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Brace height

Discussion in 'Equipment Reviews' started by scottmills, Dec 6, 2013.

  1. scottmills

    scottmills Weekend Warrior

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    I've always shot bows with 7inch brace heights or better and i feel i have good shooting form .my question is will a shorter brace hight have a great effect on accuracy ,say an inch reduction in brace height ?
     
  2. Bootlegger

    Bootlegger Grizzled Veteran

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    IMO...it will not. I'm sure some will tell me I'm wrong...lol. I can't tell any difference in a 6 or 7" BH. My Revenge is a 6.25" and my Brute X is a 7.25" I can't tell any difference. Again, this is just me. I love a shoter BH bow around 6" to 6.5"
     
  3. Biz

    Biz Weekend Warrior

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    IMO if you have good form you probably won't notice any difference. If you don't have good form your accuracy could suffer significantly.
     
  4. SPOTnSTALK

    SPOTnSTALK Grizzled Veteran

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    It's a wildcat!
     
  5. Slugger

    Slugger Grizzled Veteran

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    Not really.
     
  6. tfox

    tfox Grizzled Veteran

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    Brace height is one of those things that's hard to put your finger on with how it equates to accuracy. Fact is it doesn't, it equates to forgiveness. Standing in your back yard on flat ground making perfect shots under perfect conditions, it makes little to no difference, especially if you have good form. As those situations break down and change, the forgiveness factor comes into play. Leaning out around a tree, getting a little more torque into the grip etc will have an effect. To what degree depends on the shooter and the variables.

    I will also add that brace isn't the be all end all. Riser design also plays into the equation.



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  7. trial153

    trial153 Grizzled Veteran

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    Building on the forgiveness theme you have to remember what goes along with the shorter brace heights....
    They are lowing the brace height for a reason, namely speed...so the shorter brace heights tend to come along with more aggressive cams, and more reflex risers ....so brace height just becomes one factor making a bow less forgiving......rarely is a stand alone issue.
     
  8. cerwin

    cerwin Newb

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    I hope you guy's dont mind me chiming in. I have no opinion here on brace height, as I'm a new bow hunter. I'm considering a new bow with a shorter brace height. I do have theories that maybe someone can straighten me out on. From what I've read the theory is that more time on the string can increase the chance of torque in your shot. It seems to me that torque is introduced at the shot, if any regardless of brace height. A shot travel of the string is a very small maount of time, and adding 1" of travel on the shot only adds a small fraction of time to the shot. Can it really make much of a difference? I understand the variables in hunting situations, and more aggressive cams can make a bow a bit more difficult to shoot, but the brace height alone I have a hard time understanding how that can make any difference. I'm inexperienced, and looking for understanding. Trying to wrap my brain around this new hobby.
     
  9. tfox

    tfox Grizzled Veteran

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    You're on the right track with time on string. It won't make a lot of difference but the effects are still there. But as you also stated, torque occurs at the grip (sometimes at the string) which brace and riser design (deflex verses reflex) plays a major role in. The higher the brace and or less reflexed the riser is, the harder it is to torque.

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  10. CoveyMaster

    CoveyMaster Grizzled Veteran

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    Short time?...well it is all a short span of time, isn't it? It's a short amount of time between releasing the string to the POI of the arrow too but look what all happens in that second or so (depending on yardage). The risers and cams flex and turn, the dampening systems do their work, the arrow rest goes through it's motion, the arrow bend and flexes the length of it's spine and the fletchings rotate and stabilize the arrow in flight. A fraction of a second of something messing with the trajectory of the shot is a big deal, it ca neasily mean the difference between stacked arrows in a 30 yard group or your best grouping at 30 yards being all over the target. Now, imagine what that means from a deer stand, when the chips are down and that trophy buck of a lifetime is standing somewhere between 25-40 yards....will you feel confident when you draw?
     
  11. cerwin

    cerwin Newb

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    Thanks for the input and direction guy's. I've got much to learn. What I'm hearing makes sense. All those vthings are occurring when releasing a shot. That's a fact. I guess I was wrestling with the thought that certainly those things must still be occurring with a longer brace height. So is that tad bit more time on the string causing even more harmonics in the shot? I'm hearing about different riser design, and action for the first time. If the shorter brace height bows tend to have more reflexed risers, is that just another means of milking every last drop of speed from a bow?, and that adds to the harmonics. I've been seriously considering a shorter brace height bow, but I think I've been persuaded in the opposite direction. For me, for hunting in the Rocky Mountain west where longer shots are typical, I'm thinking the more forgiving the better.
    So another question that may be somehow related. What about riser length, in comparison to ATA length. I've also been thinking along the lines of a longer ATA bow, but are today's shorter ATA bows with longer risers every bit as stable and accurate as longer bows?
     
