Measuring Draw Length

[Dean Marlow]

I had a fellow stop in last night wanting an Osage Selfbow and I measured his draw length and it was a 31". The longest arms I have ever measured on a person. I measure from the chest straight out to the tips of his fingers for draw length. Is this the right way to measure? If that is O.K. how long of a bow should I go with. It will be 1-1/2" wide and 50 to 55 pounds on the draw weight. Dean

[half eye]

Dean,
   I do it the same way using a yard stick in the center of the chest. If you want this fella to get a lot of use of the bow and he's going into a small blind or something, think I'd go with a full 72" on that stick.....not because it couldn't be shorter but just for the "abuse" factor that goes with somebody's first stick bow............JMO
     Oh ya, if he hasn't shot a stick before I dont believe he's gonna get the whole 31" at draw ....but You may want to tiller it out that far anyway......another "just in case" thing to do.
rich

[HoBow]

I measure from the chest to the base of the thumb. For 31"- I would go at least 62 with a D bow. Add handle length for a non bending handle.

[bow-toxo]

I had a fellow stop in last night wanting an Osage Selfbow and I measured his draw length and it was a 31". The longest arms I have ever measured on a person. I measure from the chest straight out to the tips of his fingers for draw length. Is this the right way to measure? If that is O.K. how long of a bow should I go with. It will be 1-1/2" wide and 50 to 55 pounds on the draw weight. Dean

It depends altogether how far he intends to draw the arrow, whether to the Ford "corner of the mouth" or to the ear or beyond as mediaeval archers or modern warbow shooters do. Those are different length arrows.
                                                                                                Erik

[Cameroo]

I had my draw length measured by pulling back an arrow to anchor that was marked every inch.  I got thinking about how to measure this on other people without a bow and arrow, so I took a cloth measuring tape and just measured from the web of my bow hand, to my anchor point (corner of mouth).  As you would probably guess, it was the same distance as when I measured with the bow and arrow (minus the thickness of the bow's handle).  I would think if you're going to use a tape measure, why not measure from the palm of the bowhand to the intended anchor point? Can't get much more accurate than that!

[bow-toxo]

I had my draw length measured by pulling back an arrow to anchor that was marked every inch.  I got thinking about how to measure this on other people without a bow and arrow, so I took a cloth measuring tape and just measured from the web of my bow hand, to my anchor point (corner of mouth).  As you would probably guess, it was the same distance as when I measured with the bow and arrow (minus the thickness of the bow's handle).  I would think if you're going to use a tape measure, why not measure from the palm of the bowhand to the intended anchor point? Can't get much more accurate than that!

If you wish to use the modern corner of the mouth anchor point, which has no place in warbow shooting or in this forum, you might as well also use the arbitrary 28 inch arrow length that goes with it. Also, you may find your draw length shorter when drawing a strong bow than what you measured without tension.

                                                        Erik

[sailordad]

erik, why woulndt the modern corner of the mouth anchor point have any place in this forum?
when i first got into trad archery(after a 30 yr absence)i had no idea of my draw length
i took and arrow and marked it every inch and did precisley what cameroo stated
i draw empty handed(no bow) just the arrow and looked to see what the arrow should at the web of my hand
i also anchor at the mouth or a tad in front of it
but i dont like a 28" arrow,i like mine at 30"
i dont see why this wouldnt have a place here

[bow-toxo]

erik, why woulndt the modern corner of the mouth anchor point have any place in this forum?
when i first got into trad archery(after a 30 yr absence)i had no idea of my draw length
i took and arrow and marked it every inch and did precisley what cameroo stated
i draw empty handed(no bow) just the arrow and looked to see what the arrow should at the web of my hand
i also anchor at the mouth or a tad in front of it
but i dont like a 28" arrow,i like mine at 30"
i dont see why this wouldnt have a place here

     You must have really long arms.The forum is a “Primitive Archery’ forum. Early Englishmen drew to the breast or drew to the ear until the nineteenth century Victorian archery of an afternoon gentlemen’s social event changed the rules to include the corner-of-the-mouth anchor point as well as the tiller of longbows. I don’t believe that the Victorian period is considered “primitive”.
It is the “English Longbow Society” that does the Victorian thing.

                                                                              Erik

[NTD]

I think you are too caught up in labels there Eric.  VERY few people on here shoot primitive bows by your standards.  And even fewer shoot in a period accurate way.  Primitive Archer forum and Magazine is a Big Tent.  I'm not a primitive archer but I shoot and make bows made from wood and PA welcomes me.  That's good enough for me

[JW_Halverson]

 
If you wish to use the modern corner of the mouth anchor point, which has no place in warbow shooting or in this forum, you might as well also use the arbitrary 28 inch arrow length that goes with it.                                                        Erik

Apparently I have been here under false premises.  I am sorry for besmirching the very honor of this worthy society of Primitive Archery by my ignorance and poor form.  I shall go away and never stain the website with my corner-of-the-mouth anchor point.  For that matter, I shall endeavor to replace all my modern cloth garments with half dressed skins, dig the modern fillings from my teeth, eschew modern medicine and dentistry altogether and do away with the use of the unclean computer by which I have been posting my heathen and heretical rantings.  Goodbye all, I shall miss you all. 

