How To Measure Bow Draw Length
How To Measure Bow Draw Length
When it comes to hunting, the bow is a key piece of equipment that can help you catch your prey. It is important to know how to measure bow draw length so that you can get the most out of your bow.
1. First, mark where the nocking point is on your bowstring. This will indicate where you need to place your index finger while drawing the bowstring back and holding it at full draw length.
2. The arrow points show how far out from that mark (the nocking point) to hold the bowstring when pulling and releasing at full draw length and how much further than half of your draw length measurement you should go when shooting an arrow from a compound or standard recurve/longbow/recurve bow (illustrated by green lines).
3. Half of your draw length measurement is where you should place your index finger for when you don’t go out as far when drawing and holding at full draw length (illustrated by the purple line).
4. Place a tape measure where your hand needs to be when you shoot from that position, then mark it with a felt tip pen or marker.
5. Measure from where your nocking point is to that mark on the tape measure. This will tell you what your draw length is.
6. If the distance measured is too short for an adult bow, try increasing your back tension slightly until it’s correct, this will lengthen the “stretch” of the bowstring, so if done correctly, there shouldn’t be any change in accuracy and your bow will still be at the right draw weight.
7. If you know how to do it, try putting a “back twist” into the string before releasing it, this puts more stretch into the string and can help with getting better accuracy at longer distances. This works best for recurve bows but if done correctly will work on any kind of bow (compound or standard).
8. After increasing back tension and putting a “back twist” in place on your string, hold onto it with about 10lbs of pulling force and mark where the nocking point is again; this will show whether you need to increase or decrease your back tension after putting a “back twist” on the bowstring.
9. After marking where the nocking point is, release the string and hold it at full draw length. Mark where your index finger is in this position (where you would naturally aim when shooting an arrow), then check the mark against the measurements on your bow to see if they’re within correct specifications for what your draw length should be.
10. Repeat this process many times until you get an accurate measurement of what your bow needs to be set at for its draw length–if done correctly, there should not be any decrease in accuracy or increase in vibrations after setting your bow to the correct draw weight due to incorrect settings. There’s no need to pull past half of your draw length specification when testing, but if you do so you’ll get a more accurate measurement of your draw length.
11. Remember, a bow that’s too short for you will be hard to hold at full draw and release properly, it may seem as if it has a hard time holding at full draw length sometimes. A bow that is the correct draw length for you should easily hold at full draw length without wobbling or bouncing around. Also, take note of how much longer than half of your measurements past the nocking point you go when releasing at full draw length (this distance can vary depending on what type of bow you’re using).
12. If all else fails, just pick up the bow and shoot it like an arrow with normal technique, simply place your index finger where it would be if there were an arrow knocked, if the distance your hand is from your face is too short, the bow needs to be set at a longer draw length; if it’s too long, then you need to set it at a shorter draw length.
13. If you’re shooting an old bow that doesn’t have any markings on it for setting specifications (such as arrows or inches), all you can do is guess what your draw length may need to be until you get an accurate measurement of what your bow actually needs to be set at. Good luck!
If this article was helpful, please share it with others so they can also learn how to measure their draw length properly by following these simple steps. They are easy to follow and after doing so there should not be any significant decrease in the inaccuracy of our bow.
How to Measure Your Draw Length- Method
FAQ’s
The average draw length is 29 inches.
It depends on how strong she can pull, but 35-40 pounds would be the safest bet.
Most people don’t use one specific measurement for their compound bows, it’s a personal preference. Talk to an experienced archer about what you’re considering buying and they can help you decide based on your shooting style and strength. The best way to find out what’s right for you is to go try some.
A bow that has a draw length of 28 inches typically draws around 32 pounds, but it’s best to get exact measurements from an experienced archer.
27″ draw length and 50 lbs peak weight should have about 267 fps. It really varies from person to person though so you’d have to ask someone who shoots that bow. They would be in a good position to give you an accurate estimate or even better: come to try their bow!
