Newbie question

[smdcosta]

Hi all,

I have been enjoying learning on this forum over the past couple of days. I am a complete newbie to archery and would like to get straight into trad bows. I have some questions and am open to any advice or direction.

1) How do i determine/obtain my draw length?

2) What poundage is a godd start off from reading the various postings i was thinking around 50. Any suggestions.

3) Is the arrow length determined by draw length?

4) For my first bow i have about a 500 dollar budget so i want to get something  nice. I have been looking at some customs but also som fred bear bows and some martin bows ( i am leaning toward a recurve). Any advice on a good bow for a beginner. The only shooting i have done was with hand made bamboo bows as a kid (self made  

I would appreciate any help/advice whatsoever. Look forward to hearing from you all.

[Jaeger]

First and formost you don't want to start too heavy. Think more along the lines of 40-45#. If you go too heavy and overbow yourself you will develop some very bad habits and you and your shooting will suffer for it.

Second, you don't have to spend a ton of money to get a top notch bow. Yo will get lots of suggestions about this bow and that bow and will be dazzled by shiney finishes and pretty woods. There are some very nice looking bows that are great shooters but you will pay a premium for most of them.
The best value in archery right now is from the  Quinn Archery Company.  http://www.quinnsarchery.com/quinn\\'s_archery_001.htm

David Quinn uses cast aluminum risers made to his specs. and makes his own limbs. I highly recommend a Quinn Stallion in the range of 40-45#. The grip on the Quinn is small and does not lend itself to being torqued. The riser is well balanced and can either be shot off the shelf or with an elevated rest. It is drilled and tapped for a sight or a quiver if you would like to use either one. It is also drilled and tapped for a stabilizer or bow fishing rig.
The Stallion limbs are made with a dual laminations of rock maple (or bubinga for the Classic limbs) and Gordon Glass. They are very simple limbs but don't let that simpleness fool you. They will perform with the best of them and are exceptionally smooth. (try an  average of 2# per inch out to 31"!!) You can get fancier looking limbs but you can't get them any smoother.
My Stallion shoots an arrow at about 176fps with an 11gpp arrow. If you want speed for 3d shooting the Quinn limbs will handle light weight arrows without complaint.
I have a set of the standard maple/black glass limbs as well as a set of the Classics which are bubinga and clear glass. The Classics are real lookers and ther performance of both sets of limbs is fantastic.
The best thing about the Quinn bows is that they don't cost a fortune.The Classic will run you less than $300 brand new. That will leave you with money left over to buy some good arrows and some training if you can find it. Or a second set of heavier limbs for when you are ready for them.

The Quinns are also fantastic people to deal with.

You can certainly spend more for a bow but you won't see the payoff in shootability or performance.

[smdcosta]

Thanks alot Jaeger for your reply.

I had a few more questions.

1) I am blind in my right eye and am right handed. As i am a beginner would it ba any advantage to start drawing with my left hand. I am asking thi sin regards to accuracy etc.

cheers

[Jaeger]

I've instructed quite a few cross eye dominant shooters during rifle training and most of them do much better shooting on the side of their dominant eye. I have 1 exception to that and I still don't know how the heck he does it!

I think if it were me I would have to switch to shooting lefty. I use a high anchor and was trained in the beginning to be a gap shooter. I have shifted most of my focus to the target now but I am still very aware of the tip of my arrow and still use it as a reference in some situations.  I don't think I could do that effectively with my left eye.
Since you are just starting it may be something you can work around but it might be just as easy to learn to shoot lefty.
If you go the lefty route you can't get a Stallion riser. David will make you a Stingray riser that uses his dual lamination limbs just like the Stallion. I think they are actually cheaper than the Stallion.

[Jaeger]

$235 to $270 depending on what options you choose.

Draw length will depend on your physiology and what you settle on as an anchor point.

Arrow length is partially determined by draw length buy also by spine. You arrow must be at least long enough not to fall off the shelf/rest at full draw. after that you can experiment with length and point weight  till you get the spine (stiffness) of the arrow matched to your draw weight.

Foxfire Archery has some good arrow spine charts.
After you settle on a draw weight and get an approximate draw length I would recommend starting with aluminum arrows. They are very straight and consistant and will be easier to match to your needs. You can switch to carbon or wood later if the spirit moves you.

[Bowferd]

And I don't know Jack. But I can appreciate your problem. My suggestion would be to find a bow that is not center cut, but shelved on both sides, so that you can shoot either right or left handed. Then develop which form works best for you. Everyone that responds to this post will give you thier HTG best answer to your ?
I personally would buy an old used bow in the 30-40# range, buy a good solid target, and proceed to KSA. Within a matter of months you will be able to detemine what is right for YOU.And if you have any further questions. [email protected]
Yea, I got lost again
#1 Take a good size plastic tie wrap, Put it on snuggly on the shaft of the arrow in front of the shelf.
Pull back to full draw, please don't over extend yourself. As a matter of fact, do it front of your target from let's say 10 to 20 yards.
Now draw back and let'rip. If you can't find the tie wrap, try again. If you did everything as explained prevously, you are now on the right track. So now use another tie wrap as explained in rule #1. Draw the bow to your full intention, paying close attention to you're 1st misguided effort, and you should probably go thru #1 at least 3 times before we get here. Now we have something to work with. Now we have decided that you are 5' 9" tall and you leverage out somewhere between 150 to 250#. Let's say just for an example that the 150# guy pulls and releases the 50# bow exactly the same as the 250# guy. Do you think that there would be any difference? Just interested .

[smdcosta]

Thanks for your advice guys. Keep it coming.

