Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Mayhem on March 24, 2025, 02:09:43 PM
Hey All,
Got what is hopefully a simple question, maybe i reading or miss interpreting something wrong.
I am used to measuring brace height from the deepest part of the bows grip to the string at rest, as I'm sure everyone else is as well. My confusion come in as I'm reading the literature on one of vintage recurves that I shoot with.
One has the normal: "Fistmele or Brace height approximately 8" statement from the manufacture, however for the other bow the manufacture states:
"Fistmele or Brace height from Face of Arrow Rest Approximately 8".
Am I over thinking this or should I be setting my brace height from the edge of the arrow rest that is closest to me? I just feels like it would be a pretty high brace height vs how I have normally seen or done it in the past. Would there be any disadvantages or advantages to setting it this way.
I have read through a bunch of the old manufacturer's catalogs and it definately states that brace height measurement for certain bows and not others. It's just odd and not what I'm used to seeing.
I appreciate anyone who decided to take some interests this and read my post and any thoughts, opinions, and/or experience would bre greatly appreciated. :dunno: :dunno:
I think they're talking about the same thing. One way to measure BH is from the "pivot point" of the arrow rest. And how do you find out where the pivot point of the arrow rest is? You measure up from the deepest part of the grip!
That is what I was thinking, I know the "face" of the bow is the part that faces the archer. The brace height being described in two different ways in the same manufacturer issued magazine had me questioning if there was supposed to be something done differently. Lol
I dunno. Looks to me like the manufacturer screwed up. You do not get the same brace height measuring to the deepest part of the grip vs the face of the arrow rest. Not really a biggie though. Either will put you in the ball park. Then you find what works best from there. Once you do that, you can reverse engineer your brace height to determine which instruction was most accurate. :bigsmyl:
Very true, good call. Bow was built in 1966 so definitely could be a misprint. I can definitely run both and do some paper tuning and compression. lol I guess it would be something to do. Added the link for the manufacturer brochure below from vintage archery.org
:thumbsup:
https://nebula.wsimg.com/d177e2889ee152c2518fdd93a04f326a?AccessKeyId=A203C91555201A4407B4&disposition=0&alloworigin=1
Yeah, I agree with 'just get in the ball park'.
It's really never 'pin point'.
I forgot to re-check/twist up a new string on a bow for 3 years and killed a bunch of animals with it. One day I found my bow square(yeah, that's me) and just checked it for kicks and it was a half inch low.
No hand shock, not loud, great arrow flight, no nothing, just seemed normal. Called the bowyer and he said 'leave it there then'. I owned 5 of these bows at one time so it wasn't like I didn't know where it was suppose to be. I still own 4 of them.
Appreciate it Terry, I got a 1971 30# Short Bee (RH) for free (I'm left handed but like to shoot off hand sometimes). Loved how it felt so checked on eBay and got lucky enough to find a 1966 47# Warrior (LH) and really fell in love with it.
Looking and trying to understand the meaning. I think they are measuring from the rest itself. Looking at the catalog it appears the rest is right over the deepest part of the riser. Just my thoughts.
Very true Black Velvet, that had also crossed my mind and maybe sometime i get too hung up on the verbiage used. But I figure it never hurts to reach out and ask other trad enthusiast.
I figure best case scenario someone has some direct firsthand knowledge with the manufacture/company somehow and worse case is some good input/conversation with other trad archery lovers, so win-win not matter what. lol
Mostly I buy recurves that have contoured grips and use a stick-on strikeplate. The instructions that come with them usually say to put part of a toothpick or something underneath the strikeplate. The part of the strikeplate with the toothpick under it becomes the point of contact between the side of the arrow and the riser. The instructions go on to say to stick the strikeplate on the riser such that the toothpick is over the deepest part of the grip. In these cases, the BH would be the same whichever way you measured it.
However, I have seen longbows that have a straight handle, and the back of the handle is at the back end of the arrow rest. The contact point of the arrow with the side of the riser would necessarily be forward of the back of the bow handle. For this type of bow, the rule wouldn't apply, and I'm not sure how you would measure BH.
Which underscores the point already made that BH is not intended to be an exact science. The bowyer's recommendation is just a starting point. It is up to each owner to determine which BH is most appropriate for his bow and style of shooting.
QuoteWhich underscores the point already made that BH is not intended to be an exact science. The bowyer's recommendation is just a starting point. It is up to each owner to determine which BH is most appropriate for his bow and style of shooting.
Actually..... When a bowyer recommends a brace height on a particular bow, it has to do more with overall bow performance. While some may not consider it a science, there definitely is a sweet spot that provides the best performance. Who would know better than the bowyer building the bow?
I'm not sure how shooting style would factor into brace height except for arm clearance. I know there are a lot of long bows out there that are shot at really low brace heights and require an arm guard. Personally I do not want any string contact with my arm at all, and I need at least 6 3/4" with a bare arm to have clearance, and I prefer 7-7.5". And....that's how I have all of my bows designed to shoot at.
Granted.... 1/2" difference isn't going to make a huge difference in performance. But if you have a bow designed for a 7" brace, and use a shorter string bringing it up to 8". You are shooting yourself in the foot on performance..... On the other hand if you have a bow that has a 7.5" recommended brace height, shooting it at 7" can increase the performance somewhat..... 02 cents worth.
Quote from: Kirkll on April 03, 2025, 11:43:58 AM
QuoteWhich underscores the point already made that BH is not intended to be an exact science. The bowyer's recommendation is just a starting point. It is up to each owner to determine which BH is most appropriate for his bow and style of shooting.
I'm not sure how shooting style would factor into brace height except for arm clearance.
From the Uukha limb instructions: "Lower the brace height if you focus on speed, or increase it for stability and comfort." Shooting style, no?
Good stuff Kirk.
My arms do not straighten out flat. I have a natural bend, therefore I don't use or need an arm guard.
I *might* if clothing was an issue with my selfbows in certain situations.
Quote from: Terry Green on April 06, 2025, 02:45:23 PM
Good stuff Kirk.
My arms do not straighten out flat. I have a natural bend, therefore I don't use or need an arm guard.
I *might* if clothing was an issue with my selfbows in certain situations.
Where i have had issues with arm clearance is wearing loose sleeve camo, or gortex rain gear. My all time favorite saddle cloth predator camo has a loose fit, and what i use is a knee high nylon stocking with the toe cut out. It easily rolls up your sleeve and holds it closer to your arm with no restrictions or anything your bow string can catch on. The nylon is very slippery, and even if the string was to graze your arm, it has no effect.
WARNING! Do not go raiding your wives stocking drawer. Trist me.... That doesn't end well.....
Actually the knee high tights or support stockings hold up much longer than the regular nylon. I've been doing this for many years and it works surprisingly well. Kirk
HA HA HA HA :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:
"Do not go raiding your wives stocking drawer. *Trist* me...."
*Trist* me
:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: