One of the many factors that determine the flight and target of an arrow is the brace height. And it is important because it determines the velocity and how flexible the bow spine will be. Some archers who are just beginning to shoot arrows might not know the meaning of the brace height.
The brace height for bows is the area between the deepest part of the grip and the bowstring. And for effective tuning of your bow, measuring the brace height is of much importance. This article will help you know how to measure the brace height of your bow.
Know about bow:
A recurve bow is a complicated tool that comes with a lot of technical workings. The cams, risers, limbs, bowstrings, and cables of the recurve bow are virtually all that meets the eye. And for a bowhunter, as long as the bow draws and shoots well. All is good. But one thing to always keep note of is the brace height. Some bowhunters do not understand the importance of brace height. Nevertheless, you should know several techniques and measurements of the brace height.
Setting brace height:
After you have gotten your bow, the brace height is set as recommended by the manufacturer. And this determines the range at which your bow is designed to shoot. To get the best shooting spot, you test the ranges recommended by the manufacturer.
The brace height can change when your bowstring stretches. Or when you remove or restring, you’re recurving over and over again. Therefore, you need to check your brace height repeatedly to make sure that it has not changed.
For excellent and effective tuning, knowing the brace height of your bow is essential. Particularly, when installing a new bowstring cable, you have to measure the brace height. If the brace height measures more than or different from the brace height of your spec. Then you need to add or remove some twists so that the brace height will match your bow’s spec.
How to Measure Brace Height?
You start your measurement from the deepest part of the bow grip. This part is known as the pivot point. You then measure back to the string of the bow, which is at rest. For the measurement, make use of the bow square. The tool used best for the measurement of the brace height is the bow square. Also known as T square. This now square is a ruler made especially for measuring and calculating the brace height of a bow.
It looks like a T in shape. You can easily get a T bow square from the market if your bow does not come with one. Clip the bow square to the bowstring and take your measurement from the bowstring to the pivot point. Then you check if the measurement is at your desired brace height. Check if it is too high or too low.
Adjusting the brace height is very easy. You need to twist or untwist the bowstring.
The different brace heights will be determined by the type of now you have. This will allow your bow to operate at its best performance. So it is mostly advisable to check the manufacturer’s recommendation for the brace height of your bow spec.
Brace Height and Bow Performance
There are two ways in which the brace height affects the performance of your bow. They are lower brace height and higher brace height. If your brace height is low, the bowstring will be closer to the riser. And as a result, the arrow will travel faster. This is because the arrow will get attached longer with the bowstring.
Bows with a 6 inches or shorter brace height are said to be short. While those approaching or exceeding 7 inches are considered to belong. If the brace height is short, it will have a higher velocity of the arrow. That is, the arrow will travel faster. When the brace height is short, the bowstring will be drawn farther to reach the draw length.
Typically, at rest, the bow grip and the bowstring are very close. As the bowstring will be drawn at a great distance, the arrow will stay attached to the bowstring. And this will happen for a long during the shot cycle. When this happens, there is likely to be some means of imperfections with the bow or archer when shooting.
Some things like poorly tuned rest or the bow torque might reduce the accuracy and flight of the arrow. So make sure that the tuning is well done, and as well, the shooting form must be excellent. This will help you achieve greater accuracy and good arrow flight when using a bow with a short brace height.
Read More About : How to set a arrow rest?
If the brace is higher
On the other hand, if the brace height is higher, you have a more forgiving bow. The arrow will leave the bowstring very early. And since the arrow does not get enough opportunity to be influenced by the bowstring. The arrow will travel at a slower speed.
The bow’s cam system affects the velocity at which the arrow will move for a higher brace height. A bow with a longer brace height will shoot at a lower speed, but it has more benefits than a shorter brace height.
There is much distance between the throat of the bow grip and the bowstring for a longer brace height, which means that the bowstring will not be drawn as far enough to reach the draw length of the shooter. And the arrow will leave the bowstring faster during the shot cycle. There will be more chance for arrow flight even if there is a flaw in the tuning or poor shooting form. It is not that you can use any sloppy shooting form, and you will shoot well. But if there is some difficulty when shooting, it will have a more negligible effect on the arrow flight.
FAQs
What is brace height on a bow?
The brace height for bows is the area between the deepest part of the grip and the bowstring.
Does brace height matter?
Yes, the brace height of bows matters. It determines the flight velocity of the arrow. And it has a very significant effect on the forgiveness of the bow.
How does brace height affect the arrow spine?
Arrow spine measures the stiffness of the arrow. It is the measurement of how flexible the arrow is or how much the arrow will bend.
With low brace height, the arrow will use more energy, and the dynamic spine will increase. If the brace height is raised, the dynamic spine of the arrow is reduced.
Conclusion
Knowing how to measure the brace height of your bow is one important thing. It does matter. For archers and hunters, accuracy is of much importance. And if your bow had a higher level of forgiveness, your shoot will be relatively accurate consistently. And the brace height has a very significant effect on the forgiveness of the bow.
To measure the brace height, you make use of the T bow square. And your measurement will start from the deepest part of the bow grip (the pivot point). You then measure back to the string of the bow, which is at rest.
You may go for a 7 inches or longer brace height if you don’t need speed. But if you need extra speed for your arrow flight. You will need a low brace height.