fps shooting a longer bow is the only liability, then I could pull a few extra pounds? So many questions.

[Notenuftime]

You might want to contact Bigfoot Bows. While there are many bowyers that make custom bows, most are only changing the look of the bow. Kirk at Bigfoot will alter the construction of the bow to maximize the efficiency at your short draw length. I only draw about 26 1/2" and he's adding length to the riser to shorten the working portion of the limb so the efficiency is there for me. I have one of this Flatliners, two sets of his Semi Static ILF limbs and he's building me another Flatliner as we speak. I have yet to shoot another bow that outperforms his. There are lots of good ones out there but I haven't found one better. If you want a longer bow that is efficient at your draw, I'd recommend talking to Kirk.

[David P]

Nothing wrong with shooting a longer longbow. I started shooting a 66” but after shooting a 68” that is my preferred length.

At 25” draw I’d try a 64” or 66” ASL. I have a friend with a 25” draw probably a little less than 25” really. And he shoots a 68” ASL, and has no problems killing  deer and hogs at 50# or so at his draw length.

[The Whittler]

Look at Howard Hill with his draw length he shoot 70"- 72" LB and it didn't seem to effect his shooting.

[matt steed]

Robert Carter has a 25 inch draw. He shoots a 66 inch Northern Mist classic. So far this year he has killed 6 or 7 animals.

Go to YouTube and look him up. He has a lot of information about his draw length and shooting style.

[smoke]

I got a 62" Yellowstone Hunter a few months ago and am impressed with it.  Very smooth and quiet.  I've had production bows as long as 68 and selfbows as long as 70.  but 62-66 seems like the sweet spot to me - but I do draw a full 28 inches.