Your thoughts on short bows

[BOWMARKS]

Well I definetlly lean toward the short ones some of you know my situation and have no choice.      

[ron w]

Well today a 15" TT Recon riser wandered into my life. I have a 14" riser coming but I thought I would fool around a bit. A pair of 40# shorts were set up, a 452 string twisted up with 2 string leeches. Standing vertical the bow is just over 52" so I'm thinking with my 29" draw this may not be good. I adjust tiller and brace and out into the yard I go.

[ron w]

I shot 2016 with 125 up front.....first time I draw I notice no stack, interesting. First 2 arrows are a bit high and right at 15 yards. I make a mental adjustment and put the next 3 in the bull. A few more arrows and I back out to 25 yards and put 3 out of 4 in the kill on a deer target........this short bow thing may be OK! Will be fun to get the 14" and try my long limbs.

[ron w]

I went back out and shot some 50-55 and some 55-60 cedars.....they also flew well.

[Gator1]

Ron

Great start. I treestand hunt a lot I really like bows 56 to 58 inches.

Your set up sounds awesome.  

[Rob DiStefano]

i like longbows and my 2pc 64" sparrowhawk feels SO smooth for my 29+" draw length.  but it's not the most versatile bow length when up a tree.  in fact, it can be very limiting as to what "hole" (branches, leaves, etc) yer gonna be able to shoot through.  i found that very limiting in my whitetail hunts down in texas.  

the last really short stickbow i had was a 52" bear magnum, back in the mid 60's.  i hated it.

this 54" timberghost hybrid t/d i just got is/was more of an experiment to see if i could adjust to a much shorter bow and deal with any stacking issues, and make for easier tree stand hunting.  

so far, so good - no stack, fast and stable, good pointability, shoots quite well for me.  it'll get a good workout this sunday at the club's field and golf courses.

[ron w]

I also had a 52" bow back in the day......I wasn't fond of it either.

[Pete McMiller]

The primary reason I left traditional archery for 35 years was a 52" Bear Kodiak Magnum.  It stacked terribly and though I was reasonably proficient with it, I "traded up" to wheels as soon as I could.  If I had had any experience with longbows back then I never would have gone to the dark side.  All my bows now are 66" longbows - both Hill style and R/Ds and I enjoy shooting them all.

[AR RidgeRunner]

I really think short bows are better than they used to be. I think used to, a short bow was kind of a novelty with most people shooting 62" or longer recurves. I think when I started shooting stickbows the most popular recurves were 62". A 58" Mamba was considered a short bow. With more people interested and wanting short bows I think short bow designs have really improved. That's really why I started building bows. I wanted a short bow but everything said I couldn't shoot one comfortably and accurately at my draw length. Had to see for myself. More than one way to skin a cat if you put your mind to it.

[BUCKY]

My 56" Kanati's are perfect for my 26" draw.

[MnFn]

Personally, I like shooting bows in the mid length best.  I have a "stout" build; my 3 yr old granddaughter says "Grampa, you have a big belly".  I have to really try to keep 66" inch longbows  from touching my torso at full draw so shorter bows work better.  I think 60" to  64" are best for me.

I have owned a 48" and a 56", but 60" seems like the best fit.  I have been thinking about ordering a set of limbs that would make a 62" bow, just because I have never tried that length.  Although 1" at either end may not make enough difference to make it worthwhile.

It seems to me if you are mostly hunting from the ground a 60" would be about perfect.  I shot a buck with one of my knees on the ground and the length did not hinder me at all.  I could see a shorter bow having some advantages if you were hunting from tree stand, or perhaps a small blind, I guess.

[ron w]

Well after messing around with a 14" and a 15" ILF riser I think short is all relative. With my long limbs on a 15" I get a 60" bow. But strung it's only 56" end to end. My one piece River Runner at 60" is 58" end to end. I guess that's short enough for me. The good news is that my wife just went from a Zipper 17" ILF to a Morrison 14" ILF because the grip is much smaller and fits her well. That makes a 54" bow 30# @ 25" which fits her very well.

[nineworlds9]

Cool deal Ron!  Yeah bow true lengths vary by how each bowyer measures.  My new Cari-bow Tuktu is marked 60" but when strung is 1" shorter than my 56" Centaur!!  Gotta love deep hooks on static tip recurves!

[TOEJAMMER]

I agree with the comments on the Bear Mags  at 52 inches from back in the 60's.  Had one and wouldn't again.  However, I had a couple of Wing 52 inch Thunderbirds by Bob Lee, not AMC, back then and a totally different animal.  Very smooth and very nice.  My 27 inch draw helps.  Currently have a couple of Cascade Golden Hawk Magnums and Cascade Night Hawk Magnums (Phenolic riser)  all 52 inch and they are perfect.  No finger pinch, stable, smooth and perform.  Lots of improvements over the years in short bows.

[Rob DiStefano]

the old bear magnum and super magnum were never friendly to a 28" draw let alone 29".  these dayze there are some really well thought out super short longbows (let alone recurves) that are nothing like those old shorties in smoothness of no-stack draw and stable release, with heavy arrow speeds we could only dream would be possible back in the 60's.  a prime example of this kinda really good super short longbow is the 54" timberghost t/d that pulls smoothly for me to just over 29".

[Stone Knife]

I have a 54" Bob Lee one piece and love it.

[BWD]

56-58" bows for me. Longer bows do not help me shoot any better.

[stabow]

I never been a short bow fan but with that said my  Lil Hoots Big Jim's TC and Black Widow all are 54" and they shoot well for me.......stabow

[daniel boon]

I like longer bows 60"+, but pull mine 50" Ambush to 29.75" without stacking. If you want a short bow with a longer DL, try the Ambush, pleasant to shoot, fast and Chucks workmanship is excellent

[Kelly]

Todays short bows are worlds apart from bygone era ones. I too have been a long recurve guy for many years but have always hunted from treestands or stalking/still hunting. Now that health issues are forcing me to sit on the ground those long bows just don't work as well.

I find my 52", 44# Cascade Golden Hawk Magnum to be extremely smooth, even smoother than my 56" Bear Takedowns of lighter weights. But since I can not find any more limbs or complete bows of Cascade make I will be using the one I have and several 56" Bear TD's. The longest I will go these days is 60".

There are some real good old bows in 56"/58" like Damon Howatt Hi-Speed and Browning Safari I/Fury I.