as a general rule and all things being equal the longer the limbs the smoother they are..

the problem,of course, is they're not equal..

 

We stress limbs up so that they achieve the performance expected from each limb length.

For example we could make a short limb pull to 33" but that is NOT what its designed to do. it is designed for the shorter draw length.

so with that said, i dont think its wise to simply try different limb lengths without this consideration.

I can make a long limb what will be certain to break at 12" of draw.
when we develop a new laminate we construct the stress levels to be safe at the draw length required.

limb length as in limb mass also plays a part in optimal performance, and not just the DFC. Short limbs have less mass but a poor DFC for long draws.
Long limbs have a heavy mass but a poor DFC for short draws.
so a compromise is needed.

We have optimised the DFC for each limb length to land somewhere in the expected draw lengths for each limb length.

It seems its only the long draw guys that like our hex limbs. but thats because they are least suited to conventional limb geometry.
that doesnt mean short draw archers dont benefit from the smoothness as each limb length is suited to its draw length.

hope that doesnt muddy the waters.
Im sure all limb makers take this approach in some way too...

 

beleg2, I can't really tell any difference in how a limb pulls going by length. Probably because I only draw 27". What's more important is string angle on the fingers. Longer is always better in that department. I can't see any reason for a target shooter to go under 68" - no matter how short in stature they are. Even hunters need not go under 66" no matter how they hunt.

But people like what they like. So you continue to see 56" hunting bows and the like all the time.

 

Forgive me if I am way off base here, but doesn't this stickied thread cover the question in the OP?

 

The problem is keeping it an apples to apples comparison. Blacky did a test of BF limbs (I think) of different lengths but used the same riser so the bow length was not the same. Since we all have an idea of what we want to shoot for bow length the true test of limb performance would be for short, med and long limbs on different length risers keeping the overall bow length the same. I’d pay money to see that.