Bow string length?

[katman]

Frank, I was going by this data,  http://texasarchery.org/Documents/AMO/AMOStandards.pdf

[LBR]

I don't mean this as a slam against anyone, and I won't call any names, but in the last 20+ years I've been tinkering with strings and asking questions one thing is for certain...a lot of very well known bowyers (some former, some still making bows) don't know diddly about strings. I've seen Flemish strings called "less accurate and could be dangerous"...but shipped with some bows anyway.  I've seen a warranty state that it was null and void if a Flemish OR dacron string was used (you read that right--warranty void over dacron).  I've lost count of the times I've heard the string get blamed for everything from delaminations to limbs twisting to noise to whatever.  Saw one guy (not a bowyer) claim his string made his bow pull 4# heavier than the 14 strand Dynaflight '97 string that came with it--everything else exactly the same.  Drives me nuts...

I don't know squat about making a bow, and won't hesitate to tell you I don't.  I have been studying strings and string materials for over twenty years, and that includes asking bowyers all sorts of questions.  IMO, some of them are great and honest but just a bit misinformed. Others, well...

I've been up and down and round and round with several about marking their bows correctly according to AMO, or simply marking the actual string length (ASL) on the bow.  That tiny bit of ink would make life so much easier for everyone involved, but...so far nobody I spoke with would agree to it.  Good to see some are.

Like Frank noted, AMO is a word that's used very loosely, especially in our side of the sport.  Lots of people that use it don't know what it actually means.  Best way to get the correct string length for a bow...measure one that fits it.

[frank bullitt]

Amen!  Chad.

If folks only new the battles to overcome!

[LBR]

The most recent is a material (BCY-X) getting blamed for a certain brand of bow failing.  When this material came out, I bought a Samick Journey to test it with.  Been shooting it going on four years, at least one accidental dry-fire at full draw, it's still doing fine.  For years Dan Quillian, Fedora, and Shrew promoted 450+ which has even less stretch/creep than BCY-X.  For some reason it's always the string's fault....

[nhbuck1]

What length strings do the Bob lees take then?

[frank bullitt]

Well,  the older Customs took around 4.5"
shorter.

They have made changes,  and many bows since. Best to give them a call.

[T Folts]

My Longbows take a 3" shorter string to be at proper brace.

[LBR]

What Frank said on the Bob Lee's--it depends on the bow.  I try to get the length of an existing string that fits and use that to go by.

[Bladepeek]

I agree with Chad. It would be so nice to see bowyers mark the ASL on the bow, but few do (thanks Gregg Coffee for marking yours).

It's just not that difficult to get a string with which to brace the bow (my HS English teacher would have been proud of me   )  You might have to over-twist the daylights out of it to get the desired brace height, or un-twist it way beyond where you would normally run the string, but since you are not drawing the bow - only stringing it to brace height, that's not really a problem. When you have the bow at the desired brace height, measure the string and you know what you want to order.