Adjusting Draw Length On Old Compound
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Fiddler
10-Aug-17
A guy I know sold me all his archery stuff accumulated over a lifetime for next-to-nothing. Among the items was an old Bear Brown Bear round-wheeled compound bow in excellent condition. The draw length is a little too long for me. How did they adjust draw length back in the old days? I've searched YouTube and elsewhere, but all the info I'm finding is for much more modern bows. I'd sure like to set this bow up right. Any advice?
From: hawkeye in PA
10-Aug-17
To a degree you can play with string length, but watch that it doesn't overlap on the wheels. You will also notice a small change in bow weight-performance. If it doesn't have slots in the wheels you are pretty limited.
From: Cheesehead Mike
10-Aug-17
Years ago I put a shorter string on my old Whitetail Hunter so my girlfriend could shoot it. It did change the draw cycle some but it worked...
From: WapitiBob
10-Aug-17
If it doesn't have slots for moving the cable on the payout side you'll need different sized wheels and new cables.
From: eddie c
10-Aug-17
around here if the cable had teardrops on them, we put a 1" shorter string on to shorten the draw.
From: Fiddler
10-Aug-17
Thanks for the responses. Yes, the cable has teardrops, and the wheels have slots. Bear Archery Products was kind enough to e-mail a PDF file of an old Brown Bear Compound owner's manual. The manual said there were + and - marks on the wheels and I should remove the string and pull the cables through the slots in the appropriate direction. Unfortunately, I couldn't budge the cable in any direction no matter how much silicone I sprayed or force I applied. If I had gotten the cable to move, would I be wanting to make the teardrops lay closer to the wheels, or what? I've also shortened the string by twisting it. That seems to help a little.
From: Burt
10-Aug-17
I don't suggest using a shorter string as it messes with pull cycle and and can throw off timing. I cannot recall if there was enough length to the riser bolts to slack the string. If not, you need to press the bow first to let off the tension from the cable. With the cables and string loose, unhook the string then basically unwind the cable from the pully and slip it out of the groove. Each slot should correspond to 1/2 inch of draw length but may also reduce 4 to 5 pounds of peak draw force.
From: WapitiBob
10-Aug-17
There is no difference in mechanics between shortening the string on that bow vs moving the cable to a different slot. Both will rotate the wheel's starting position. If you need to shorten the draw, put a shorter string, or twist it up, or move the cables so you have less "wrap" around the wheel. The more cable you have available to "unwrap" as you draw, the longer the draw length will be. Also, shorter draw, less letoff. Those old wheel bows were about 50% on a good day. If you loosen the set screw in the wheel and pull cable to shorten the pigtail you can shorten the draw length as well but will also lose poundage.
From: Buffalo1
10-Aug-17
Very, very limited. You have to remember you are dealing with one of the younger bows to hit the compound scene. It was a good'un though.
From: Fiddler
11-Aug-17
We're making some progress here, finally! I finally found the set screw in the center of the wheel which holds the cable in place. I'm glad someone finally mentioned it. Let's see if I've got this straight. I want to pull some cable out to make the teardrops lay further from the wheels in order to shorten the draw length?
From: Cheesehead Mike
11-Aug-17
I think you're backwards; if the cables are longer, you'll have to pull them farther, i.e. longer draw...