Recommend me a bow (recurve)

A few months ago I decided I fancied getting a bow and arrow set to use. Being both tight and not an archer I started with a forty quid plastic and metal recurve off Amazon and some cheap arrows. Obviously this is the archery equivalent of an Apollo BSO but it was quite good fun so I’ve decided to spend a bit more and need some recommendations for either bows or shops

Specs are;

Recurve take down for ease of transport

Not competing, just shooting at my house place

Happy to visit a shop in London but I need them to do mail order as I need to get it delivered to friends in NI who will then take it down south to Ireland for me

Happy to spend up to a couple of hundred quid.

Any tips on arrows , finger tabs, gloves etc appreciated.

I used to shoot for the County many many years ago – its all changed so much I’d be no help to you at all nowadays I’m afraid.

Top tip – don’t get arrows that are too short for your full draw length, it can get very painful when it goes though your hand…

Recommend me a bow

What you need is a bow selector.

These people know their stuff – worth giving them a call…

http://www.cbarchery.co.uk/epages/62059681.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/62059681/Categories/Bows__Packages/%22Recurve%20Bow%20Packages%22/%22Beginner%20Packages%22

If you’re just shooting at your house, why do you need a take-down for transport?

Honestly, the best advice I can give is to look for a local club.  They should have different equipment to try so you can see what works for you.  They’ll also show you how to shoot properly (and safely).  Also, there is a knack to stringing a bow without risking a snapped limb or an eyeball.

Choosing a bow, your first concern is probably draw weight.  Think bowling balls, you want something with a reasonable amount of poke but it’s no good if you’re knackered after three shots.  I’ve seen new archers do exactly this, rock up at a shoot with some daft bloody cannon they’ve run out and bought, then had to retire halfway through the day because they can’t draw the thing anymore.  Mine is relatively heavy but I can (or at least, could) shoot it all day.

Burning Gold would be my choice, fantastic concept and coupled with some arrows of desire, you’ll have a timeless classic that you’ll grow to love as you get older.

+1 Cougar. A club is the right way to go.

As a beginner you don’t really want or need to be drawing anything over 30lb. I never went heavier than 36lb even shooting full FITA rounds as I had some silly fast custom limbs made by Border.

Beware though, archery is just as obsessive, geeky and spendy as MTB when it comes to kit, and even more arcane and cliquey when it comes to the actual sport itself…

Thanks all. Kayak wins the internet today.

If you’re just shooting at your house, why do you need a take-down for transport?

It’s more the getting it there in the first place – it will go to our house in Ireland which is usually empty so I have to get it delivered to friends (in the north thus avoiding brexit bollocks and Irish customs procedures) who will then drop it down when they drive down to stay in a month or so, obviously the smaller the parcel the easier this all is.

Club makes sense but may be a lot more faff than messing around in a yard justifies.

Whatever  ilf riser you like the look of and some limbs from KG archery.

kormoran
Free Member

Burning Gold would be my choice, fantastic concept and coupled with some arrows of desire, you’ll have a timeless classic that you’ll grow to love as you get older.

And easy to transport as long you get the optional chariot

Why not combine a trip to
Chiltern Archery

http://www.chiltern-archery.co.uk

with a ride?

They are very helpful and run a club and a range, so you can try the kit out.  They also have a limb exchange program where you can exchange the limbs up to six times as you improve and want to add more poundage.

It’s more the getting it there in the first place

Fair.

There’s nothing wrong with a take-down – it’s what I have – I was just curious.

Club makes sense but may be a lot more faff than messing around in a yard justifies.

This I’m less sure on.  Other than travel, I’m not seeing how it’s ‘faff’?  It’s not like attendance would be mandatory, and it might help make an informed decision rather than an expensive mistake.

Things may have changed since I last shot, but back when I was going regularly club fees cost buttons and included liability insurance.  From memory and run through an inflation calculator it was about £40 for the year (which I had waived anyway as a founding member).

Beware of these wooden ones.

This I’m less sure on.  Other than travel, I’m not seeing how it’s ‘faff’?

