I got a lil' souix bow when i was 8. Now, 4 years later, I'm still shooting it, but with a draw of 26.5-27. I noticed that it was 39 pounds @27 inches, and is 43 inches nock to nock. Now, even though I'm 12, i grew fast and can pass for 16, and perhaps 17, and this is a good draw weight for a beginner archer my size and gender (the range of draw weight would be 40-55), yet this thing is hard to pull. I heard that the Manchus opted for longer bows for a more stable shot, and i know that the mongols used shorter draws. How did the Turks and Koreans draw that far? I plan to move onto another bow when i have the one right now tillered and shortend to appropriate size, it is way to long.