Ok, here's the deal. I am tinkering with my new bow and I'm trying to find the "sweet" spot for the brace height. I have gone from 5 3/4", up to the current 7 5/8".

Here's my question. I can feel the hand shock decrease as I increase the brace height. Shock is almost non-existant from 7" to 7 1/2". How much shock should there be? As I get to the top end, I begin to hear a "twang" like a guitar string. Where do I keep it at? Do I keep going up? Go down? Leave it alone?
Now, when I switch to the right arrows for the bow, is it going to have to change a little one way or the other?
I am currently using a 2216 Aluminum arrow, almost no feather left on it. The arrow length is 29 1/2", and my draw is 28".

Maybe I am making this out to be harder than it is, but I want it to be right. Thanks for any advice that you can give me.

I like to keep my brace height close to the lowest point where bad arrow flight and shooting noise goes away. If your arrows fly clean and true at 7" with little noise and the bow 'feels right' to you, then I would drop down to 7".

Keeping the brace height at the lowest point where everything works right gives you a tad more power stroke on the shot, which gives a fraction more speed and energy to the arrow. It's not much at all, but every little bit helps, IMO.

Yep--what Arthur said. Go with the lowest brace that you can without the hand shock--I shoot mine at 7- 7 1/4". Putting the silencers on, and getting them in the right place, will take care of the string noise.

Chad

Long Bows Rule!

Ok, thanks guys. Tomorrow is string silencer day, so I'll let you know how it works out.

I have two string silencers tied on to the string at the 1/3 section of the strings. What noise? <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle> I am going to try two more silencers at the 1/4 section, but I dont expect any difference. This thing is super quiet now.

My hunting buddy called while I was tinkering. I told him to listen and see if it sounded quieter. All he could hear was the arrow hitting the target, so I guess it is pretty quiet.

so you are saying you have 8 total silencers on the string when this is all said and done?

Kip, I use cat whisker silencers. I cut one set in half, so they are half as long as when I started, which gave me two sets of two. I then placed one set at the 1/3 and one set at the 1/4 sections of the string. Same weight as just one set, they are waterproof and keep the bow deadly silent. My brace is set at 6 7/8&quot; on a 66&quot; Crusader.

Make em sharp and shoot em straight, or leave em home.

8? I folded the string in thirds, where the folds were, I put a silencer. Thats 2. I havent put the ones at at the folds when folded in quarters yet. IF I put them on, that will give me 4 total. I dont think I am going to put them on, 2 makes it plenty quiet.

You didn't say what the bowyer's recomended brace ht was. I usually start at the maximum and work down to the minimum. Proper brace height depends upon a lot of factors, including your release. I find that I almost always end up with 1/4&quot; above the recomended minimum height.

Your life is made of time, not money.