draw length

[scott451]

i have a td black widow ma11 66# at 30 but my draw is 28 what effect does this have im new to traditional shooting always shot compound thanks for any info scott

[McDave]

It means that the bow weight will be about 62# at your draw length.  For most of us, that would be overbowed, if we were new to traditional shooting.  Being overbowed means that we couldn't easily pull it to full draw and hold it at anchor.  When you're learning to shoot traditional archery, you want to shoot a lot of arrows.  Can you pull it to full draw, hold it for 3 seconds, shoot it, and then repeat for 10 more shots?  If you can, fine.  If not, you might want to get a bow you can learn with, say 45-50 pounds.  The bow you have will probably turn out to be a great hunting bow once you learn to shoot it.

[bsigal]

McDave,

I was under the impression that there is a 3#
varience per inch of draw.

[McDave]

You're probably right.  The change in bow weight per inch of draw will vary depending on the bow's force/draw curve, and also on the bow's overall weight.  For example, for 20" of draw, to go from zero to 40# would be an average of 2# per inch, whereas to go from zero to 60# would be an average of 3# per inch.