Am I splitting hairs?

[rhendrix]

I've been trying to find a Maxxis 35 for a couple of weeks now, I've got a Maxxis 31, but after practicing all summer with a vector turbo I'm a big fan of longer ATA bows now. The Maxxis 31 is just going to be my primary bow for tree stand hunts and a backup out west so I know there are some inherent advantages of a shorter ATA, and I shoot with fairly accurate out to 60 yards, I'm just really hung up on having a 35" ATA bow, am I just splitting hairs?

 

[Lawnboi]

Not at all. I have a vector turbo, and while I really like the rkt cam, I really prefer my AM32. The size just fits me better, maybe cause Im a shorter guy.

 

[rhendrix]

Yeah I keep trying to talk myself out of wanting a 35" ATA bow, I'm 6' and the 31" ATA just feels tiny.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

Love my Vector Turbo and the 35" ATA. I like the longer bows personally. I'm 6' 3" though.

 

[velvetfvr]

I have shot longer ata bows and not for me. But I am also not 6 feet tall either.

I mess with stabilizers to get the perfect hold on target out to 100.

 

[OR Archer]

I think most guys who get hung up on a longer ATA bow for hunting are "splitting hairs" as you put it. If you shot them side by side at hunting ranges I doubt you would really see much if any gains in accuracy of one over the other.

 

[rhendrix]

OR, you don't think string angle and ability to hold on target are improved with a longer ATA bow?

 

[Zbowman1]

OR, I would have to completely disagree with you. I think over time you would most definitely notice. It may only be the difference on a couple of inches at 100yds but who knows, could be the difference between a kill or a miss or worse yet a wounded animal. Why do you think pros shoot 40" bows and not 30's.

 

[OR Archer]

OR, you don't think string angle and ability to hold on target are improved with a longer ATA bow?

Ok let me give you an example. Ill use the Spyder 30 and the Spyder 34 as examples with a 30 draw length. Now with the RKT #3 cams you will need to add approx 3" to the A2A length to get the bows overall length which will be 33 and 37(I'm just using these for the example, they are not exact measurements but close). So for the Spyder 30 at 30" draw length you are looking at a string angle of about 28.5 degrees. For the 34 with an added 4" of overall length you would be at 31 degrees. That's only an added 2.5 degrees. That's a very small gain in my opinion and in hunting situations its pretty insignificant.

As far as hold I think that goes more into a persons form and how they have the bow balanced rather than in how long the A2A is.

 

[OR Archer]

OR, I would have to completely disagree with you. I think over time you would most definitely notice. It may only be the difference on a couple of inches at 100yds but who knows, could be the difference between a kill or a miss or worse yet a wounded animal. Why do you think pros shoot 40" bows and not 30's.

Pros shoot what sponsors put in their hands. They shoot what pays the bills. Plain and simple. So I don't think that's quite a good comparison. If you see those guys in the woods you can bet they arent sporting Pro Comp Elites. Theyre sporting Spyder 30s or turbos and Ill guarantee at hunting distances they shoot those just as well.

 

[Lukem]

Pros shoot what sponsors put in their hands. They shoot what pays the bills. Plain and simple. So I don't think that's quite a good comparison. If you see those guys in the woods you can bet they arent sporting Pro Comp Elites. Theyre sporting Spyder 30s or turbos and Ill guarantee at hunting distances they shoot those just as well.

Why would somebody whose living is based upon performance only shoot "what the sponsors put in their hands"? I guarantee that the pros are going to shoot what performs best for them, they have a living to make. They may be inherently good shots, but the bow that they shoot matters, otherwise they'd be out there shooting Spyder 30's or somebody else's bow altogether. No different than golf, golfers change sponsors all the time because of performance issues, and sometimes when they change sponsors for money, performance suffers.

A couple years ago I owned a BT Commie shoot thru and an AM32 at the same time and I shot the Commie way better than the AM accuracy wise. No way was I going to carry the Commie into the woods, it was a tank. There's a huge difference in ATA as far as vertical stability is concerned. Why do you see really deep keels on big boats? It can't all be done with a stabilizer. Stabs help, but unless you're hanging one from the bottom end of your riser, you can't match the longer ATA.

 

[Lukem]

rhendrix

If you like the feel of longer ATA and it shoots better for you, go with it, don't let the internet tell you what to shoot.

 

[rhendrix]

Luke, I'm set on getting a Maxxis 35, I'm surprised that I haven't seen more guys with the same or similar opinions of OR (not to say you're wrong or right, the trend though seems to be guys favoring shorter ATA bows). Trying to work out a deal with a guy right now.

 

[OR Archer]

Why would somebody whose living is based upon performance only shoot "what the sponsors put in their hands"? I guarantee that the pros are going to shoot what performs best for them, they have a living to make. They may be inherently good shots, but the bow that they shoot matters, otherwise they'd be out there shooting Spyder 30's or somebody else's bow altogether. No different than golf, golfers change sponsors all the time because of performance issues, and sometimes when they change sponsors for money, performance suffers.

