# Draw Length question for Hi X count shooters!



## baller (Oct 4, 2006)

I can shoot my average or just above my average as long as I'm +/- 1/8" IF I'm only running one bow. If I've got two or three bows running at the same time I keep them all right on my DL so there's no perceived difference when changing setups.

From my experience a little long slows the float down but can make your misses bigger, a little short makes for faster float but smaller misses. Play with your bars too, they can make a huge difference when fine tuning your DL/feel.


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## bigHUN (Feb 5, 2006)

for years my DL was within 1mm=0.040"
but I had one bow for indoors spots, one for Field and one for FITA
then I got rid of all bows and have only one OK-abs40 bow now
shortened the DL about 1/4" so I can use a same bow DL for flat floor also up-downhill shots as well
but this comes after tonns of practice, my bow arm elbow is not straight bone-on-bone but slightly bent outward and downward, also I learned to grab the release a little more tight or a little more relaxed in wrist joints...
also I lock the shoulder blade inside down so the release arm all together is locked pretty much simplifying the peep to eye variable
with these right now I can "float" the bow (and the peep what is most importantly same distance to my eye) in and out by this 1/4" just by extending/collapsing my elbow also how I grab the release


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## Mahly (Dec 18, 2002)

Mine can be off by a little bit, I will open my stance a little of the bow is too short, and close it up if a little long.
I generally use a very slightly open stance when it is right on (<4" open)


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## Dino757 (Jul 2, 2016)

I try to keep the draw length within an 1/8. I have found I can handle too long better than too short for indoors. But for 3d or anything with elevation I'd rather be a little short rather than too long. So I set my indoor bow dead on 29, 3D bow is set at 28 13/16, But d loop is 1/16 longer.


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## erdman41 (May 6, 2009)

Depending on what you mean by high X count shooter. That kind of talk is taboo around here.

Myself I've shot 58+ X games with a draw length range of about 1/2". Probably just depends on how you like your front elbow. Locked or bent.

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## nswarcher (Apr 16, 2015)

When i feel that my draw is a quater inch over it is a good sign that i am not setting my shot right, all it takes is to get my shoulders square to the target and the draw length settles back in, just add that step to training to drill it into my shot process again


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## RCR_III (Mar 19, 2011)

I'm the same as you OP, I have my draw length measured to the 32nd of an inch and know if it moves. I've dialed in my draw length with my limb bolts and moved them in 1/8th of a turn and felt a difference. Which can't be much of a change considering a full turn gets me 1/16 of an inch difference haha 

I think you'll find for some people the changes aren't as noticeable as for others and you'll have to tailor that to how you are personally. I've always been one to notice small changes and it's allowed me able to test out variances in products both in our industry and another.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

within a half twist of the string when things are all said and done; and it depends on what face and what org/scoring system.... little longer to soften things up and keep arrows in the middle, little shorter to hit more inners where misses can be big


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## tuckarch (Sep 19, 2002)

awesome info!! Thanks for sharing


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## RCR_III (Mar 19, 2011)

N7709K said:


> within a half twist of the string when things are all said and done; and it depends on what face and what org/scoring system.... little longer to soften things up and keep arrows in the middle, little shorter to hit more inners where misses can be big


I heard GRIV talking about this in his ATA seminar he live streamed the other day. Interesting idea.


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

its something to add to the playbook; when its a game of not missing, letting things out a little bit and softening the sight picture helps keep the flow of things smooth and relaxed. When it then turns over to a game of hitting, shortening things and bringing your hold in a bit tighter and speeding up your shot tempo gives a slightly better suited platform for shootoff situations or for inner face. its a very subtle change in DL, a couple twists into the string or 1/8 turn in limb bolts, but it will change how your sight picture looks and how your hold pattern is


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## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

N7709K said:


> its something to add to the playbook; when its a game of not missing, letting things out a little bit and softening the sight picture helps keep the flow of things smooth and relaxed. When it then turns over to a game of hitting, shortening things and bringing your hold in a bit tighter and speeding up your shot tempo gives a slightly better suited platform for shootoff situations or for inner face. its a very subtle change in DL, a couple twists into the string or 1/8 turn in limb bolts, but it will change how your sight picture looks and how your hold pattern is


Excellent information. Would you also consider an adjustment in stabilization?


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## N7709K (Dec 17, 2008)

grantmac said:


> Excellent information. Would you also consider an adjustment in stabilization?


Possibly, it depends on the setup and what the overall goal is. I normally setup my bars and tune them to a point where its at most a 1oz adjust on or off the front bar (+/- 1oz overall change, always returning to the zero point); my overall balance is a weight forward with very little lateral influence into the bow, i like to be able to cant/roll the bow if needed. as dl changes slightly the weight on the bars helps keep the dot from gaining excess movement and allows for subtle changes in shot tempo. 

Say i'm getting setup for vegas; its a 3 day qualifier for 12 arrows (speaking about pro division). In the first three days you cannot miss any big 10's and x's don't really matter all that much. As i'm setting up my rig for the shoot i'll get it dialed in to a point where im shooting consistent 300's with 26-28x's, after a couple weeks of shooting scores i'll spend an evening going over target faces and plotting group size and misses. After that i'll make small adjustments to DL (1-2 twists out of the string, usually it gets into half twists as well to keep peep alignment correct) and shoot more scores. These targets won't be as tight and scores will come down from a 28x high to a 27 or even 26x high but the big misses get closer to center and the entire process becomes more relaxed. I'll still shoot the occasional high x game, but it is no longer the norm. Say i shoot all three days clean and it comes down to 12 arrows; at this point its no longer a game of keeping arrows in the middle as hitting the middle the most.

I'll put 3-4 twists in and shorten the setup just enough that my shot becomes much more aggressive and the dot holds much tighter in the middle, but takes an occasional trip far out into big 9. When its a game of inners a close miss or a big miss are the same thing; so its a fair trade off to pick up 2-3 more inners for misses being big 9's and not big 10's(your misses may not get farther out from center, but on average your overall group size tightens and the ones that are out are OUT).


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## miko0618 (Mar 3, 2005)

A perfect draw is too small of and adjustment to measure. 

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## tuckarch (Sep 19, 2002)

Good info guys!!


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