Who Switched Back to 7" Brace After Trying to Hunt With 6" Brace Height?

JDZ

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Curious if anybody tried a shorter brace height bow for hunting and switched back to a longer brace height. Why? Or go to a short brace and like it?
 

elkguide

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I switch back and forth all of the time. I have 6", 6 1/2" and 7" bows and depending on which one I want to shoot, that is the one that I grab. Maybe I'm not a good enough shot but I haven't had any issues switching back and forth.
 
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I switched back a few years ago. I just like the forgiveness in hunting situation the 7 inch gives you. I have gone back and forth over the years and I can honestly say for me, at distance especially 7 suits me better. Sure there are a lot of people and bow companies especially that will tell you their 6 inch brace height shoots like 7 inch BH but the bows i have tried i notice the difference especially if you shoot in a realistic hunting situation not just shooting it in an indoor range at the bow shop.
 

N2TRKYS

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The longer brace height being more forgiving is a myth. I haven't seen it make any difference.
 

elkguide

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The longer brace height being more forgiving is a myth. I haven't seen it make any difference.


With the bows of the 80's, 90's and even some of the 2000's, there was a lot of difference with brace height. With today's technology, I shoot my 6" bow as well as I do my 7" bow with no different feel and I am a hunter only, other than the backyard and basement to keep my form and my shooting in top shape.
 

Mkurtz

FNG
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Jun 25, 2016
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I see no difference personally from a 6"-7" brace height. Personally I do not like sub 6" brace heights. When I begin to fatigue after a lot of shooting I start to get some forearm slap. Entirely my fault not the bow.
 

2blade

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I don't see any difference myself, I shoot my 6 as well as my 7 but the 6 1/2 I don't shoot as well as the other two. But all 3 bows are different models so maybe thats why?
 

Brendan

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Brace height doesn't determine jumpiness - the cam does. Now, more 6" BH bows have a more aggressive cam, but that's different.
 
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In a vacuum BH doesn't determine forgiveness. Proper form or lack there of will determine accuracy. BH plays a role in this as the shorter BH bows have the arrow in contact with the string longer allowing form breakdown, wrist slap, string oscilation, etc to happen more often.

I don't have perfect form and I don't pretend to but I don't see any difference in my 7" or 6" but that is probably because my 6" is smoother and has more anti torque tech than my 7"

In the end BH will have little effect on the bows ability to kill effectively so use what works best for you, but also know that working on your form (especially follow through), having a shot sequence ingrained in your mind that you follow, and increasing strength related to holding your bow will allow you to shoot either BH equally well. This will allow you to take advantage of the shorter BH additional power.
 

Muley15

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I have owned a bunch of 6 and 7's and I prefer the 7" mostly due to heavy clothing. I did some late season sits last year with the Halon 6 and I had to be conscious of hitting my jacket. I now have a 7" and with the style of hunting I do and the amount of variable I have in clothing and shot position, its a no brainer for me to go with a 7. In regards to accuracy and forgiveness of the shot, I don't think there is much if any difference
 

Pramo

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Last bow I had at 7 inches was a Switchback, I've been shooting a 6 to 6.5 inch brace since then and never noticed any issues even in late season whitetail hunts.
 

Trial153

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Oct 28, 2014
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I greatly prefer 7" brace hight over 6, pretty much across the board I look at 31-34 ata bows with 7 inch brace hight. The last few years all my six inch brace height bows didn't stay around very long at all...
 
OP
J

JDZ

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Thanks for the replies so far. I have a 27-inch draw and have considered a shorter brace height in order to gain a little speed/KE. My main concern is shootability in hunting situations. Heavy clothes, odd shot angles, etc.
 

Muley15

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Dont worry about the speed thing. Get a bow you are very comfortable with, keep it tuned and shoot a COC head. You will be just fine. I also find that you can shoot higher poundage on a more forgiving bow compared to a short brace height aggressive cam bow as well which makes up some of the speed difference.
 
OP
J

JDZ

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Dont worry about the speed thing. Get a bow you are very comfortable with, keep it tuned and shoot a COC head. You will be just fine. I also find that you can shoot higher poundage on a more forgiving bow compared to a short brace height aggressive cam bow as well which makes up some of the speed difference.
I have a bow I'm comfortable with that is 7-inch brace height.
I keep it tuned well, everything in spec, cam lean, paper, broadhead, etc.
I shoot a cut on contact head.
At 27 inches, limbs bottomed out is often less than advertised max draw weight. I'm at 68 lbs.
I'm not so concerned with only speed, but if I'm looking to upgrade my bow, I'd like to shoot a heavier arrow at the same or greater speed.
 

5MilesBack

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Some advice here, don't ever try a 6" BH you might wind up buying it LOL.

I don't think they even make a 6" BH bow for my draw length and preferred ATA length.

Someone said that short brace height bows were less forgiving because the arrow stays on the string longer. If that's the case, then at 32 1/2" draw I'm in real trouble as my arrows stay on the string a lot longer than most. But I've never had an issue with that.
 
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