I’m shooting a Bowtech SR6, and archery shop has draw length set on bow at 29 inches, but my measured DL=28. They said the SR6 runs short on DL. Do any of you have experience with this topic, and does your measured DL differ from how your bow is setup? I’m accustomed to the current setting, and I’ve been shooting it for over a year. Just curious if I might experience improvement in anchor and form by changing the setting to 28.
Dale, Not sure on the SR6. I wonder how your DL was measured? Regardless if you are shooting well and its comfortable, I dont know that I'd mess with it. Conversely, if you want to see if you can be more accurate, it seems like folks will suggest a slightly short DL v long is more accurate. So it could be a fun off season thing to try.
I've shot 29.5 on 4 different bowtech's in a row, none have felt different... But the most recent was the first year of the 82 airborne, so like 08/09/10 somewhere around there... The newer bows could be totally different.
My DL has been measured at 28.5-30" depending on who measured it and when. So it's quite possible there is measurement error pending timing/method etc...
So, I'm no sure, that would have been a faster answer :)!
Dale, I shoot the Realm X. I did not put much thought into what my draw length measures because the bow is fully adjustable. I spent one afternoon playing around with it until I found the length that was most comfortable. You do not require a press to move the modules.
I am happy to help you with it if you want. I am by no means an expert but with the help of google I was able to tune my bow. I actually re-stringed mine and had to twist the harnesses to get it near spec and to paper tune. I don't care how good the shops are, I have yet to see one that really takes the time tune a bow, including Reedy's. Pete
Thank you will. I used 4 different methods to measure my DL (see link), and confirmed that 3 of them were spot on at 28. The exception was 70 (wingspan) minus 15 then divide by 2 was 27.5. I have two more days in the RI whitetail woods before season ends on 1/31, so won’t be making changes until after. I’ll try some experimentation during the 3d season maybe dropping down in 1/2 inch increments to see how it feels. Thank you for the suggestion.
Thank you pete. I didn’t realize I can change DL without a press. The SR6 manual says you do. I looked at the module, and couldn’t see why press is necessary. Thank you for confirming it’s OK without press.
Dale, Let us know how this plays out for you. While I shoot, and know some archery stuff... I'm not an "expert" with tuning and form specifics for sure.
That said, professionally a big chunk of what I do involves biomechanics. This is a lot like saying "trust me, I play a doctor on TV"... So PLEASE note that I only say that to suggest that I have broad knowledge of the mechanics, but the specifics of what makes someone shoot most repeatably and accurately... Frankly, my suspicion is that Shawn_In_Ma would be the absolute best guy on here to answer that - the dude is a wizard.
So, where I was going was to this 2 part point: In sport, we consider athletes to have a motor signature or movement signature. That's their unique way of moving which is based on the history they have lived (injuries, age, sport history/development/experience, etc) coupled with the tasks they are trying to perform. The sort of simple example would be watching runners. You could have a runner with a stride that's got more vertical oscilation than another, both of whom perform at an elite level... It's tempting to look at the athlete with more vert in their stride and suggest changes to reduce "energy loss to vertical movement". But this ignores their movement signature. Perhaps you would be trying to overcome 5-10-15+ years of history? Perhaps you could create an injury or confusion in their movement pattern and lead to injuries, or, a runner who moves pretty based on the theoretical ideal, but never performs as well again. That's not saying you dont help them, it's saying you seek to help them get the best of what their constraints allow rather than trying to re-invent the wheel.
The second part, is that fixed movements are dynamic. Sounds impossible, I know. While you can drill to smaller and smaller layers, a good example would be the height of a bicycles seat. It's fixed. But for a lot of athletes, they need it say 3-5mm lower in the winter when riding less and their body is less flexible than say spring and summer. The fixed maker - saddle to pedal distance, is actually dynamic based on the athletes situation.
Taking those to archery... You have the definite positive of repeat-ability when it comes to accuracy. But, given how biomechanical systems which look constrained are not fully constrained, and how YOUR movement signature is unique... It's absolutely as possible that you shooting at 29 are just as or more accurate than 28.
It's worth the experiment. It would be fun to see, and you may discover 28 is better... But if you dont see a solid change in accuracy, dont leave it at 28 because a book or DL "test" etc said too... You have years of data showing you what 29 looks like and with you operating well there. It's not wrong. Maybe it could be a little better... So try. But be willing to go back if it's no different, because long term you know this point works. That's valid data!
I will second what Will said above about trying the shorter length. Because these modules are easy to adjust, I played around quite a bit and ended up with shorter draw. It was just more repeatable, which led to better accuracy.
Oh, and draw length measurements are all over the place. Don't believe for a second what that module is telling you for length. As far as I was concerned, those number were nothing more than reference markers to make sure both modules were in the same place.
Thank you will and pete! The analogies to other activities and mechanics of movement makes perfect sense, and draw length cam settings from the manufacturer may not be exactly what they appear to be. The take-away for me is to find the setting for my bow that works best for my biomechanics that yields the best results in repeatability and accuracy, and don't get hung up on the numbers engraved in the cam...just make sure they match top and bottom...don't wear a striped shirt with plaid pants ;^) Thanks guys! I'll report back on my progress.
Dropped the DL setting to 28, and what a world of difference in comfort and better anchor. I also confirmed on my draw board that settings on the cam match exactly. While I was at it, I replaced factory draw stops with A1 stops from Lucky-Stops, and the feel on the back wall is super solid. I also get finer adjustment on DL as I continue to dial in. Thanks guys! I feel like I’m moving in the right direction, and ready to transition from the whitetail woods to the 3d course wearing my plaid pants.
Nice job! It is a lot of fun tuning a bow. These bowtechs can really be fine tuned easily. Once your draw length is dialed in, try paper tuning by twisting the yokes. I forgot what the distance is for setting the arrow rest, but if you do a search you will find it. Basically set it and forget it and use the yokes to get it right. Then walk back tune by doing the tiniest adjustments to the rest. Than broadhead tune to get it perfect! Pete
It is interesting how different people enjoy different things. Tinkering with the bow is just work to me. Similarly, my uncle used to love messing with the motor on his boat—my idea of a nightmare.
One of the main reasons I chose this bow beside it feeling great in hand is the tunability of Bowtech’s Binary Cam Overdrive system. Going to add cam lean laser to the Gear Junkies topic!
@Pi...no pants OK, but camie panties are very necessary for proper support and form. Boxers, briefs, bikini, thong doesn’t matter...just maintain support!
Dale - Great on the tuning - that's awesome man! Glad you experimented and found it felt good to you.
Agreed on the SR6... and now the Revolt with those little lateral cam adjusters to really get things dialed in... Genius design and by all reports, excellent function. Pretty awesome technology for sure.
Big thank you to Pete and Will for encouraging me to tune my own bow. I found the guts to get it done today, and after 4 1/2 hours of adjusting cables and yoke (bowmaster press is very slow), I went from a crazy hard left nock tear to perfect bullet hole. I love the tunability of Bowtech bows. I also managed to sight in with acceptable results for me out to 60 yards. I’ll be tuning my own bow from here on out.
Pete, great idea to use a bicycle stand! Now I have something else to add to the gear junkies list :) By the way, I managed to adjust cam lean without the laser as prescribed by Bowtech in their Bowtech U youtube series. Just brought both cams back to the neutral plane, and yoke tuned from there based on results from paper tune. I only needed one turn of the yoke top and bottom...easy peasy!
