What's so wrong with full length arrows?

[MikeP in WV]

Just curious but why do not more trad shooters leave their arrows full length, or at least pretty long? I read countless threads about folks struggling with spine, weight and arrow flight when chopping their arrows to 28.5" and having to add extra tip weight to get the spine right. I've been shooting 32" GT 55-75s out of a 55# recurve and 33" Easton Legacy 2020s out of my 63# longbow with 125gr up front and they fly great. Plus I think the extra length aids in penetration and the extra weight left on is a bonus. Just curious if anybody else leaves 'em long or am I missing something...thoughts?

[CJC]

i have not cut an arrow in years.  set them up so i dont have too.  i have a 30.5 inch draw however. i say cut them as little as possible.

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

I'll reply with a question... Why shoot an arrow longer than necessary?

[aYak]

must just depend how 'centershot' your bow is and whether having a 'weaker' arrow affects your particular setup.  me, my knuckles drag the ground, so I have no choice.  The longer the arrow is left, the less weight I can put out front, unless I mess with the sideplate.

[Lewis Brookshire III]

Why does my wife prefer the color blue when I like Brown?

Everyone has there own opinion and likes. Spice of life, so they say.

[Molson]

I'll give you one that has nothing to do with spine or arrow performance.  

When hunting, longer arrows stick further out of a back quiver, further out of a hip quiver, and further out of a bow quiver. All of this means you will tangle with more brush, provide more leverage for brush to knock arrows out of your quiver, and stick your nocks in the dirt more frequently whenever you set your bow down.

[Don Batten]

I love full length arrows. I only cut an arrow when I can't tune it with point weight. I guess I'm lazy when it comes to pulling the insert,cutting off a 1/4 inch and trying again. The big plus for me is a longer arrow narrows my Gap. Not the rule, but it works fine for me. Don

[Matt Stuckey]

Many of the native tribes all over the world who depend on their ability to hunt to survive use extremely long arrows, up to six feet in length.  I'm sure over the hundreds or thousands of years that they have been doing making arrows they have tried every combination possible.  
Why not go with the longer arrow, if you are able to manuever without nocking it offf the shelf I see no reason not to.

[Matt Fowler]

I shoot full length shafts. I like the clearance between my bow hand and broadhead, especially in cold weather with gloves. If I feel that broadhead touching my hand it screws up my shot. I have a 30in draw though.

[BobW]

At 32" of draw, I have no idea what you are talking about.    .... I actually have to extend mine to keep from a bloody experience when the bh's go on..  :cool:  ....

[Don Stokes]

Every inch of length you add makes it necessary to have 5# more spine in the shaft. If that's not a problem, go for it!

[Chris Lantz]

Originally posted by Molson:
I'll give you one that has nothing to do with spine or arrow performance.  

When hunting, longer arrows stick further out of a back quiver, further out of a hip quiver, and further out of a bow quiver. All of this means you will tangle with more brush, provide more leverage for brush to knock arrows out of your quiver, and stick your nocks in the dirt more frequently whenever you set your bow down.

Yup, a 28" or 29" arrow is a lot less cumbersome in the brush then a full length shaft.

I don't know if it applies to anyone here but Fred Bear kept his arrows short enough so the back of the broadhead would touch his knuckle when reaching full draw, he used this as a draw check.

[BEN]

I have just a 27.5" draw but shoot 30" carbon arrows.
I used to cut them down more trying to get a little lighter, hoping as a beginner to minimize trajectory and guess work. now I'm happy with more weight and shoot the heaviest carbon arrows I can find and keep them 30". Its a happy medium for me----not quite as long as full length, but a little longer than necessary to provide the extra weight.

Ben

[Orion]

I agree with Molson.  Also, you create more movement pulling a longer arrow out of your quiver and getting it onto the string.  Or, if you have to maneuver in a tight spot for a shot, the extra length will often hang you up.  For target shooting, of course, it's not a problem.

[Blackhawk]

"Look at that guy shooting with all that arrow sticking out...he's not even at full draw."

I've heard this more than once, and it even made me a little self-conscious.  

Folks need to realize that having a few inches hanging out could be a good thing.

(Did that sound right?)  

[buckeye_hunter]

Easy now Blackhawk!

I have been wondering if it would be easier to tune arrows that you received full length. Pecut arrows seem to be a pain in the arse to tune well.

Along that line, what causes arrows to barrel roll while in flight?

-Charlie

[Dutchman]

With a 31" draw length, I have no real choice but to leave them at full length.

[crossstickspro]

Well as many said before me opinion is the most important,If you have confidence in your equipment you will shoot it beter than if you dont.
on the other hand, if you are shooting carbon one thing to keep in mind is arrow stability.
The more stable your arrow is the shorter the feather and you can achieve f.o.c with ease.
to do this you can shoot an arrow as stiff as possible and break down the spine with more tip weight. Many compatition shooters do this for accuracy both in trad. and in compound...I learnd this with my trainig wheels and carried it over to my self bows.

[Orion]

Blackhawk:    

[OsageBowyer]

when shooting reproduction native american self bows with short draw lenghts the very real risk of over draw failure can be avoided by using arrows cut to proper draw lenght or so my pile of broken/overdrawn self bows tells me