Because the only clubs (two of them) near me shoot at times which would be majorly inconvenient to me (unfortunate as I would probably otherwise give it a go)

it might help make an informed decision rather than an expensive mistake

I’ve done much more expensive mistakes than a couple of hundred quid on a bow 🙂

https://ww w.sellmybow.com/ is a good place to look for used kit, I have bought a few bits on there and keep looking for a new riser, I know what I want but haven’t seen one for sale for a while.

As several people have said, try to find a club that does beginner sessions, there are so many variables involved with finding a bow that actually fits, having a few sessions with experienced archers who can give really good advice.

I’d done some archery at school, and still had my little Slazenger bow, arrows, etc, but never really found the time to go back and try a grownup bow. Last year I did a search for a local club, and the local club had survived Covid and was advertising beginner sessions, so now I have time, I signed up. First off, I discovered that, although I’m right-handed, my dominant eye is my left, so I shoot a left-handed bow. After trying several bows, I ended up with the longest draw-length bow they had, a 28” with a 28lb draw weight.

After deciding to carry on I joined the club, and went along to Wales Archery to get properly measured up. Turns out I need a 25” riser with long limbs, making a 70” bow, and I draw a 31.5” arrow at around 34lb. My riser is a Kinetic Sovren, with WNS limbs, and it’s had stabilisers added, and I’ve just added a fibre-optic sight, and bought a set of carbon-fibre arrows with spin-vane fletching.

Not a great photo, but it gets the idea across…

Getting reasonably good groups at 40 yds…

TLDR: Don’t rush in to any decision, find a club, and get good advice on sizing, and shooting, things may not be as clear-cut as they seem at first.

I discovered that, although I’m right-handed, my dominant eye is my left, so I shoot a left-handed bow.

Yeah, this is good advice.  I’m fully left-dominant including left-eyed, I shoot right-handed purely because that was the only kit available to me when I learned.  I compensate by closing my left eye for a final tweak before loosing.

I ended up with the longest draw-length bow they had, a 28” with a 28lb draw weight.

…

I draw a 31.5” arrow at around 34lb.

This is broadly the same thing, rule of thumb is you can add 2lbs for every extra inch of draw.  Are you pretty tall?  That’s a long-ass draw length, if you’re not 6′ plus or oddly gangly I’d be looking to see if you were overdrawing.

By way of comparison, I was shooting 38@28″.

This idea that you “need” a certain lenght bow is pure target archery talk.

Target archery is a totally different world to field archery in the woods, shooting at 3d’s at unmarked distances and in field no one will tell you that your bow is the wrong size.

Something I meant to add, but I was doing two things at once and forgot: what’s crucial is getting the size right, especially the draw length; it was noticed that I was overdrawing, while I was using a club bow with a 26” draw – there’s a real risk of the arrow dropping off the rest as you release and putting the arrow through your hand, so I was given a 28”draw bow to try, which was 68” from limb tip to limb tip, which was better, but even that wasn’t enough, ‘cos I’ve got arms like a gibbon, so my bow is 70”.

Stabilisers aren’t necessary, and neither are sights, you can shoot a take-down recurve as a flat bow, and sight along the arrow, just like a longbow; we have a family who started about the same time as me, who all shoot flat bow and they’re really good, better than I am, a big advantage is no faffing around, just attach the limbs, string it and shoot.
If you’ve got somewhere big and empty enough to be able to shoot safely, I envy you, although I do have access to the club range anytime I want, I just have to unlock the gate and lock it when I’m done – it’s a great place, lots of wildlife around, including a stoat that pops out occasionally and dances around, kestrels, a green woodpecker, a buzzard family, squirrels, rabbits, hares sometimes, and it’s right on the edge of Chippenham, we’re incredibly lucky to have access to the piece of land.

Huh, I came into the thread to make rubbish jokes but I’ve just discovered there’s a local archery club and just got myself on the waiting list for their next trial day/induction. Just what I need, another weird cult 🙂

Whereabouts?

I was using a club bow with a 26” draw… so I was given a 28”draw bow to try

Huh?

A recurve doesn’t have a fixed draw length. The draw is dictated by how far you pull the string back, limited by arrow length. If your arrows are falling off past the shelf that’s not a bow problem, your arrows are too short.

This idea that you “need” a certain lenght bow is pure target archery talk.

