When someone is lQQking at second hand bows for sale I'm oftened asked if the bow # and draw length for say a bow of 60# at 30" is the same as a bow of 50# at 28". I say perforamce speaking no and that your better to get a bow to perform better when at closest to your proper draw and # getting the max bend out of the limbs.
Any thouhgts what would be the most percentage for # and draw length someone would want to go before giving up to much performance and saying no to a bow eventhough when the reduction in draw calculates for their # they want to shoot?
I am not really sure that I understand your question, but I will venture a guess anyway. As far as ideal drawlength of a bow for a given bow, that only matters if their are big differences in the amount of energy stored per inch drawn, and that will vary with every bow model. Alot of bows start to stack slightly after 29" or so depending on the length, but that will really depend on the style and length of bow. As far as a thumbrule for poundage changes, a pretty close guess is take the peak draw weight at a given length, divide it by 20, and that is around how many pounds the draw weight changes per inch change in one direction or the other. For example, a bow that is 60# @ 28" should be approximately 63# @ 29" and 66# @ 30", 57# @ 27", and 54# @ 26". This holds pretty well for a couple inches of difference.
I guess what I am saying, is that a bow that is 55# @ 30" will be reasonably close to 50# when drawn to 28", but may be a little bit less if the bow has started to stack beyond the 28" mark and that this can vary quite a bit depending on bow style and length.
If it was designed for a long draw, instead of just "the same bow" pulled further, it could make a difference. Although most bows in the past were designed and labeled as ** @ 28", that is not always the case now and some are designed to use that longer (or shorter) draw.
ChuckC
I believe it depends on the bow, but I know my Border Hex-5's are designed in such a way to get the best performance at 28-29"s, longer may be better but shorter does not allow for the static tips to open and get the best results the design is meant for. I am sure Sid can make them to get maximum performance at shorter draw lengths as well. My new Caribow really shines after 28"s and drawn shorter the same thing goes. Shawn
I understand that a bow looses approx. 3 to 4#'s in weight per inch as the draw length decreases.
I asking performance wise when someone is looking at a bow which is heavier # and a longer draw then theirs, but due to their shorter draw length the bow's weight is ideal, at what point should they look for another bow built closer to their weight and draw length to get better performance out of the limbs?
The question you're asking has no one answer.
It depends on the bow and how much you care about a few FPS of speed in the arrow. It depends on the particular bow etc.
I draw 25", thats pretty short, there really aren't bows made for a 25" draw (except the wood bows I make for myself). I personally do not care what draw length a bow is rated for. If I like the way it shoots, I could care less what is written on the bow.
Regarding the draw weight, I know that if a bow is rated at say 50# at 28", it will only be about 40# at my draw length. Therefore if I want 50# I buy a bow rated at 60# @ 28".
If your draw length is very long (30"+) then you might not want a bow SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED for a short draw liek 26".
The truth is that 99% of bows are rated at 28". That is just the standard for the traditional archery industry, and also indicates that it is safe to draw the bow to 28". It may be fine to draw it farther as well, and it is always SAFE to draw a bow less than the rated draw length.
The onyl way you're really going to know if one bow gets better performance for you is to sit in an archery range and shoot them side by side through a chronograph with the same arrow. Personally I think that is pointless and overkill, but to each his own.
I hope some of this addresses your question.
If we knew more specifically what your situation was it might be easier to get you a better answer.
Generally speaking the difference would not be noticeable, that said if your draw is 26 don't buy a bow rated for 32!
With the travel time of string on arrow being less I would think that the preformance would also be less