Very interesting topic!
It looks like the arrow velocity drops quite quickly, when the bow is a certain amount shorter then the ideal length. It doesn´t drop as fast when the bow is the same amount longer! In addition, a bow with long limbs is very durable and it is also more precise!
When I read this topic, I imediatelly thought at the warbows found on the Mary Rose! I´ve so often heard that these bows were only made so long in order not to not break and that they could be much faster if they were shorter. Of cause they could be more efficient, but they would be slower.
The average draw length is 30,5-31 inches and the average bow length is almost 78". So the draw length is almost 40% of the bow length, which shows that the length was also optimized in performance! In addition to that, warbows of a certain length and drawweight have less mass then other bows.
