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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Apr 3, 2012 3:15:45 GMT
For some random, random reason, I got some random desire to buy a decent bow. Don't ask me why... :? . Everybody has random weapon cravings once and a while. I may or may not buy it: www.ebay.com/itm/Handcrafted-lon ... 500wt_1180 I thought it would be useful to have one with an "arrow rest". And I got some questions: What are the "Bare Bones" basics for archery? (Maybe there's an old thread about it?) And what cheap durable arrows goes with this bow? And I have heard somewhere that there is a certain type of pressure or something that a bow has. What's good for a beginner?
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on Apr 3, 2012 3:38:20 GMT
For cheap, good arrows, I would stick with carbon. Figure out the spine you need (email a local archery store, whatever. Make sure you tell them you're shooting a longbow and not a compound) based on the draw weight of the bow you get. These will be the cheapest durable arrows you will find. I prefer wood but you will pay a premium for that.
Do you know your draw length? With wood bows, it is dangerous to draw a bow past the draw length it has been tillered to (the one you linked to is 26"). Also for draw weight, #30-35 should be plenty just for target shooting and, depending on what state you live in, may be suitable for some hunting if you decide to get into that.
Bare bones would really just be a bow and some arrows...You could get a quiver if you plan on carrying several arrows around with you while shooting. You could get an arm guard and a finger glove, but those I would worry about getting after you see if you actually need them. I've been shooting for a decade or so and never bothered because I did not see a need with how I shoot.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. There are quite a number of us who are into archery. It seems we've been getting a lot more beginners getting interested lately....wonder if it has to do with The Hunger Games? :lol:
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Apr 3, 2012 3:47:44 GMT
.... Ummm... I'm a no-brained newb at archery. How do I know my draw length? All I know is that I got long arms. And what spine? Man, I need to know some terminology... So far, the only cheap carbon arrows I saw was crossbow bolts. Guess it'll be harder to find than I thought. And no. :lol: Though I think I do have a reason, but I don't know yet...
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on Apr 3, 2012 3:53:21 GMT
The most accurate way to measure it is to head down to your local sporting goods/archery store and have them do it. Barring that, there are a few slightly less accurate ways to do it yourself. The easiest is to measure your armspan and divide it by 2.5, and that number will be (approximately) your draw length. If it's a decimal I would just round up. Say you get 29.76, I would get a bow with a 30" draw.
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Apr 3, 2012 3:59:28 GMT
I'll stick with the DIYs. Nearest archery store is... Oh, there's one near me? Umm, I still want to DIY as much as possible. Most archery stores near me are hunting purposes and/or for competition... I'm a stay-at-home kind of guy and I'm just lazy when it comes to going to places for something that can be obtained on the web. Don't want to get arrested carrying a weapon... :?
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Post by ineffableone on Apr 3, 2012 4:32:21 GMT
Another way to measure draw length is to hold a string out in your fist, with your other hand pull it back to the corner of your mouth. That would be your draw length. It measures this distance shown in this picture Most bows have a standard 28" draw length rating. The lbs go up or down depending on how close to this 28" you are. If you draw less than 28" then your lbs would be less than the given for that bow, if your draw is greater then the lbs would be greater. Though it is not recommended to draw less or more than a couple inches from the tillered draw length of a bow. 3Rivers Archery sells wood and carbon arrow test kits. These allow you to test a few different spined arrows in your bow to find out which shoots best. search.3riversarchery.com/nav/cat1/arrowsshafting/cat2/arrowsshafting_fletchedarrows/cat3/arrowsshafting_fletchedarrows_testkits/0They also sell field tip test kits so you can test different weight (grain) field tips for your arrows. The weight of your field tip/arrow head effects the shooting of your bow and arrow altering the spine of the arrow. Wood arrows cost around $40-45 for 6 basic arrows. Commonly you can find 6 packs of wood arrows for $50-$80. Though you can end up paying over $100 for nicely crested hand crafted wood arrows though why I don't know. If you get serious about archery it is worth investing in a fletching jig, and making your own arrows. There are many places you can buy shafts, fletching, feather,s nocks, and arrow heads.
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Post by shoboshi on Apr 3, 2012 5:46:31 GMT
There are a lot of good reasons to go to a pro shop where the sales associates actually know something about what they are doing. The problem with not knowing something, is that you don't know what you don't know. There certainly is a lot of information available on the web, but it is no replacement for a live, breathing, thinking person. I began shooting the long bow when I was old enough to hold it up off the ground in a moderately vertical position and I was twenty something before I ventured into a bow shop, and I can assure you it was an eye opening experience. There is always someone that knows more than you do and there are even times when the open minded can learn something from someone with less knowledge.
My advice... Go to a bow shop.
