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3 months later tl;dr it's a nice, fast, relatively affordable bow. I can draw it a few inches past my ear (33") while standing parallel, arrow going just under lip. My arm span from thumb to thumb is 69", 72" middle finger tip. Bow is very narrow and fast. Seems very durable. Just be careful not to twist it, although it's not that easy to twist. They gave me the right string length the first time and bow length, the bow string length is about 48". Length of the bow is 53", through the back unstrung I guess. Very good service..

This bow looks way better than a Samick SKB, though I've never shot the SKB... It looks way more like a gakgung, can probably be drawn farther  (same d/l for the 48" version?), is much more narrow yet likely still more durable. Not sure if this bow is outperformed by pricier SMG or YMG bows, or not. I can't comment on how it feels in comparison, nor the cast or anything, since I haven't shot those.

They sent me a second string that was longer when I pestered them, for free. Bow was still very shootable but I still prefer the first one. Higher brace height is more forgiving.

...

I ordered a 53" 45#@31" Nomad bow kit (comes with bag, arrows, glove, etc). That kit said the 48" bow was recommended, though, for some reason, but I chose 53".

I finally got it today, picked it up at the post office, and strung it.

Now a lot of people all over the world know how messy my room is.

The handle is pretty rough, but I guess that allows a firm grip. It's not bad at all. I like the look of this backing more than the pictures of the Kaya KTB. It's some sort of synthetic cloth, apparently.

The Hungarian bow on the left is about 50.5" nock to nock and about 54" tip to tip. But this is what the sticker on the Korean bow says.

And this is what I measured nock to nock. About 51" tip to tip? 48" nock to nock.

What the manual says...

Sticker in bow string bag

124cm ~= 48.8"

This bow is the 53" version.

I was still able to draw it pretty far, to the tip of the arrowheads, before the outer limbs got parallel. (little over 33", with the carbon arrows it came with) Though it felt like it began stacking. Because of lack of strength. It does begin to increase in draw weight pretty quickly in the last inches of draw, but possibly only to 55lb at 33" or so. I have gotten better at shooting it with time.

The carbon arrows it came with.

Seems like the nock is way too wide for the string. They're very loose on it. Guess I will have to double/triple serve the string...

The nocks in the wooden arrows I have are barely thick enough to stay on the string without falling off, but still very loose. I feel like my Easton Gamegetter aluminum arrows, which have an even smaller nock, should stick just fine. If I added more serving, then they'd be too tight, so I can't shoot all my arrows with the same serving.

More bow pics, KTB glove

I will shoot this bow later today.

It's pretty easy to string with a step-through method.

I wasn't sure if I should get a Hwarang, MJ System Black Shadow Matte, 53" or Nomad KTB 53", or if I should get 30lb, 40lb, or 50lb at 31". I am between 185cm and 190cm tall. My arm span is 178cm/70" thumb to thumb with arms spread out.

Most of my practice has been with a 50lb@30" Hungarian style bow. After a few rounds, I become more tired and start missing the target at 20 yards. At least the string never slaps my arm.

My 30#@28" flatbow just has too much handshock. Its brace height is lower and the string jerks forward from the brace height when it is shot, slapping my arm. I still have a strange bruise/nodule on my bow hand, at the little finger joint, from the handshock a week ago.

Although I can pull up to 70lbs max (get tired quickly), I should probably get the Nomad at 30lb. Right? Because I am a beginner and I do not feel as comfortable shooting as I would like to. Perhaps, when I actually make some progress in two or three years, I could get a more powerful Hwarang (maybe 60# or more).

However, an archer at the range told me I should just shoot more with my 50# bow because that's what I'm used to. I guess he might be right, but I don't see how shooting a lighter bow hurts rather than helps get better form.

Instead of buying a bow, should just try to make really heavy arrows for the flatbow? I don't think its draw will be as even, but it should be good enough? I could wrap something soft on the handle. Would it be too different to shoot from a Korean bow? (both with thumb draw, heavy arrows). I could make longer arrows, but I'm not sure if that 71" hickory flatbow should be drawn more than 32". It already has taken some set. I can draw to right under my ear at around 32", but I might want to learn to shoot with a longer, lower draw.

I would like to set up some sort of short range target/makiwara type thing in my apartment. Perhaps a cardboard box with foam or something inside, or one of those soft cube targets? And I should probably get a book. The translated Gao Ying book, and Thomas's Korean Archery book?

I would appreciate any advice. Sorry for the long post..