# How do I know what draw length is right for me with a squishy backwall?



## Huntinsker (Feb 9, 2012)

Short answer is that you won't. You've discovered the single biggest problem with the many "infinitely adjustable" youth bows on the market that just so happen to go to adult draw lengths and draw weights. The back walls will always be spongy until the manufacturers redesign the cams and put limb stops on them. Ultimately though, you should always have some pressure against the back wall and shouldn't be at varying states of "relaxed" while at full draw. Draw until you hit the stops and increase tension until the shot breaks. Set the DL to where it feels the best when you can do that consistently. If that's at 27.5" according to the cam but you over rotate the cam 1/4" past the back wall, so be it. As long as you do it consistently, it'll work for you.


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## zachdr1 (Jan 20, 2021)

Huntinsker said:


> Short answer is that you won't. You've discovered the single biggest problem with the many "infinitely adjustable" youth bows on the market that just so happen to go to adult draw lengths and draw weights. The back walls will always be spongy until the manufacturers redesign the cams and put limb stops on them. Ultimately though, you should always have some pressure against the back wall and shouldn't be at varying states of "relaxed" while at full draw. Draw until you hit the stops and increase tension until the shot breaks. Set the DL to where it feels the best when you can do that consistently. If that's at 27.5" according to the cam but you over rotate the cam 1/4" past the back wall, so be it. As long as you do it consistently, it'll work for you.


Dang, didn't realize the spongy back wall was from the DL adjustability. Would this mean the Hoyts where you can adjust the DL with the same mods will have a spongier back wall than a Mathews where you can only choose one DL per mod?

This answer makes me feel better though, I've been trying to choose DL based off how it feels but it sounds like with my bow it will always feel a little off because of the back wall, so I'll just go with whatever I can shoot consistently with.


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## Huntinsker (Feb 9, 2012)

zachdr1 said:


> Dang, didn't realize the spongy back wall was from the DL adjustability. Would this mean the Hoyts where you can adjust the DL with the same mods will have a spongier back wall than a Mathews where you can only choose one DL per mod?
> 
> This answer makes me feel better though, I've been trying to choose DL based off how it feels but it sounds like with my bow it will always feel a little off because of the back wall, so I'll just go with whatever I can shoot consistently with.


If the bow is geared towards youth and does not have a separate draw stop, independent from the draw length module, the back wall will be spongy. There are a lot of bows that use rotating modules to set draw length that have an independent draw stop and these bows will have a much firmer back wall simply because the draw stop is set much farther out on the cam, away from the axle. With your current bow, the draw stop is simply just a flat spot on the draw length module and that is located very close to the axle so you have a lot of leverage over that point to continue to deflect the cable. That's why the wall is spongy, not necessarily because the draw length is adjusted with a single rotating module. 

Whether or not an adult bow has a firmer back wall than any other is kind of a subjective thing. Limb stop bows will have the firmest back wall since the draw stop is hitting the hard limb. Cable stop bows will all feel a little different from one another but there aren't many decent quality adult bows out there that I'd say are "spongy" as long as the cam timing is correct.


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## zachdr1 (Jan 20, 2021)

Huntinsker said:


> If the bow is geared towards youth and does not have a separate draw stop, independent from the draw length module, the back wall will be spongy. There are a lot of bows that use rotating modules to set draw length that have an independent draw stop and these bows will have a much firmer back wall simply because the draw stop is set much farther out on the cam, away from the axle. With your current bow, the draw stop is simply just a flat spot on the draw length module and that is located very close to the axle so you have a lot of leverage over that point to continue to deflect the cable. That's why the wall is spongy, not necessarily because the draw length is adjusted with a single rotating module.
> 
> Whether or not an adult bow has a firmer back wall than any other is kind of a subjective thing. Limb stop bows will have the firmest back wall since the draw stop is hitting the hard limb. Cable stop bows will all feel a little different from one another but there aren't many decent quality adult bows out there that I'd say are "spongy" as long as the cam timing is correct.


Ahh I see, well I appreciate all the help man. Honestly didn't even realize the Switch was a youth bow; I thought it was just a beginner adult bow. Guess I better start saving up.


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## Huntinsker (Feb 9, 2012)

zachdr1 said:


> Ahh I see, well I appreciate all the help man. Honestly didn't even realize the Switch was a youth bow; I thought it was just a beginner adult bow. Guess I better start saving up.


They've changed the marketing on these bows in recent years to corner more of the beginner adult archer as well. What they don't advertise in the marketing is the draw backs of these bows for that crowd, like you're experiencing. For a kid that's going to be changing their draw length and weight every several weeks to months, it makes more sense to have that adjustability. For an adult that is done growing, there are better options, even in the same price range.


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## dtrkyman (Jul 27, 2004)

Let the accuracy tell you, spend ample time with each and you will find out, likely the shorter draw will work better with a spongy wall, so long as it is actually the proper DL for you.


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## nuts&bolts (Mar 25, 2005)

zachdr1 said:


> I've been shooting my hunting bow about every other day since August and have never figured out what draw length feels right. I go between 27.5, 27.75, and 28. The bow is a Mission Switch, and I've checked the timing and its fine.
> 
> With all 3 of those lengths I am able to anchor in the proper position with my handheld release it's just a matter of how much room I have left in the back wall. 28 feels great when I'm anchored and I kinda just get into the valley and anchor without any high amount of pressure on the back wall but when pulling through the shot I'm able to pull through the wall by probably about 0.5in-1in making my draw length feel way too long. At 27.5 and 27.75 I'm just pulling more into the backwall in my anchor so there's less room to pull through the shot which is nice but it feels more squished the shorter I get.
> 
> Not sure which one I should go with and how much I should be pulling into that back wall in my anchor, it seems impossible to be consistent with an inch variability in draw length because of how squishy the back wall is but maybe I'm doing something wrong.


Mission Switch is a twin cam bow, meaning TWO sets of buss cables...double yoke cables...two legs attach to the top axle, and two legs attach to the bottom axle. So, by design, this style of cam system is SQUISHY.

Rather than FEEL, cuz FEEL is completely irrelevant,
more important to learn how to PULL the SAME 3 lbs past holding weight. If you pull 3 lbs more than holding weight,
then, you also pull the bowstring the same distance away from the riser.

BUT, how do I FEEL, i mean, how do I FIGURE what module to use?

RESULTS based tuning. Find the draw module setting that lets you do THIS at 10 yards.





Strip off the vanes completely on one arrow. REmove the base of the vane as well.
Fire at the 10 yd target, using your 20 yd sight pin. Pull out the arrow from the cardboard in front of the target.
Label the hole as "bareshaft".

Then, step back to the 10 yd shooting line again. Use the 20 yd sight pin.
Fire the fletched arrow. IF the two holes are not touching, try another draw module size,
rEGARDLESS of feel.


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