Looking for a different kind of "shooting".

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CoyoteSix

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Black Powder or Archery?

I'm looking to expand my horizons. Although I love shooting modern firearms I think Black Powder and Archery (Recurve Bows) would be pretty awesome to get into.

So THR, which do you like better?

I'm really wondering how expensive they are to get into?

Ex: How cheap is either example to shoot?, How much would it cost for a really great entry level Black Powder Arm/ Recurve Bow?

Anything else I may need to consider before I explore either of these two sports?

Thanks THR!
 
Given my druthers, I'd go Archery over BP - not that BP isn't an enjoyable past time, but Between the two, Archery requires less space to practice ( your own back yard, even in the 'burbs) and while the initial cost might be comparable, with a reusable target a days worth of archery is FREE! (provided you don't break any arrows).

A little luck with yard sales or pawn shops can make archery pretty cheap to get into, but even paying retail, a decent starter bow and a dozen arrows would run about US$225.00 or so.
 
apples or oranges?
Ebay usually has all the archery stuff you could ever use, if you watch for a week or two you can get a good idea just how inexpensive you can get. 40 to 100 bucks for a 40#Bow and arrows, ground quiver and target. The quickest way to lose interest is to get too much bow,there are some excellent tutorials on youtube.Your brain and eyes are designed to judge speed angle and distance to a near miraculous degree , inside of 3 months you could be hitting small moving targets at thirty yards easy
Black powder will require a larger up front outlay, but is just as satisfying.
go for both, you're only here once.
robert
 
Agree on BP. I own several muzzleloaders, all sidelocks, and they're a ball. I use the "real" stuff. My favorite is a T/C Hawken that I bought with a .40 Green Mountain barrel installed. It's a tack driver at 50 yards; it's cheap to shoot, and has low recoil. Shoot it all day long.

I also have a couple of .45 target rifles, and they're fun to shoot, especially out past 200 yards. They're both turned 1:18, so big, heavy bullets tend to be very accurate. One is a Pedersoli Tryon "Creedmoor", and the other is a replica Enfield "Volunteer". If you like to take your time, muzzleloading for accuracy is a great sport.
 
I shoot firearms, air guns, flintlocks (black powder only), traditional archery (stick bows / wood arrows), blow guns, slings, slingshots, and I throw rocks, knives, and axes. It's all fun.

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I've been thinking about archery, lately. At the store, the long/recurve bows interested me a little more than the compound or cross. They were even selling some of these primitive looking bows packaged in long plastic tubes. Looked like they were traditional Medieval European or American Indian type bows. That kind of looked like fun.

I'm also thinking of a SHTF weapon, as well, were ammo ever to become unavailable, which is why I'd like the more simply constructed long bow. I don't want to deal with black powder because of the large amounts of gun powder kept on the premises.

The OP should think about air rifles, as well. 1000 fps guns are very affordable, and you can get 1600 fps guns for several hundred dollars. My son received a 750 fps BB/pellet gun for Christmas, and it's rated for pest control.
 
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What are some Entry level Recurves you'd recommend folks?

Also I'm interested in the Black Powder six guns as well. :D What components are needed to shoot those?
 
Kick-Down-Doors said:
Also I'm interested in the Black Powder six guns as well. What components are needed to shoot those?
Click to expand...

You need a powder flask with an appropriately sized spout depending on the revolver. A powder measure to pour from flask to measure to chamber for places that do not allow you to load directly from the flask. A cone wrench/pick, a loading stand makes things easy, Percussion caps and maybe a capper for convienence. Bore Butter, lubricated wads, a black powder specific bronze brush and cotton bore mop for cleanup. Ohh, don't forget the lead round balls either and real black powder.

If you decide to purchase one, once you decide on a particular gun we can advise specifically on which items to purchase, ie. .451 or .454 balls, #10 or #11 caps, etc.
 
How much time are you willing to devote to it? While i do both and enjoy both, I have given up archery hunting because of time. It is a far more perishable skill than any firearm. If you want to poke holes in a target, either will be fine. If you are looking for another means of hunting, muzzleloading is much less time consuming to retain the skill level needed.
 
I shoot a Bear Grizzly recurve at 55lbs of draw weight. They do run about $300 or so, but it is a blast in the backyard. And unlike a compound, a missed shot isn't going to fly for a quarter mile. I also bought my wife a PSE youth recurve with 22lbs of pull. We go shoot in the backyard and it's great.

I have 12 carbon arrows and they're worth every penny.
 
I love shooting B/P revolvers. It forces me to slow down and the supplies are very reasonably priced. I find that it's like golf, you will have good days with it and bad days. You also have to be a tinkerer to keep 'em running. Anyone can shoot a Glock, to shoot quick and accurate with cap'n ball requires skill.
 
I do love archery. I shoot a compound bow myself, but I definitely get more use out of my bow than my BP rifle. For quite a while, I was much more into archery than I was guns, but I've been shooting my firearms much more frequently in the last couple of years, still keeping up with archery though. Good luck with whatever you decide, and if you can't decide, do both :D
 
I can advise for archery, but just got my first ML.

If you are serious in your archery thoughts look at a take down recurve with a metal riser. I know of three models that can be had for under $200 and will do anything you want. They pack away easy and can accept a sight, rest, and other more modern accessories. They aren't as good looking to me as a one piece, but being able to pack it in your backpack is a huge benefit.

If you haven't shot a bow before, start with a 45# model. Another advantage of a take down is that the limbs can be purchased separately if you move up. I know it sounds like a wimpy bow compared to even my low weight 58# Alien X, but without the cams of a compound you will need to go low first. When I shot recurves for hunting they were no more than 50# and I shot an 85# compound at the time.

For the rest of the setup, I would go with carbon arrows until you need to make your own, cut on contact broadheads for hunting, a simple 3 pin sight with peep, and a good finger rest.

All said an told this could be done on the cheap for maybe under $350 and do you well for a long time. If you don't loose or break your arrows (I broke 1 and lost 1 this last year) 12 will last a LONG time.
 
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