Limb length / Riser length / Overall length

[GMMAT]

These next questions have NOTHING to do with longbow/recurve/selfbow/etc...honestly.  I'm just trying to learn something.

"In general"....what should be the easiest bow to shoot (in terms of longer/shorter)?  Options are "longer" or "shorter", and I realize there becomes a point of diminishing returns on both ends of the longer/shorter spectrum.  Just "in general".

If the answer is "longer"...what role does a longer riser play into that?  Or...could the same "longer" bow be built with a short riser and longer limbs....and be "just" as easy to shoot?

Are there advantages/disadvantages to a shorter/longer riser?  Advantages/disadvantages to shorter/longer limbs?

I dont have the first clue about this stuff....and am only trying to further my understanding.

If the easiest thing to do is refer me to literature.....just point me in the right direction.

Thanks.

Jeff

[James Wrenn]

Longer because of the overall length of the bow.Just as a tightrope walker uses a long pole istead of a short one for balance.Much easier to control the poles movement to balance because it is longer and he won't be over compensating as much.

[GMMAT]

I kinda figured longer - overall - but I'm in new territory (3D with a wheelie bow and I appreciated the extra length).

If you had two bows:

1.  Short riser and longer limbs
2.  Long riser and shorter limbs

Which (again 'in general') would be easier to shoot?  What are the ad. and dis-advantges of both (in relation to "shootability"?

Let's assume they're both 60" bows.  One has a 13" riser and the other a 19" riser.

[James Wrenn]

For me that would just depend on the person there draw lenghth exc.I don't think it would really play into things like the overall length of the bow.I prefer longer riser myself because I like longer sight windows that come with them and have a draw lenth that still works ok with shorter limbs.Other than the larger sight window and more mass I doubt if it helps my shooting any over a short riser with longer limbs. jmo

[dragon rider]

Jeff,  assuming for argument's sake that I really understood what Leon Stewart told me the long riser and shorter limbs should be a few pounds lighter in draw weight than the shorter riser, longer limb combination.  So from that perspective the long riser would be "easier" to shoot - course it'd also be heavier which may go the other way depending on whether you're talking hunting or target shooting.

[Orion]

Dragon rider, that only holds if you take the same set of limbs and put them on one or the other riser.  In doing that, you change the length of the bow because the riser length is different.  If you put the limbs from a longer bow on a shorter riser, it will increase the draw weight about 2-3#, because the limbs will be flexed more at the same draw length.  Likewise, if you took limbs designed for the shorter riser and put them on the longer bow, they would lose 2-3# because they aren't being flexed as much on the longer riser.  

In bows of the same length and draw weight, the bow with the short riser and longer limbs will be a bit smoother to draw.  Some feel that the shorter limbs on the longer riser would be a bit quicker, but that's not always the case.  The longer riser bow, because it has more mass in the riser, would reduce hand shock a little more.  Most of these differences are slight in mid-length bows, say 60 inch recurves, for example.

There's a much bigger difference between short and long bows regardless of how they're put together -- say 52-inch and 64-inch recurves respectively.  The shorter bow will stack more quickly, have greater finger pinch and will generally not be as consistent/forgiving as the longer bow.  Now, design also has a lot to do with it.  Shorter bows can be made to ameliorate most of those problems, and not all longer bows are smooth and consistent, but that's the way to bet.  

A good book that deals with a lot of these types of questions and a lot of other technical and practical stuff is Timeless Bowhunting by Roy Marlow.  Good luck.