Custom bow poundage vs difference from 28”

[ehartunian]

Hi gang,
I’m considering another bow and wanted some collective wisdom. I have a 26” draw length. I want a 40lb bow at that length. We know bows are measured at 28”, and will add/ lose about 2-3lbs for every inch more ore less than 28”. Is there a performance difference between a bow built to 40@26, versus the same bow built to 45@28, but only drawn 26”?
I hope that isn’t confusing.
Thanks for your comments.
Eric

[elkken]

It would be close, but maybe not exactly the same, if your going custom that would be a good question for your bowyer.

[Kirkll]

It depends on the limb design and whether the bowyer is building a draw length specific bow for you or not….

Most production made bows are designed for 28-30” draw lengths, and you will be sucking hind tit on performance only drawing 26”.

A custom draw length specific bow will have a shorter working portion in the limb and store more energy at shorter draw lengths, which in turn gives you more horsepower.

The down side to a draw length specific bow is that it’s going to stack up at a much shorter draw. So if you ever sell the bow, the new owner needs to know it was built for a 26”-27” draw length, and will start stacking at 28-29” depending on the design.

Your milage may vary… but that’s it in a nut shell…. Kirk

[ehartunian]

It depends on the limb design and whether the bowyer is building a draw length specific bow for you or not….

Most production made bows are designed for 28-30” draw lengths, and you will be sucking hind tit on performance only drawing 26”.

A custom draw length specific bow will have a shorter working portion in the limb and store more energy at shorter draw lengths, which in turn gives you more horsepower.

The down side to a draw length specific bow is that it’s going to stack up at a much shorter draw. So if you ever sell the bow, the new owner needs to know it was built for a 26”-27” draw length, and will start stacking at 28-29” depending on the design.

Your milage may vary… but that’s it in a nut shell…. Kirk

Thanks, Kirk- this makes a lot  of sense.

[Orion]

What Kirkill says is accurate, however, few "custom" bowyers actually build to a specific draw length.  But they will mark your bow weight at a specific draw length.  For example, if you want a bow that draws 40##26, they'll build their standard 45#@28 bow and mark it 40#@26.

Regardless, there really isn't that big a difference.  I doubt if most shooters would notice.  The disadvantage of building to a specific draw length is the reduced pool of potential buyers when you come to sell it, which usually leads to a lower price as well.   

[Kirkll]

Orion is correct…. Depending on the limb design, the bow length, and actual draw length being shot,  The performance levels can be significant.  But…. Not very many bowyers actually build them specifically for shorter draw lengths and actually alter the working limb length unless it’s a custom order.   I’ve custom built quite a few over the years for guys that wanted higher performance at a shorter draw. But they are few and far between.    Kirk

[ehartunian]

Thanks- all good stuff. Part of why I’m asking the question is to determine if I want to order a custom bow or something close that is already built. One of my bows, a Northern Mist Sheldon, is labeled at 53@28”- it works great at my dl, so no real issues.

[McDave]

One thing you could do to get better performance at your DL without having to commit to a bow that is custom made would be to opt for a longer riser for whatever length bow you're interested in.  For example, if you were interested in a Black Widow bow, you could opt for a PMA rather than a PSA, which would give you 2” more of riser and 2” less of limbs for whatever length bow you wanted.  Or, you could just order a shorter bow of the same model, for example, a 60” PMA rather than a 62” PMA, which would give similar results.

[ehartunian]

One thing you could do to get better performance at your DL without having to commit to a bow that is custom made would be to opt for a longer riser for whatever length bow you're interested in.  For example, if you were interested in a Black Widow bow, you could opt for a PMA rather than a PSA, which would give you 2” more of riser and 2” less of limbs for whatever length bow you wanted.  Or, you could just order a shorter bow of the same model, for example, a 60” PMA rather than a 62” PMA, which would give similar results.

Great advice, especially since I’m thinking about a black widow.

[mgf]

When ordering my last 2 bows I requested a specific draw weight at my draw length. I didn't really expect the bowyer to redesign the limb. I know my draw length and I know what I want to pull. That's really all there was to it.

[Jack Denbow]

My draw length is also 26" (old age), when I order a bow, I order it @26" but have it marked @ 28" whatever it may be. I figure someday someone will have to sell my bows and it will be easier if they are marked @28".

[Steelhead]

With the Widows the PA and PTF one piece bows have longer risers than many other one piece bows.The 58 incher would probably be a good fit for you with your 26 inch draw if you went with the 1 piece Widow.What McDave said as far as the 3 piece Widows go.