I have a 29" draw and have discovered a 56" recurve that I am shooting really well.   It's a vintage bow for what it's worth.

A friend that has been shooting traditional for a looooong time told me that it's possible to weaken the bows limbs with my draw length.  

What do ya think of this?

Thanks, Skychief.

I shoot a horn bow with a length of around fifty inches.  It will draw to 38".  It doesn't seem to be getting weaker.

Total bunk?

If it's an all wood stave or board bow that has some age, it's possible that you would strain the wood enough to weaken the limbs. If you're talking about a vintage wood-glass composite or solid fiberglass bow, or a wood-horn-sinew composite like half-seminole and others shoot, then I think you're friend's leading you astray...

Halfseminole, you have a good 1ft 3in of draw over me, if you typed your draw length correct. Thats a long draw. Wow

That's his correct draw length and yes it is longer than most.

Bowyers will often post what the suggested maximum draw length is for a certain design. If you stay within those suggestions your bow will last a very very long time.

It may be possible to weaken the limbs...that is why I only paid a couple of hundred bucks for this 52 inch Kodiak Magnum that I draw to 30 inches...gonna be sad if it blows up one day but there are more out there like it...and I doubt I will live long enough to do any damage to that bow...Bear built them to draw at least 30 inches

DDave

I have a 29" draw length and most of my bows are 56",my preferred bow length.I've been shooting one since 1972 and also have a 54" that I've been shooting since 1978.