# My draw is 25"....what do I do??



## justinboxer (Mar 12, 2013)

Apparently I have short arms and a short draw length. I want to buy a longbow with enough power and quick enough to hunt with. This is my second go round with traditional archery, I used to own a bear recurve. I didn't know much about archery and kinda set myself up improperly but this time I'm doing it right with the correct weight bow for myself also the correct arrow length, spine, grains.....etc. on a 50# bow at 25" would put the weight at about 45#??? Is that math right? Can't seem to find any info on short draw lengths. Any help would be great. Thanx!


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## fishit (Jul 12, 2007)

43-45 lbs sounds about right. i understood to buy a bow that maximizes your draw length by having the right bow length. I am sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in on this.
45lbs at 25 inches will take care of deer, nothing to worry about. I like recurves just because I can change the limbs to different weights as needed.


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Bow weights are measured at 28" draw lengths. Most bows will lose about 3-4 # per inch. So if you had an AMO 60# bow, and you drew 25" you would probably be pulling approximately 48-51# or so at your draw length. I have a Dan Quillian Patriot recurve for sale, but it is 65# at 28", which would be about 53# at your draw length. Remember however, that your draw length will generally be about an inch longer with a recurve than it is with a longbow, because of the shape of the handles.


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## toaster (Jan 8, 2013)

Remeasure!

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk


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## devil1824 (Sep 4, 2010)

I used to share arrows between my compound and my recurve since I used feathers. That was a mistake. Now I shoot full length arrows with 165grain tips and broad heads. Made all the difference!


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## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

They use 28 inches as a standard so that everyone knows how to gauge. With traditional bows, you just want to make sure the bow you have is the weight you want at your draw length. Like was stated above, you can take off or add about 3 lbs per inch. 

So, if you have a 25 inch draw lengh, and you want to be shooting say 50 lbs, you need to order/find/buy a bow that is marked 56-58 lbs at the standard 28 inches.

The trick is knowing what weight bow you want. You want enough power to do the job, but easy enough for you to pull, that you will not struggle to get it back and have bad form.

Once you have your bow, get arrows that are spined correctly and are flying well. If you are shooting a lighter weight bow, make sure you have enough weight in your arrows. The rule of thumb is 8 to 10 grains per lb of draw weight. For example, if you went with the 50 bow I mentioned above, you want your total arrow weight to come it at 480 to 500 gr, to get the most out of your set up (read penatration on the animal).


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## SoTxPighunter (Jul 5, 2012)

Hey all, after a little vacation from the web world during hunting season i'm back prowlin and just visiting. But i am very familiar with this topic. I used to shoot what I consider gorilla bows at 75 and 80 pounds when I was younger thinking that due to my short draw (then 27") I had to shoot lots of weight. But now as I and my body have undergone some age and work related changes. I now draw 26" and may draw as light as 43 pounds and as heavy as 55. I have one custom bow and my wife says TOO many second and third hand bows. Most of these bows are between 50 and 58 pounds at 28'' draw and when I scaled them at my draw length the three pounds per inch has always come close if not right on depending on the bow itself. Right now I am shooting a 54'' hybrid longbow STYLED bow( not really right to call it a longbow ) with its draw weight at 46lbs along with 30'' 2018 aluminum shafts with 140 grain bh's and total arrow weight near 500 grains and i have taken hogs up to 260lbs with this setup. Now I practice alot and anyone will tell you (who is a traditional stickbow hunter) that accuracy plus sharp broadheads is what kills animals. True there are alot of great shooters who shoot heavier bows, the whatever works best for you comes into play. Most folks are good to go in the 45 to 55 pound range and with practice and mdedication have taken some world class animals. The best advice I can give you is get with and or find a group of trad shooters and set with them and learn wherew your sweet spot weight wise is. If your not used to shoot stickbows build up to it. start at 40 and go up to where you feel good and shoot good. Match your arrows to your bow and practice ALOT, now dont burn yourself out shooting arrow after arrow but shoot say ten quality shots then relax, after a bit do ten more. what you are trying to do is strngthen and condition your muscles to your bow setup. Start at ten yards then after you get a nice group consistently move it back to twenty yards and then thirty or wherever you put your personal limit at. Two big reasons folks stop shooting trad is they overburden themselves trying to 1. shoot to much weight and 2. try to shoot beyond their personal limits.
Stay motivated set short goals and long ones and above all enjoy yourself if your not having fun then your probably will not stick with it.
God bless and good luck.
STP


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## THE JAMMER (Aug 1, 2005)

Excellent advice from the pig hunter above.


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## Timemachine (Nov 25, 2008)

Fred Bear Apprentice II...problems solved! Got one for my 12 yo son this past Christmas. Talk about a game changer!


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