AMO length for recurve/longbows

[Razorbak]

Hi..I have a question for anyone..how could you determine the AMO length for a recurve when there is no marking..do you measure from the back of the bow along the limbs?   I use to know but as of right now..I do not remember how to do/determine the length...I do know that alot of bows are not true AMO hence some strings are 2" shorter and not 3 or 4" like true AMO longbows and recurves...thank you in advance

[TexMex]

E-mailed you.

[TexMex]

Glad to help.

[Dave Worden]

Razor, the AMO length of a bow is 3" longer than the string which will brace the bow the proper distance.  Therefore, measuring along the belly of the bow to determine the bow's length may or may not give you the AMO length.  Long bow or recurve, the proper string is 3" shorter (loop-to-loop) than the AMO length of the bow.  Obviously it is entirely possible for two bows of different overall length to need the same string length in order to be properly braced and those two bows would be the same AMO length.  Why they had to create this confusion is beyond me!

[Shawn Leonard]

remember though that AMO did not come about until the lae 60 or early 70s, I believe and most bows older than that were 3" for Longbows and 4"s shorter for recurve. You can argue the dat e with me but not the fact about the string lenght. I spoke to Tom Lemme whos shop was opened by Fred Bear himself and Tom had hundreds of Bear an Martin bow strings in the little tubes from the early  to mid 60's and all the longbow ones are marked 3"s shorter and the recurves 4"s shorter. ie 60" AMO reurve actual string length 56"s and same for  LBs 62" AMO was 59" string. Shawn

[Razorbak]

thanks fellas for the info..I think I got it now