Anyone shoot a re curve?

[Makiaveli]

Thanks guys. I should've known that the best option is hit up a store. Worth possibly paying a bit more to support local stores anyway.

[maroonandwhite]

I won't start a new thread for this question so hopefully someone already here knows. There are conlficting opinions on the web (imagine that) about cutting down arrow or shooting full length.

I went to Bass Pro last night to get some arrows for my 45# recurve and my wife's 30#. He reccomended I get a .300 spline and leave it full length and she get a .500 full length. He did not measure draw length or what weight we were pulling to check with a chart or anything. Does "close enough" apply to this or should I go elsewhere and get someone to measure everything. I am leaning towards the latter.

[gjohnsoniv]

Generally the arrows are designed to fit within a certain range of bows. It probably wouldn't hurt because when I was younger I had some cut down but recently I've just used what was in the range for my bow.

[Jonnin]

It does not matter all that much. I say leave them long so if you damage it up front you can cut a little off and it still works. But it really does not make any difference long as it is not too short.

[maroonandwhite]

Cool that's what I was hoping. Sportsman's warehouse has the Goldtip traditionals with feathers for all of the weight bows so I can leave them long and practice form with the wife's lighter bow.

[Guest cardcutter]

I don't want to start a new thread but maybe some of you can answer this for me. What is the minimum weight draw in a bow to use for hunting large game? I have heard as low as 35 and as high as 50 lbs. What are your opinions?

Thanks

 

Jim

[maroonandwhite]

My guess is that you will get 10 different answers but I would probably not go any lower than 45-50. You COULD kill something with a 35lb re curve but unless you just can't pull back more than that I wouldn't risk just wounding the animal. When I first got my 50 lb bow I thought it was a little difficult but within a week or two I had good form and could pull it back no problem.

[DaveTN]

I use to shoot Recurve and Compounds both. Curious as to why your wife would want Recurve?
 

Can anyone recommend a good website to read up on archery?

I haven't used it in a few years, but this was good.

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/index.php

[Handsome Rob]

Can anyone recommend a good website to read up on archery? The boy keeps talking about starting archery and I am pretty much clueless. Played with a fiberglass one when I was a kid so I basically know how to nock an arrow and might even know enough to avoid shooting myself in the foot

For example, how to tell what length of bow to get based on height? How to determine the right poundage? I assume there is a guideline, ie if you can lift and hold a X lb weight etc then you need a Y lb bow?

 

www.tradgang.com for all your traditional archery needs :D

 

All I've ever shot is traditional bows (longbows, recurves & selfbows) I started shooting when I was 6. 32 years later I still love it!

 

As far as bow length & weight; length isn't all that important unless, like me, you have a stupid long drawlength. Pretty much anything from 54" to as long as you'd want to go will handle the average 26-29" draw. Height has very little to do with it. For example, I'm 6' dead with a 72" wingspan & have a drawlength of 31¾" Conversely, my good buddy is 6'6" & has a wingspan of 80" He draws a smidge over 28.

Weight is totally subjective. Whatever you do though, start light. Even if you're a really big, strong bastard, a heavy bow (50# +) will hurt you. Shooting a bow with no letoff uses a combination of muscles that you will never use in any other excercise. If you're wanting to hunt, you have almost a full year to build up in weight. I would recommend no more than 40# to start with. Don't buy into the compound hype regarding weight either. 40# is MORE than enough to take any deer in America.

One thing I will say for all traditional bows: You absolutely get what you pay for. A brand new $150 bow is, frankly, always going to be crap. Yes, it'll get you started & it'll serve you well for many, many years, but it'll be slow, usually loud (with trad bows, silence is everything!) difficult to tune & not really 'fitted' for you. 

Samick Sages can be analogized to Mosberg 500s & Remmy 870s. Bottom shelf, no frills, don't really fit anyone well, but will definitely do the job, all day, every day!

If you stick with it & as you progress, you'll want to look into custom bows (I guarantee you that!) & that can get a little more spendy (My bows are the single most valuable things I own that I can't live in or drive!) Luckily there is a thriving used market that will accommodate almost any budget.

If you're wanting to keep the budget low, you can still get a high-end bow. Look at the older '50s-'70s Bears, Shakespeares, Dartons & Bob Lee bows. All are exceptional, hand built & finished bows & can all be had for under $200. The very worst of these is still lightyears ahead of any Samick in the same price range.

[Handsome Rob]

It does not matter all that much. I say leave them long so if you damage it up front you can cut a little off and it still works. But it really does not make any difference long as it is not too short.

 

I'm sorry & I don't mean to be argumentative, but you absolutley, positively could NOT be more wrong.

