# Mathews draw lengths a tad long?



## turtlebug (May 11, 2010)

Anyone heard anything or noticed the draw lengths running a bit long on any of the new Mathews? 

I can't seem to get the Z7 to that "perfect" feel. Gonna do some more tweaking and twisting and see if we can get it there this weekend. I'm getting super frustrated. Same size cam as on all my other Mathews bows but this sucker is proving harder to tune. 

Was shooting at my coach's last night and he and another shooter there (both Mathews sponsored shooters) said that they've noticed on the Z7 and the Triumph that the draw length was longer than usual. 

If my draw length is off by a hair, it drives me nuts!  

If we can't get this bow straightened out this weekend. I'm gonna order a half inch shorter cam and start all over. I don't want to because it's so close but I'm picky about it and want it perfect.  


OTOH, we're gradually maxing out the limbs and man those arrows are flying.    

Oh and my peep is too big and my pins are too small.   Gonna switch all that out too. Think I'm gonna go back to the .029 for hunting cause somehow (and I swore I ordered the .019 pins) I wound up with .010 pins.  That's making the peep seem HUGE!


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## DaddyPaul (May 12, 2010)

I've owned a bunch of Mathews bows.  SBXT, Dren, Dren LD, two Prestiges, MQ1 and have worked on even more of them.  Without fail all have been in the neighborhood of 1/2 long with the cam properly oriented.  I always shot a 29" cam with the Mathews bows to get my DL spot on.

With my Hoyts, I still order the 29" bows, but then I pull the grip and really advance the cams to the edge of the performance marks to get the same DL.  They seem much closer to being what the sticker says they are.  

I think that as long as the measured AMO draw length is within about .75's of a inch they are within the guidelines set for new bows.  You may try adding a few twists into the string and removing a couple from the cable, that might buy you a little DL back.

Also if you back your limbs off the DL will increase slightly.  How many turns out do you have them?


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## thompsonsz71 (May 12, 2010)

the z7's reezens' and triumphs are all at least a .5 inch long to begin with... the monsters are alot closer to actual draw length


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## turtlebug (May 12, 2010)

DaddyPaul said:


> I've owned a bunch of Mathews bows.  SBXT, Dren, Dren LD, two Prestiges, MQ1 and have worked on even more of them.  Without fail all have been in the neighborhood of 1/2 long with the cam properly oriented.  I always shot a 29" cam with the Mathews bows to get my DL spot on.
> 
> With my Hoyts, I still order the 29" bows, but then I pull the grip and really advance the cams to the edge of the performance marks to get the same DL.  They seem much closer to being what the sticker says they are.
> 
> ...




Thanks DaddyP 

The limbs are turned out 3 turns. We're sitting at 46 pounds right now. Had it up to 49.5 but that was a bit much for no more practice than I've had time for so Curtis took a little off of it Monday night.

He looked at the cam and said we had a little room there. He's saying it doesn't  LOOK like I'm drawing any longer than my Prestige but I'm screaming to the Heavens that it's about 1/2 inch longer. I'm fanatical about the knuckle of my middle finger digging into that "notch" in my jawline. That's just where I feel right.  Backing out the limbs is only a temporary fix as I intend to have it maxed out in the next month. Heck, I *PLAN* on ordering the 60# limbs by the opening of bow season.  (Shoulder holding up okay and all)

I'm just wondering.... could it possibly be that going from 65% letoff to 80% letoff is giving me the illusion that I'm not pulling and pushing hard enough?  It's hard to explain. I guess what I'm used to is what Curtis described as drawing past the wall. I'm really bad about flexing the limbs beyond full draw and I just can't get that out of the Z7. He gave me one of Jeff Hopkins old releases to stop me from punching the shot and I've stuck with that style of shooting ever since. It's just what has worked for me and kept my shooting spot on.

One of the guys said something about another layer of serving.  He seemd to think that might help. 

I think before I do anything, I'm gonna take it back up to SOLO this weekend and see if Jeramie will twist it up a bit more. I hate having to move the peep and d-loop but I'll keep fiddling with it til it's right or I'll be toting a Prestige again this season. 

But FWIW, it's so much easier to find 125 grain broadheads than digging around for 85's.  I am loving the power of the bow. I just feel right now like the bow is controlling me and that's not the way it should be.


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## turtlebug (May 12, 2010)

After a lot of shooting and conscious critiquing tonight, it's the grip. 


Next question....


What about putting a Shrew on it? 

I've been spoiled rotten on the Prestige.


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## DaddyPaul (May 12, 2010)

TB,
The extra serving is a trick used to lower the let off slightly.  By having a thicker serving it doesn't allow the cam to roll all the way over into the valley, so to speak, so you end up drawing just short of where you are now, thus slightly reducing let off and draw length.  

You could always put a couple of twists in both ends of the string (long string on a single cam) and take a couple out of the cable.  This will orient the cam in such a way that it shortens your draw length.  

Imagine your cam sitting the way it is right now, DL slightly to long for you.  Now take twists out of the cable and put them into the string.  This moves the starting position of the cam closer to its stopping point, which shortens the draw slightly.

Hope I'm not talking down to you, just trying to be clear!


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## DaddyPaul (May 12, 2010)

turtlebug said:


> After a lot of shooting and conscious critiquing tonight, it's the grip.
> 
> 
> Next question....
> ...




Most of the time the Shrewd grip will actually increase your draw length slightly over the stock Mathews handle.  Why not pull the stock grip, wrap the handle with some racket tape stuff and stick the next shorter cam on it?  That way you get the skinny grip you love about the Prestige, yet keep your DL where it needs to be.  1/2" isn't going to matter one bit to a deer this fall!


