I have recently bought a Cliff Coe Competitor recurve bow. It was calculated that it was a 66 amo. The string I bought was a 62" overall length. I have a little better than 8" brace hight. The bow shoots good but I don't want to damage it. Do I need a longer string or what? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Wayne.

Your string is to short. I'm guessing your brace height is quite a bit more then 8". If the bow is 66" Your string should be 63". You can always twist it to dial in the brace height.

I'm not familiar with the Coe bows, but actually a string 4" shorter is pretty common on a recurve.  Longbows generally are 3", but most recurves I've had are closer to 4" shorter than the marked length of the bow.  

The best brace height for a bow will vary a bit too from bow to bow, but 8" or even a bit more is not uncommon at all.  Measure from the string to the deepest part of the grip.  

Play around with changing the brace height by twisting the string a couple of turns at a time.  Even a 1/16" can make a bit of a difference in quietness of the bow and how it shoots. If the bow shoots good you won't hurt it where you are now.

Whip has the knowledge here as he has worked on a ton of bows. I myself prefer my strings a little longer and then add twist with a lot of wax and dial it in.

If the string you bought was AMO 66" and it measures 62" then that is the recommended length.  

That's why the AMO standards were designed, to provide a common measurement across brands.  I've heard that some companies didn't quite measure correctly.

The string I bought was 62" and I have 9" brace hight so I am going to find a 64' string and try that.

You might leave it strung and see if the string stretches a little. I think a 64" string would be too long.

Sal
Look up "Measuring Traditional Bow Strings", By Marvin Long. He gives a great explaination on AMO Standards and different string material.
See You at Chamberlin!!

Thanks Larry, I'll look it up.  

Chamberlin cannot come soon enough.

WW: If a 62-inch string gives you a 9-inch brace height, a 64-inch string will be too long.  You'll probably need something in the short 63-inch range.  Is your string endless loop or flemish?  Regardless, it should stretch some if you leave the bow strung for a day or two.  Shooting it will also stretch the string some.  Also, depending on how tightly it's twisted now, you may be able to untwist it some, maybe a lot, to lower the brace height.

On all my vintage recurves I use b50 flemish twist strings. I leave them on a day or two, they stretch quite a bit. I'll even draw the bow back a bunch before setting brace height. They are all 4 inches  less than AMO.

I think I got it lined out with a 63" string. thanks fellows.