I have a 29" draw length. Would the old Kodiak Magnums be too short for me to shoot effectively without string pinch or is a 58" bow about as short as I can handle.


Andrew

I would think 58" normally would be getting pretty close to the shortest that would fit you. If 29" is you draw with a stick bow. But, you might be comfortable with a shorter bow. Everyone is different.

there are 52" maybe even smaller custom bows that you would handle no problem, I know Centaur, Saluki, Shrew, and a couple other customs straight off the back that would handle your draw length for a very short bow.

If you shoot three under you won't have any problems. I shoot recurves down to 44" with no problem out to 30".  I noticed that the 48" magnum stacked a little and the 52"  a little smoother. If you want to shoot short bows I would look into Cascade as he makes one of the smoothest 52" bows around.

i have a draw length of just a fidge under 30 in
and shoot 58 in bows and up
i once had a 54 that felt good
but the kmags just feel like they hit a brick wall to me @ my draw length
i will be checking out the cascade bows myself at kalamazoo this weekend
kevin

you can also check out Dave Beeler,s longbows they are 56 and 58" and no finger pinch at all.they feel like you are shooting a 64 to 66" longbow.And they are sweet shooters and lookers also.

I have a true 29" draw and my k mag 52" and my sheepeater 50" are my too favorite bows. Every body is different.

My K mag shoots great at 29"

James................

Its more about you and your form than it is about the bow. With me my release goes to crap on any bow shorter that 58" You really wont know till you shoot a shorter bow for a while.

In my opinion and experience, it is a "rob Peter to pay Paul" situation. Short bows have an advantage in a ground blind for situations like turkey hunting, but generally they are less stable than a longer bow will be...and therefore I tend to view them as a specialty bow.

There are of course some things good bowyers will do in order to shorten a bow for special applications...and those bows make great candidates for hunting in situations where one needs a short bow.

When selecting a short bow, an archer has to ask themself, what matters most. Do you want stability or speed? If you want stability, you have to add some features to the bow to be sure you maintain it. You will need 1. a forward riser, 2. a shorter riser, 3. you will need a higher brace height, 4. you will need more deflex off the riser. All these things help add stability BACK into a bow that has been shortened in length to meet the needs for tight hunting situations. Of course, ALL OF THESE THINGS also reduce a bow's efficiency, so as a result many short bows end up being less efficient than a longer bow that has a longer riser but an equal length working limb. Additionally, many heavily deflexed risers tend to have a more flemsy limb and have often a bit noisy in my experience.

For this reason, I suggest you try before you buy. There are a few out there that have excellent reputations for obtaining excellent hunting type short bows, but because we are all different I would suggest asking a bowyer what areas he gave up in order to make the bow shorter. If they say they gave up nothing but yet they are producing very very short bows...well, personally I would find that hard to believe and think that for anyone to prove other wise (meaning their bow is short, quiet, durable, fast, and stable for their shooting), that archer would HAVE TO HAVE excellent form. Physics is after all physics.

I am sure there are some out there I am not aware of that are worthy of consideration, but personally, the only two short bows I would consider would either be a Centaur or a Shrew (although I would lean towards their longer models)...as both bowyers have an excellent reputation and have obviously done an excellent job in producing some of the finest short bows on the market. The centaur is known to be a very fast bow and while I haven't personally shot one  Jim (Centaur) wouldn't have the following he has if his bows were sensitive. Additionally, Ron (Shrew) has obviously proven his ability to shoot well and has done some trick shooting with his bows despite their length...so they are obviously not sensitive either. The old saying is "the proof is in the pudding" has been put on the table by those two guys...so I would suggest checking into them.

Good luck.

Thanks for all the replies guys!  I have a true 29" draw and since I am getting mixed reviews I guess I will need to follow the advise of try before I buy.

The shortest bow I have shot with any regularity is 58" so I guess I will just have to give some shorter bows a try. Now, to locate someone local with just that.

I shot a 52 inch CASCADE WELL and I have a 27 inch draw.  Only to me it was a loud bow and I don't know if the length had anything to do with that or not.

Lost Creek Bows can match up with any other bow out there. Chad would most likely tell you a 58" for your draw would be the least. I have a 26.5" draw and have one of his 54" NAT bows. Best shooting bow I have ever shot & I own bows that cost a lot more. Yes, try before you buy but don't rule out the LC bows.

This subject appears regularly with a wide variety of opinions. I personally believe the design of the bow makes a huge difference. I have a 29" draw and have shot a few of the older, once very popular commercially produced 52" bows and would not own one. This past fall I was at Dan Toelke's and shot a number of bows including two of his 52" recurves and was amazed at the smooth draw, exceptional speed and overall manners of the little bows. At first I thought that I was so impressed because I had such low expectations but I shot one for an hour or more and came to the conclusion that the bow is simply a gem. The review by Pete Ward on this bow can be read and he came to the same conclusion.

Finger pinch is just being uncomfortable.  I could put up with that.  What I can't put up with is the loss of accuracy.  It's a simple fact that the shorter your bow the more string you have on your fingers at full draw.  The LESS string on your finger, the cleaner your release will be.

No one shoots todays compounds without a mechanical release for that reason.  PM me if it doesn't make sense to you or look at Vipers book around page 10 or 13.

Bowmania

QuoteFinger pinch is just being uncomfortable. I could put up with that. What I can't put up with is the loss of accuracy. It's a simple fact that the shorter your bow the more string you have on your fingers at full draw. The LESS string on your finger, the cleaner your release will be.

No one shoots todays compounds without a mechanical release for that reason  

Todd, the reason they use a release on todays compounds is because of the 85% let off...(or is it even more now?)not because of the shortness of the bow.

I have shot and killed deer with my CPB and just fingers,and the release.The release is used cause you can hold at full draw for ever.And the release aids in the stability of the light arrow on release.

That said if your fingers measure 2 1/2 inches wide,the amount of string on you fingers will be the same on a short or long bow.JMHO

It comes down to form, release, bow design and last but not least PRACTICE. It doesn't matter how long or short your bow is if you aren't proficient with it. If the bow is comfortable to shoot and you spend the time shooting it then accuracy will improve. JMHO. One last note static tips help in the bid design.

Ron,

I would CERTAINLY consider you a top expert in short bows, so don't take my comment wrong...but people have been using releases for a LONG TIME...long before 85% let off was here.

Lee, absolutely they have, heck I even tried one of the plastic kind 45 years ago, also tried one made of aluminum. Shooting recurves back then of coarse, compounds came later. Also we know that the thumb ring was used a very long time ago and some still use it today. For a lot of years after compounds came out, most people shot with fingers. Then they went from 50% to 65% and after 85% let off it seemed everyone went to a mechanical release.