Author Topic: Question about short bows  (Read 1317 times)

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Offline Calamitus

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Question about short bows
« on: April 03, 2013, 09:21:33 am »
If one's draw length is the typical 28", how does one draw a shorter bow to less than that (say 26" or less) consistently without risking overdrawing it and breaking it? Been wondering as I want to make a shorty, around 52".

Offline MWirwicki

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Re: Question about short bows
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2013, 09:30:30 am »
Make yourself up a set of arrows that are only the 26" to the back of the point.  Use only these arrows on your shortie.
Matt Wirwicki
Owosso, MI

Offline half eye

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Re: Question about short bows
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2013, 09:36:00 am »
I make my arrows so I "draw to the head". In other words I draw till the head touches my bow hand. I have two sizes only. 25" draw length for the bows I shoot with a slight cant and an anchor point and 22-1/2" draw for the Native American replicas which I draw and shoot with thier style.

Drawing to the head is an excellent way to do it, in my opinion because: you have a built in "trigger" mechanism, The arrow length helps establish "muscle-memory", and once knocked there is absolutely no reason to pay any attention to that arrow (no sneek peek's to interupt your concentration)

Anyways, that's just how I do it,
rich

Offline PEARL DRUMS

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Re: Question about short bows
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2013, 10:00:38 am »
A common oversight with short bendy bows is the handle depth. You can plan on losing at least 1" of draw with a shorty. the handle probably wont be much over 3/4" thick, most rigid handle bows are at least double that. Make a 54" bow and full draw it. Short draw shooting is a pain, especially in a "non-thinking" hunting situation. Its all fun when your pointed at paper or foam.
Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.

Offline Calamitus

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Re: Question about short bows
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2013, 04:03:34 pm »
Ah, thanks all, didn't even cross my mind to use the arrow length  ::)

Offline sleek

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Re: Question about short bows
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2013, 04:15:41 pm »
I like to tie a draw stop string that has the amount of slack in it as my draw length for the bow. One end of the string is tied to the bow string and the other end to the handle. You pull the bow string back, the draw stop string goes taught, and you can no longer pull any further. You just place the string in between your fingers along with the arrow. Pull back like normal and you will always pull the exact same distance every time.
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Offline Joec123able

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Re: Question about short bows
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2013, 04:33:17 pm »
I just mark the max draw length on my arrow and I just look at the mark and draw to it and shoot until you can shoot without looking at the mark then you become more accurate of course short bows are more unstable then longbows but if you stick to only shooting short draw bows you can get really accurate with it with out having to look at a mark on an arrow
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Offline JonW

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Re: Question about short bows
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2013, 07:01:01 pm »
What Matt and Rich said. I wonder how come the old guys never had a problem gettin food?