AXLE to AXLE ????

southslope82 · Jul 28, 2009

I am in the market for another bow after this hunting season.
I am wondering what are the advantages/disadvatages to have a longer axle axle measurement?? I am 6'4'' and have a 32'' draw length and am looking for speed, I definetley want to stay with a hoyt bow. I use that match your bow program on their web site but I get different bows that supposivley match me. I can't decide between that Katera, Alphamax, or Turbo Hawk. Anyone have advice or anything?

MBM · Jul 28, 2009

LAST EDITED ON Jul-28-09 AT 12:50PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jul-28-09 AT 12:49?PM (MST)

With your draw lenght you are probley going to be looking at the longer axle to axle bows. As far as the Hoyt bows I think the only ones you listed that come in a 32in draw length is the Katera XL. Hoyt has other modles that have a 32 in draw such as the 38pro or the 737. I am 6'6" and have a 31in draw and shoot the Alpha Max 35 but 31in is it's longest setting.

Mark

scopenstalk · Jul 28, 2009

Longer axle to axle will be easier to shoot as well, especially with your draw length shorter axle to axle will be a lot less forgiving. The Katera XL is a nice bow I shot it and liked it a lot. I also shoot a Hoyt. I shoot the vectrix and love it. But I think that several of the other brands are just as good so I wouldnt be stuck on Hoyt if I was in your situation.

southslope82 · Jul 28, 2009

So really the only advantages to a shorter axle to axle is that the bow is more compact and maybe has a little less over all weight???
Sorry for all the ????'s I still have alot to learn in the world of archery. So what exactly would the Alphamax32 do vs the Alphamax35 Is it just so that the draw lengths can be different and the alphamax 35 would be a more forgiving bow than the 32??

mathewsman · Jul 28, 2009

With that gorilla wingspan of yours, speed is definitely not a concern. What ever bow you shoot will be SMOKIN fast-longer draw length=longer powerstroke=a very fast arrow! Because of your size that longer axle-to-axle will help you on those longer shots (40 plus) and be much more forgiving with torquing your hand. Speaking of forgiving, that would also be a huge criteria for choosing your hoyt. That katera xl will be an all out barn burner for speed thanks to your long draw length and the short brace height of the bow. But for me, smoothness & forgiveness, & shootability ranks higher than speed, so my vote (for you) would be the seven thirty-seven. At 32 inches, 70 pounds, you'll be spitting 450 grain arrows WELL over 300 fps and the bow will actually FIT you which will make for one deadly combination. Good luck with your decision!

P.s. when you're ready to come over from the dark side, give that drenalin ld a try. LOL

scopenstalk · Jul 29, 2009

>So really the only advantages to
>a shorter axle to axle
>is that the bow is
>more compact and maybe has
>a little less over all
>weight???
>Sorry for all the ????'s
>I still have alot to
>learn in the world of
>archery. So what exactly
>would the Alphamax32 do vs
>the Alphamax35 Is it just
>so that the draw lengths
>can be different and the
>alphamax 35 would be a
>more forgiving bow than the
>32??

yea your pretty much right about the shorter axle to axle they are nice when hunting from a treestand, but like i already said they are not very forgiving at all. Also you need to pay attention to the brace height of the bow. Smaller Brace Height= Less forgiving, it also means more speed but like has already been said for every inch of draw length you add past 30" is an extra 10fps give or take... so you will not have to worry about speed. And really speed is nice but sometimes it can make broadhead tuning annoying. Also ANYTHING PAST 280 fps really isnt neccesary, your bow might shoot a little flatter but at 280 Fps you will get pass throughs no problem. And usually fixed blades will fly just peachy at that speed.

huntaddict · Jul 29, 2009

your 6'4" with a 32" draw? It is possible you could shorten up a little bit. I'm 6'2" and have a 28" draw. for years I shot with a 30" draw till I found someone (who used to shoot for team usa) that put me at the corect draw lenghth. It made a big difference, lots of people shoot bows with too long of a draw. I currently shoot a hoyt x8. It is 41.5" axel to axel and has a 8 inch brace height. I dithched my little matthews because I got caught up in the speed craze and hoyt is about the only bow maker that has a variety of longer bows which are much more forgiving. I'll take accuracy over speed any day.

southslope82 · Jul 30, 2009

If I am being measured correct then yes I am 32 inches but I have wondered a bit if I could shorten maybe a tich??? I don't know enough to know exactly if 32 is right or not. People with a much greater understanding than me told me it is a 32.

huntindudley · Jul 30, 2009

A shorter axle to axle bow is more compact (obviously) but it will also be more tipsy. the longer the A to A the more stable the bow will be. As far as draw length the best thing I ever did was shorten my draw by an inch. I shoot a Hoyt Katera and I love it. What ever you go with good luck.

c3 · Jul 30, 2009

Couple things first. The most reliable draw length measurement is called the "wingspan method". This is where you take your wing span, finger tip to finger tip stretched out as far as you can reach. Subtract 15" then divide by two. This would be the AMO draw length you should get that is listed on the bow. There have been years and years of discussion on this subject on all the forums and virtually everyone will fall within a 1/2" of that number when set up correctly.

Secondly, you have to watch the string angle from the release to your nose. The shorter the axle to axle the steeper the string angle and the more your head has to angle down to get the string to the tip of your nose. Conversly you can get a bow with a longer draw length and have the string come further back on your jaw line so that your head is up, but that causes anchor issues.

The draw length vs. a-a vs. string angle vs. anchor point is always a battle when you get to the longer draws with shorter bows.

I'm only a 28" or 27.5" draw length but prefer my head up and square. This requires an a-a length at my draw length of 37" or so depending on which cam size gets me there. An Alphamax 35 is barely shootable for me. The 737 or my old Ultratec were perfect.

An Alphamax 32 at 27.5" draw length forces me to have my head so low that the bridge of my nose covers part of the sight picture. I can hardly see the target with that bow. On it or a Mathews Monster I need almost a 29" bow to get my head up so that I can see and shoot comfortably. This is much too long to get a good anchor position under my ear with my index finger big knuckle.

Moral of the story is that the longer a draw you have and the shorter the a-a, the steeper the string angle and the more difficult it can be to keep your head square and up right with your nose on the string.

My suggestion is the Drenalin LD as well. It's just so much smoother to draw and shoot than all these new "speed bows"

Cheers,
Pete

grizzlyplumber · Aug 5, 2009

I am 6'3 with an 80" wingspan, the formulas say I should shoot 32", I shoot a 31 with a loop and a bent front elbow. I have a Drenalin LD that is smooth and awesome to shoot. Also have a Bowtech 101 Airborne, not so smooth on the draw but silent at the shot and very fast, at 60 lbs it shoots 3 fps faster than my Dren at 70. My point is, shooting a shorter bow is a good idea, you can bend your front elbow to get a little more consistency. And 36" is the shortest you will want to shoot, axle to axle, the shorter ones create such a sharp angle on the string that it becomes very inconsistent, at least for me it did. Good luck and I hope you find the bow you are looking for.