Well, most of you anyway.   

[sailordad]

 
If you wish to use the modern corner of the mouth anchor point, which has no place in warbow shooting or in this forum, you might as well also use the arbitrary 28 inch arrow length that goes with it.                                                        Erik

Apparently I have been here under false premises.  I am sorry for besmirching the very honor of this worthy society of Primitive Archery by my ignorance and poor form.  I shall go away and never stain the website with my corner-of-the-mouth anchor point.  For that matter, I shall endeavor to replace all my modern cloth garments with half dressed skins, dig the modern fillings from my teeth, eschew modern medicine and dentistry altogether and do away with the use of the unclean computer by which I have been posting my heathen and heretical rantings.  Goodbye all, I shall miss you all. 

Well, most of you anyway.   

yup thems my feelings too
this site isnt the only one for primitive
on the others no one would bitch about the way i draw or where i anchor


eric i have a q or two for you
why would i have to have realy long arms,just cause i like long arrows
alot of tribal people to this day still shoot,what we would consider ,excessivly long arrows

how do you know exactly how people drew their bows or anchor point were in primiitve times,and i aint talking about midevil london here
i mean primitive times like paleo times and before.
persoanlly i dont give  rats backside what the elb society does
sure i make elbs,but i dont gt caught up in all that bs that they do

[HoBow]

Erik- you need to get over yourself and weird rules you think run this forum. Who cares if you pull to your chest or a foot behind your neck

[JW_Halverson]

Hmmm, good point.  We are going to have to set up a filter so that the people on Papua-New Guinea cannot post on here becaue the stupid heathens are shooting 48-55" arrows.  And they aren't even fletching them like all primitive arrows are supposed to be.  Global Moderators!  You have your assignment.  Ban the P-NG people!

[bow-toxo]

yup thems my feelings too
this site isnt the only one for primitive
on the others no one would bitch about the way i draw or where i anchor


eric i have a q or two for you
why would i have to have realy long arms,just cause i like long arrows
alot of tribal people to this day still shoot,what we would consider ,excessivly long arrows

how do you know exactly how people drew their bows or anchor point were in primiitve times,and i aint talking about midevil london here
i mean primitive times like paleo times and before.
persoanlly i dont give  rats backside what the elb society does
sure i make elbs,but i dont gt caught up in all that bs that they do
[/quote]

JW—Please don’t pretend to be insulted. The people in Papua-New Guinea {and the Amazon ] are primitive archers and of course their archery belongs on a Primitive Archery forum. Victorian archers have their own forum. Nothing wrong with that, but Victorian archery is not primitive archery.

Sailordad—Answer to your Q or two.

Q--why would i have to have realy long arms,just cause i like long arrows
alot of tribal people to this day still shoot,what we would consider ,excessivly long arrows

  A--You would have to have really long arms to get a 30” arrow measuring from your mouth to the web of your bow hand as you said you did.


Q--how do you know exactly how people drew their bows or anchor point were in primiitve times,and i aint talking about midevil london here
i mean primitive times like paleo times and before.

A-- I don’t know the anchor points in all primitive or paleo times. I do know that the corner-of the-mouth anchor point belongs to Victorian times and later, not primitive times.

  I don’t give a rat’s backside how you draw or even if you prefer an AK47, but that doesn’t mean it belongs in a primitive archery forum.

                                                            Erik

[NTD]

"You would have to have really long arms to get a 30” arrow measuring from your mouth to the web of your bow hand as you said you did."

Arrow length doesn't need to have anything to do with draw length.  I draw 28" to the corner of my mouth but have some 31" arrows.  It's a very easy way to decrease spine of an arrow.  Tim said he used 30" arrows, he DIDN'T say he had a 30" draw....

You really are a disagreeable person there Eric.  I'm not sure I understand the motivation behind your presence here.  It seems you have an obsession with being historically accurate.  That's valid IF someone is representing their equipment as such but as I pointed out earlier VERY FEW here do.  We just make wood bows and enjoy shooting wooden bows.  The majority doesn't care how you draw, if you used power tools or epoxy glues.  Your elitist exclusionary attitude is not what "Primitve Archer" is about.  Not sure if you've ever read a PA magazine but it's obivous if ya read one that corner of the mouth draw is more than acceptable here at PA.