bow for a long armed beginner - Update pg 2

[RM81]

Would a 62" Bear Cub 30# @28 be ok for a draw around 32"??  It's the only bow I have that might work to let a beginner try out trad archery.  My draw is 28" and my "good" bows will be too heavy at his draw.

Would the 32" draw be too long for the old Cub?  Thanks for any input.
   

[WildmanSC]

Matt,

Actually, I would think the 62" cub would be too short for someone with a 32" draw.  I would recommend at least a 64" bow, if not a 66" bow for that length of a draw.

Bill

[wingnut]

It would not be a pleasent experience for a 32" draw to shoot a 62" vintage bear bow.  It will stack and may come apart.

I'd try a 66" curve to start.

Are you sure he's a 32" draw?

Mike

[RM81]

Yeah, I guess I kinda already knew the answer before I asked it.  I was just hoping to hear something different.  32" is a guesstimate.  I'll get a measurement next time he comes over.  He's about 6'3"-6'4" and has really long arms.

[Night Wing]

With a 32" draw length, another vote for the 66" bow as a minimum.

If I had a 32" draw length, I'd go with a 68" bow.

[wingnut]

Probably pretty close.  I'm 6'3" and have a 30 1/2" draw.

Sorry the bow won't work for him.

You can pick up a Hoyt Excel and cheap ILF limbs for not a lot of investment.

Mike

[BobCo 1965]

I have a 31.5" draw. If I am shooting a lot of arrows, I can shoot my 70" Hoyt Recurve all day without feeling any effects. If I am not shooting much, my bare minimum would be a 62" bow. I have a Pearson 62" Cougar that I often use for hunting. My main hunting hunting bow is 64" however.

I have been told that there are bows being made that are designed to have shorter lengths and can handle longer length draws without finger pinch etc. Personally, I have not had one that did such a thing.  

I have tried my fathers old Bear Kodiak Mag that stacks so bad that I can not get it to full draw without getting a little scared.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

I stand 6'5" and draw 31" but my arms aren't that long. It sounds like he will probably draw 32" pretty easily...I suppose it doesn't hurt to see his draw length first though.

[ChapNelson]

I'm new myself, 6'4" with a 31.5" draw (according to my local shop). My first bow is a 62" Sage and wouldn't know what I'm missing. I know that's not a technical answer, but there you have it.

[Dean Lintz]

I also have a 31.5" draw. I usually shoot 64" bows to avoid finger pinch. I do have a 60" Fedora recurve I can shoot but not many arrows fingers start to get sore.

[RM81]

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I'm on the hunt for an inexpensive 66"-64" bow to get him started.

[legends1]

I also have a long draw and i find 64" best for me.

[Shawn Leonard]

Agree that 64"s would be fine. 62" bow may handle the draw but no fun to shoot. I have a 54" RER that has been drawn and shot at 32"s but would advise against that. Like Wingnut said you can buy an inexpensive ILF riser and limbs for cheap used. That way if the guy likes it, he can buy heavier limbs as he goes. Shawn

[ChapNelson]

Originally posted by Dean Lintz:
I also have a 31.5" draw. I usually shoot 64" bows to avoid finger pinch. I do have a 60" Fedora recurve I can shoot but not many arrows fingers start to get sore.

Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but by finger pinch, are you saying the string wrapping around your fingers pinches more on a shorter bow particularly with a longer draw? That sounds like what you're saying, but I want to be sure.

Mahalo, Chaps

[RM81]

Originally posted by ChapNelson:
Sorry if this sounds like a dumb question, but by finger pinch, are you saying the string wrapping around your fingers pinches more on a shorter bow particularly with a longer draw? That sounds like what you're saying, but I want to be sure.

Mahalo, Chaps

Yes, it has to do with the angle the string comes off your fingers.  The longer the draw and shorter the bow makes the angle sharper causing finger pinch.

[Michigan Mark]

I have a old 62" Rocky Mountain Recurve (19" riser) 68lbs @ 32" shot alot of years with no stacking and very smooth until went to the HILLS 66" Wesley (67lbs @ 32")and 70" Redman (54lbs @ 30") and never looked back. Seems that custom Bows make a difference than standard AMO but there should be a few shops out in you area to get him underway.

[RM81]

I handed him my 66" Bob Lee, and he didn't want to pull it past about 29" because of the weight.  So I did the yard stick in the chest measurement and he reached out past 33".  I checked mine to be sure and mine was within a half inch of my actual draw.
 
Not sure where I can find a bow to fit him just so he can try it out.  

[RM81]

*****Update (6/8/11)*****

So I finally found a bow (a generic 70" recurve, 24# @ 28").  If he's pulling around 40# at his draw (which I estimated around 33"), where should I start on arrow sizes?  Can anyone recommend a good arrow around 34" to start with?  I'm lost when it comes to the big and tall sizes.  Stu's calc shows that a full length 2117 might work.

[Night Wing]

Before buying any arrows for this bow, he needs to have the bow put on a scale and have it drawn to 33".

If the bow is "really" around 40# at his 33" draw length, you might want to throw into the mix a full length 2215. It's considerably lighter in weight at 10.7 GPI (grains per inch) than a 2117 which weighs 12.0 GPI (grains per inch). The 2215 would have a big advantage, trajectory wise, at 20 yards over a 2117.

Besides point weight, he'll have to play around with brace height no matter which of the two arrows he chooses.

As for a 34" arrow, I don't think he'll be able to find this length in the appropriate spine for an aluminum arrow. The low poundage and his long 33" draw length is working against him.

[RM81]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions everyone.  I do want to get a weight measurement when I can find a scale to put it on.  I found a 70" recurve on the auction site and fletched the only full length 2117 I had and it seemed to work ok.  He got pretty good arrow flight with it.  I need to find about a half dozen uncut 2117's to due to bare shaft tuning.  If anyone has any for cheap, let me know.  Here are the pics to show his draw.  Pretty good form for the first time shooting since he was a kid.  He was using a full length 2117 and it fell off the rest a few times he drew back.