# Recurve bow length (or why is the Bear Grizzly 58")



## Thanshin (May 4, 2015)

Would a Bear Grizzly bee too short for a person with a 28" draw lenght?

A quick search got me charts that say a person with 28" draw length should use 68" bows. The same chart also tells that a 58" bow is ok for a draw length of 20" to 22".

Is that correct? Are there really so many people with ~21" draws?

It doesn't feel correct.


----------



## stew (Jun 15, 2005)

Crap. All Crap. I shoot a 58" bow. It will draw to 30" with no stacking. If it's a good limb design, a short bow is fine. Less forgiving than a 68" bow but, that's why you practice.


----------



## FLINTHEAD (May 14, 2006)

A 58 in bow is great for a 28 in draw. Have owned several 58 inch bows and you get more work from the limbs with them. I usually shoot 60 in recurves and 62 in longbows because most of my shooting is at 3-d and speed does not matter as much as forgiveness. 
I have a Bear 60 in recurve and would be perfectly happy if it was 58 inches. Enjoy your bow. Roy


----------



## Fury90flier (Jun 27, 2012)

that 68" that you see is for a target bow not a hunting bow.


----------



## Thanshin (May 4, 2015)

If I understand correctly, having a longer bow does offer some advantage in target shooting but that advantage is less important for hunting than having a shorter and maneuverable bow, right?


----------



## stew (Jun 15, 2005)

I know plenty of guy's that shoot 68" bows for hunting. They like that length and have no problem taking animals. I prefer a shorter bow. It just depends on what bow is most comfortable for you to shoot. Don't make a decision just on the length. You may prefer a 62 or 64 inch. What bow grip is most comfortable, how it draws, how it feels when you loose an arrow etc... If you do choose a shorter bow, just know it will be less forgiving to flaws in your form, brace and nock height and arrow selection.


----------



## martha j (May 11, 2009)

note one thing wrong with a 58" bow for a 28" draw.


----------



## martha j (May 11, 2009)

not, not note on above post.


----------



## BarneySlayer (Feb 28, 2009)

It's very much an application and personal preference thing.

A long target rig definitely has advantages in certain applications, but me, personally, I like the 60-62" range. If I don't get enough string angle, with the kind of shooting I like to do, I get in the way, and I shoot way more targets than animals.


----------



## Sanford (Jan 26, 2009)

Thanshin said:


> It doesn't feel correct.


It's correct if you were looking at a target bow recommendation or from that perspective. For standard draws, they come short, medium and long - 66", 68" & 70", with a spatter 72" offerings for real long draws. Shorter bows don't fare well on the target lines.

If you are talking hunting bows, there is no correct. There is no standard. You just have to make the determination that it fits what you want from it in length to how well you can shoot it.


----------



## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

The standards mentioned are for target bows where longer is better. If you are looking for the optimum target bow then 68 inches would be about right. That is not necessarily the case if you are looking for a hunting bow, though as mentioned, there are lots of folks hunting with long bows.


----------



## Stash (Jun 1, 2002)

There's far more to this than just bow length. It's also a function of the design of the bow, the proportion of the limb length vs the riser length, and how the limbs themselves are made - how they bend, how the recurve is designed.

One 58" bow may be suitable for a 30" draw length, another 58" bow will stack at 27".

All you can do is try before you buy, or at least take advice from someone who has personal experience with the same bow model.

I don't own a Grizzly, but I did take a couple of shots with a '70s vintage one this week, and found it was pretty confortable at 28".


----------



## grantmac (May 31, 2007)

In my experience 58" is as short as I'd go for anything other than point-blank shooting from a blind. Even 62-64" is on the short side if accuracy is important. I draw 28.5".

-Grant


----------