  12. CoveyMaster

    CoveyMaster Grizzled Veteran

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    I'm not sure on an answer to the risers question, that's above my pay grade, lol.

    I want to be clear, I wasn't trying to talk you out of looking at bows with short BH's...you may be fine with a 5" bh as far as any of us know...that will depend on you. My only intent was to answer your questions about how it could impact accuracy. I shoot a Carbon Element with a 6.25" bh...because I love the design and function of the riser and bow overall....is it the most forgiving bow in the world....not a chance. Did it force me to pay more attention and to learn more about my form and correct it...you bet your _ _ _ it did. Would I recommend that course of action.....not really. It cause me to face issues I have never really faced in years and years and to find solutions to fix problems with my form and also fix target panick that developed because of it.

    Would that happen to everyone who tries a bow with a shorter BH...not necessarily....but if you buy one and wonder why your groups suck past 20 yards....or change when you get in hunting situations....you already have your answers.

    In short (and in summary) these speed bows with short BH (IMHO) are not for the weak of heart or for inexperienced (read that more as die hard shooters that are devoted enough to diagnose, fix problems that may arise) archery guys. They are more like a tool that is potentially better (than a fool proof design that anyone could use) in the hands of a very devoted expert. They are the equivilent to a back tension release vs a common caliper type trigger release or an open faced fishing reel compared to a closed faced zebco classic or a manual shift tranny vs a 6sp automatic.

    Try them out and see how they shoot would be my advice, this way you'll have a better idea how much to test them and what to look for and why they function the way they do. They generally are not a comfortable ride if you're used to a longer BH and a more forgiving bow. They are very capable...just not for everyone. Speed is sexy and sells but a luxury sedan is more comfortable and dependable than a Farrari too.
     
  13. tfox

    tfox Grizzled Veteran

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    Covey, if your element only has a 6.25 brace , you have a serious tuning issue.

    There is no configuration that is that short with brace unless you go to a short draw 2012 with z3 cam.

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  14. Sticknstringarchery

    Sticknstringarchery Grizzled Veteran

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    I agree with Tfox 100% on this one.

    I can also speak from experience. I shoot well enough I can't tell a difference out in the back yard. Heck, in most 3D situations I can't either. It's the ones that count though. You know, the high pressure shots like shooting in a tournament and trying to do well or having a shot in an animal that's had your heart racing for 5 minutes in anticipation. Why chance that 6" BH not be quite as forgiving as a 7"? I'll not anymore.
     
  15. CoveyMaster

    CoveyMaster Grizzled Veteran

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    Ooops sorry, yeah you're right, it's 6.75....still it's shorter than my old bow was at 7.25 (Ultra-mag) and everything else I said about shorter brace heights still applies. I didn't mean to lump my element in with the extreme short BH bows anyway...I was just using the shorter BH between it and my old bow as an example in what to expect with shorter brace heights. The Elements certainly aren't "speed bows" anyway which I consider the short BH and aggressive cams shooting over 350fps.
     
  16. cerwin

    cerwin Newb

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    Thanks for the tips guy's. As for me, I'm a beginner that has a tendency to want to go advanced sometimes too soon. It does make things more challenging, but also speeds up the learning curve to correct form and technique.
    I just want to hunt with archery equipment. I already am doing my own bow work, and tuning, experimenting, and tinkering.
    For now, for hunting I may stick with the more forgiving bows. There will be plenty of opportunity in the future to experiment with more advanced equipment, and I'll probably end up with more bows on hand than I originally thought. Another costly habit (I mean hobby) hahaha. This is still less expensive than my other costly hobby of extreme long range ballistics, and custom built long range hunting rifles.
    This will be fun, and new challenge.
     
  17. Jacob1

    Jacob1 Die Hard Bowhunter

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    So whats the general opinion of the chillR brace height versus the chill? Lots of reviews I read say the chillR is a great shooting bow and holds better on target than the original chill. Will the brace height on the new chill have a negative effect?
     
  18. tfox

    tfox Grizzled Veteran

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    Hold will usually trump all. Atleast for me.

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