Recurve Brace Height Help

[JBMOZ]

Hi All,

Am currently trying to tune up a couple of different recurves and am looking for some advice on brace height.

In looking around I have read the AMO largely determines the brace height but I am not sure if this is correct.

I currently have all of these bows tuned to between 7.5" and 7 3/4". My draw is 29ish. I've included the arrows I am shooting and the set up details.

Bear takedown, 64 AMO, 55#@28, 60# at my dl, off the shelf, Easton FMJ 340s cut to 29.5 with 125gr tips. Shoots ok but struggles a bit with tight groups. Brace height is 7 3/4

Bear super kodiak, 60 AMO, 50# @28, 54# at my dl, off a the shelf, carbon express predator 2 cut to 31" with 125gr tips. Brace height 7.5. Shoots the quietest and best groups of the 3.

Pse mustang, 60 AMO, 55# @28, 63# at my dl, off a timber doodle rest, Easton FMj 340 cut to 29.5, 125gr tips. Brace height is 7.5. This bow is loudest, groups ok but is a canon.

All bows have limb savers, monkey tails or whiskers, brush buttons and felt on limb tips.

# was measured with a bow scale for draw length pound ages. The mustang stacks a bit hence the bigger difference.

Anything jump out as obviously wrong with these set ups? I'm new to recurves.

Cheers.

[wishsong]

Mate . I'd let the bow tell you where the brace height is best ... are you shooting bareshaft AND with feathers ?
I have a few DVD's etc I can loan you that will help you with tuning . I'll bring them Sunday .

[Stickbow Hunter]

I'm no expert on recurves but I agree with Ben, let the bow and arra set up tell you when you have it set up right - quiet, good arra flight etc.

I have no idea what weights those arras are that you are using as I only use wood or bamboo ones but make sure they are of a decent weight - I would suggest around 8 to 10 gpi.

Jeff

[JBMOZ]

I'm no expert on recurves but I agree with Ben, let the bow and arra set up tell you when you have it set up right - quiet, good arra flight etc.

I have no idea what weights those arras are that you are using as I only use wood or bamboo ones but make sure they are of a decent weight - I would suggest around 8 to 10 gpi.

Jeff

Thanks Jeff,
just trying to figure out what good flight looks like still.

The FMJ arrows are 12gpi. carbon express is 9.8gpi.

[slinkymalinky]

Hi jbmoz,

Before I say anything... I'm just a beginner so absolutely don't take anything I say as 'wisdom'... I know nothing but just a couple of thoughts.

If your FMJs are 12gpi, does that mean your shooting 300spine FMJs? That's probably way over-spined for those bows. I shoot a 50# @ 28" Hoyt Gamemaster II recurve, have a 28" draw length... every bow and every set up is different but after a lot of bare shaft testing, my bow tunes perfectly to 29.5" .500 spine arrows with 125gn points, or 30" .400 spine arrows with 225gn points. My 500 spines are FMJs.

I love my Hoyt... but it too is VERY noisy. It's been an ongoing process of trial and error to quieten it down and one thing that made a big difference was adjusting the brace height to suit the bow. It comes with a recommended brace height range of 7 1/2" -8". I spent time in the yard shooting, then adding or removing twists from the string, and found in the end that the sweet spot for my bow with my set up is a brace height of 7 11/16". That won't be the same for your bows but the process of playing with the brace height should help you find a spot for each rig where there is the least noise and shock.

I've just put a new SBD 8 strand string on my curve though which probably means playing again to find where this skinnier string is happiest.


Cheers, T

[Rich]

Mate . I'd let the bow tell you where the brace height is best ... are you shooting bareshaft AND with feathers ?
I have a few DVD's etc I can loan you that will help you with tuning . I'll bring them Sunday .

He speaks wisdom.

It took me a coulple of weeks to find the sweet spot on my longbow. It can change when you change your arrow too!

[perry]

String Material also, I have Bows that shoot harsh and noisy with Dynaflight but Sweet and Quite with TS1 Plus. Another shoots really well with B50 Dacron yet Horrible with TS1 Plus and even worse with Dynaflight - Good Luck, you'll get there

[Fanto]

My opinion:

The Easton FMJ 340 with 125gr point: dynamic spine is 76lbs assuming you have the 75gr inserts in use. I think you are overpined by about 10#

If you agree, and you want to have a crack at resucing spine , then if you do have the 75gr inserts, try increasing the tip weight by around 50gr. if you are using lighter inserts, add the shortfall below 75gr to the tip + another 50gr.

175 ,200, 225 and above tips are easy to come by on ebay or alaska bowhunting supply.

cheers

[littlejohn59]

As a general rule but not the golden rule longbow brace heights are 61/2 to 71/2 inches and recurves are 71/2 to 81/2 inches. These are a good starting point to begin playing around with.