Compound bows???

[Turbomunkey]

My gym buddy owns a few and made an effort to convince me to buy one. I was more interested in guns. I was watching second season of top shot and saw the bow episode, I must admit I have quite a bit more respect and intrigue for the bow and arrow now. The forest preserve 10 minutes from my house has a range thats been under construction forever and I could at least just shoot in the field near house if anything. Im really turned onto the fact you buy all your equipment and thats essentially the end of costs until things break or wear. I have checked Craigslist today but it seems as though its either A)cheapo or B) old. I know more or less nothing about bows but I would imagine a bow that is a decade old (tuned up or not) is no longer in optimal function. Also this will be mostly for target shooting, hunting maybe somewhere down the road.

-What are the basics of archery

-Items I will need to start up

-Good intermediate bow?

I do not want to buy some beginner bow Ill "outgrow" in a year or less.

[frenchy1994]

Mathewes, Bowtech, PSE, Hoyt, and Bear are very respectable brands. I would recemend Diamond Archery for a bow ( Outlaw is a good model), I would only spend about $500 for a bow if i were you. I recommend buying from a pro shop as well. You will need a target, arrows, and a reliese as well. When you get your first bow, dont go too heavy on the draw weight, start around 50-55#s until you become more comfortable.

[DubfromGA]

The main two things you must have are a bow that fits you and arrows that fit that bow.

A reputable archery shop is really the best place to go.

They'll fit you and get you in quality bow. Used is fine as many bow hunters trade theirs in every year or two to get the latest offerings.

I'd by a used Hoyt in a skinny minute. As a rule, they are well built and made to last. I had my best results with Hoyt's quality.

A bow with 7.5" + of brace height makes it more forgiving.

I wouldn't spend a ton on fancy sights and high tech rests at first. Good old 3-pin fiber optic tipped sights and a whisker buisquit rest will get it done nicely for a long while.

A decent bag target and a comfortable release will get you rolling.

It's fun......really fun.

[BryantTheBear]

I got a bear last winter from academy. Came with sights, whisker biscuit, and quiver for 5 something. I think the model is "charge". Has been fine would recommend.

[MPWarrior653]

I'm going with the recommendations of a hoyt also, love my Rampage XT. When I was lifting last year I had my bow set to 75 pounds and could shoot all day long. Now... it's on 65 and I get tired lol. I just got my first bow of my own last spring, never really thought I'd get into it, since you can shoot so much further with guns. The thing I really like, is as you mentioned, you buy the bow, accessories and then you just keep shooting until you wear it out. No $1/rd ammo to buy lol. Plus there's a lot more places you can shoot it without disturbing neighbors or possibly hitting something beyond your intended target.

Also, if you get into hunting with it, it's a lot more fun / challenging than rifle hunting. You get so close in with nature and it really is a cool experience.

[Turbomunkey]

3 recommendations for hoyt. What exactly is a pro shop going to evaluate in helping me choose a bow?

[psychowolverine]

My gym buddy owns a few and made an effort to convince me to buy one. I was more interested in guns. I was watching second season of top shot and saw the bow episode, I must admit I have quite a bit more respect and intrigue for the bow and arrow now. The forest preserve 10 minutes from my house has a range thats been under construction forever and I could at least just shoot in the field near house if anything. Im really turned onto the fact you buy all your equipment and thats essentially the end of costs until things break or wear. I have checked Craigslist today but it seems as though its either A)cheapo or B) old. I know more or less nothing about bows but I would imagine a bow that is a decade old (tuned up or not) is no longer in optimal function. Also this will be mostly for target shooting, hunting maybe somewhere down the road.

-What are the basics of archery

-Items I will need to start up

-Good intermediate bow?

I do not want to buy some beginner bow Ill "outgrow" in a year or less.

