Short drawing on a selfbow

[Stingray45]

Hey guys just got a quick question about shooting. I just got my tradebow from the bow trade we did here this year and it's an awesome little twisty piece of osage. Nice heavy shooter. It's alot heavier than my normal glass laminated longbow that I have been shooting. The problem I'm having is I seem to be short drawing the bow and I'm wondering if that's normal for selfbow versus laminated bow or is it maybe just in my head that I'm worried about drawing it back all the way? The difference in poundage is alot so I'm wondering if that is playing a part as well. The laminated bow is 47# @28" and I normally draw about 27.5" and the selfbow was listed at 53#@28" but when I put it on my scale it was pulling more around 65#@27" or so. So it's probably a difference of about 20#. I've pulled the selfbow all the way out on my tillering tree to 28" when I was stretching it out to warm it up before first shooting it, so I don't think it's in my head about overdrawing the bow. But the mind plays tricks on you from time to time. Thanks for any advice.

[gstoneberg]

Heavier draw weight will compact your draw a little, at least until you build up strength to shoot it.  My draw length at 60lbs is about an inch less than at 45lbs when I haven't been shooting.  After I shoot the 60 awhile it goes back up.  However, you may very well have some subconscious concern about breaking the bow or are sensing that it is beginning to stack.  Be very careful, bad habits are quick to learn and slow to break.  I would never recommend that somebody do a 20lb jump in draw weight.  See if you can't find something in between to shoot a bit before going to the heavy bow.  In time though, you'll be able to shoot the heavier weight, but it shouldn't be at the expense of your form.  I would practice drawing the bow in the house without an arrow just to build up strength.  It'll sure make your lighter bow easy to shoot.

George

[Stingray45]

Yeah that's about the same for me on the short draw at the 65#. I normally draw about 27.5" like I said but I was drawing a 29" arrow on the selfbow last night and I had at least 2.5" to 3" left over so I was probably drawing about 26" or 26.5". I was amazed at how easy my 47# longbow was to draw afterwards haha. I'm working on a rawhide backed maple mollegabet right now and was thinking of shooting for mid 50's so I'll work on getting it to 55# so it's somewhere in the middle.

~Barry