draw length?

[short slugger]

I was reading Traditional Bowhunter magazine, and saw the article that discusses the trad. bow review, which highlights a manufacture's new bow each magazine. Under the testing parameters section it states, "The string was pulled to 28" AMO, which is 26 1/4" from the string to the deepest part of the grip." I had always thought draw length was from deepest grip point to your anchor point when bow was drawn, and that you could figure within a few pounds your draw weight at 3# per inch of draw for recurves. If I draw 27" actual, Am I overdrawing the draw weight the bowyer has set on bow such as, 60# at 28"? Am I really drawing possibly 62#, since it is 3/4" longer than the AMO statement of draw length in the article? Or is it really figured actual to actual, and that the common 28" AMO really means actually 28" draw?

[shantam]

a draw of 28" AMO is 26 1/4" PLUS 1 3/4".
shantam

[Kingstaken]

Draw lengths are measured from your anchor point to the back face of the bow (the face of the bow furthest from you , the face you don't see)

From what you have explained the bowyer has set a 60# @ 28" which is from your anchor point to the back of the bow so actually it appears you are pulling 3 # lighter.

[McDave]

It's interesting that with different bows, your draw length will change.  For example, with my BW bow, my draw length is 27 1/2".  I had a Gamemaster bow for a while, and at first set it up with a clicker set to my usual draw length of 27 1/2", which I did by drawing the bow back on my bench with a special arrow I have cut for that purpose.  As soon as I started shooting the bow, I knew that wasn't going to work, because I had to draw it way past my normal anchor point to get it to click.  The Gamemaster has a small, narrow, hand grip, which is set forward, compared with the BW grip, so you have to draw the Gamemaster further, compared with the BW, to get to the same draw length, measured to the back of the bow.  Both bows worked fine, but it convinced me that the only way you're going to know your draw length with a particular bow is to shoot that bow until you find something you're comfortable with.

[short slugger]

Thanks, guys... so draw length is as measured from the front of bow held in my hand to my anchor...face, back can be confusing.

[McDave]

If you attach something to an arrow shaft such as a piece of cardboard with a hole in it that will fit snugly on the shaft, and draw your bow so that the cardboard slides along the arrow shaft against the back of the bow (the side away from the string) your draw length will be the distance from the bottom of the string groove of the arrow nock to wherever the cardboard stops on the arrow shaft.

[Chris Wilson]

When you say you draw "27" acutal" are you talking from the deepest part of the grip to your anchor point?  If that's the case, then yes, you're drawing a little more than AMO draw length.    
From the pivot point of the grip to your anchor point is termed "true draw" length.  Add 1 3/4" to that converts it to AMO specs.  For simplicity sake, measuring from the back of the bow to your anchor gets one pretty close to AMO draw length specifications.  I say pretty close because riser measurements can vary from bow to bow depending on the design.