I'm confused. I've always been told that draw length is measured from the valley of the nock to the deepest part of the grip in the belly of the bow. Lately I see that some are measuring from the nock to the far side of the bow. Which is correct and when someone says that the draw weight is 50# @ 28" how is the 28" measured?
Thanks

I measure from my string to(at full draw,with help from a friend)to the front of the bow hand.I leave a 1 to 1 1/2" on the arrow depending on the head I use.

Isn't what you described how to measure arrow length? I think Buckhunter has it right on draw length. I hope so because that is how I have done it for years.........James

Draw length is measured from the throat of the nock to the far side of the shelf.  At least that's how they measure when they build a bow.

ipcjon2 has it right. thats how i do it as well. or you can get a low poundage bow of 20# and draw a long dowl with a nock glued on it and with inch marks on it and get your wife etc to mark one inch in front of the riser and do this a few times to make sure you have it right and 10 out of 10 it will be. then cut it off and glue a head on it and draw it again when ya got that right you will know ya draw length.  

I just measure arrow length from valley of the nock to back of the point.  Using a bow for this is not necessary.  

Your draw length is one thing the bow may have a standard AMO draw length for rating the bow.Not all people  have a 28" draw length that would make us equals.You can have a 30-31" draw length and shoot a rated 50#@28 bow.

According to archery standards the draw length is measured 1.75 inches beyond the pivot point of the bow's grip (deepest point of the grip throat). On most of my bows this is exactly at the back of the bow shelf (opposite the face which is towards the archer when at full-draw). So, to get your correct draw I draw the bow with my wife making a mark on the shaft where it touches the back of the bow (opposite the archer). For me, this is only 26 inches. Using a digital bow scale I then draw this arrow to that mark and read off the draw weight. Then I mark the arrow at 28 inches and draw until that mark is at the back of the bow (I have to over-draw by 2 inches). I then have the bow's true draw weight at the industry standard (which I compare to what the bowyer wrote on the bow) and I have the actual draw weight at my draw length. It is a 2# per inch factor for most of my recurves.

In other words, if you draw an arrow where the 28" mark is perpendicular to the pivot point of the bow you have overdrawn the bow by 1.75 inches. Measuring the draw weight at that point you'd get nearly 4 pounds heavier than an accurately measured draw weight by the bowyer.

I do what Bowwild does and my wife has never complained about it. My wife and a Viking bow scale

By the way, there is another draw length that is very important -- most important in fact. That is your correct draw length. This has nothing to do with bow or the arrow.  When at full draw imagine a straight line from your bow hand, through your anchor and beyond your drawing arm elbow.  When you are correctly drawn your elbow should be "slightly" (1/2") IN FRONT of or "outside" this imaginary line. With the elbow so positioned you are able to initiate, using back muscles (rhomboid) on the drawing side scapula a slight movement of this elbow rearward. This is the instant you should relax the back of the drawing hand and fingers all at once which allows the string to briskly pull through the fingers. If done correctly the drawing hand will immediately "paint the face" under the ear with the draw hand thumb ending up on or near the shoulder at the conclusion of follow-through. If the drawing hand stays at your anchor (dead releases), your back was uninvolved in the shot. Anticipation of the shot will follow and that's the beginning of target panic.

What Bowwild said!

If you'll tolerate a sort of funny story. Once, with a compound I got cheap and cut a damaged end off an arrow. I then drew the arrow and it fell behind (towards me) the arrow rest. This locked the bow at full draw but I couldn't let up the string for fear the arrow (carbon-ouch) would shatter and I would be injured. So, I called my wife to the basement and instructed her (while I remained at full-draw) to take another arrow and "flip" the stuck arrow away from the bow.  If no one had been home (or if wife had ignored her archery nut husband -- again) my plan was to throw the whole thing on the couch, turn, duck, and run!

Whoa, scary!  Option #2 would've been to stay still until someone came home!  :eek:

Here are the AMO standards.

http://www.texasarchery.org/Documents/AMO/AMOStandards.pdf

Yellow line represents draw length.

http://www.3riversarchery.com/3rdemos8.asp#1

My wife is having doubts about doing this.  I keep telling her I won't let go, but she just doesn't trust me.  She insists on standing to one side of the broadhead.  Do you think it will it work just as well?

The best tip I ever heard was to clip a close pin on to your shaft after the arrow is nocked and simply draw your bow. The close pin will slide up the shaft  until you come to full draw, let off and take your measurement.

I have been shooting traditional bows for over 50 yrs and I just learned how to measure my draw length correctly. Why I love this site so much, Thanks guys.........James

Thanks Lunartic - that should save my marriage!

Seriously - excellent posting - thanks guys.