I used to think that 32" was the standard draw now it seems that 30" has been trending as the standard for warbows. Even though I'm only 5'11" I've been shooting a 78# bow @ 32", and using the arrow heads on my knuckles as a reference point. I am sure as I shoot heavier bows my draw will be "compressed", though only drawing to 30" felt a bit weird and unnatural, so for my next bow I ordered 31" draw. It got me thinking though, is there any actual advantage to long draw lengths? I was watching one of Joe Gibb's (a warbow archer who shoots heavy bows) videos where he does a speed test of Mary Rose replicas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyEc8tkGBJcWhat surprised me is that the 28" arrow in a lot of cases was just as good in terms of velocity as the 30" arrow of about the same weight. So basically no benefit for extra draw length. The other thing is though, is that these arrows, even the 75g one, are very light for those poundage bows - so my hypothesis is they are so light the bows have essentially maxed out on velocity (well over 200fps in a lot of cases!) therefore the extra power stroke and draw weight does nothing. So, with a heavy arrow, say 10gpp, would the extra draw length of 30" or 32" give a benefit? And is there any evidence for heavy 1500gr arrows? The Mary Rose ones seem to be under 1000gr.
These results would lead me into thinking that a shorter bow with lower limb mass shooting at 28-30" is going to have better cast that a longer bow shooting at 32". However, Mark Stretton's blog says that 32" is the most efficient draw length and archers should prioritise shooting 32". However, Tim from Black Arrow Longbows recommends 30" for average height men, for easier anchoring. Can any experienced warbow shooters corroborate this, and recommend whether I should aim to shoot 32" or 30" for better cast and accuracy?