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Post by Ceebs on Apr 3, 2012 9:56:36 GMT
Draw length is also determined by the anchor point you use. The anchor point being where you draw your arrow to. Depending on the style of archery you are doing you may draw to the ear, the jaw, the eye, or the chest. Heh, not to confuse you or anything I shoot in the English style so I draw to the ear and therefore shoot long arrows around 32 inches. Were I drawing to the jaw I'd knock about 7 inches off that. Since the bow you posted in your OP is a longbow they can be pretty variable with regards to where you want your anchor point to be. Most people draw to the eye or jawline. I believe most DIY draw length converters assume you are drawing to the jaw. At any rate, you may as well try your hand at the dividing by 2.5 rule. Buy a few arrows and see how you fare. If this works for you, i.e. you have good consistency and groupings, then continue with it. If your arrows are too long then you will have dead weight sticking in front of your bow when you shoot and this will affect distance and accuracy (if anyone saw the recent Robin Hood movie you can see this all the bloody time) . If your arrows are too short you may overdraw and skewer your hand. Oh yes, it does happen :shock:
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Post by Deleted on Apr 3, 2012 10:17:03 GMT
We've covered some of this in a previous post - see viewtopic.php?f=24&t=10308I use a recuve bow, so longbows aren't my specialty, but the bow you've shown is a self-bow, which I believe is made from a single piece of wood and is not laminated like some other longbows. Not sure what effect this has on performance and whether this is a consideration, perhaps Ceebs can help here. With a longbow, you wouldn't use carbon arrows (longbow archers correct me here!), traditionally its wood, but getting consistency out of wooden shafts is a pain, I'd hazard a guess you might ne able to use aliminium, but I'm not sure. Whatever you use, your fletchings will need to be feathers if you're shooting off the shelf" or with a narrow plastic rest, as plastic vanes will deflect off the rest. All you need for barebow archery are some arrows, a finger tab or archers glove to protect your fingers, a forearm guard to protect your forearm of course, and maybe a quiver to hold your arrows
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Post by Rifleman Lizard on Apr 3, 2012 13:01:36 GMT
Being completely new to archery you should buy this book. It helped me a lot when I first started and helped me pass my level 1 instructor cadre, because it focusses primarily on building up from the very basics. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B001OD4 ... mdp_mobile If you don't have any personal measurements it is also wise to visit a professional store who can do the measuring for you (often for free). It's not just your draw length you need, other vital details are your bow length, shaft thickness, suitable draw weight, among others. The slightest techniques (affected by those details) have a huge effect on your accuracy and groupings at greater distances. Some serious love for the longbow on SBG
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Post by chrisperoni on Apr 3, 2012 13:54:43 GMT
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Apr 4, 2012 0:08:07 GMT
Definitly! I just did. Hope to see an archery subforum soon.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2012 0:55:37 GMT
Done!
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Apr 4, 2012 1:26:52 GMT
Just found out 26in is about the right draw length for me, yet what is the difference with the pounds?
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Post by Rifleman Lizard on Apr 4, 2012 2:03:25 GMT
The measure in lbs is the resistance given by the limbs, and consequently, the string of the bow. The higher the draw weight in pounds the more difficult it is to bring to a full shooting position. The greater the weight the more force is given to the arrow, sending it further with greater kinetic energy. Most adult target archers use a draw weight of between 30-50lbs. Don't be tempted to go straight to a 40lbs+ draw weight because you won't be able to shoot it correctly. You'll find the correct shooting techniques as you learn and practice,increasing the draw weight as you become stronger and more advanced. Technique should always come before strength because it's difficult to undo bad habits learned from using too heavy a resistance. Don't let bravado disrupt your progress.
As an adult male beginner you should try 30-35lb, depending on your personal health, stature and level of fitness. Hope that helps
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Apr 4, 2012 2:20:56 GMT
Thank you! I think the bow I chose is perfect then. Now all I need is to find arrows that goes with a 26" draw length bow... The arrows should be 28" long than, no?
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Post by Rifleman Lizard on Apr 4, 2012 2:31:55 GMT
A general rule of thumb is to add 1inch to your draw length. Using that rule you will never overdraw provided you are using the correct technique. Drawing your bow beyond your point of contact (different styles and bows require different positions on the face) is very dangerous so please learn the basics at least a little before you first shoot. If you add 2 inches to your arrow length after draw length, the arrow point has a tendency to wobble upon release; affecting your accuracy. Naturally, the further away the target the more of an impact it has.
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron on Apr 4, 2012 2:42:03 GMT
Arrows should ideally be about an inch longer than your draw length, if I remember correctly, to allow room for the arrowhead to clear the bow when drawn. I just picked up these: rudderbowsarchery.com/shopping/ ... 64qhp6j4d3 And they showed up yesterday. Haven't shot them because my new bow hasn't shown up yet (grr), but looking them up and down they look good. Worth the price. The dozen-pack of these just went on sale (just days after I purchased mine...figures...): rudderbowsarchery.com/shopping/ ... 64qhp6j4d3 I got all 6 of mine with trade points and self nocks. If I were buying right now, I'd get the dozen and have 9 done with trade points and 3 with field tips and keep those as your practice arrows. Or if you ONLY want to target shoot then just get them all with field tips (plus it's cheaper that way). Or you could get carbon arrows, which will be MUCH cheaper and generally speaking more durable. Plus they have the added benefit of being spined to tighter tolerances and are straighter than wood. Carbon is probably a better choice for the beginner. Edit: Rifleman beat me to it about the arrow length.
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Post by THE_SUPERWEIRDO on Apr 4, 2012 3:02:39 GMT
So I should find 27" arrows? I barely found the arrows I recently saw.
And I'm worried about the fletching of the arrow. I have heard that for longbows, the fletching is something like feathers, but it sound like those are really expensive. Are there cheap 27" (Or 28" if I was correct) arrows that are cheap, durable and are intended for a longbow? If there ain't any, what type of wooden arrows are cheap and durable as well? And now there's something about arrow spine weight? Man, now I know why there were more swordsmen than archers in the old days... (-_-);;
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Post by Rifleman Lizard on Apr 4, 2012 3:16:45 GMT
Yes, order 27" arrows. Most places cut them to specification and it's unlikely you'll find your specs already in stock. Sod's law I'm afraid. Natural feathers make the best fletchings, but you can find longbow arrows with plastic vanes too which are much cheaper. The spine is determined by draw weight, bow length, bow type, and preferred arrow material. I don't shoot longbow (recurve for me) so I'll leave that up to someone else. There are spine weight charts online that can also help, and a quick search should do the job. It's gone 4am here so I need to hit the sack. Don't despair! Starting is the hardest part
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