I am going to order a new bow. I draw 27" and like 47 #'s should I order 50@28 or 47@27?
If you are ordering a custom bow you should be able to talk to your bowyer and have it made to your personal specs (47 @ 27). In all likelihood, that is probably equivalent to about 50 @ 28, supposing an increase of 2-3 lbs. per inch of draw.
Have you picked a bowyer yet? If not, may I recommend St. Joe River Bows? You wouold be hard pressed to find a better bow. Come to the Kalamazoo Expo in January of 2011. There will be tons of bowyers and they all will let you test drive before you buy.
When I order I ask for the draw weight at my draw length (46-48 pounds) but ask that it be marked at whatever it is at 28". I also stipulate from where I measure the draw length--1.75" past the pivot point of the grip. Usually, on a recurve this is at the back of the arrow shelf (away from the archer). For most of my bows 50 at 28" would be 47 at 27".
Something to consider is if you hunt a state/province that has a minimum draw weight to be legal for a particular species. 50# seems to be reasonably common. I would want any bow I buy to have that minimum in writing on the bow irrespective of the draw length I have.
S.
Howard ,
I just picked up a really nice 47# @ 29" ,It was made by Chad Holm,This is the third one I've had by him ,Boy is 47 #er It is really nice it's fast smooth all the way to anchor ,And it's accurate. This is the third bow I have by Chad ,He's a great guy to work with ,And he ill give you exactly what you want, I would give him a call ,He is a sponsor on here .He will make you a really sweet bow .
Carl
My name will be coming up next mouth on Big Jim's list.
My advice is not to be too particular about draw weight--many bowyers only guarantee to get within +/- 2 pounds of requested weight. Some have scales that are not exactly right too--I've experienced that more than once.
My 2 cents:
It seems like a lot of folks think in terms of 28" for bows. So, if you decide to sell or trade later on, you will be good to go.
Matt
28" s is just a standard set many years ago. It is only a starting point. I would think most any boyer would not have a problem marking at any draw length.
I mark all my personal bows at 30"s because I can.lol
BigJim
Yep, that 28" standard was established by fellows with arms that drag the ground and knotts on there heads from bumping into things higher than 5'6"!
I agree with raging water- 28 is standard in my opinion.
BowWild- sounds like you might be jealouse of average build fellas like myself. Course I'm a might longer on the draw and have many bumps on the head.
Bigjim
Order the bow at your draw length and let the bowyer figure it out. What we don't want is a bow with custom built thin glass for a short draw marked at 28" or higher. Those long draw fellows may get a surprise on the used bow market of the bow is marked for an "unsafe" draw length.