Brace Height Reference List Anywhere?

[WICanner]

#5241

I am wondering, in this great big internet world, is there a listing of starting brace heights for different bows?

As I purchase used bows from time to time, many are without strings, nor with recommended brace height notations. If the bow is old enough, bowyer contact maybe impossible or impractical.

If no one knows of an existing listing, could one be started here, and placed with a ‘sticky’ somewhere?

Thanks gents!

[David Petersen]

#38844

I know of none such but it would be a Great Project for some winter-bored trad soul.

[Jason Wesbrock]

#38885

As a general rule, recurves with wood-core glass-laminated limbs will shoot best with a brace height between eight and nine inches. Recurves with carbon/foam limbs can be braced lower.

[Stumpkiller]

#46370

Rule of thumb is 1/8th of the AMO. This doesn’t work for freakishly long or short bows but is 90% bang on.

[Ralph]

#47405

Once upon a time 😀 in the way past I had an old Pearson recurve that was given to me. I found a list of older model bows that had suggested string lengths, brace heights and such. I searched last night for a couple of hours trying every wording I could come up with to use in the search engines to no avail. So I’m betting the best anyone can do is follow the advice others have given to use for starting points. Sad to say about that old bow, I checked her over very carefully, strung her, put her down to go fetch some arrows and she blew just laying there. Good that she wasn’t in my hands but sad cause I should have just kept her for a trophy wall hanger. Never know. So anyway, maybe someone will come up with the correct wording and find that old link. Good luck.

[WICanner]

#47434

Thanks guys. I like the 1/8″ rule. Stuff like that is easy to remember.

[Stumpkiller]

#47529

R2 wrote: So I’m betting the best anyone can do is follow the advice others have given to use for starting points. Sad to say about that old bow, I checked her over very carefully, strung her, put her down to go fetch some arrows and she blew just laying there.

I have only ever had one bow “blow apart” in my hands and it was a heartbreaker. The fourth shot on a used Red Wing Hunter I had just purchased and BANG! I always go slow with any unfamiliar bow, and this was with a B-50 string that I had let “rest” after stringing and worked back a few inches at a time and let-off until I got to my (over 29″) draw length.

The problem is you never know how a used bow was treated. A few hours closed in a car in the summer or a dry fire or six in its past and he laminations can be degraded. Mine had an arrow nock shatter and the arrow want to one side and the bow tips went everywhere.

The original Red Wing Hunters have scary fine tips. But boy, do they throw arrows.

Ouch! Upper

Lower

Happily I found a replacement of exactly the same draw weight! These are the four weight flyrod of the bowhunting world. I have two others of the later pre-Head and Head era. Best bow ever.

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