is stacking really that bad,,

[bradsmith2010]

ok I am out of practice and havent been shooting that much,, the weather was really nice so I shot a bit,, a shorter self bow 54 inches I think,,
well I didnt shoot too bad but I noticed it really started to stack at full draw and I couldnt quite get to the anchor I do with my longer 66 inch bow,, its like it just stopped coming back,, it was like defining the draw lengh for me,, the arrows hitting close to the spot I was shooting at,, and I got a good clean release as well, and good arrow flight,,, is stacking really that bad,,??

[Pat B]

I'd say no, Brad if you can get to your full draw. It can keep you consistent and keep you from overdrawing.

[sleek]

Nope, not a problem.

[Pappy]

Not unless you let it get in your head and it starts making you short draw which I have seen many many people fall into, and that is bad and usually gets worse as time goes on if you don't address the problem.  Short draws aren't bad if done intentionally. But if done unintentional, it is a really bad habit to get into. Been there done that. Stacking can just compound that problem if you let it.
 Pappy

[Selfbowman]

Don’t know a lot of tournament shooters that like a stacking bow. Most like a smooth draw and pull it into back tension. 

[bownarra]

Most definately - YES!
As selfbow man says it hurts your accuracy due to any slight differences in drawlength storing quite different amounts of energy....meaning a slight difference in drawlength gives the arrow varing amounts of propulsion...
It really does matter if you are after the best accuracy you can muster.
You won't see a really good 3D/target etc archer using a bow that stacks.
Check your force draw curve of a nice longbow and a too short bow. Also the longer bow stores more energy anyway (all else being equal) and gives you better arrow speed in the first place, is more forgiving and the loger limbs are more stable.
There is an awful lot going for a bow that is long enough but not much for a too short bow....short bows are made for specific sets of circumstances and as such you may find a short bow suits you....it is all subjective once you get past the physics It depends on what your intended use is....
I've won our national 3D champs (primitive class) a fair few times (so i'm not just waffling on this subject )and there is no way I would use a bow under 64" ntn, preferably 66 or 68 ntn.....of course my main aim here is pure accuracy.

[TimmyDeNorCal]

I built a static recurve from a super clean hackberry stave last summer. However, the rough stave only allowed me to build a 56” or so recurve. I knew I would never get 28” out of it since I only planned to build a selfbow static recurve out of her...and I ended up getting her to 23” or so...but I knew I could safely get a few more inches...

...but it was as if the bow just would not pull back any further than 23” or 23.5”. It was about 60# at 23”...but it felt like 150# at 23.5”+!! I read up on everything I could on stacking and came to the determination that my string angle was not extreme by any means - in fact, it was quite reasonable!

Then I finally noticed that the last 6 or inches of the bow limbs before the static hooks could be tillered to bend more...and it could be accomplished without it being whip-tillered. And once I scraped more off of the that last 6” or so I was all of a sudden able to get to 25”. And the last 1.5”-2” of draw saw a normal draw weight increase (2.5# or so per inch instead of 100#+ it originally felt like!).

All in all, the extra bend in those 6” or so before the hooks really was fairly subtle. It took me a while to realize that I could stand to get more bend there without it ending up too whip-tillered. So, I guess my point is is that for me my severe stacking issue was just a matter of addressing the very outer limb portions...and giving it slightly more of a bend there. Maybe that might be what others have experienced as well...maybe. All I know was that it took awhile for me to notice the bow’s issue...and then that it drastically improved after some mild scraping. Oh, and also that string angle was definitely not the issue in my bow’s case.

[bradsmith2010]

  I dont shoot tournaments,,but have,, I just hunt,, I can shoot my longer bow more accurately,,
but out of a blind or brushy situation,, the shorter bow that stacks may be an advantage,,
I have killed deer with both,,I dont have a preference,, guess it just depends on the application,,
   when hunting turkeys, I cant even draw a longer bow out of a blind,, so the longer bow is a definite disadvantage,,no matter how accurate,,
    I did shoot a rabbit at about 20 yards with the shorter stacking bow,, while deer hunting,, Jerry Simmons once advised me you should never miss a deer,,, they are a lot larger than a rabbit,,
    I loved that advice,,and keep it to mind when I hunt,, and a sharp Simmons broadhead on my hunting arrows,,

[Jim Davis]

Here's my observation as stated by Del the Cat in the string angle thread:

"I think that as long as the string angle doesn't get past 90 degrees you are not wasting energy.
As it gets past 90 you are starting to pull slightly along the length of the limb, trying to stretch it rather than bend it.
E.G. Imagine a skinny limb growing straight out from a tree at shoulder height.
Tie a yard or string to the end and pull down (string angle 90 )... it bends the limb. Now try pulling directly outwards in line with the limb (string angle 180), it won't bend at all! This shows that "feel" can be deceptive.
Del"

[PaSteve]

For me: Yes.

[bownarra]

I would suggest that when hunting turkeys you need to be more accurate than I do in a tournament
The short bow that doesn't stack would give you the advantage
What did will and Maurice Thompson shoot?

[Pat B]

They shot 68" sassafras long bows and made their living shooting songbirds so fashionable women had pretty, colorful feathers for their hats.

[bradsmith2010]

well in turkey hunting its usually my nerves that faulter,, not the bow,, or arrow,, I can hit a bottle cap at 10 yards but miss the whole turkey,,    they put some kind of voodoo spell on me,,

[BowEd]

The hardest part about turkey hunting is getting close enough.
I've had opportunities within range but deer were also there.Plus I was deer hunting to begin with.

[bassman211]

Stack, string centering , and to much poundage along with to much  set is what I try to avoid when building bows. With short draw horse bows  their is some stack that is hard to avoid, and at my age I don't shoot them much anymore, but if you can shoot a stacking bow well, good for you. I now only make low poundage longer target bows. I know it will likely never  happen, but I keep trying to make the perfect target bow for me.