What you need to get started (Beginners guide Volume II)

[fletcherfor2]

How do i figure my draw length as i have heard that it different than my compound draw length?

Draw length is measured from your arrow from the front (actually called the back) edge of your riser to the valley of the nock groove. See picture here:

http://www.3riversarchery.com/pdf/ArrowCharts.pdf

Hold with an arrow at full draw, and just have some one grab the arrow right where it overhangs at the front of the bow shelf and pull the arrow away. Mark the arrow where they grabbed it, and measure it from the mark to the valley of the nock groove. You can also do this your self by putting a clothespin on the arrow and drawing slowly while letting the bow push the clothespin. Then just measure from the clothespin to the valley of the nock.

Can you have to low of a draw weight to practice with?

?

[KAZ]

Thanks Chunky this is very helpful and the link to bowmaker is a great tool. Fletcherfor2, the link to 3 Rivers draw /arrow chart is a keeper as well. Thanks

[earn2]

I'm new to archery and this forum is great. I want to go with traditional stick long bow and spend money later. Do you recommend a recurve bow to learn the basics, such as the samick recurve, and then buying a good stick bow later? I'm reading Shooting the Stickbow - Anthony Camera and he tells me to slow down and talk to people first. I'm trying to get out to a shoot, but schedules are tough right now. I'm in Austin, TX. I want to focus on technique and form on a #40 bow first. I'm a lefty. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance. - Ernest

[mmarks]

2nd that

Check out SarrelsArchery.com. You will be very satisfied.

I bought a 3 piece takedown from Bob Sarrels last year and love it

[Timberline]

Anyone looking for a beginner bow for cheap couldn't do much worse than a Samick Sage. For $140 brand new, it's a wonderful little bow to start with.

[Pastordriskell]

Wing recurve

[81 mike mike]

Great advice.

[Nikthehick]

Some great info helping a beginner here, much appreciated. Anyone know anywhere in the DFW metroplex that I can go to get a feel for different bows and set ups before investing in a bow?

[DRT]

How do you "tune" a recurve bow? I mean, it's not like you can adjust your rest? School me.

[Bisch]

How do you "tune" a recurve bow? I mean, it's not like you can adjust your rest? School me.

To tune a trad bow, you adjust the nocking point, brace height, and you also adjust arrow spine until you get perfect flight. There are several ways to do it:

1. Paper Tuning, which is basically shooting a fletched arrow through a sheet of paper. You then look at the tear in the paper and that tear will tell you what you need to do to fix nock height and what you need to do to fix arrow spine.

2. Bareshaft Tuning, which is basically shooting fletched arrows and bareshaft arrows. How and where the two impact the target tells you what you need to do to fix your nocking point and arrow to get it all correct.

And, actually, you can adjust your rest in several ways, even if shooting off the shelf. You can add layers to your sideplate to adjust centershot, and you can do things to slightly adjust shelf height, like put a toothpick under the velcro shelf rug. Tuning a trad bow is a lot more complicated than one with no knowledge would ever imagine.

The first thing in tuning a trad bow, though, is to have good shooting form. If you do not have good consistent form, tuning will likely only frustrate the heck out of you. I always try to advise new trad folks to concentrate on learning good form, then worry about tuning.

Bisch

[DRT]

Heck for what these arrows cost they best be right. I had all of that set up at the shop. Guess I can shoot it through paper. I can paper tune a compound all day. But you're right. I doubt my former is solid enough to even try just yet.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

[Bisch]

Yeah, there is nothing that is cheap anymore!!


I'm not trying to burst your bubble, but there is almost no way, other than sheer luck to get it right without actual tuning. If you are new to this, don't worry about it too much right now. All you need is an arrow that flies relatively good (no obvious bad wobbles in flight) and practice and learn good form from a source that is reliable. The best thing is to have someone experienced to help you out at first. There are very few "set in stone" things with trad shooting, and what one guys does will not necessarily work for the next guy. You need to be ablt to take all the differnt ways to do something, and then figure out which works best for YOU. I'm not trying to scare or intimidate you, just laying it out there so that one day when you are about to tear your hear out over not being able to figure something out, maybe it won't be so bad. Getting good with trad gear is hard, and as such, the rewards are much greater when accomplishments are made or goals attained!

Bisch

[DRT]

Well I have 29.5" 500 arrows and my draw length measured at center point of shelf is 24". Black Eagle Vintage arrows. I have no idea what the inserts or the nocs weigh but currently I am using 100 grain field points.

Matched up to a Bear Black Panther Hunter that is 45lbs at 28". Brace height is 7.5". Arrow flight looks much better using the release. Guess my fingers weren't so smooth.

According to the calculator my bow spine rating is 50.5 and arrow 64.2. So to get them closer I can increase point weight to 150. Does that sound like a better combination?

[MarjorieStevens]

Hi there, thanks for this great advice.

[Clint Moronko]

Not bad