Brace height ?

[blazingsaddle]

LAST EDITED ON Feb-22-10 AT 03:31PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Feb-22-10 AT 03:17?PM (MST)

For those of you who have shoot a lot of different bows.
Currently I shoot a bow that is 36" ata with a 7.5" brace height. (which I have ZERO complaints about)

As far as forgiveness goes, how much will I loose if i switch to a bow that is 35" ata and a 7" brace height?

The -1" on ata does not bother me too much, but the .5 in brace height does? Should it? Will I notice a difference? I have not shot enough different bows to know. Maybe I need to shoot the two side by side for "score" rather than feel for an hour or so?

I have always thought more of forgiveness than speed, am I taking a step backwards?

 

[DXTHUNTR]

I went from a bow with a 7.5" brace height to one with a 7" brace height and can't say that I really noticed any difference. A 7" brace height is still pretty forgiving, I would not let that keep you from switching bows.

 

[ronaldo]

Forgiveness in a bow is to a large extent based on the distance from your draw length to the brace height. Archers with a short draw length have an advantage as far as forgiveness goes. So someone with a 27" draw on a bow with a 6 "brace height would have approximately the same forgiveness as a person with a 28" draw on a 7" brace height bow. It depends on your draw length. You can also change your effective draw length(and therefore forgiveness with the length of your D loop. if you use one. If however you go to a smaller brace height you have to worry about wrist slap. Now we are seeing more and more bows with string stops, in part, to reduce the chances of wrist slap so they can go to smaller brace heights to achieve more arrow speed.

 

[blazingsaddle]

ron-
good points- But do you think I will notice the shorter brace height?
I was taught that same thought, by looking at it this way: the longer the draw, the longer the arrow is on the string, or in the power stroke. The shorter the brace height, the longer the power stroke
ie. the less time the arrow spends on the string, the less influence the shooter can have on it.
I have a true 30.5 inch draw, but shoot a 30" with a d-loop.

I have to say I still think a 7" brace Height is considered forgiving.

 

[Bloomgren]

I would have to say that you will not notice the half inch of difference. Heck I shoot a bow with a 5.5" brace height and have no problems shooting it accurateley and consistently either. I sure don't think you will have a problem at all!

Jared "J-Rod" Bloomgren

www.myspace.com/jaredbloomgren
http://www.camospace.com/Bloomgren

"Getting close to game undetected and maintaining self control while delivering a well placed shot are the true keys to bowhunting success." -M.R.James

 

[ronaldo]

It's just a gut feel but, I don't think a .5 inch difference is going to be significant enough to worry about. If you do notice a difference, using a fall away rest will add forgiveness and help reduce the effect of poor technique since there will be no front support to influence the arrow soon after it is released. Also a heavier /longer stabilizer can help add some forgiveness.

 

[bayside]

I went from a 6" to a 7" and can tell a big difference. I love the 7".

 

[BigPig]

There are more factors to make a bow forgiving than just brace height, but I don't think you will notice a functional difference. Only one way to find out though...

 

[blazingsaddle]

BigPig-
Besides BH and ata- in your opinion what else makes a bow forgiving? You seem to know your stuff, what do you look for?

 

[BigPig]

Brace height, ATA length and IBO speed all make a difference for sure. The lower the brace height, the shorter ATA, and the faster the bow is, the harder it will be to control. I think another element people overlook is grip design. That has probably the biggest impact on a bow's forgiveness IMO. You want a grip that is repeatable every time you draw the bow. What is repeatable comes down to personal preference in how you hold the bow. I shoot low wrist so I like a grip that does not have a deep throat. I also like a thin grip with a squared off back surface where it hits my hand. That makes the grip settle into the exact same spot on my hand every time and with little to no torque. To me, that makes THE biggest difference. Ideally, I like a 33-36" bow, 7"-7.5" brace height, moderate IBO speed, with a custom low wrist grip on it. It has to feel good too. I like bows that are dead at the shot, hold steady at full draw, are smooth drawing and fast enough but not too fast. Sometimes that is hard to find all in one package so there are often compromises that need to be made.

 

[zekers]

+1 BigPig. In years past, I experimented with brace height, speed, and ATA but could not get over inconsistent grouping until I worked solely on hand torque. I now have no grip, just the narrow riser, with the squared off corners finding their exact fit into my hand every time. It has absolutely improved my shooting more than any other detail. I shoot a 7" BH, and the same draw length as you. I'm no expert, this is just what has worked for me.