Target Shootin

[String Cutter]

What poundages were they shooting back in the day when everyone was target shooting??? Where they more accurate with those weights then we are now????? Just wondering?? I am thinking of ordering a new set of limbs "just for 3d shoots...."

[flinthead]

Most of the people that shot field archery were shooting about 36 pounds in a 70 inch recurve . The old Hoyt Pro Medalist I find are  about 32-40 pound draw weight . Shooting light carbon arrows these bows will shoot  out to 80 yards . Roy

[Rob DiStefano]

(this topic doesn't fit powwow, neither does it really fit this forum, but better here than there i'd think)

60's through the 70's here in the nor'east ...

fingers freestyle recurve holding weights were averaging between 32# and 38#.  bows were 66-70".  full draw/aim/release hold times averaged 5 to 8 seconds.  most everyone shot with a clicker.

barebow hunter recurve class weights typically were around 45-55#.  bows were short(er), anything from 66" down to 48".

there were almost no longbows, 'cept the occasional hill devotees and they were 60-75#.

today, for specializing in trad 3d target only (NOT for bowhunting), i'd want a longer recurve of around 64" or a longbow at 68", around 45# at my 29" draw length.  a fast arrow at 9-10gpp, too.

[reddogge]

I shot field archery in the 60s/70s and shot a '66 Bear Tamerlane 66" 35# barebow.  I shot barebow hunter with 50# recurves of various makes.

Our arrows were light aluminum arrows with 2 1/2"-3" fletch and nubby points for field archery and hunting weight Micro-Flights with 5" helical and field points for hunter class.  We also had broadhead shoots and I shot Bear Razorheads.

Were we more accurate with our target bows?  Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by reddogge:
I shot field archery in the 60s/70s and shot a '66 Bear Tamerlane 66" 35# barebow.  I shot barebow hunter with 50# recurves of various makes.

Our arrows were light aluminum arrows with 2 1/2"-3" fletch and nubby points for field archery and hunting weight Micro-Flights with 5" helical and field points for hunter class.  We also had broadhead shoots and I shot Bear Razorheads.

Were we more accurate with our target bows?  Does Charlie Daniels play a mean fiddle?

+1 on all accounts!    

[Earthdog]

During the 70's I shot field archery,mostly animal rounds too 65 yards,,shot 55lb.

Today I shoot field archery,mostly animal targets too 65 yards,,shoot 50lbs.

3D targets are still shot at those same distances but most clubs only briong out the 3D's for big shoots,the rest of the time we still shoot mat targets.

The compound folks get better all the time,but most trad shooters today are crap compered to what we were 30-40 years ago.

Laziness and close in 3D shooting are the two main reasons.

I've yet been to a 3D comp' that was as hard as my home field course,,and even when we host a shoot ourselves,our targets are moved in close for the 3D only crowd,,,if we don't move them "the pissing an whinging can be heard for days after.

[Rob DiStefano]

if yer interests are strictly 'competitive target', this is really not a topic for trad gang and there are other sites better suited for that.

too many 'trad' events are geared towards keeping score, and that changes too many things in both yer brain and shooting tackle.

as it was originally created in redlands, the nfaa was about preparing and practicing for bowhunting, thus the 'roving field course' was established.  didn't take long for the competitive mind set to increase distances, make up competitive rules, and then the nfaa became just another target archery org.

a muzzy type event is the closest you'll come to hunting conditions and real world roving.  it's competitive in its own right, but not anal or rules overbearing like those other nfaa, naa, ifaa, ibo, fita, etc. type events.

[BobCo 1965]

Not exactly sure what you mean by target style archery.

Olympic Male archers are usually shooting between 40 and 50#'s. But remember that they are shooting 144 arrows in a FITA round. Include the warmup shots at each distance and you are easily around the 200 arrow mark. If they qualify there are an additional 72 arrows in the Olympic Round assuming they make it to the finals.

My FITA style bow is 38#'s at 28", but I draw it to 31 1/2". The riser is 25", and with long limbs it is 70".

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:

too many 'trad' events are geared towards keeping score, and that changes too many things in both yer brain and shooting tackle.

as it was originally created in redlands, the nfaa was about preparing and practicing for bowhunting, thus the 'roving field course' was established.  didn't take long for the competitive mind set to increase distances, make up competitive rules, and then the nfaa became just another target archery org.