That was my thinking also, though I’ve only ever shot Field.  There is a logic I suppose that a longer bow would be more suitable for a longer draw length but it’s not something I’ve ever really come across, it was simply not a concern back when I was shooting unless someone was exceptionally proportioned (eg we had smaller, lighter practice bows for the kids).  There is an argument that a larger bow is ‘smoother,’ YMMV.

Length of the bow is related to your draw length.  If you have a short bow and draw it a long way your fingers can pinch the arrow and your release will suffer.  Compound bows are short but you don’t generally shoot them with your fingers.  You can also find that it will “stack up” the further you draw it – so it’ll feel very heavy as you are overdrawing the limbs.

If you have a longer bow and quite a short draw then the limbs might not be working in the most efficient range so you wont get the power you need.

I was over at Wales Archery picking up my new arrows, and I spotted a couple of risers that might be the sort of thing to look for, if all you need/want is a bare bow. No idea as to cost, neither had a price tag, but it’s a suggestion for an alternative to alloy risers like mine.

Took up barebow archery last autumn and love it… and kit shopping at Wales Archery is great!

Cougar
Full Member

Whereabouts?

My town, Penicuik, just near Edinburgh. Next induction is full but that works out OK since probably still healing from 2 broken hands and a broken shoulder is not ideal archery condition. Though even once i heal I still have the puniest arms in the world so I imagine I’ll have to be given a child’s bow or a stick with a rubber band on it.

But, looks like fun and it’s like 5 minutes walk. Albeit uphill

If you have a short bow and draw it a long way your fingers can pinch the arrow and your release will suffer.

That’s likely a finger placement issue.  If you’re gripping the arrow, it can twist out away from the bow.  You need to open them out away from the nock by a fraction of a millimetre and that won’t happen.

You can also find that it will “stack up” the further you draw it

Stacking can be a symptom of ****ed limbs also.

so it’ll feel very heavy as you are overdrawing the limbs.

If you have a longer bow and quite a short draw then the limbs might not be working in the most efficient range so you wont get the power you need.

Yep, agreed.  There will always be an optimum range, my point was simply that you probably don’t need a new bow if you’re drawing 29″ instead of 28″.  It’s just not that critical IMHO, unless it’s way out.

CZ’s 31.5″ draw is fairly exceptional.  Either he’s very tall, is built like an orangutan, or is overdrawing.

Aim Small, Miss Small! 🙂

Managed to get a shoot in today.

Barebow. Instinctive.

Hoyt recurve, carbon arrows and toy Fox 🙂

Hoyt recurve, carbon arrows and toy Fox 🙂

Nice.

One of the nastier shots we pegged out was a squirrel.  It was a really short shot but it was an absolute bastard, almost everyone overshot it because they weren’t used to it.  Even with a large boss behind it we were retrieving lost arrows out of the ground for weeks.  “Can’t find my arrow, but hey here’s one of Ray’s!”

One of the things I loved about Field archery was the variety, it was never the same shot twice.  None of this ‘marked distances’ nonsense, Shot 1 is a squirrel a few feet away, Shot 2 is a bear on the other side of the river.  Shot 3 is a fox behind some trees (these were tricky to set up well because a shot from a longbow, a compound, and a kids’ practice bow with a bit of knicker elastic all have very different flight paths and it needs to be accessible to all).

So, it turns out that there’s an archery shop 10 minutes away from home.  I’m planning on wandering over to scope it out.

For the OP, they have an interesting FAQ.

Phoenix Archery FAQs

Not bow and arrow related, but target shooting to be sure. But I’ve always fancied joining a shooting club.

Not shotgun and clay pigeons, but proper rifle things. The only thing I’m unsure of is whether I’d be able to be granted a firearms licence.

Anyone target shoot ? rifles I mean.

CZ’s 31.5″ draw is fairly exceptional.  Either he’s very tall, is built like an orangutan, or is overdrawing.

Ha! I’m about 6’, but I do have fairly long arms*, and I was overdrawing with the club bows, the longest was a 68”, with 28” arrows, and I was having to be careful not to overdraw. I was measured up by the guys at Wales Archery, and my arrows could possibly be a centimetre or so shorter, especially if I decided to use a clicker, but I’m not up to the level of needing one fitted, and I’m not really competitive enough to think one would make much difference.

