Are short recurves really harder to shoot?

[Zradix]

Hi everyone! I'm pretty new to trad archery. I have a little Herter's perfection 46" 40" act. length string. I'm an ok shot with it. It pinches my fingers and such but I'm ok with that. I find myself having to arch my wrist down so the grip is in the "crotch" of my hand only and press down on the thumb groove-rest in order to get decent groups. My limbs aren't perfectly straight. They have a little twist to them. I can normally twist them back straight by hand. That's probably a no-no but I don't know what else to do. It just seems REALLY touchy to shoot. This is my first recurve so I have nothing to compare to and all my friends shoot compounds. So what I'm wondering is ..are short bows alot more touchy than longer ones? I like my short little bow, but I'd be tempted to go longer if the bow would be a lot more forgiving on those cold long mornings. Thanks a lot..good luck

[rnharris]

welcome,yes they are generally harder to shoot getting off the string with your fingers pinched down.i hunt with a 58" recurve and i draw 29" it is almost too short from a smoothness standpoint,if i could be as accurate with a 46" bow as i am with a longer bow i'd hunt with it because i hunt from tree stands exclusivly!

find a balence between smoothness of draw quiet and forgivness and go hunt!good luck ,Ralph

[Blackhawk]

...are short bows alot more touchy than longer ones?

You're most likely going to get a variation of answers on that one, but for YOU, I would say yes.  

You mention finger pinch (which is common with folks with longer draws and short bows) and it's "touchy" to shoot.  Your form and release has to be near flawless for precise accuracy (at least for distances past 20 yards).

It seems you gave all the arguments in your post to get another bow (pinch, touchy, twisted limbs, poor groups sometimes)...and that's what I would do.  Also, your string should be closer to 42" for that bow, so your brace height is probably too high.

I have a 28-29" draw and have no problem with bows in the 52"-54" range, such as Steve Gorr's Cascade bows as well as Black Widow's PSR.

Short bows are great and convenient for the stand and blind, but too short can be detrimental.  Good luck...

[Zradix]

I just put the string on it called for on the herters sticker. said to use 40" actual. I haven't tried to adjust any more than twisting the string to get the vibes out. I know that "normally" you use a string 4" shorter than the bow length. The distance from my string to the back of the self is 8"

[straitera]

Short finger pinching, string plucking, limb twisting Bear Magnum broke me of short bows altogether. Loved the bow just couldn't hit the same spot 2 times in a row.

[Bill Carlsen]

I a 48" Bear  and wound up hating it. The only really short bow that  I have shot that seems to shoot very well is the L'il Suckling. Those bows are not speed demons but are very stable nice shooters.

[rkmnt2]

All things come with a compromise. Depending on your bows design it could be a nightmare to control.
   Typically shorter is easier to maneuver in the blind, stand or whatever but most often sacrifices speed and stability.
  Longer is usually faster and smoother.
Find one that "fits" you. There's nothing more frustrating than not being able to hit where you want to no matter how much you practice.
  My $.02

[James Wrenn]

I have seen guys that can shoot short bows very well or good enough for what they do with a bow.Never seen one that would not shoot a longer bow better however if they ever give one an honest try.jmo

[Zradix]

who makes,what is, a lil'suckling bow? googled it and can't find it.
Thanks for the help everyone.

[Dave Bulla]

Found an email contact

littlesuckling@aol.com

You can find a lot of comments and questions about them if you search google but I didn't find a specific website.  They pretty much always have an add in Traditional Bowhunter magazine somewhere.

[katie]

I have a 52" Maddog midsize recurve and LOVE it!  It shoots amazing for me.  I have a short draw so I have no problem with the size.  At $150 custom made for me, can't beat it.
I have a 56" longbow that I shoot better than my 51" longbow.  Yet I shoot the 56" longbow better than a 58"(that I sold) and a 60"(my hubbies).  Go figure!
My hubby shoots a 60" Kota Longbow.  He recently shot a 54" recurve and loved it as well.  He has a 27" draw.  My advice is try to shoot as many bows at varying lengths to get the feel of what you shot best.  Might have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince!

[Zradix]

Thanks Dave!!  

[Dave Bulla]

Got curious about this....

I know I see their adds all the time in TBH.

Went ahead and went to the TBH website and found that they have a sample digital issue you can view for free.  Pretty cool.  Just like looking at the actual magazine.  Anyway, their sample issue is the Aug/Sep 2008 issue and if you go there and look at page 98, there is an add.  No website but there is an email and phone contact.  Looks like their bows are only 44" long!

[Zradix]

That's cool!! You the man Dave!!

[Zradix]

Thanks for the Maddog tip KATIE. I have a new bookmark!!  

[Curtiss Cardinal]

I find them to be so. I think the best way to put it is that short recurves are "less forgiving" of your faults.

[Blackhawk]

BTW, that Little Suckling bow is 44" and is the shortest I know of. This bow originated several years ago by a man named Kiko Tovar who called it the KT-44, which is now the Little Suckling.

It is a very radical bow both now and then, has a very high wrist design and a long brace height. I even heard that when he (Kiko) passed away, the man that took over his design embedded some of Kiko's ashes within one of the bows.

A hunting buddy has an original KT-44 and they are very cool looking, but stacks at 28"...which is probably a good thing since it looks like the string is really to slip off both limb tips.

Also, one of the more popular short recurves was/is the Bear Kodiak Super Magnums which are 48" AMO.

[joekeith]

Check out Rodney Wrights Stalker.  I've got one and it shoots great, but don't try to go past 28" draw, dead end.  Fun bow to shoot though, check 'em out.  

[LongStick64]

I find it really depends on the bow design. I've shot my share of shorties and for the most part I love them. Then again, I hunt in the Northeast and I rarely take a shot over 15 yards, so I don't really have any issues that display themselves over distance.
I also found that by switching to three under, I am not getting any pinch.

[JEFF B]

no they are not hard to shoot if you are a short person. but if ya have arms like a monkey it may be a problem.