can you shoot a longbow taller than you?

kevshin21 · June 21, 2010, 09:18:00 PM

So I was looking at this longbow that is on closeout and the bow is about 2 inches taller than me. Is it possible to efficiently and accurately shoot this longbow?

kevshin21 · June 21, 2010, 09:18:00 PM

oh and I am about 5'6 so my draw length is approx 26.4 inches.

Chuck Hoopes · June 21, 2010, 10:14:00 PM

Why not? Traditonal Japanese bows are often 7ft. plus. The bottom limb of any bow need not be any less than the distance from your shoulder to the ground--and thats only if you plan to shoot it vertically. If you cant it of course you can go much longer. Many S.Amer. "indians" shoot and effectively hunt w/ bows that greatly exceed their height. My exp. is that the longer the Bow- the more stable it is, and more forgiving. I hunt w/ bows equal to my ht. (72") and would not hesitate to go longer.

TheFatboy · June 22, 2010, 02:39:00 AM

Easily. I'm about 74" tall, and my longbow measures around 80".

reddogge · June 22, 2010, 10:17:00 AM

As long as your lower tip doesn't hit the ground you are good.

Northwest_Bowhunter · June 22, 2010, 03:15:00 PM

The only draw back to shooting a bow a lot longer then you are tall is you are not getting all the energy out of it, so you have a lot of wasted potential (unless you have unusually long arms for your height).

TheFatboy · June 23, 2010, 02:16:00 AM

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TheFatboy · June 23, 2010, 02:17:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Northwest_Bowhunter:
The only draw back to shooting a bow a lot longer then you are tall is you are not getting all the energy out of it, so you have a lot of wasted potential (unless you have unusually long arms for your height).

That solely depends on the draw length, I'd say. I would definetely like to see a 64" longbow pulled past 31-32", even an R/D design. I'm not saying this ain't possible, but holy **** it'll stack. You don't have to be tall and have long arms to have a long draw length. I'm 5'10", and my draw length is rarely shorter than 30".

Northwest_Bowhunter · June 23, 2010, 12:13:00 PM

Andreas,
I think we just said exactly the same thing.

cbCrow · June 23, 2010, 12:24:00 PM

When I first started shooting LB's about 25yrs. ago I met a man who was sort of a mentor to me. He told me a good rule of thumb was to double your draw(mine is 27") and add 4". I have always used this until a year ago and bought a 66" Harellson LB. While it was easier to draw it also was actually somewhat faster than my older LB @ 60"( shortest lb I could find ten yrs. ago). I think with the newer materials and strings that their built from my mentor would be wrong today. I do however have a little more trouble with releasing with the longer bow.

June 23, 2010, 04:08:00 PM

The old Hill recommendation was 66" for 26", 67" for 27" 68" for 28". A longer bow can have good energy if the tips are designed or tillered to work. The biggest drawback for me with the 68 and 70" Hill style bows and 66" recurves was the body contact of the string when canting the bow.

Raging Water · June 23, 2010, 04:54:00 PM

I am 5' 9" on a good day. I draw 28". My Howard Hill bows are 68" or 5' 8".

If the tips are not on the ground, its all good.

When I get my 76" War Bow back. I will make another post.

Matt

Pete Darby · June 23, 2010, 09:18:00 PM

I also have a war bow that measures about 76" It isn't a problem.

TheFatboy · June 24, 2010, 02:37:00 AM

QuoteOriginally posted by Northwest_Bowhunter:
Andreas,
I think we just said exactly the same thing.

Almost! The difference is, I don't have unusually long arms for my height, and my draw length is still long :D

inthere10x · June 25, 2010, 08:45:00 AM

My son is just under 60" tall and is shooting a 66" LB.