gman1969

I remember reading somewhere that a person having a shorter draw length (27" or less) can shoot with a bow having a smaller brace height without it being too unforgiving. I have a draw length of approximately 26 1/2" - 27". Should shooting a bow with a brace height of less that 7" (say 6 3/4") be much of a concern for me in regards to being too unforgiving? Or will my having a shorter draw length allow me to shoot a bow with that particular brace height measurement without much problem?

gibblet

i don't know about your specific question, but i've shot a 6 3/4 brace height bow with no issues at all and i'm a 29' draw. if you like the bow and it isn't slapping you on the arm i wouldn't worry about it.

TFOX

Yes it is true that if your draw is shorter then your POWERSTROKE is shorter and therefore allowing you to shoot shorter brace bows without to much of a problem.I personally would still stay away from high reflex bows but a bow with moderate reflex(less than 1 1/2") and a brace of 6 1/2" to 7" would be fine for a hunting bow.If a serious tournament bow is what you are after, then I would not go much below 7" if at all possible.BUT that is just my opinion.

RIStrutStopper

Thanks for this thread. I have a 27.5" draw length, and am shooting a BowTech Extreme VFT. I think the brace height is 6 5/8". The bow shoots fine for me. It makes sense that the shorter draw length would make the bow a little more forgiving even with the short brace height. The shorter power stroke due to the shorter draw length keeps the arrow in contact with the string for a shorter period of time than a longer draw length would. This should make the bow a bit more forgiving than a longer draw length would. Of course, a longer brace height bow would probably be even better... Okay, I better stop thinking now before I think myself into getting a new bow I can't afford.

Aquakeeper

I was told that the high # Brace Height the more forgiving it is with your shot. I am looking at a new bow for a begininer and the guy at the pro shop told me to look for at least a 7 or 8 brace height. The bow I am looking at has a Brace Height of 9 1/8" and a axle to axle length of 31"

Paul L Mohr

I would agree with Tfox. I would pay more attention to the reflex than I would the brace height. I don't buy into the shorter powerstroke thing being more forgiving. The only reason I would consider brace height is for clearance issues. Reflex is more important because it will affect the amount of torque that gets induced to the riser at full draw.

Some say shorter draw archers are at an advantage because we have a shorter power stroke and the arrows is on the string for a shorter amount of time. Giving you less time to mess up the shot. Same thing with higher brace height bows. I personally think this is a bunch of crap and not thought out very well. After you pull the trigger the arrow is gone and in the target 20 yards a way before you can blink your eye. There is no way you had time to mess the shot the up while the arrow was in motion. Humans just don't react that fast. Anything you did wrong you did it before you released the arrow, you just didn't know it. That would be like saying a longer barrel on a rifle would be less forgiving because the bullet was in it longer, ya right! When you mess up a shot with a bow or a gun it is due to improper form and anticipating the shot. Like punching the trigger or looking around the sights to see where you hit. I have seen people do it with bows and guns. You think you are doing it after the shot, but you actually start moving before you pull the trigger and just don't realize it.

Get a good wrist sling and learn proper follow thru. Blind bale shooting helps alot as well. As does dry firing a rifle. This helps you get over anticipating the shot and you can concenrate on aiming instead. If you do it right you can see the arrow fly to the target, there is no need to drop your bow arm or look around the sights.

Good luck,
Paul

ijimmy

I will concur with what has been said here . If I shot a longer draw 30" plus I would look for a taller brace bow . I shoot 28" and anything 6 1/2" plus in brace seems to work for me [ your results may be diferant] . Far more important to me is axil to axil , genraly 36" plus works well for me , but Im diveing into an alegance 33 3/4 , with hopes it will shoot for me , for treestand purposes .

upsguy

If you have a 30" draw and shoot a 6.5" brace the arrow is on the string for 23.5".
If you have a 26.5" draw and shoot a 6.5" brace the arrow is on the string for 20".
The negative effect that poor shooting form, or a shaky hand or arm, or from making a shot from a difficult angle while in a tree stand, would be magnified the longer the arrow stays on the string. That is why it is said that a short draw archer can get away with shooting a shorter brace than a long draw archer.

PABowhntr

I do not think you will have much of a problem getting a 6.75 inch brace height bow to shoot accurately with your draw length. The distance of the powerstroke and not necessarily the time is what makes a bow somewhat more or less critical to shoot (all else being equal). There is also definitely something to be said for the bow's riser geometry as well. A bow with a short brace height and little to no reflex is going to be more accurate to shoot than one with alot of reflex. It is more of the sum of all of the bow's physical characteristics rather than just one which makes it more critical or less critical to shoot.

Hope this helps.

gman1969

Thanks for all the replies. That helps out alot.

I do have a question about axle length. I am looking at two different bows (both with 6.75 brace heights), but one has a 32" axle to axle length while the other has a 36" axle length. What will be the main shooting characteristics between these two bows? What would be the advantages/disadvantages of one over the other? (Again, my draw length is approximately 26.5"-27".)

When you say reflex, are you referring to the shape of the bow's riser?

Thanks.