*More gibbon than orangutan

(-:

A clicker doesn’t give you a better draw, it gives you a consistent draw.  Overdrawing isn’t running out of arrow, it’s pulling beyond your natural anchor point.  (Typically most people when learning tend to underdraw rather than overdraw IME.)

I shoot – well, shot – arrows which were intentionally an inch too long.  The reason being, when you missed and hit a rock blasting the pile off, you could re-taper to salvage the rest of the arrow rather than throwing it away.  Unless you’re in competition rather than shooting for fun, this shouldn’t matter.

@cougar

Field archery is more fun than target.

The range above only has around 30 targets, but like you say the challenge of the terrain and short distances from one to the next makes the fun.

I did a bit of Target Archery for a while, but found it boring. I don’t know how they keep at it. Each to thier own.

Best thing I did was rip the sights off and all the bollox gizmos.

Hunting tackle for  quite some time, then barebow because of the carbons.

Field Archery is the MTB is archery.

@all

Long arrows don’t matter, as long as they fly straight, remember your only killing foam.

I make wooden arrows and always have them a couple of inches longer. Make sure the spine in correct +-1-2lb.

Any thoughts as to which archery club in the Edinburgh area would be best for an almost total beginner? I’ve googled them but other people’s experiences always useful to hear.

Field archery is what appeals most but I suspect a good grounding in the basics is where to start. Cheers.

Patronising comment alert:

Check your arrows regularly if they are cheap as you mentioned / fibre glass. I learned this the hard way about 10 years ago, quite comical looks from all the medical students and plenty of witty retorts from my friends when I walked in the hospital with the back half of a splayed arrow embedded in my bow hand.

Luckily I managed to avoid major injury, but I still sliced the tendon sheath and had to have an operation and 6 weeks off work (manual job at the time) as it healed.

It didn’t really hurt too badly, but every time since then I’ve tried to get back into archery I can’t bring myself to loose the arrow in fear! Shame because I was really good in school and won a few competitions.

@redthunder I shoot HT, and DIY arrows also.

Field archery is what appeals most but I suspect a good grounding in the basics is where to start. Cheers.

RT’s comment about Field archery being akin to MTB is a good way of putting it.  With MTB you wouldn’t just buy a bike and then throw yourself down a black route, similarly with archery any half-decent club will show you the basics regardless of discipline.  Technique aside there are safety considerations to be had, and not just your own but everyone else’s.

With absolute beginners, we’d stake out a couple of bosses in a field on their own, and give them one-to-one tuition / supervision until they could be trusted not to take pot-shots at pigeons (or each other).

I did a bit of Target Archery for a while, but found it boring. I don’t know how they keep at it. Each to thier own.

I’ve never tried it but it does look dull.

The guy who mentored me told a tale of how he tried it once (though how much of this is embellishment I couldn’t say).  They were all dressed in cricket whites, he rocked up in Field archery clobber – jeans, wellington boots, Marty McFly-esque bodywarmer.  Half a dozen arrows stuck down his right welly.  You get three minutes to shoot three arrows, of which they spend most of the time fannying about with their bows, adjusting sights and suchlike.  His turn came around, he shot his three in about ten seconds and outshot the lot of them.  (I find this claim implausible, but he was one of our best archers so who knows.)

every time since then I’ve tried to get back into archery I can’t bring myself to loose the arrow in fear!

Switch to alloys?  They tend to bend when it goes Pete Tong rather than disintegrate.

Well a bow has been ordered – Samick Sage kit, with 25lb draw weight.

The idea of setting up a field archery run sounds quite interesting to mess about with next summer, as well as a biggish yard I have a very long drive, an overgrown field and it’s all surrounded by commercial forestry which is not used by anyone (horrible pine trees) for leisure purchases all with no neighbours within a 1/4 mile so sounds a good area to use.

Thanks all.

Get insurance.

it costs nowt, back when I was shooting regularly annual NFAS membership + insurance was £3, so I’d guess it’s probably about a tenner now.

NFAS dont insure you as such, I think only counts at NFAS endorsed shoots.

I’m not in club any more and use GunPlan insurance instead. Shoot elsewhere… no club bollox.

https://www.ripeinsurance.co.uk/shooting/

NFAS

I would’nt bother, unless to want to compete. They are like the UCI of FA.

https://nfas.net/join-renew