There are many ways to go about finding someone’s draw length. You can have them shoot an arrow without an arrow rest, or with one and see how low the arrow drops before it falls off the string, you can also use a clicker on your bow to see where their finger naturally stops. Whatever method you choose, be sure your subject is wearing full-length clothing so that his or her arm position doesn’t change from shot to shot. If they move their arm up/down when pulling back the bowstring, the results will be inaccurate because it’ll look as if they’ve drawn different lengths each time.
Another thing to consider when trying to measure someone else’s draw length is that in order for a person’s bow arm to be the same from shot to shot, they must be standing, in the same manner, each time, if someone uses a stance that changes for every single shot (standing on one foot, standing with feet spread apart or too close together) then their body posture will change and skew the results.
Bow weight is measured in pounds at a specific distance. Since all bows are different shapes and lengths, people tend to measure their bow weight by shooting an arrow 10 yards away instead of 20-30 yards away because it’s easier to hold back more force on short distances than on long ones. This way, there is no need to guess how much force is required based on subjective feelings like how hard it feels to hold the bow back, however doing this is less accurate.
It’s much easier to measure someone’s actual draw length instead of how hard it feels for them to draw an arrow back. Some manufacturers make their bows with marks where you can set your normal draw length for specific poundage settings but these are only guidelines and not always completely accurate.
It’s possible to pull too hard, but there are some safety precautions you can take to make sure you don’t hurt yourself. You should always wear a finger tab or shooting glove while shooting your bow, this will help keep your fingers from slipping off the string during intense shots. If your draw length is too long for you then try backing down on weight rather than trying to pull back more, attempt to increase your power with lighter poundage bows instead of higher poundage ones that are difficult for you to manage.
If someone has a shorter draw length it doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t enjoy archery, most modern compound bows have adjustable modules in them so the shooter can adjust from a minimum draw length to a maximum as their arm grows or shrinks. There are even some bows that have adjustable draw lengths built into them, which makes it easy for people who don’t want to buy a new bow every time they grow a few inches.
On the other hand, if someone has a shorter draw length and doesn’t own a compound bow then they can still enjoy shooting with that type of bow by adjusting the brace height on their arrows. The brace height is how far from the grip you place your arrow rest when setting up your shot, this determines how close an arrow will fly to your riser.
A lower brace height means higher arrow speeds but less stability and accuracy since the string moves farther away from the sight pin before stopping due to the extra space between your arrow rest and grip. So if someone has a shorter draw length, they should adjust their brace height to be lower in order to shoot at closer ranges with higher accuracy and better stability within their sight pin.
It’s hard to say exactly what would be a “good” or appropriate draw weight for a child since it depends on the age of the person shooting as well as how much they exercise. If you’re trying to decide whether or not your child should use an adult’s bow then there are some general guidelines you can follow. Children who have trouble drawing back 15lbs probably shouldn’t have an adult-sized bow because those bows usually require at least 25lbs of draw weight to use safely.
Also, if your child isn’t used to any kind of physical activity (exercising, sports, etc.) then it’s best not to start with anything too high since their body isn’t conditioned for highly strenuous activities like holding back a lot of force. If they are active and already know how to hold themselves up against their own strength (kicking legs while hanging on the monkey bars) then you could consider getting them an adult bow but there is still probably a need at around 20-30lbs since that’s an ideal amount for most archers.
Most adults should be able to shoot anything ranging from 30-60 lbs without trouble, but if they have a physical condition that impacts their back, shoulder, or elbow then they might want to shoot something lighter.
If someone is just starting out in archery then there are some general guidelines for them as well: since compound bows usually require at least 20lbs of draw weight it’s best to start with anything around 10-20 lbs and work your way up from there.
It’s important to stress how important it is not to begin shooting with too much weight because even doing something like holding the string open for an hour can result in serious injury if done incorrectly.