I still use my bow that I bought in 2002. It still shoots great and I even have the original string on it. (Fred Bear Epic Extreme 302fps IBO)

I dont think I can recommend you go to a pro shop and buy a brand new bow unless you are absolutely sure you want to get into and stay into archery. The initial buy can be quite expensize by the time you get the bow set up and buy arrows and a release. UNless you find an outfit already fully equipped you can start handing out the benjamins.

Personally id find someone who knows archery equipment and look around at used ones and spend a couple hundred until you know this is something you will really enjoy.

Ive been shooting a compound bow since i was about 7 or 8 years old and i have really lost the joy of shooting in the last few years. After 20 years of archery, 14 of those archery hunting I have lost the intrigue. I blame it more on the loss of interest in hunting in general but just going out and shooting my bow is the last thinig I really want to do anymore.

[An Inconvenient Bro]

and I could at least just shoot in the field near house if anything.

be careful with this if you live in an incorporated town. In IL most of them will try to slap you with UUW even for a bow/airsoft or bb gun

[Turbomunkey]

I still use my bow that I bought in 2002. It still shoots great and I even have the original string on it. (Fred Bear Epic Extreme 302fps IBO)

I dont think I can recommend you go to a pro shop and buy a brand new bow unless you are absolutely sure you want to get into and stay into archery. The initial buy can be quite expensize by the time you get the bow set up and buy arrows and a release. UNless you find an outfit already fully equipped you can start handing out the benjamins.

Personally id find someone who knows archery equipment and look around at used ones and spend a couple hundred until you know this is something you will really enjoy.

Ive been shooting a compound bow since i was about 7 or 8 years old and i have really lost the joy of shooting in the last few years. After 20 years of archery, 14 of those archery hunting I have lost the intrigue. I blame it more on the loss of interest in hunting in general but just going out and shooting my bow is the last thinig I really want to do anymore.

Touche touche. Like I said i have a buddy who owns 3 apparently. Surprisingly ive never seen yet but ill talk to tomorrow at the gym and see whats east or west

be careful with this if you live in an incorporated town. In IL most of them will try to slap you with UUW even for a bow/airsoft or bb gun

Lol I live in wheaton (youre illinois right?). I just googled and the outdoor range will be under construction till summer 2012, however there is an alternate range they suggest which opens in may. Im the last house on the end of a street that is next to marsh area and my yard is pretty much not viewable to passer bys because all the bushes and foliage are in bloom so I could get away with backyard shooting piece of cake if I needed to i suppose.

[MPWarrior653]

I still use my bow that I bought in 2002. It still shoots great and I even have the original string on it. (Fred Bear Epic Extreme 302fps IBO)

You are one brave man my friend... Have you ever seen what a bow string does when it snaps?!

3 recommendations for hoyt. What exactly is a pro shop going to evaluate in helping me choose a bow?

Pro shops are good because they will help pick out a bow to fit you perfectly; draw length, arrow length for the draw, tension, brace heights, lockback and your release all need to be considered. Accessories aren't a real big deal but I would get a stabilizer right off the bat too, it's only like... $20-30 anyway.

[psychowolverine]

You are one brave man my friend... Have you ever seen what a bow string does when it snaps?!

Not personally lol

[Turbomunkey]

Going to the dmv to register my truck I dont drive because a cop wrote me a warning about no plates on it even though it needs work done and is inthe drive.

Then off to the gym and I will talk to buddy about bow shiv. Check back in later

[JohnnyDestroyer]

My buddy just dropped 700 bucks on a matthews. Its pretty damn cool honestly, and he is trying to convince me to get one. It has huge cams, fibre sights with illumination, a rear peep, all kinds of dampeners and counter-balances.

Its really cool, but I prefer pistol marksmenship, so my next purchase will probably be a Browning Buckmark.

If you want to go cheaper on a bow, you could go the purist route and get a really great recurve bow for a couple hundred bucks. They dont have cams like modern compounds and essentially look like something a biblical charecter would use to slay a giant.