Lukem there are only 3 companies in the industry that can actually afford to pay their pro shooters. I'm not talking contingency money but actual contracts with pay and that's PSE, Hoyt, and Mathews. Those shooters who do shoot what those manufactures offer in target bows because they are obligated by contracts. When representing those companies they're going to shoot each manufactures "top of the line" target bow. This is what drives the sales of these bows. So in essence they are shooting what they manufacturer puts in their hands. It's all about the money.

 

[RosinBag]

I prefer 35" or so for hunting and about 40-41" for target. My target bow holds steadier than my hunting bow but stabilizer set up is quite different.

As for pros, I know a couple who are paid to shoot and like OR said they shoot top of the line target bow only for tournaments. They don't always like it but contractually they do it. The pros that get paid could out shoot most of us with a 2x4 and string, so it comes down to the $$$$.

You will soon see one of the biggest names in archery switch companies and it is 90% about the money offered and 10% about having input in designing the target bow for the company.

 

[quarbles]

i had the worst time shooting a 30" ata bow. the string wouldn't touch my face unless i leaned in. the anchor point felt awkward making consistency suck. it was frustrating and disapointing. then i got a 35" ata and love it, mostly because the anchor point is comfortable and easy to reproduce. the geometry just works better form me and my draw length (29.5").

 

[Zbowman1]

Ok let me give you an example. Ill use the Spyder 30 and the Spyder 34 as examples with a 30 draw length. Now with the RKT #3 cams you will need to add approx 3" to the A2A length to get the bows overall length which will be 33 and 37(I'm just using these for the example, they are not exact measurements but close). So for the Spyder 30 at 30" draw length you are looking at a string angle of about 28.5 degrees. For the 34 with an added 4" of overall length you would be at 31 degrees. That's only an added 2.5 degrees. That's a very small gain in my opinion and in hunting situations its pretty insignificant.

As far as hold I think that goes more into a persons form and how they have the bow balanced rather than in how long the A2A is.

I see what you are saying, and if all shots were on flat ground I would probable agree. But for the majority of us there not. I also know you math was hypothetical but you forgot to factor limb completion at full draw and this make the sting angle even greater, but lets say still only 2.5degrees apart. There becomes a point when that string angle is just to severe for most to shoot well, with the longer draw guy running out of room quicker. The problem because magnified the more up hill and down hill the shots become. I will take that extra 2.5 degrees all day long.

To many time I see these threads turn into ways for guy to justify why they shoot this way or that way or you should shoot this or that. To the OP, shoot what you want. For someone to tell you that a 30" bow will be just as actuate as a 34" bow is ignorant even though you yourself may shoot one better then others.

 

[OR Archer]

Zbowman1 the string angle does not change from flat ground to uphill/downhill. It's a constant. Incorrect draw length and poor form affects uphill/downhill shooting way more than A2A length.

I agree some shooters with longer draws can have issues with shorter bows but there are more factors that go into that than just A2A length.

And for your comment calling me ignorant based on my daily experiences working with bows, well, that to me is ignorant. You are entitled to your opinion on the subject as am I. I base mine on my daily experiences tuning and shooting bows and helping customers with their set ups, not what I read on the internet.

 

[velvetfvr]

I see what you are saying, and if all shots were on flat ground I would probable agree. But for the majority of us there not. I also know you math was hypothetical but you forgot to factor limb completion at full draw and this make the sting angle even greater, but lets say still only 2.5degrees apart. There becomes a point when that string angle is just to severe for most to shoot well, with the longer draw guy running out of room quicker. The problem because magnified the more up hill and down hill the shots become. I will take that extra 2.5 degrees all day long.

To many time I see these threads turn into ways for guy to justify why they shoot this way or that way or you should shoot this or that. To the OP, shoot what you want. For someone to tell you that a 30" bow will be just as actuate as a 34" bow is ignorant even though you yourself may shoot one better then others.

Shooting uphill and downhill doesn't affect string angle. It never changes. If it does, your doing something wrong. Many people don't like the sharp string angle because they can't touch their nose. You can shoot a small ata effectively as long as the anchor is the same.

 

[Zbowman1]

First I would like to apologize OR, I was way off base and did not intend to call you ignorant. My opinion, and thats what it is, is also based on my experiences with customers. What I was trying to say is that as a whole, us archers shoot longer A2A bows better (averaged out). Some will not but most will. There will always be exceptions to all rules.

Secondly, I understand that string angle does not change on uphill and downhill shoots but anchor points do. The sharper the string angle the harder it becomes to maintain proper anchor and form which is directly related to how accurately you shoot your bow.