New Archer – Where to start?

[Siggy]

#2572

My daughter came home from camp excited about archery. I’ve never tried this before. Went to local shop in Denver, Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear and gave it a try. Seems like fun. They have a couple of used bows, x-200 and Wing that are around 30# as well as Samick’s for starter bows. These are fairly reasonable as I’m not ready to spend $500+ at this point for bow only. Any suggestions on what to start with? How to get better? They are great at the shop, but would like some additional input.
My wife and daughter may try this too.
Thanks. Siggyjavascript:addSmiley(‘:D’);

[John Carter]

#10942

Find yourself a club,,no doubt your shop could help with that.

And welcome to the fold.

John.

[Mark Turton]

#11339

I agree with John, speak to as many trad archers as possible and try as many bows as possible before you decide what route to go down, hope you both enjoy your new found addiction.

Mark.

[maineac]

#11392

Keep talking to the folks at the shop. Look into the traditional club in your state and look into gatherings. They are a great place to tap into help and people.

There are a lot of good books and videos out there to give some visual instruction on form and different techniques. “The master of the barebow” series packs a lot of information from different people on styles and form. Even youtube has some videos.

Overall just work on the basics of form and enjoy yourself.

[Snakeeater]

#11395

Any of the bows you mentioned would be a decent starter bow for you, especially if you start out with a lower weigth like the 30# mentioned. That will let you develop good shooting form, which is essential for accurate shooting, without developing bad habits from using too much draw weight.

As you learn to shoot, try as many other bows as you can, check out traditional shoots and rendezvouses in your area, and over time you will see what you like and don’t like in a bow, as will your wife and daughter. Once you know what you want you can start to think about putting some more money into something you can shoot for years and years.

[Robin Conrads]

#11463

Welcome to the site and to the family. This is really a fun group.

The Traditional Bowhunter’s Handbook is a great reference book about all things traditional. But I have to tell you, I’m kinda partial to the author 😆 he’s my husband. You can buy the book from us or from most of the traditional suppliers who advertise on this site and through the magazine.

We also have a forum called The Trailhead, where you can ask all the questions you like and lots of folks will be happy to help you.

[NHguy12]

#11520

Any of the bows you mentioned would be a decent starter bow for you, especially if you start out with a lower weigth like the 30# mentioned. That will let you develop good shooting form, which is essential for accurate shooting, without developing bad habits from using too much draw weight

The above is probably the most important advice. For both you an dyour daughter do not “over bow” yourself. How old is your daughter? Mine is 7 and I make sure that she shoots close enough to the target that she makes most of her shots, so she feels confident.

I would also let that shop set you up when you buy a bow, so that they match the arrows correctly for that bow and your daraw and such. Some “bigger” outdoor stores have people who don’t know squat about traditional archery and would sell you a dozen arrows made for compounds.

[Frank H V]

#11704

Siggy, welcome to the forum. If you can find a club most trad archers will be only too glad to let you shoot their bows.
The Martin X200 is a pretty good bow. When I got back into trad archery a number of years ago I found one on the sale table at a local shop. I bought it & still have it. They are not bad bows at all.
Frank

[mts]

#12570

As far as advice is concerned, just start out close to the target and have fun. I would recommend reading some of the books out there on trad. bow shooting if you don’t have a mentor. There are many methods of “aiming” a bare bow such as “instinctive” or the gap method. I recommend trying a few style to see what you like. There are even different ways of putting your fingers on the string such as split or three under the arrow. All the methods have their pros and cons.

As far as bows are concerned, the x200 is a decent bow. The price they are asking for the 30lb is fair. You can save money by shopping the internet, but there is something to say for being able to go to one of the few trad shops in the country and actually shot the bows first. They are also a full service shop and can outfit you will arrows and the other accessories you need.

If you don’t mind “commie” bows as some call them, the Samick sage is a decent shooting bow for little money. Three Rivers Archery has it for $119 and extra limbs for $68. This way you could buy light limbs to start with and build up to heavier limbs latter or for a growing child. I imagine RMSGear could order you one for a reasonable price as well if you want to stay local. Good luck and have fun. Remember, aim small, miss small.

[stefan 1984]

#12829

verry important is to get the right poundage. thake care dont take to much, its not important to start for fun.. at the beginning you need time to draw the bow look at the target and take a smooth release.. its a lot of time you need to get the right tecnic.. my girlfriend had buy a 35 # stingrayrecurve and her arms are shacking like a cow-tail after a vew shoots… now i have buy her the same bow with 30# and shes so happy. and try the bow first.. the internet is great to get your equipement. but you have testing a bow first. its not like a rifle .. you take it you load ant shoot… by shooting a bow, your body and the bow must be in harmony together, with the right bow its a lot easyer tho hit the target.. the grip is very important and the sightfield… and you feel it when you got the right bow in your hand… and then you cant get wrong…

[tom-wisconsin]

#12996

TBMADMIN wrote: The Traditional Bowhunter’s Handbook is a great reference book about all things traditional.

I just bought this book. It should be on every one’s shelf. Welcome to the forum Siggy.

[celinsin]

#13467

My advice, although limited by five year’s experience, is NOT to do what I did … which was just to start shooting and thinking that since I shot a traditional bow I had to shoot instinctively. I only started shooting well when I broke down the shot sequence and focused entirely on form. Once perfect form becomes second nature (and you should settle for nothing less) the shot evolves into an almost Zen-like experience; as the shot takes care of itself and the only focus for the archer is to aim.
My brother, a well-known bowhunter from the Midwest and a member of Pope and Young, shoots fast and instinctively. I grew up trying to emulate his style. Bad idea. I’m a gap-shooter now and that works for me. The key, however, is to discover what works for you … it’s a serious commitment demanding time. But you’ll soon find it’s time well-spent.
I wish you the best in your shooting and hope it brings you as much satissfaction as it has for me. 🙂

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