Rob,

What timeframe are you referring to with respect to the NFAA? They were founded in 1939, and were doing tournaments by at least 1941, which were mail match competitions. The NFAA field round was standardized in 1942; the yardages have not changed since then…at least not according to the 1940’s issue of Archery magazine that I have in my lap. The first NFAA national championship was held in 1946.

Yes, the NFAA was founded by bowhunters to cater to bowhunters. And it seems that those bowhunters knew the value of competitive shooting, even out to 80 yards.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Jason R. Wesbrock:
 

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:

too many 'trad' events are geared towards keeping score, and that changes too many things in both yer brain and shooting tackle.

as it was originally created in redlands, the nfaa was about preparing and practicing for bowhunting, thus the 'roving field course' was established.  didn't take long for the competitive mind set to increase distances, make up competitive rules, and then the nfaa became just another target archery org.

Rob,

What timeframe are you referring to with respect to the NFAA? They were founded in 1939, and were doing tournaments by at least 1941, which were mail match competitions. The NFAA field round was standardized in 1942; the yardages have not changed since then…at least not according to the 1940’s issue of Archery magazine that I have in my lap. The first NFAA national championship was held in 1946.

Yes, the NFAA was founded by bowhunters to cater to bowhunters. And it seems that those bowhunters knew the value of competitive shooting, even out to 80 yards. [/b]

exactly jason, exactly.

i won't take an 80 yard shot on game, would you?  that's not the founding idea behind the nfaa ... their logo is still the arrow-in-stump.

the competitive nature of humans changes lots of things and there is no man-on-man point competition when hunting, at least not for me.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:

exactly jason, exactly.

i won't take an 80 yard shot on game, would you?  that's not the founding idea behind the nfaa ... their logo is still the arrow-in-stump.

the competitive nature of humans changes lots of things and there is no man-on-man point competition when hunting, at least not for me. [/b]

Huh?   :confused:  

You are aware that even before the NFAA field round was standardized (less than three years after the organization's inception) that it still involved long range shooting? That logo you mentioned—the arrow in the stump—was adopted the same year that the organization started holding mail match tournaments…1941.

The founding idea behind the NFAA was that bowhunters wanted an archery organization that also catered to bowhunters, and the NAA was unwilling to do so. The NFAA wasn’t founded to be an anti-target-shooting organization; not by any stretch of the imagination. Since their inception they have always been a hybrid between a target-shooting and bowhunting organization. I suppose the founding fathers of the NFAA had the wisdom to know that those two disciplines aren’t mutually exclusive.

Would I take an 80-yard shot on game? No more than I’d take a 50-yard shot on game. But if I can shoot well at 50 yards, then I can blow an arrow through a deer’s lungs at 20 yards without batting an eye. Maybe those old boys knew something after all.    

As a side note: if you really think that the NFAA became “just another target archery org” by 1942, then you should try to pick up some old copies of Archery Magazine (the NFAA’s official publication) from the 40s and 50s. You might be surprised to know that they read like bowhunting magazines—lots of hunting stories, tackle tips, and how-tos—with very little discussion on actual competitive shooting.

[Rob DiStefano]

jason, i know all about the origins of the nfaa and i was first a member in late 50's.  i know what their beginnings were all about and that the redlands target archers had a field contingent that wanted to play a different, instinctive only game.  yeah, some distances went way out over a hundreds yards, too.  as it was told to me by more than a few old timers, it wasn't all that happy a time back then as the larger part of the field archers were bowhunters and wanted a bowhunter's roving course, not a target archery course.

my point is that once a game gets competitive the compromises and changes begin (as it did to a large degree with the nfaa).  the muzzy is a good event for hunting practice.

[reddogge]

To me field archery wasn't hunting practice at all.  It was competitiive archery and we used totally different equipment and aiming techniques.  I shot a stringwalking barebow style only.

Here's an Olympic analogy since they just ended.  The same skiers ski a downhill race flat out using 8' skis but switch to 5' skis to run the slalom course.  

