Since switchin to trad gear a few years ago I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what is the easiest and most consistant combo for me personally.  Longbows seem to be where I gravitate, but being a gentleman of short stature, I've been hesitant to pick up a bow over 64".  My go-to is a 62", 60# Mattawoman II r/d longbow.  I see a lot of 66" bows in the classifieds that are in the ballpark of what I'm looking for but I'm hesitant to pull the trigger.  I'm pulling an honest 28" these days although I stand only 5'7".  Even if I do hunt from treestands a lot, am I worrying needlessly over a couple of inches?

QuoteOriginally posted by kbetts:
...... am I worrying needlessly over a couple of inches?

Just soo much fun could be had with that question!!!    

Seriously, I personally think the answer is yes. I am shooting bows from 66" to 70" and honestly from a manuverabilty perspective I see little change. Keep in mind that going from a 62" to a 66" bow you are only adding 2" to each end. The one exception would be in a commercial blind. There a couple of inches can make a big difference. Otherwise once you get used to the length I doubt you would even notice. Just my 2 cents.

I'm 6'1" and shoot a 60" longbow.  It works for me.  It shounds a little short, but it works for me.  I also have a 64" bow, and there isn't much difference when shooting although I do notice a bit more manuverability with the short bow.  I think the important thing is to go with what you shoot best.  The most critical thing is to hit what you are aiming at.

I'am 5'8'',  I shoot and hunt with long bows from 54" too 66". No problems, I do cant my bow though.  Don

Is there a particular reason that you want a longer bow? At your draw length, 62" seems like plenty.

No, its just seems easier to find a 64"+.  Most true longbows look to be 66" or so.

i draw 27" and don't shoot longbows under 66" ...

I have a few R/D longbows at 64" but for a d shape or Hill style longbow .....
Well ... and this is scientific fact     ...

Longbows are meant to be long !

Smoother , I find them more accurate and more forgiving ... and they look better !

I shoot @27" dl and think that a 66"s in a HH style bow is the perfect length.

I am 6' and have been shooting a 64".  I tried a 60" and a 62" but i justl love the smoothness of the 64".....it is a tad tricky at times in a blind but no problem in a tree

My son and I switched to longer limbs for our R/D bows last year 2 inches made a noticeable difference-smoother draw and better accuracy. You need to check it out for yourself.

Ya know... I just went from a 68" to a 70" Wessley Special, I am sitting at 6'3" with a 29.25" draw. I love the new locator grip, but will say the new 70" is noticeably louder.  I am going to try a new string and see if that calms her down a bit, other than that, all I can figure is that the 70" is about 10yrs older and maybe a little more broke in... I don't know.... looks like the HH archery supplied Flemish string, I braced them out the same and even played a little with that and didn't get any change out of it.

I'm 5'5" and draw to 25".  I much prefer my 66" Hill -style longbows over my 64" versions.  More stable and smoother on the draw.

I like Shrews where a "long" longbow is 60 inches. They shoot great, including my 54" Classic Hunters. BTW, I am 6'1" tall with a 29.5" draw. I know that many longbow shooters think anything shorter than 66" isn't really a longbow, but some of us think differently. If you haven't tried a Shrew, you owe it to yourself to spend a little while shooting one, especially if you are shorter yourself and would like to carry something more in proportion to your stature. For the bows mentioned by others, the advice given for length is good! Lots of knowledgeable folks here.

Allan

My shortest longbow is 56" and longest longbows bows are 62". Have owned 64" and 66", but never noticed a magical transition in smoothness and shootabliity from lengths in excess of 62". I believe any well designed bow can be an accurate bow...depending on the shooter's ability.