You can put sights on it, or you could master sighting down the arrow. Its a fairly cheap way to get an exquisite, time honored, hand-crafted bow that has a lot of history behind it. It will require a far greater degree of mastery. I was holding better groups with my buddies bow than I can with the iron sights of my 1911 within five or six shots.

I'd say we started at 25 to 30 yards, because thats what he was sighted in for, and although I shot low, because he is a tad shorter and basspro's wizards set him up well, I still held a group tighter than a can of chew, and even tore the fletching on one of his brand new 15$ arrows....Bwahahahaha

It has a long sight-plane and the sights are well....really really phucking nice, with a rear peep. Its also 700 bucks.

I will admit, shooting in your backyard in the middle of a town (or base, in our instance) is pretty damn sweet, just step out the backdoor. I still prefer the pistol though, and thats where my money is going personally.

[Turbomunkey]

My friend is also looking to get a mathews as per our conversation. We are planning to go to a pro shop at some point and get me acquainted with the ins and outs.

I was originally looking to maybe pick up a 1911 but I need to refrain from putting all of my eggs in one basket. I dont hardly get around to shooting enough and money would be better spent on ammo than more guns. Plus getting a bow gives me an opportunity to practice marksmanship for free as well as expand my horizons in the outdoors world

[HairyScandinavian]

My gym buddy owns a few and made an effort to convince me to buy one. I was more interested in guns. I was watching second season of top shot and saw the bow episode, I must admit I have quite a bit more respect and intrigue for the bow and arrow now. The forest preserve 10 minutes from my house has a range thats been under construction forever and I could at least just shoot in the field near house if anything. Im really turned onto the fact you buy all your equipment and thats essentially the end of costs until things break or wear. I have checked Craigslist today but it seems as though its either A)cheapo or B) old. I know more or less nothing about bows but I would imagine a bow that is a decade old (tuned up or not) is no longer in optimal function. Also this will be mostly for target shooting, hunting maybe somewhere down the road.

-What are the basics of archery

-Items I will need to start up

-Good intermediate bow?

I do not want to buy some beginner bow Ill "outgrow" in a year or less.

Sorry if this is redundant but haven't read all the replies yet as I'm at work and posting quickly.

My preferred brands are Bowtech and Mathews, but Hoyt usually ranks up there with them as well. Great intermediate bows can be found from Diamond and Fred Bear. You need to go shoot a bunch of different bows and find out which feel best to you as they are highly individual, archery shops and even big box stores like Bass Pro will allow you to shoot their bows as it's pretty standard practice so do not be shy to go shoot a bow and then not buy it. You'll get a bit more pressure to purchase from a pro shop than a big box so if you just want to tire kick for a while start at the big box, however purchasing at the pro shop will be better as they'll be more apt to set it up properly and help you get things rolling (but you'll pay for it). If you buy used I don't like going over 3 years old in year models (all bows have a year similar to a car, unlike guns). There are great older bows, but as they age you need to know what to look for to differentiate between the good and the bad. At 2-3 years the initial value drops sharply and you can get the best deals without much wear and tear, this is a major spending hobby and lots of folks have to have the latest bow every year and will dump their new rigs right after hunting season to purchase a new one. www.archerytalk.com has a rapid classified section and enough info to keep you busy enough to never come back to bb.com again (please come back though), and for more of an overview and detailed reading structure as opposed to forums go look at the tutorials (and price comparison) from www.huntersfriend.com for very good info. You can "ball park" your draw length with an arm measurement but best to have it measured while you're tire kicking the different bow models. Any specific questions come back and ask.

[Turbomunkey]

Sorry if this is redundant but haven't read all the replies yet as I'm at work and posting quickly.