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## klemsontigers7 (May 12, 2010)

Turtlebug... part of the problem comes with your limbs not being maxed out.  I have heard that some of these models run long but if you think you are close, then it could just be that the weight isn't jacked all the way up yet.  With the limb bolts backed out, the brace height grows, and does draw length.  Hope this helps.


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## turtlebug (May 12, 2010)

DaddyPaul said:


> Most of the time the Shrewd grip will actually increase your draw length slightly over the stock Mathews handle.  Why not pull the stock grip, wrap the handle with some racket tape stuff and stick the next shorter cam on it?  That way you get the skinny grip you love about the Prestige, yet keep your DL where it needs to be.  1/2" isn't going to matter one bit to a deer this fall!




Okay, maybe I said it wrong. It's the high wrist vs. low wrist that I'm having such a hard time with. That's why I was looking at the Shrewd. 

Shot it enough tonight that I'm feeling it pretty good, as far as getting my muscles back in tune and strengthened up. Gonna keep on. At least blind bales are helping with the strength and keeping my form. 

Thanks KT7, the hubby watched close tonight and says it's me. I'm having a hard time with the wrist on this Z7. He says I'm not more than a hair off on the dl. Even when it was at 49.5, I was having this problem. 



Or I could just fix it all by saying first person with a left handed camo or black Prestige that they don't want anymore gets a brand new black Z7.


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## DaddyPaul (May 12, 2010)

The standard wood grip on most Mathews bows is pretty much a medium wrist grip, not a high wrist.  Having owned several bows with the standard grip as well as two Prestiges, I concur that the grip on the Prestige is much better.  IMO, the Shrewd felt nothing like the stock Prestige handle, could have just been me though?

Hicks also has some replacement grips for Mathews sticks, I did try one of those and it was close to the Prestige.  I think it was called a Low Pro or something close to that.  I'll see if I can find a link for you.


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## DaddyPaul (May 12, 2010)

Link:  http://www.hicksarchery.com/progrip.html


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## turtlebug (May 12, 2010)

DaddyPaul said:


> The standard wood grip on most Mathews bows is pretty much a medium wrist grip, not a high wrist.  Having owned several bows with the standard grip as well as two Prestiges, I concur that the grip on the Prestige is much better.  IMO, the Shrewd felt nothing like the stock Prestige handle, could have just been me though?
> 
> Hicks also has some replacement grips for Mathews sticks, I did try one of those and it was close to the Prestige.  I think it was called a Low Pro or something close to that.  I'll see if I can find a link for you.





DaddyPaul said:


> Link:  http://www.hicksarchery.com/progrip.html





I do believe you're my hero tonight.  

That's exactly what I'm looking for. You were able to put it into better words than me but that's just what I meant about the wrist. The Prestige is hard to beat and oh so forgiving.  That stock Z7 grip is a booger when you're used to the slim/straight grip of the Prestige.

Bless you!


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## DaddyPaul (May 12, 2010)

turtlebug said:


> I do believe you're my hero tonight.
> 
> That's exactly what I'm looking for. You were able to put it into better words than me but that's just what I meant about the wrist. The Prestige is hard to beat and oh so forgiving.  That stock Z7 grip is a booger when you're used to the slim/straight grip of the Prestige.
> 
> Bless you!



I do what I can TB.


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## alligood729 (May 13, 2010)

If you'd just got a PSE like I told you to start with, you wouldn't be having this problem.......rite.....lol
You'll get it, I just know you will!


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## DaddyPaul (May 13, 2010)

TB,
You also have a stock offering from Mathews these days, forgot about it.  Check it out:  http://mathewsinc.com/mathews-bows-13198-44-ViewProduct-1516-289.asp


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## turtlebug (May 15, 2010)

alligood729 said:


> If you'd just got a PSE like I told you to start with, you wouldn't be having this problem.......rite.....lol
> You'll get it, I just know you will!




You, you.... you.....      






DaddyPaul said:


> TB,
> You also have a stock offering from Mathews these days, forgot about it.  Check it out:  http://mathewsinc.com/mathews-bows-13198-44-ViewProduct-1516-289.asp




Thanks DaddyP! They've got one in stock locally. Gonna go look at it today.  Of course it's right handed though.  


Been working with it. I gotta say, grouping with it is pretty easy. I was fairly pleased with the results after a lot of work but that wrist is just giving me a fit. 

I don't think we'll be seeing it for sale anytime soon as I had originally thought.


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## 11P&YBOWHUNTER (May 15, 2010)

My Z7 is about 3/4 of an inch longer compared to other 29 inch bows i have shot.  I was gonna drop it down to 28.5 inches but just decided to get rid of it.


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## thompsonsz71 (May 15, 2010)

my monster 7 is spot on


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## brimbucket22 (May 19, 2010)

does anyone know if the draw on a dxt runs longer, have been having almost the same problem, the bow creeps and feels like theres no valley in my cam, draws at 27 right now and have been playing with this bow for about a year now, just cant get it right


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## alligood729 (May 20, 2010)

turtlebug said:


> You, you.... you.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I know, I know, luv you too darlin....


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## thompsonsz71 (May 20, 2010)

brimbucket22 said:


> does anyone know if the draw on a dxt runs longer, have been having almost the same problem, the bow creeps and feels like theres no valley in my cam, draws at 27 right now and have been playing with this bow for about a year now, just cant get it right



sounds like a cam rotation problem to me... check the rotation and ata and brace.... one of the three will be off


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## klemsontigers7 (May 20, 2010)

thompsonsz71 said:


> sounds like a cam rotation problem to me... check the rotation and ata and brace.... one of the three will be off



Yep..


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