Both, and neither. It isn't the length itself that stabilizes, in my experience, so much as the weight and the differences in limb travel distance. Part of what makes compound bows SO STINKING ACCURATE is that their limbs are CRAZY strong (far too strong to be drawn in a traditional configuration), but the cams (wheels) handle the string travel distance so the limbs actually move an incredibly short distance...many of them move less than an inch. Then, when the bow is fired, the shock to the bow and the arm is extremely low because the limbs aren't generating a forward-moving inertia that shakes the whole bow. When you compare that to traditional bows, the shorter the limbs are, the further they have to bend to achieve a similar draw length. A true LONGbow, when we start getting over 70" in length, really doesn't have to bend very far to enable a full draw, so the limbs don't have to travel as far upon release either.Elleth wrote:Regarding short bows and ease of use... is that because longer limbs have a stabilizing effect, like using a pole on a balance beam? Or because you can anchor more consistently? Both/neither/something else?
In addition to limb travel, there's the weight. A lightweight bow won't absorb as much of the movement as a heavier one will, and so the arrow has to handle more of that shock (requiring a heavier arrow to avoid a dry-fire scenario that could cause catastrophic delamination or a break). It's like hitting a full-size baseball with a plastic whiffle bat...not a good scenario, though that's an extreme example.
Being able to anchor more consistently without excessive finger pinch is, of course, a huge benefit to longer limbs as well. If the release fingers aren't comfortable, they won't perform well.