New guy here i need ALOT of help

[bdgerfn20]

Well im not only a new guy to this site but a new guy to traditional archery. I literally know absolutly nothing about it but love hunting and the outdoors and would love to get into this. It looks like it could be a great time for me. I cant really ask any question because i literally know nothing about traditional. first off i want to shoot a recurve. I found an old bear kodiak magnum in my dads basement(1971-1972 according to a bow identification guide i found)On it is the serial number and under that it AMO 52'' 40#. what does "AMO" mean? is it meaningless? also is that the right set up? with a compound bow i have a 30'' dl and can comfortably pull 60-70lbs what is the right set up for me. Thanks for the help guys i am really excited to get traditional archery!

[longbowguy]

Welcome to our merry band!

Your draw length will likely be shorter with a stickbow, and that Magnum may well suit you well. It's moderate weight will help you work on form and enable you to shoot a lot of arrows in practice.

You need to read some books and do some research on the various web sites regarding how to shoot with good form. But a short answer is to stand upright, stay relaxed and slow, and use the good form your compound likely forced upon you. Try to make a full draw, a good pause to refine your aim, and then pull through to a strong follow through.

Your bow and arrows are not tuned to each other so you will most likely hit left or right of where you are looking. Don't worry about that for now- just try for consistency. Once you have it you can get back to us about how to tune your tackle to move your point of impact over to the line of sight.

Opinions vary, but I advise you to not worry about the various aiming methods for now. Just look at the point you intend to hit and make a strong relaxed shot with your best form. Form is hard, aiming is easy, so work on form for the first few thousand arrows. Have a good time and pay attention to the feel of your good shots. Forget the bad ones. Shooting a compound is work. Shooting a stickbow is play. So have fun with it. Kindly also let us know how it is going. - lbg

[bdgerfn20]

Thank i appreciate it. I cant wait to get all set up. A couple of question on gettin a set up. like i said i have a 1971 or 1972 bear kodiak magnum 52 '' 40#. I dont have a string for it yet. What should i get? should it be a 52'' string as well? Also how is draw length determined in a bow? could a 52'' bow and a 58'' bow be suitable for a 30 in dl? Is it just simply determined by how far you draw the bow back? Also where should i start with arrows? aluminums carbons...? thanks for the help

[Big Bird]

the string you will need is 52"amo.poundage of the bow is 40# at 28" draw.figure 2 to 3 lbs more for every inch more draw.aluminum's are a lot easier to tune to the bow.

[bdgerfn20]

What arrows should i get? and what length should they be? i would like to know specific arrows cause i dont really know what i need for spine and what arrows are used for traditional. thanks guys

[Big Bird]

I just looked at OL Adcock arrow chart.It says 1916 out to a 31 inch arrow.but see what everybody else thinks.thats at 45# 31" arrow.

[dragon rider]

Going from compound to trad, I'd recommend you look at two videos, Rick Welch's Accuracy Factory and Rod Jenkins segment of Masters of the Barebow III.  Between them you can get a complete grounding in the basics of trad shooting without sights.

As for arrows, I like Gold Tip 3555's.  Given your 30" draw length, I'd start at full length and trim them, if needed, based on how they're hitting.  If they show weak, shorten them, no more than 1/4" at a time until you're getting what you want.  You can fine tune with point weight, because it doesn't change the spine nearly as fast as does cutting the arrow. If you prefer aluminum, again with a 30" draw, I'd take the same approach. Don't cut until you know how they hit at full length.

[Austin]

I'm fairly new at this too, but it seems to me that that 52" bow will be too short for any draw length over 29 inches or so. Am I on the right track here? I have a similar bow (a really nice old 52" amo Browning) that I was hoping to use, but it starts to stack real bad a couple of inches before I reach my 31.5" draw. I haven't been able to bring myself to draw it back all the way because I don't want to break it.  I'm thinking you should start with a longer bow.

[Rob DiStefano]

welcome, pilgirm!      

if you haven't done so yet, you might find this article of interest ...

 www.tradgang.com/docs/newbies.html  

if at all possible, your absolute best best is to find a qualified mentor to help with draw length, setting nocking point, arrow selection and learning how to begin proper shooting.

best of luck!    

[xtrema312]

Get the book Shooting the Stick Bow.  It will tell you all about everything you need to know to get started plus a bunch.  It will stress a low # bow and proper form from the start.  After that you can also read all kinds of stuff on this site and keep picking up info.

A 52" bow and 30" draw are not a good mix for a starter if ever.  Most likely never.  Your draw length may be less or it may be more.  It depends on if you have proper form and draw length now plus if you are shooting a release on a loop.  I shoot a 28.5" draw on my compound and 30" on a trad bow.  I spent a lot of time thinking I was a 28" draw.  

I wouldn't go over 45# at your draw length.  I started with a 45# bow and wish I started with a 35# and got my form right from the start.  I was shooting 70# compound with ease.  You only hold about 15-20# on a compound at full draw.  Holding 45# is a big difference particularly when you are trying to learn proper form.  Find a nice used 35-45# recurve about 62" or even longer would be better, but not under 60".  Short bows built for long draws and nice for some stuff, but not for starting out.