what do you mean when you say draw length?

[ozy clint]

i just read a post and a guy said he had a 28" draw length and shoots a 29" arrow. my question arises from confusion as to how he came to the conclusion that he has a 28" draw. because with my way of determining draw length he would be drawing the BOP onto the shelf.
i understand the term draw length as the distance from the throat of the grip to the string at full draw. right?? now i'm sure most bows are at least 1" min from the throat of the grip to back of the shelf. that's how i reckon he would be drawing the BOP onto the shelf.
measuring the draw length any other way is not a consistent measurement because the back of shelf to grip measurement is a variable between bows.

so what do you mean when you state your draw length?

[mcgroundstalker]

Alot of guys exaggerate the length of their... I mean their draw length.  :rolleyes:  Point Taken.

... mike ...

[HATCHCHASER]

"AMO draw length" is  from the throat of the nock to the deepest part of the grip,plus  1 3/4".  "True draw" is from the throat of the nock to the deepest part of the grip.  I may have the names crossed but that is the two measurements.  That said, very few people have a "true draw" of 30".  I draw a shade over 30" AMO.

[Curtis Haden]

Ozy, most (I think) people measure draw lenght from the throat of the nock to the "back" of the bow.  By the back of the bow, I mean the side of the bow facing away from the shooter.

...So a 29" arrow and a 28" draw length gives the archer 1" of clearance from the back of the point/broadhead to the "back" of the bow and the shooter's hand.

[ozy clint]

curtis- that's what i thought. trouble is your draw length changes with different bows because of what i said above.
ok then, i have a bob lee marked 54#@28". how did they measure that? to the back of the bow or to the grip? lot of poundage difference in 1 3/4" of draw length

[Curtis Haden]

Ozy, it's not an exact science really, but if you use the method I described, it's still fairly consistent from bow to bow.  If you forget about different riser designs, and just consider that you're actually measuring the distance from your string hand fingers to the front of your bow hand, it makes a little more sense.

As far as draw weight at a given draw length, consider that most bow makers have a recommended brace height, and whatever method they use for determining draw length, they just measure the draw weight on a scale within that range.

Make any sense, or just more confusing?    

[wingnut]

Most bowyers now weigh the bows to AMO draw.  That way all are the same.

Mike

[Gray Buffalo]

This might help.


 http://www.archerysearch.com/publications/AmoStandards.pdf

[Pat B]

I make and shoot selfbows. My draw length is 26" but my arrows are 29" from the throat of the nock to behind the point. I prefer longer arrows for the extra weight and extra flexibility to get around the bows handle.

[magnus]

Thanks guys very informative! Ive been wrong all this time. Dont tell the Mrs!!!

[A.S.]

I usually measure to the throat of the grip, then add the 1 3/4" to get the AMO length. This will be the same no matter the riser size.

However, I notice when I shoot a low grip longbow my d.l. will be about 1/2" shorter than if I shoot a higher grip recurve. Just hold your arm our, wrist straight, then break your wrist down. You will notice the shorter distance.

[Jeff Strubberg]

I always though measuring to the back of the bow was kinda silly.  I mean, what good is that measurement?  AMO could just as easily have set the standard to the front of the bow where you would have an indicator of arrow length as well.

I measure from the string to the back of the bow.  You're going to add teh extra length in anyway, so why mess around?

[Gordon martiniuk]

Draw length is how far you draw a bow and arrow length is how long the arrow is as long as arrow ia long enough for you dray length it does not matter if arrow is longer  Amo draw length is measured to back side of riser!  

[Jeff Strubberg]

Sure Gordon, but why?  Why bother measuring to the back of the bow?

[Guru]

Originally posted by Jeff Strubberg:
I always though measuring to the back of the bow was kinda silly.  I mean, what good is that measurement?  AMO could just as easily have set the standard to the front of the bow where you would have an indicator of arrow length as well.

I measure from the string to the back of the bow.  You're going to add teh extra length in anyway, so why mess around?

Jeff, what the heck are you trying to say here?  You say it's silly, then you say that's what you do....huh????

[wingnut]

Jeff you are talking back (towards target) and belly (towards you). . . right?

The AMO standard was established and is used for testing bows.  That way all the bows get drawn the same length.  It's a heck of a lot more accurate then having someone stand in front of a chronograph and draw by hand.

Mike

[Jeff Strubberg]

Bah, I messed that up, Mike.  My point was that it's pointless to measure to the belly of a bow.  Knowing the distance to the belly of a bow doesn't tell your customer a darn thing.  

A standard is necessary, but that one was just drawn up plumb silly.