The longer a bow is the harder it is to twist the bow cause there is more weight at the ends. Think about twisting a 30# dumb bell vs. a 30# bench bar. The bench bar would be harder to get moving. As doc said the longer the brace height is on a bow the less time the arrow is on the string and the less the bow will move the string left or right. For your first bo look for one with a 7" brace height or better. As for length I feel it is a matter of where and how you are goint to be hunting. I like the shorter bows cause I hunt elk, mulies, and antelope and the weight is a concern with me. There are plenty of bows that are short and still offer a good brace height and are very forgiving.

Edited by - bigbulls on 12/12/2002 23:20:42