Archery.

[StinkerBell]

My new hobby and quickly becoming a passion. Anyone have favorite brand bows they want to share? or even warn me to stay away from.

[peternap]

My new hobby and quickly becoming a passion. Anyone have favorite brand bows they want to share? or even warn me to stay away from.

Depends on what kind of bow your looking for?

[StinkerBell]

Well I have gotten pretty decent at the recurve. I am taking up the compound in January. Everyone at the club keeps telling me I am made for the compound and how much more I am going to enjoy it. Very exciting. Had fun shooting as a kid, but there is something just a little bit more exciting about this.

[NM_Shooter]

Do yourself a really, really big favor and do two things if you move into a compound:

1)  Buy the best arrows that you can afford that are matched to your bow weight.  Account for a little future growth in strength.  Don't be surprised if a dozen arrows costs $150 or more.  Spend time learning about arrows and the specifications for them.
2)  Have your bow professionally tuned and set up, this will require them disassembling the cables and strings and resetting them to the correct length. 

I bought a used compound a few years ago, and was frustrated a bit with my lack of accuracy.  In talking with a long time competitor, he gave me the above advice when I was fishing around for a new bow.  I found a shop in town that is run by a true pro, and after tuning my bow and matching some quality arrows, I am very pleased with my accuracy.

You will like the arrow speed from a compound bow a lot.   

[peternap]

OK, you want a compound. Target or hunting?

[StinkerBell]

For now target. I will hunt for food only when I am hungry and this country/regional area is collapsing, or if invited to go with experience hunters to learn. Also, want a bow for protection for the zombie apocalypse.

[peternap]

Someone needs to take over now. I don't know much about target bows and they are an entirely different beast. You'll also need target shafts splined for the bow, a target release, target sights, kisser, etc.

[StinkerBell]

Thanks for reading and inquiring on my post <hug>.

[cbc58]

PSE used to make good bows... I have one from 20 years ago still going strong..  PSE Citation Elite.  Make sure you buy a case if you get a decent bow...  and as a previous poster said.. don't scrimp on arrows.  Might want to look into an arrow straightener if you are like me and find rocks.

[StinkerBell]

Thanks for the tip!

[peternap]

PSE used to make good bows... I have one from 20 years ago still going strong..  PSE Citation Elite.  Make sure you buy a case if you get a decent bow...  and as a previous poster said.. don't scrimp on arrows.  Might want to look into an arrow straightener if you are like me and find rocks.

I haven't seen my straighter for years. With carbon fiber shafts, they're either straight or broke.
I didn't know you could even buy aluminum shafts now.

One thing that will be a have to have device is a good fletching jig.
She'll strip the fletching from time to time.

[hpinson]

Am really liking the PSE Stinger 3G.  And I'm glad I shot recurve for awhile first.  The fletching jig has been a good investment too, cause my daughter is really hard on arrows!

[Huge29]

I think the Bear is the best bang for the buck, what some of these companies charge is obscene.  Bear owns a lot of the patents that all of them use and is reportedly why their prices are so much lower.  I really like mine and only dropped about $500 on the whole set up.  A good place to find a deal is Cabela's about this time of year, the Utah location has a grundle of new bows in the bargain cave already marked down 25% and then they are another 25% off after sitting in there for a month.  They will still set them up for you just like paying full price for the newer model, which only difference is likely the 7 grains of weight in the riser.   

[NM_Shooter]

X2 for Bear, especially the Bear Encounter bow.  That bow reviews really well, and is more accurate out of the box than bows that cost 2X as much.  Bows are a bit odd.  Some are easy to shoot, some not.  I have a High Country carbon bow that is not easy to shoot well and has taken a lot of work.  But it is ultra light for a hunting bow. 

If you are looking for a bow to shoot casual target or maybe introductory competition and 3d, the Encounter would be one that I would look at closely. 

My daughters shoot two different bows.  One has a Diamond Razor Edge, and the other has a Mission Menace.  The nice thing about those bows are that they are exceptionally adjustable in both weight and draw length. 

The best thing that you could do is go to a good shop, and ask to shoot some different bows.  They will feel differently in the way they draw.  Pay attention to how they feel when you draw them, how the back wall feels (the hard stop at full draw), what they sound like when you shoot it, and what the bow feels like immediately after shooting.  It should feel smooth with a hard stop.  No kicking at full draw, quiet release, and no vibration after release.

Don't obsess on arrow speed.  You probably won't be shooting any bow dialed in for 32" draw at 70lbs (for awhile anyway) 

If you opt to go with a release, buy a good one.  Maybe take a look at Tru-Ball.  They have calipers that are spring loaded and that you don't have to "set" to engage the string. 

Spend a couple of 30 minute sessions with a real shooting coach too.  It will make more difference than anything else you do. 

I understand the attraction to this... I enjoy shooting bows best of all.

[StinkerBell]

Picked up a cross bow the other day, what a rush!

[MikeC]

Crossbows are serious fun - they are to compounds as a compound bow is to a recurve. The bolt speed and accuracy are phenomenal.  No wonder they were such a disruptive technology in the middle ages:

http://www.paratusfamiliablog.com/2012/12/what-every-girl-wants.html

[Gary O]

Hope y'all can forgive me for this
I found it somehow fitting for this thread........

[StinkerBell]

Last nights archery shoot was a compound bow with a trigger...Trigger action is very cool. I did not realize the stomach muscles one uses. I enjoy the recurve, but the instant thrill of last nights compound/trigger shoot is still with me.

[frazoo]

Archery and bow hunting is addictive. I used to shoot compounds but last fall I made the switch to recurve and never looked back. There is just something about 'going native' that speaks to my inner caveman. Since November, I've added eight more to my herd, with nothing newer than thirty-plus years old. I have Bear's, Dartons, Browing, Shakespear and even an old montgomery wards recurve.

Enjoy yourself no matter what type you settle in to, it's a blast!

[StinkerBell]

Thankies. I ended up buying a compound bow. I have my very own huntin bow. I call her Agatha.