At what length do you notice finger pinch?

[Tom Anderson]

I have a rather long draw length (29-1/4") and I've always thought that I needed to shoot a bow 62" or longer in order to avoid the dreaded finger pinch.
However, the other day I shot a 58" bow and didn't notice any finger pinch at all. Hmmm, that opens up a whole new realm of bows to me...

Just curious, at what length do you begin to notice finger pinch and does it seem to matter whether it's a recurve or longbow?

[Orion]

Because of the way recurves open at full draw, the limb tips aren't pulled together as much as on a straight longbow, thus the string angle is less acute.  In practice, this means that folks can shoot a recurve anywhere from two to four inches shorter than a straight longbow before noticing a difference.  A highly r/d hybrid would usually fall somewhere in the middle.  Bow weight also affects one's perception of finger pinch.  For example, on the same length bow, a 60# bow puts more pressure on the fingers than a 45# bow.  The string might be creating quite a bit of pinch, but you might not notice it at, certainly not as muchl, at the lower draw weight.

Personally, I think a 62-inch recurve is about right for a 29 plus inch draw, even a 64-inch recurve.

I have a 28-inch draw.  I start to notice finger pinch on a 60-inch mild r/d longbow, a 56-inch recurve, and a 64-inch straight longbow.  I can shoot bows shorter than this, but I usually don't.  Right now, my straight bows are 66 inches, mild r/d bows are 64 inches and recurves are 60 inches, with one 60-inch mild r/d longbow.

[robtattoo]

Well, just to buck the trend, I used to shoot a 52" Shrew Classic. I draw 30" & didn't notice any pinch whatsoever. The only bow I've ever experienced pinch with, was a 34" Axle-to-axle compound.

[Ron Foley]

I guess I'm the odd one I pull 31 1/2" and usually don't notice finger pinch on recurves of 60" however as was said before heavier weights give an impression of pinch because of the pressure created by heavy poundage. Most recurves unfold later which for the most part eliminate pinch. Longbows that are short sometimes will pinch sooner because they don't unfold. Anything less than 62' (straight limb) pinches me.A r/d (mild ) won't pinch me until I go below 60". My rule (as a bowyer) is no draw length that is more than one half of the bow length. That rule is not in stone but works very well.

[Tom Anderson]

ttt

[gilf]

I draw to 29", the only bow I noticed any finger pinch on was a 58" SAG Widow I had, however I didn't have a problem with a similar length Shrew or Morrison.