can someone help me please !!!!

[conedoggy]

ok, here is my problem, i don't know if anyone read my post in the shooters forum about my kodiak hunter exploding at full draw .. well this tragic event is making me go to my backup . a bear patriot longbow .. i always had trouble shooting this bow , my accuracy is terrible . well before shooting the other day i sliced a few strands of my string with a broadhead . so i really wanted to shoot that day so i drove the half hour to cabelas to purchase a new string . ( i purchased the bow new from cabelas, of course came with a string) so on the bow it says string length is 64 AMO . so i purchase the string and bring it home . i proceed to put the string on the bow . which brings me to my problem , with the new string the distance from the string to the bow is 7 1/4 inch . with the original string that came with the bow when i bought it the distance was only about 4 - 4.5 inches from string to bow .this string is much shorter . the very tips of my feathers were about touching the shelf . with this string the feathers are back a few inches ... i now wonder if i was using the wrong string the whole time ( that would explain my lack of accuracy i imagine) but after my kodiak hunter exploding las week i am afraid to shoot the longbow if the string is now too short .   can anyone help me out with this .

thank you , rob.              

[moebow]

Your new string sounds MUCH better than the old.   7 1/4" is MUCH closer to what it should be (not sure what the recommended brace is for the Montana).  
4-4 1/2" is WAY too low a brace height on almost any long bow.  Shoot away with confidence.

I'd also suggest that your old low brace height MAY have been part of your accuracy problem.

Arne

[buckracks7]

It sounds like your first string was too long, and needed to be twisted up. Your new string sounds correct. It is going to stretch at least 1/4" anyway. Set your nock point and shoot it. I leave new strings strung overnight to finish stretching.

[Hawkeye]

Well put, Arne!!!

Great advice from someone who knows archery very well, Rob.

Best wishes as you get everything dialed in.

[Austin]

Somewhere between 7 1/4 and 7 1/2 is a good starting point for tuning that bow.  That bow should shoot great now!

[Panzer]

They are correct. Your low brace height on that first string could explain the crappy performance.

One thing positive about this string cutting. A Bear Patriot with the proper 7" plus brace height is a bow that even Byron Ferguson would use. The Patriot in my experience is a better bow than the Kodiak Hunter. The recommended brace is 6&1/4" to 7&1/4" for the Patriot, the 7.5" will settle to less than 7&1/4" soon enough.  On the one that I shot and tuned, I found that the with cedar shafts that were used by the bows owner, that the 7&1/4" brace worked the best over all. The Patriot is a solid shooting accurate bow.

[conedoggy]

oh my, quick responses ... thank you all so much for the help .i am very exited.. i am going to shoot right now for sure and will keep you updated . . i hope i can shoot it better then that old kodiak hunter . and i do know one thing if i find another kodiak with the same poundage and length. consider it sold... L.O.L  i loved that bow ...  and this site is awesome ... hope to meet a few tradgangers at some future pennsylvania events shoots etc. . thank you again and be safe ... Rob.

[Bernie B.]

That's why this site is the best archery site out there!  Instant help.  There's so much knowledge here with folks willing to help with any problem.  My day's not complete without a visit here.    

Bernie Bjorklund

NC Iowa/SW Wisconsin

[conedoggy]

you guys were right , i shot that bow better then i ever did before.. not as good as that kodiak hunter...the grip just don't feel comfy to me  i think i may try to wrap leather around the grip .. or is there something else i can do to beef up the grip a lil bit ?.  any ideas ?

[moebow]

Check out a thread over on the Shooter's form forum called "Grip Question" for a SUGGESTED grip that might help you.

Arne

[trad_bowhunter1965]

I don't shoot Bear Patriot longbow but most longbow run close in brace hight. 7 1/4 is what i shoot on both my Pronghorn Longbow.

[conedoggy]

yes after letting the bow strung overnight it seemed to stretch a lil bit . my brace height is now 7 1/8 inches ...and moebow thanks for the tip on the shooters thread . that is very interesting , i am gonna try to get someone to snap a few pics of my grip when i am shooting . you may be dead on with what i am doing wrong . seems i pull some shots to the left with the longbow . my kodiak hunter almost forced me to relax my grip just the way it is made .but with the patriot and my bear cub it seems like i squeeze tighter with my fingers . because it doesnt feel comfortable in my hand ... thank you so much for your time .. very helful .  Rob.