bow length and accuracy

[jesse cales]

i've been shooting some shorter bows the past couple weeks,56-58".i'm having an accuracy problem with these shorter bows.has anyone else
encountered this problem or is it just my imagination.

[eagle24]

A longer bow is definitely smoother and easier to shoot for me.  I don't think it is your imagination.

[hormoan]

Put me in with eagle24 longer is smoother and eaiser to shoot, least for me.

                  Brent

[Curveman]

Making a really short bow necessitates either pushing the riser forward thus putting the center of gravity further away from you=less stable or having significant finger pinch=less forgiving (all along a continuum of course). So ALL OTHER VARIABLES BEING EQUAL, the longer bow will be the more stable, forgiving, bow. The people who shoot very short bows really well have simply learned how to shoot them well-that doesn't mean the bows are of a particularly stable design though people sometimes claim that. ("My 12 inch bow is smooth, stable and forgiving!"). The Wallendas can walk a wire better than I can a road-that doesn't mean I am not on the the more stable and forgiving platform!

[Whip]

I think a good shooter can shoot short bows well.  I'm not one of them  :(   At least it sure seems like my longer bows don't miss as badly.  :rolleyes:

[BTH]

I shoot my 54" Morrison Cheyenne much better than I shot my 58" and 60" recurves.

[Seeking Trad Deer]

I shoot my 52" bow as good as my 60" bows.  Easier to draw and manuver in a hunting situation also.  I do shoot regularly though.

[Jwilliam]

I have always shot longer bows better. They also seem to draw alot smoother.
Bill

[bsh_jr]

I shoot a longer bow much better than I do a short one and pretty much have settled on 62" for recurves, longer for longbows.  Anything shorter than 58" and I have to realy concentrate on my release hand, both making a clean release and not torquing the string.  By the way, does it seem to anyone else that short bows are becoming more popular again?  

Brannon

[vermonster13]

The blinds have created quite the short bow market

[carlr2s]

It took a while for me to accurately shoot my 58" longbow. I almost sold it. But suddenly it all came together. I put it away for two weeks and shot my recurve until today. It wasn't my imagination. I can shoot that bow as good as my longer ones. Low bow shoulder, low grip, deep hook, full draw. Yeah!

[Ralph Renfro]

I too have always enjoyed a bow of 66 or 67". However, this year I'll be shooting a 48" Sheepeater Spirit and I'm having NO Problems adjusting to the short bow. It puts em where I'm looking.

[Orion]

There's little doubt that short bows are the fad nowadays.  The radical deflex/reflex makes for pretty nice shooting short bows.  Think blinds have contributed to their popularity, and perhaps tree stands as well.  They do take some getting used to, but many people can shoot them well.  This isn't the first time this trend has appeared, of course.  Lots of short Bear, Pearson, Wing short recurves made in the late 60s, early 70s.

[TaterHill Archer]

I like 64" bows the best.  They seem smoother and more forgiving to me

[DW]

Hello JESSE, how are ya? As you know ,we've got short bows and long bows but seem to shoot the short ones better, don't know why. Skyler won a 3-d this week-end with "ol' Jesse". The best shooting bow I own is a LOST CREEK 56" LONG BOW. We're going to check the hogs this week-end in GEORGIA. I'll let you know, haven't forgot you. Don

[ozarkcherrybow1]

I'm glad this post came up. I recently aquired a 58" widow recurve that has been giving me fits. I am used to longer selfbows and switching over to this short recurve has made me concentrate on my form more than ever. I've been shooting just about every day and things are starting to come together for me. I think, in the long run, learning how to shoot this shorter bow will only better me as an archer. Now if I can just figure out how to get a smooth release!!!!    ..Terry

[sswv]

try this!  when we're in Hickory this upcoming weekend find one of every lenght in your weight range and shoot some groups with them. that way you'll get an (on the spot) idea of what you DON'T like.

[Mark Baker]

I'm with Ralph...I've always shot longer bows, heck, I'm a longbow fanatic.  I like 64" bows for most of what I shoot in self and long bows, for the very reasons many touch on...they are more forgiving - generally - of my bad habits.   Accuracy is really a problem of the shooter, not the bow, but design is important and can lend itself, even in short bows, to forgiveness of one's shooting flaws or style.  Having said all that, I've been shooting our Sheepeater Spirit - a whopping 48" long - as well as I can shoot anything!  I never thought it possible!   Short bows can be a pleasure to shoot if you get the right one.

[joekeith]

I'm glad this post came up.  All I've ever heard is how "unforgiving" a short bow is, and how your release has to be perfect.  I was amazed.  Within about 50 shots I was shootin' better groups than either of the long ones.  It just seems to fit me.    Pull back to anchor and release, nothin' fancy, just shoots where I'm lookin'.  I gotta 28" draw and don't notice any finger pinch to mention.  And I know my release isn't anything special, but still no problem.  
  I take that back,  the problem is I don't shoot my longer bows anymore.  The little 46" outshoots 'em for me. So I guess that ain't much of a problem  after all.
  Long live short bows      , that doesn't sound right, does it ?

[Curveman]

I still prefer longbows that look like longbows to anything that looks too short or heavily R/D. Aesthetically speaking, some of those short bows to me are the eqivalent that a "pocket fisherman" is to a flyrod!    -fully functional, but lacking some of the "style" for want of a better word. But I am one of those "foagies" in that I don't like metal risers either-even if they shot better. So I am not sticking with longer bows just because generally they are smoother and more forgiving. Some of it boils down to taste/aesthetics. I rarely follow trends. When I started not many people were buying Borders.