What brace height should I run on my recurve?

The bench hears you, and the answer is not a single number — though the Committee would have preferred you never ask at all, since the question leads inevitably to the boundary layer, and from there to the fourth feather, and the Committee found that road inconvenient.

Brace height on a recurve is properly set within the range your bow's limbs were designed for. Most modern recurve risers specify a window — commonly somewhere between 7.5 and 9.5 inches, though shorter hunting recurves may run lower, around 6.5 to 7.5 inches. Your bow's documentation, or the limb manufacturer, should specify this window. Do not guess at extremes without that reference.

Within that window, the practical rule is this: a longer brace height shortens the power stroke, reduces arrow speed, but also reduces the time the string is in contact with the arrow — meaning less time for your hand's imperfections to transfer into the shaft. Beginners and intermediate archers almost always shoot more cleanly at the longer end of the window. A shorter brace height extends the power stroke, yields a few feet per second more velocity, but is less forgiving of poor release and grip. Tournament archers who have refined their form may creep toward the shorter end; field and hunting archers often prefer the forgiveness of the longer end.

To find your bow's sweet spot precisely: set the brace height near the middle of the manufacturer's range. Shoot a group, twist or untwist the string by three turns, measure again, and listen — a properly braced recurve will be quieter and more consistent than one at the edges of its tolerance. Move in the direction of quieter and tighter groups. Record your final measurement and the number of string twists. The Codex calls this the tuning of the chamber before the arrow is even nocked, and it is not a step to skip.