Bowferd i like your idea about interchanging hands and finding whats right. I didnt really understand your tie wrap explanation. Sorry if its obvious.

Are there any nice take down or one piece recurves which are interchangeable left and right?

Also when it says a right handed bow i assume thats the right hand drawing??

Thanks again

[brettlandon]

You are exactly right.  A right hand bow is held in the left hand and the right hand holds the string, and visa versa.  I was a little confused with Bowferd's explaination also but decided that he did not want you to let'rip on the second shot, or maybe he did?  Anyway, I agree that until you know what you're doing, you should try everything you can get your hands on, left and right.  Is there anyone nearby who has a shop or maybe a local club/range?  If you can't find anyone who can set you up for a sale, pm me and we'll see about setting you up with a loaner.  I don't have all the bows Killy does, but I've got one that is near indestructable, medium light weight, and both handed.  Good luck and welcome to traditional archery.
-Brett

[smdcosta]

Thanks Brett,

Unfortunately and this is a huge issue i live and work in India so i will have to get any bow i buy sent first to place in Australia then have someone bring it over for me. I greatly appreciate your offer though   .

A bow available in Australia i have been lookig at is on of the samick hunter series (woodsman perhaps) any ideas on this bow for beginners. I still havnt found a right and left handed bow yet. Any ideas on that...

Thanks for any advice received

regards

[brettlandon]

There are several Aussie's in the gang.  Many have the same issues with ordering and shipping a bow.  Give a shout out for their advise.  Good luck.
   

-Brett

[smdcosta]

Thanks Brett,

Anymore advice guys dont hold back.
cheers

[Jaeger]

What you could do is get a longbow with no shelf. You could put a leather rest on either side and see what suits you.

Arrow spine will be MUCH more critical with a setup like that and I don't know if that would be an ideal setup for a begining shooter. It would allow you see what will suit you as far as form goes. Then you could make a more suitable purchase from there.

You can usually find bows like this on **** but  you never know what you are getting.

[Jaeger]

I'll bet the folks at Rudderbows could help you. They have an excellent reputation and their prices are very reasonable.

  http://www.rudderbowsarchery.com/store/

They have several longbows that can be switched from right hand to left hand with little fuss. They also have a selection of Hungarian Horse bows that are designed to be shot off the hand. They are a bit more $ but they sure are neat. I'd like to play with one of them one of these days.

[Bowferd]

Just for explanational purposes only. The 1st time you draw the the sting back on a NTY bow, you are probably going to overextend and never find that tie on. 2nd time you will be a bit more careful, wondering WTH did I do wrong. 3rd time is a bit more relaxed. The tye on fit snuggly in front of the shelf helped you lose that 1st arrow and tie on, but now you are thinking and heading in the right or left direction. Now pull to full draw and DO NOT FIRE THAT ARROW. Take a tape and measure from the back of that tie on,to the nock of the arrow and you have found draw length. I've noticed a lot of posts stating that you should have someone measure draw length for you while you pull to full draw. If I'm having a friend help me, I'm going to over extend (showing off ). When I'm by myself I can be honest.

[Bowferd]

#2, I believe that you should start with somewhere within the vicinity that you THINK you can pull and handle accurately. And if you believe 60#, go for it. But I would recomend 45 to 50. If you're thinking 50#, Then I will refer back to rule # 1, and start with a 40-50#'r. The nice thing about this site is that if later you should decide to trade up or down, there will be someone available to pick up where you left off.

[Bowferd]

#3,the answer is yes and no. Some individuals like to have as much sticking out front as possible. Others prefer to have that D'd broadhead as close as possible without damaging the forefront of what is left of thier index finger. Personally, I could give a sheet, so long as that stick puts em on target.

[Bowferd]

#4, I have been buying and selling bows for way too long.I do have a Griz just purchased on ****.
I paid 185 including shipping I will send pics if you are interested and take 170 TYD. 58" 45#@28. Sometimes a guy has to take a whoopin. Fred

[smdcosta]

Hi Bowferd,
Thanks for your advice. Please send pics of the griz (i assume its the fred bear griz?) that would be much appreciated.

Jaeger thanks for the link i will check it out.

Whats the actual differenc in performance between longbows and recurves? Will Recurves always be faster etc?
cheers guys

[zirnsak]

Although I have been shooting for 9 years, I am new to Traditional Archery. Believe me, its like a drug, I can't get enough and all I want is to shoot, shoot and shoot some more. I have zero desire to ever pick up a compound bow again. Three things to get some instant success. Ask lots of questions to as many people as you can to help get some quick pointers. Also buy the DVD Masters of the Barebow Vol 1, it is an awsome instructional video on the mechanics of shooting. Watch it and it will be forgeign to you and then shoot for a month and watch it again and you will gain so much out of it. Last find what works for you, everyone will have advise for you but in the end, you will have to find what works for you. Traditional Archery is like a golf swing, no one has the same exact swing but there are similar mechanics within each swing. The same is with shooting a bow. I would also def shoot lefty if you are blind in your right eye. Buy a cheap block and set it up in your home. Shoot from 5 -6 yards everyday, you don't need a lot of room to shoot and you don't need to shoot at 15 to 20 yards to develope good shooting form. Remember the only diference between shooting at 5 yards and 25 yards is your aiming point, everything else is the same! Its great practice. Aaron

[smdcosta]

Hi Aaron,

Thaks for your reply. I am new to archery full stop so its an excitin learning curve especialy going straight into trad archery.

Guys do you think i would get an accurate draw length with a 22 pound bow or would. I have access to one.

cheers again