Hey guys, Im doing my research big time because i am new to bow hunting. I have shot, and i shoot decent. But borrowing bows just doesn't work out if you want to be PERFECT on the targets. During my research i keep seeing Axle to Axle heights. also brace heights. What do those numbers represent? But most importantly what do they Impact? What can a larger or smaller number improve? Thanks for your help. -Anthony
Axle to axle is the distance between the axles of the cams/wheels. Here's 22" ATA TNT bow and a 33" ATA bowtech equalizer Brace height is the distance from the center of the grip to the string. Note that the TNT above has a higher brace height than the Bowtech. More brace height usually means a more 'forgiving' and quieter bow.
http://www.bowhunting.com/publisher/Bowhunting-Knowledge/2008/9/9/bow-selection http://www.bowhunting.com/pages/hunting-resources/bowhunting-and-archery-terminology ^Read through this.
Axle to Axle also known as ATA is the measurement from the center of your top cam or idler pully's axle to your lower cams axle , for bow hunting i like to stay in the 30 to 32 inch axle to axle measurement , a longer ATA for target shooting for instance 34 to 40 ATA . Your Brace height is measured from the back side and the throught of your grip to your shooting string , for instance a measurement of a 5'' brace height will not be a forgiving shooting bow but in return will carry alot of speed , by me saying not forgiving a short brace height will show alot and everybit of a shooters era's..........A longer brace height is more forgiving and much more pleasurable to shoot with the downfall of loosing some speed for comfort . I like my ATA around 32'' and my brace heights between 6 and 7 inches for my hunting rigs.
The guys above have done a pretty good job explaining what these numbers represent. To simplify axle to axle (ATA) is measured from the center of one axle to the center of the other. A longer ATA will tend to be a more forgiving bow, especially when it comes to torque issues. Brace height (BH) is measured from the deepest part of the grip to the the string. Again usually the larger the number the more forgiving the bow will be. Bows with lots of speed tend to have smaller BH's, and smoother slower more forgiving bows will have BH's of 7+ inches.
I agree with what the others are telling you. Just remember the accuracy you generally gain with a more forgiving setup always trumps speed IMHO.