My preferred brands are Bowtech and Mathews, but Hoyt usually ranks up there with them as well. Great intermediate bows can be found from Diamond and Fred Bear. You need to go shoot a bunch of different bows and find out which feel best to you as they are highly individual, archery shops and even big box stores like Bass Pro will allow you to shoot their bows as it's pretty standard practice so do not be shy to go shoot a bow and then not buy it. You'll get a bit more pressure to purchase from a pro shop than a big box so if you just want to tire kick for a while start at the big box, however purchasing at the pro shop will be better as they'll be more apt to set it up properly and help you get things rolling (but you'll pay for it). If you buy used I don't like going over 3 years old in year models (all bows have a year similar to a car, unlike guns). There are great older bows, but as they age you need to know what to look for to differentiate between the good and the bad. At 2-3 years the initial value drops sharply and you can get the best deals without much wear and tear, this is a major spending hobby and lots of folks have to have the latest bow every year and will dump their new rigs right after hunting season to purchase a new one. www.archerytalk.com has a rapid classified section and enough info to keep you busy enough to never come back to bb.com again (please come back though), and for more of an overview and detailed reading structure as opposed to forums go look at the tutorials (and price comparison) from www.huntersfriend.com for very good info. You can "ball park" your draw length with an arm measurement but best to have it measured while you're tire kicking the different bow models. Any specific questions come back and ask.

From a weight lifting standpoint, is getting measured up folly considering we constantly change shape and strength? I am also at work so I will read the links later ty

[HairyScandinavian]

From a weight lifting standpoint, is getting measured up folly considering we constantly change shape and strength? I am also at work so I will read the links later ty

No, for the draw length your arms are gonna stay about the same length unless you know exercises to make them longer in which case I'm gonna neg you for not sharing! There's a formula to ball park it, measure your wing span tip to tip and divide but something (I'd have to google it). It's been accurate for a lot of people I've measured, but the only real way to measure is to draw back a bow with good form and hold it while someone gets the numbers off of a marked arrow. All the shops are setup to measure your DL, takes a few seconds.

[MPWarrior653]

From a weight lifting standpoint, is getting measured up folly considering we constantly change shape and strength? I am also at work so I will read the links later ty

Unless you're shooting pro competitions, anything over 75-80 pounds is overkill anyway, so you shouldn't be adjusting the weight of your pull much if at all really. Also, your bones shouldn't really change from lifting either, so your draw length will remain relatively the same. My lead man at work is about 5'11 350, used to be a power lifter and he shoots his bows for competition at 100-110 pounds.. He's a monster though and can put 10/10 arrows in a paper plate at 100 yards every single time.

[HairyScandinavian]

^^ Right. For hunting and general use 70 lb is the way to go. Sometimes you have to wait like 5 minutes at full draw waiting for that stupid animal to move forward 6 friggin inches for the shot. Believe me you'll be thankful you didn't go over 70 lbs when that happens. LOL

[Turbomunkey]

No, for the draw length your arms are gonna stay about the same length unless you know exercises to make them longer in which case I'm gonna neg you for not sharing! There's a formula to ball park it, measure your wing span tip to tip and divide but something (I'd have to google it). It's been accurate for a lot of people I've measured, but the only real way to measure is to draw back a bow with good form and hold it while someone gets the numbers off of a marked arrow. All the shops are setup to measure your DL, takes a few seconds.

Unless you're shooting pro competitions, anything over 75-80 pounds is overkill anyway, so you shouldn't be adjusting the weight of your pull much if at all really. Also, your bones shouldn't really change from lifting either, so your draw length will remain relatively the same. My lead man at work is about 5'11 350, used to be a power lifter and he shoots his bows for competition at 100-110 pounds.. He's a monster though and can put 10/10 arrows in a paper plate at 100 yards every single time.

I didnt mean strength wise. I mean as your muscles grow ROM on certain movements become inhibited. Id imagine if my bis/forearms became larger that my draw length would become shorter. Bottom line is I guess I am going to the pro shop and getting my draw measured. Maybe theyll do my dingy for me too