We did the same thing, shot field archery and then switched equipment and technique to go hunting or practice for hunting.  I shot split finger and instinctive aiming.  We darn sight didn't practice for hunting on a field archery course.

[d from phx]

I have shot field and target archery since the early 60"s I shot 35 lb 69 inch Black Widow. I still shoot 35-38 lbd and a 68 in White wolf recurve. I shoot out to 80 yrds with no problem

[String Cutter]

O.K. Guys I think I wasn't clear?? Not really interested in the NFAA or whatever other groups??? I am thinking of getting either a BW PSA 62 inches and 35-45#...Or a really long light poundage longbow..To me the 3d courses around here is what I'm interested in winning... I've been shooting them for years and I have never even placed??? I'm tired and want to put afew trophies on the wall and be able to start shooting some nice tight groups I hear everyone else talk about.. and maybe just maybe hunt with the rig  too??? Some one please help and stop fighting over Nfaa? ucla? Pms? UPS? YMCA??

[Str8Shooter]

I wasn't around in the old days but I know plenty of guys who were. During the heyday of archery it is generally known that men shot bows in the 35-50 pound range. The old timers I know have said many times that 50+ was an oddity.

The thing to ask yourself, as it pertains to draw weight, is if you are in control of your shot. If you are you may be able to make some very positive changes without dropping in weight. If you aren't in control than cutting weight is a good idea.

Now, I'm gonna be really honest with you. If you're out to improve your accuracy and win some trophies it will take more than dropping in draw weight. If you are overbowed shedding draw weight will help you gain control over your shot sequence. But, if you drop weight and your form is poor or inconsistent you'll just be frustrated.

To really up your game you need to focus on improving your form. I would use a video camera and get some footage of yourself shooting. It will allow you to see what is really going on. What the mind thinks it is doing is sometime very different from what is actually happening. Working to improve your shooting form and improve consistency is what will help you become a better shooter.

[zetabow]

The top IFAA Longbow shooters of today are shooting between mid 40's amd low 50's for Field and 3D.

The lower bow weight gives you control over your shooting Form and Form is they key to winning tourneys, we are all built different so selecting a weight that suits you is a key factor.

My better half outshot all but myself on the Animal round (including Larry Yien) at the IFAA 04 Worlds with a 36# Border Longbow.

If you're going to shoot IBO a 35-40# Longbow would be perfect for that kind of short range 3D game, marked Field rounds it's more about Form and having good aiming system.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by String Cutter:
O.K. Guys I think I wasn't clear?? Not really interested in the NFAA or whatever other groups??? I am thinking of getting either a BW PSA 62 inches and 35-45#...Or a really long light poundage longbow..To me the 3d courses around here is what I'm interested in winning... I've been shooting them for years and I have never even placed??? I'm tired and want to put afew trophies on the wall and be able to start shooting some nice tight groups I hear everyone else talk about.. and maybe just maybe hunt with the rig  too??? Some one please help and stop fighting over Nfaa? ucla? Pms? UPS? YMCA??

oh no, sir - you were quite clear to me.  yer totally missing the point of my analogy of the nfaa (et al) and target archery and bowhunting.

the point is, what you are looking to do has little to nothing to do with practicing for trad bowhunting.  

you wanna play the archery competitive game and so you will be selecting gear with target archery first and foremost in mind - NOT trad bowhunting.

there are other websites/forums best to  help you with the competitive archery game, here's one that i started many years ago and passed the reins on to todd hathaway (many trad event champion, including the muzzy) ...

 stickbow target archery forum

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[BobCo 1965]

I think we got your point Rob. It may have just been the shots (ie, anal remark) that were taken at various organization that may have gotten under some people's skin. It's hard to refrain from commented back. - I know I had a hard time brushing it off.    

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by BobCo 1965:
I think we got your point Rob. It may have just been the shots (ie, anal remark) that were taken at various organization that may have gotten under some people's skin. It's hard to refrain from commented back. - I know I had a hard time brushing it off.      

no anal shots sent towards the orgs, just tellin' it as i see it.  

but since you do bring it up, yes, imo it's the orgs that are absolutely doing trad archery an injustice.  

that's not a discussion to unravel here at trad gang.  i've posted plenty about it over at  STAF

anyone can pm me with their comments or gripes, glad to respond.

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