Are 56" bows the rave?

Todweelz · August 06, 2011, 02:38:00 PM

Been shooting a Javaman Tanjavur longbow 56" for a year now, can't say enough good about it, have shot alot of 60-62" recurves and longbows, this bow just fits everywhere, blinds, treestands, slipping through cover. Never thought a few inches shorter would make such a big difference for me, have'nt shot any of my longer bows in awhile now, just don't feel as good to me, Todd

Gen273 · August 06, 2011, 03:23:00 PM

I love 56" bows. That is all I have now. I have had 52" before, but it is too short for me. I would like to shoot a 54".

I think that when it comes to short bows design and grip is what makes or breaks them.

robtattoo · August 06, 2011, 03:32:00 PM

I'd love to love 56-58" bows, but I'm limited by my drawlength.
At 31" the shortest bow I feel comfortable shooting these days is 62" I tried a few hort bows a couple of years back. 3 at 56"
They ended up as 6, 2piece, 28" bows, I ended up with 3 big lumps on my forehead.

Badwithabow · August 06, 2011, 04:13:00 PM

I draw a solid 28.5 and built a 54 rd longbow... I'll never hunt with my 64 again..... I just love a short bow.. but I'm about to try a 58 in bow and see how it does in the next few weeks...

broketooth · August 06, 2011, 07:50:00 PM

i have a 56" aneewakee addiction recurve. it is not a novelty bow this bow is stained in blood.i know this bow was used to kill several deer and a turkey.and im for certain one of the deer taken was by my hand.i will use this bow to its fullest extent, until im no longer physically able to shoot it. which will be a long time. batman and bernie also shoot these bows. they will attest on how well these bows shoot. lee builds a great bow for john dill and all the fella mentioned are great people to know. rv

awbowman · August 06, 2011, 11:49:00 PM

I'd love a 2 piece 56" hybrid LB. Anybody make such a thing? Seems like they all want to stop at 58"

PM me if you know. Would like a sleeve TD

MnFn · August 07, 2011, 12:11:00 AM

My 56" Shrew CH is the shortest bow that I currently hunt with, and I like it a lot.

The next two are 60", LB and recurve. I don't feel much difference between any of the three. But a <28" draw helps, I suppose.

GRINCH · August 07, 2011, 12:34:00 AM

I have a short draw length I have two firebirds that are 56 inches that I love to shoot,short bows just feel more comfortable to me.

amar911 · August 07, 2011, 12:59:00 AM

Awbowman,

A two piece Big Jim Thunderchild sounds like the bow you are describing.

Allan

1screagle · August 07, 2011, 12:24:00 PM

Joekeith,
It's funny you should say you love your 66" longbow. I DO TOO!!! I guess that's what I love about the differences between LB and recurve, everything! I'm no pro shot in archery but I can shoot my longbows fairly well and the 66" was the latest to join the group, it's also the one I shoot the best.

61#@28" 66" This Black Magic Stick really rocks. My diliema is not being able to choose between the 2 of them. I guess it will come down to application specific. My Wallace 56" B-Model recurve will get most of the nods, which will make the LB all the more sweet!

featherhorn · August 07, 2011, 12:26:00 PM

I shoot a 56" Big jim TC and Its a 80# i draw 29" and i have no problem with it stacking pinching or nothing I am a short bow fan

1screagle · August 07, 2011, 02:17:00 PM

Here's a couple pic's of the riser. The limbs are Cocobolo with footed Bacote and antler tips, bamboo core

David Mitchell · August 07, 2011, 03:26:00 PM

Well, yes, they do seem to be "the rave" at the moment, but as the old saying goes, "what goes around comes around." I've seen over my 50 or so years behind stick and string a lot of things come and go and come back again. Years back short bows became the big thing and recurves in the 48-52" length were big sellers as being ideal for ground blinds. Then guys began to "rediscover" how nice longer bows actually were and things went the other way. Now the pendulum is swinging back again to shorter bows. I must admit that the current crop of shorter bows seem to shoot better and be more pleasnat to shoot than some of the older bows. The newer ones are designed from the ground up to be short. That being said, my prediction is that after a time, many of the current short bow guys will migrate back to the longer bows--it's just the nature of things.

And just to show how accurate my predicting ability is, when the compounds first hit the market, I said, "Those things will never catch on....they're too ugly." See how right I was about that? :D :rolleyes: But I do think this pendulum swings back and forth....it's all part of the fun. The shortest thing I want to shoot is 60" and I much prefer my 68" Hill style longbows. But that's what makes this all so much fun--variety.

Orion · August 07, 2011, 07:58:00 PM

I agree with David. Short bows became quite popular in the mid 70s, I believe, maybe a bit earlier. Of course, almost all stickbows were replaced by compounds by the 80s.

I think a lot of the interest in short bows today is generated by compound shooters making the transition to traditional. They're used to shooting 36-inch bows so 56 inches seems long.

A lot of these folks also have long draw lengths, 29-30 inches or more. It's a testament to more modern bow design and materials that most of these bows are holding together despite the tremendous strain put on the limbs resulting from short limbs and long draws.