I have recently entered the field of traditional archery and I have a handful of questions. First off, I just acquired a Browning Cobra II recurve. The AMO Length on the bow is 58". My understand was that the string should be 4" shorter than the AMO length. I ordered a 54" string, along with a bow stringer. I strung the bow using the stringer and immediately measured the brace height to the shallowest portion of the riser/handle. The brace height was 10". I know that the string needs to stretch for a while, so I let it set overnight. The brace height this morning was 9 1/2". I read somewhere that the brace height for this bow should be around 7 1/2-8". My question is, should I continue set-up with the 54" inch string, or should I order a longer string, say 55" or so. Sorry for the long post, but it is my first of many, I hope. Thanks in advance. Peck
Don't order a string for a 54 inch bow, or a 55 inch bow for that matter.
Order the string for an AMO bow of 58 inches in length.
Brace height should be between a minimum of 7 to 8 inches, max.
Charles.
Most of the strings now are sold by the actual string length,not AMO bow length.Normally,4" shorter than the bow works for me.Double check what that string really measures.That may be the problem.
If it does measure 54",you will need something longer,maybe as much as 56".It almost sounds like you got a 52-53" string.
Older bows you subtract 3-4 inches for a recurve and 2-3 inches for a longbow. But now the newer bows and strings you order are by AMO length and they send a string for that exact length of bow by their standards.
If in doubt measure from bow nock to bow nock with tape measurer and use that...
Here is some good basic info on the matter...read down for measureing bow if no string available to compare.
http://www.flemishbowstrings.com/
Thanks for the replies, the string I ordered is definitely 54". I just read a short post somewhere when I did a web search that said the brace height was supposed to be around 7 1/2 to 8", I am going to give it a try and if I have problems, I will try another length. From what I am reading in other posts here, that is what I should do anyway. Keep trying different things until I find the "just right" combination. Thanks for your patience with a greenhorn.