 

Arrow spine is EVERYTHING in shooting traditional bows! No one single thing will screw you up more & quicker than arrows that are not suited to your bow.

 

For a 45# Sage, a .300 spine is ridiculously stiff. Hell, I shoot bows in the 62-70# range & I only shoot .340s & they have 300gn of weight up front to weaken them! I have to leave my arrows full length because of my draw.

 

I would say that for your 45# bow, a 500 spine left full length, with 100gn inserts & probably a 200gn point would be about perfect. This should give you an overall weight of roughly 550gn

Your Wife's 30# bow will need a .600 spine. You'll have to experiment to get the insert weight, point weight & length as I don't have data or experience with poundages that low.

 

The rule to remember is that you can stiffen an arrow by shortening it, you can soften it by adding point weight. Adding weight doesn't make a huge difference, but cutting a ¼" off a carbon arrow can take it from too weak to too stiff. Go slow, trim 1/8" at a time.

[bushfox25]

First off be careful trad. archery is addictive. Listen to rob on this and I'll second tradgang it's a great website if your into traditional archery. Please don't over bow yourself on weight it will make for a bad experience. No shame in starting with a low weight and building up. Their is a big difference in a recurve and a compound in terms of let off and what weight your actually holding back. As far as arrows I would go with feathers and not vanes if your shooting off the shelf. You'll find loads of info on tradgang get on there and sign up. One more thing if you can find someone nearby that's shoots a recurve or longbow I'm sure they would be more than happy to help you out. Happy shooting.

[Rightdefender]

I havn't shot it in years but I have a  beautiful 40 year old Browning cobra11  50 # recurve.

it's lite and easy to carry.  Unlike a compound when you've got it fully drawn the pull weight doesn't decrease so if you have a 45 pounder that's what your holding. I perfer the recurve , no mechanics to screw up and it's very quiet.

[Ted S.]

I have a Martin Jaguar Takedown. It's pretty heavy.... and the riser is a compound riser I believe. I need to get some of my arrorws refletched because a few months of poor experimentation with finding the right arrow rest left the fletching really messed up on a few.

 

Shooting it is fun, especially trying to nail instinctive shooting. It's all about removing yourself from the equation as much as possible.... and finding the right arrows.

 

I would like to get a Black Widow or White Wolf long bow by year's end...

[itchytriggerfinger]

Compound?  What's a compound? :)

 

I grew up with a recurve in hand since I was a wee lad and my four year old is already starting with one.  I did have a compound for a short time to hunt with, but found myself back with the recurve.  It's just more natural for me.  Like some say, compounds are about technique.  With a recurve it's completely instinctive.  It's kind of like riding a bike.  If you have good technique, even if you put the bow down for while, when you pick it back up, you can shoot it.  It's just a natural thing.

 

Besides lots of practice, there are two things that will help the most:

1. Pick an anchor point
   1. Anchor points are a key to consistency.  Don't just pull the bow back and let it fly.  Pick an anchor point on your face.  For me (I'm right handed), my right index finger comes to the corner of my mouth every time.  Every time!  I then take 2-3 seconds to focus on my spot.... See next tip
       
2. Always pick a spot on the target, never just launch an arrow at the target.
   1. Before you even draw your bow, pick a specific spot on the target and focus on it.  Don't look at the entire target, get down to the micro level.  If you're shooting bullseye, focus on the X in the bullseye.  If you're shooting a deer, pick a hair in the pocket.  If you learn to pick that spot, you will consistently shoot tighter groups.  You might not stack them side-by-side, but you'll find you can quickly start shooting pie plate groups.

 

I do have to put in a plug for my good friend Ron Pittsley with Hunters Niche.  You will find the Predator available from Cabela's and 3 Rivers Archery, or you can view his custom designs on the website.  Ron has been focused on design for many years and has the best combination of performance and traditional lines.  In my opinion, the only recurve you should buy.

 

http://www.huntersniche.com/

 

He also has a few shooting videos.  Goofy yes, but good material. 

[Guest 270win]

We shot recurve bows in archery class in college.  The bows did have a pin sight.  It is a lot of fun.  I only shoot compound now but have thought about getting a recurve bow.

[QuietDan]

Have shot recurve in the past, and have one in the garage that wants my attention.

 

Have a compound bow all carefully cased and ready as well.

 

With continued firearm and ammunition shortages, it wouldn't hurt to dust them off and practice in case they're needed for two-legged animals.

[itchytriggerfinger]

At the rate ammo is going, I may have to get back into 3-D target shooting again.

[Ted S.]

At the rate ammo is going, I may have to get back into 3-D target shooting again.

 

Thought about buying a bear target if I ever get a longbow...one can always dream...