Black Frog

Old/New, shorter draws are not a problem at all with modern compounds. Manufacturers will have cams and/or modules that fit a wide variety of draw lengths.

Start poking around some archery shops and test shoot a few bows. Usually the shorter axle-to-axle bows must be shot with a release aid to avoid some major finger pinch. Have a shorter draw helps avoid finger pinch, but to me unless your bow is 38" or over I'd be looking at a release.

If you haven't shot in that many years, you're in for a real treat with today's technology!

Len in Maryland

Old/New:

Be very careful about 'advertised/posted' draw length. Many of the manufacturers are an inch (or more) longer than what they state. All of the modern compounds shoot well. Finding the one that is best for you can only be determined by shooting various brands side-by-side; but, make sure they're the same draw length and poundage.

Old/New

Black Frog/Len,
Thanks for the info. I haven't shot a compound in years (since my mid-70's Jennings Arrowstar). The draw length on that bow was (and still is) 26.5 " Does that change when using a release? Or is that just too simple a question?

I will not buy a bow I don't shoot...even if I must travel to Maryland.

Len in Maryland

With all due respect, I seriously doubt that your old Jennings Arrowstar was really 26.5". Most of the bows from that period were 28"+ with a VERY soft back wall. I know that because I have a machine/tool that I designed that can test actual draw lengths.

A few years ago I used this tool to catch a manufacturer who didn't know that his 'documented' DL was 2.5" too long.[:@]

One more thing, be careful about the abundance of information you get on the forums. While there are many greatpeople that share a wealth of information, some of what may be deemed to be correct is not. Just be careful.

BTW, in what State do you reside?

Old/New

Len,
I live on Long Island (NY). Back in that day I got hooked up with a really good bow guy. He had many bows stocked with lots of draw length choices. This Jennings was listed as 26.5 though it does have a soft back wall. A Jennings 26.5 may not have been a "real" 26.5 as measured by your tool admittedly. But he was careful measuring archers and I remember him saying often, "the bow you're using is too long for you", to many ofthe shooters that used his range.

Regardless, I know when I go into a bow shop and shoot a bow Iwill not settle for one that is too long a draw. That brings up the question of which bows are listed accurately as far as their draw lengths are concerned? Where do I start? I expect the shops will have few short draw bows to shoot. Am I wrong?

Thanks again for the info.

Len in Maryland

Quote:

I expect the shops will have few short draw bows to shoot. Am I wrong?

Probably.[:@] Most of the shops either don't know enough about or don't care enough about draw length. There are some good ones out there and I hope you find one that does well by you. There are but a few adultbows that really go down to the 26" range. Many are stated togo down to 26", but are actually 27". If you are really a 26.5, then that extra 1/2" might not bother you. Right now I'm shooting a 29 3/4" draw length bow. I'm actually a 29 1/4" and even my customers can see how it affects me.

Also, in the 'old days' a lot revolved around tournament archery. We watched at how good tournament archers shot back then and adopted their form. While it was acceptable for tournament archery, it causes certainproblems for hunters. This was the subject of one of my seminars last year. What I'm getting at is that the gentleman who helped you back then may have had the best of intentions, but they could have been misguided.

I was quite ignorant about draw length when I first got into this business back in the early '90s. I believed the stickers on the bow and the advertisement until I started seeing extremes. Try up to 2 1/2" longer than spec'd!

Anyway, good luck in your endeavor. At least you're now going into this with your eyes opened wider.

Old/New

Thanks Len...

PABowhntr

See what happens when I don't go online over the holidays. I missed this entire thread. Thank you for bringing it back up.

Len,

Great post and some great info. I want to ask your opinion on something though....

I was wondering about this when I first saw the design. Would you say that this is then an advantage to the center pivot design as opposed to just having a shorter limb extending back from the center pivot spot (effectively turning the center pivot into a limb pocket) to the cam?

Thanks.

Black Frog

I just test-shot the Guardian this week.

Only downside is that it was set at 29" AMO which is much longer than my 27" draw. But I still wanted to at least shoot it from all the hub-bub that's going around about this bow.I like the grip, nice and narrow. It was a 70# bow they had dialed back to 60#. A concern Ihave isthe way the limb bolt goes directly into the aluminum riser. I was wondering how much stress is put on the limb bolt, and the possibility of galling/stripping out those threads. I was surprised how incredibly easy the limb bolts turn. That center brace does a lot. Quiet, seemingly fast, shock-free. I was impressed.

I'm wondering how much wear the center brace puts on the limbs over tens-of-thousands of shots. It has a rubber lined "clamp" hold on the center of the limbs- I guess only time will tell.

The bow certainly has my consideration for my new hunting bow. BUT, I'm waiting for the new Pro-series Dartons to come out so I can compare. On paper, the Pro2000 has very close specs to the Guardian.

Len in Maryland

The center pivot design has unique characteristics.For one, the load distribution is controlled better in various axis. The pivot point serves also to contol cam lean. Look at it also as a modified deflex riser design. You notice that I called it modified. Some at first wondered if it were a full deflex riser.

The limb bolts are VERY well greased to prevent galling. I am only concerned about some trying incorrectly to let the bow down for repair. I can seesome real problems in this area for those who might be mechanically challenged.

The center pivots have been used for several years during development. I doubt that there will be any problems.

The biggest problem I've had to date is trying to find a minor noise that was a slight buzz. It was the Limbdriver string vibrating against the cable guard. Not the bows fault, just my choice of accessories. I fixed it with a 'touch' of moleskin.