Long bow vs Short bow

[TheFatboy]

LOL, probably not!

So longer limbs ARE generally faster? Hmm, aha... interesting. Physics really like to trick us.

[BobW]

my cousin liked yelling "RUN" when I drew my 56" Shrew Classic Hunter past 32"...  

[Rob DiStefano]

mike, you got info/data on the longer-is-faster-than-shorter limb thingy?

[LongStick64]

I think it comes down to a longer limb works more so more energy build, rather than a shorter limb that works less.

[Dave Bulla]

Hmmm, I don't think one "works" more or less than the other per se.  the amount of work done is the same for either limb.  X amount of weight is moved Y amount of distance.  

I always figured two bows of the same overall length but different riser length (which requires different limb length) both do the same amount of work.  i.e. Two bows both pulling say 55# @ 28 inches.  What is different is the amount of work being done per inch of bendable bow limb.  Just always heard that more work per inch is more efficient therefore faster.

Mike, did Blacky give you any details?  I'm just armchairing this idea but he does actual testing so I'm curious.

[michigan bill]

Rob, remember a couple months ago Mr. O.L. Adcock wrote a lengthy explanation of why longer limbs were faster than shorter limbs (all else being equal) and he mentioned that the shorter-is-faster was a myth handed down from generation to generation.
Regarding his explanation:  I couldn't understand it either!  But I do believe him and I believe Mike (Wingnut) above as it seems everyone who has done testing reaches the longer-is-faster conclusion.
Bill

[BobW]

   time to pull out the old physics books again....then again, its fun to see what gets posted, so nah!

[wingnut]

The one thing I didn't mention last night is that the difference is a few fps and a point on the DE.  That is a bunch to us when designing and testing but really not a bunch if your shooting in the field.

The "shorter is better and faster" I think is coming from the compound design side.  As limb materials get better they can preload the short bows and limbs to unbelievable levels.  The results are very fast bows.

Mike

[Rob DiStefano]

mike has just confirmed my suspicions - every riser/limb design has an optimum set of performance dimensions.  amen to that.

[buckeye_hunter]

Here is a thread you might be iinterested in. I asked the question about shorter limbs = better performance. On this thread some of the elite bow makers out there responded to the question.

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=047983

Enjoy,
-Charlie

[TheFatboy]

Thanks Charlie, checking it out right ahead.

[TheFatboy]

Interesting post by DAS Kinetic:

"Personally, I would not base my limb length decision on a possible performance gain. I would consider the terrain and conditions that I hunt in, and get the longest bow that works in those conditions. The longer bow will be smoother, easier on the fingers, more forgiving, and possibly quieter. A pretty good trade for a couple FPS that might not even materialize."

Wise words. I plan to pull 32" as I will mainly be pulling with the thumb, so I guess I'll be getting the SHORTEST bow that will work with a 32" draw.

Thank you all VERY much for your inputs      

[Don Stokes]

It's been my experience when bare-shaft matching folks with arrows, that shorter bows tend to need higher spine than longer bows of the same draw weight. This doesn't necessarily mean they're faster, though. The abruptness with which the force is applied is greater with shorter working limbs, which explains why higher spine is needed to compensate, but total energy output might be the same or even less, depending on multiple design factors. Speed and spine don't necessarily correlate.

[TheFatboy]

That's definetely also something I should be aware about. Thanks