New to bows with questions

[leadcounsel]

I acquired a really nice compound bow recently for next to nothing in a trade.

It's a Bear Whitetail Legend, draw length 30", draw weight 60#, AMO compound string length 30". Camo color, nice tight strings. Seems to be in excellent condition.

Came with 8 nice Easton arrows and a quiver too.

I did some research before getting this bow and it seems to fit me well for my build and strength.

Now... I want to become proficient with it. I live in the city but there are some vacant plots nearby, or I could go to a range (but would rather shoot for free)...

If I choose to set up a target in a wooded vacant lot, what is the best and least expensive target?

I am right handed. Which side of the bow (which is for right handed shooters) does the arrow sit on? I presume it's the left on top of a small plastic flexible notch?

I assume I pull the arrow and string back with all 4 fingers to my jawline. What are the keys to aiming and release?

What size/weight arrows and arrowheads should I use for practice?

How many arrows can I expect to need for learning, and what should I be spending on my arrows (will I damage alot, is 10 enough, or should I have a lot more?).

Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

 

['Card]

Wow. That's a lot of questions.

OK, first and foremost, the number one rule is never dry-fire a bow. Dry firing means drawing the bow and releasing the string without an arrow on it, and it's very very bad. Bad for the bow, and potentially bad for you, because without an arrow, all the energy of the shot gets absorbed by the limbs and the cams, and they aren't designed to handle it. (sorry if you already knew that)

Second, I'd strongly suggest that you take your bow to a bow shop somewhere and have it checked out before you try shooting it. I know you said it looks like it's in good shape, but a small flaw in a limb, the string, or the cams can result in a bow "blowing up" on you at full draw, and that can be insanely dangerous. Even if it's brand new, you'll need to have a pro tune it to your draw length. That wouldn't be quite as big a deal with a recurve, but it's critical with a compound.

Once all that is done, you can start thinking about what kind of arrows you need. I could advise you on this, but to be honest your best source of information will be the guy at the bowshop who tunes it for you. Arrows are complicated things, with different lengths, weights, stiffness, material (carbon or aluminum) of the shaft, and fletchings made of feathers or plastic vanes in straight or helical mounts. Lots of variables there that will all be influenced by the type of bow, length of your draw, the type of rest you use, and what you intend to shoot at.

Last but not least - finding a place to shoot. I'd strongly advise you to pay some money and go to a range the first few times you go shooting. Most people don't appreciate just how fast and deadly a compound bow can be, and watching the way a carbon arrow at 300fps ricochets around if you miss the target entirely will tell you a lot about what kind of range you need for shooting.

 

[leadcounsel]

Great advice. I will follow what you've suggested.

 

[Sunray]

'Card has given you some excellent advice. I'll just add that shooting a bow, of any kind, uses muscles used for nothing else. Back and shoulder muscles mostly. Upper body tone is essential.
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart with your body at a slight angle to the target and the fore foot pointed at the target. Close your eyes and draw. Open your eyes. If you're not aligned with the target, move the back leg left or right until you are.
When drawing the bow, push the bow away from you while you're pulling the string with 3 fingers, not 4(put your thumb on your little finger and use the other three and don't touch the nock), as you raise the bow to eye level. This technique is far easier on your back and shoulders. It's also how medieval archers did it.
Like 'Card says, go to an archery shop, not one that sells other stuff as well. Not only are arrows complicated, they must be the right length for you. The shop can and will tell you if 30" arrows are right for you. They will measure you for the right length. Arrows are usually sold by the dozen and cheap they ain't. Figure on $10 to $15 or so each. Surf over to Cabelas.
As to shooting in vacant lots etc. Most municipalities have laws about shooting anything within the city. Even a bow. Where I live, it's absolutely illegal. Find out if it's legal or not before you worry about back stops. Look for a local archery club too. Joining a club will save you all kinds of headaches and put you in touch with like minded people. Most archery shops have a range and a club.

 

[p35]

My local archery shop/range has a bunch of old guys hanging out who've been shooting bows forever and love to help out new shooters. Kind of like a good gun club . Find one in your area- they'll be happy to make sure your bow is set up right and teach you good habits from the start. Mine also rents range arrows so you don't have to buy a ton at the start.

 

['Card]

Great advice. I will follow what you've suggested.

Good - and please don't let my tone in the first post scare you away from pursuing archery as a hobby. You've got a good bow there, and it will give you years of good shooting if you take reasonable care of it. It's just that modern bow manufacturers have really taken performance to the structural limits of the materials (which is great because it means more consistent, faster-shooting bows) but they can be extremely dangerous if they aren't tuned and set up correctly before you shoot them.

And don't be uncomfortable about walking into an archery shop, admitting you don't know crap about bows, and telling them that you don't have a ton of money to spend. The archery community as a whole tends to be very open and friendly to newcomers - and no matter how dumb your questions might sound (like not knowing which side of the bow the arrow goes on ) you can bet they've seen it and heard it before. Most places will be happy to help you out and show you the ropes.

 

[leadcounsel]

Update:

I took my new used compound bow in to the archery shop/range as suggested. It needed a new string but was otherwise in good condition. The bow is about 15 years old and nothing to write home about according to the archery shop (evidently this is all "old" technology), but I'm happy as a pig in **** with it. Eight of the nine arrows I had with it were in great shape. I spent $35 on new tips, notches, odds and ends and $5 for 90 minutes of range time. A great first bow setup and very comfortable for me.

I had some good instruction from the shop and also some other archers took an interest in seeing me improve and giving me pointers.

I have to say that it was a rush and I appreciate how difficult archery is. Some of those shooters make it look really easy.

When I was fresh I was extremely happy with my bow, arrows, and my accuracy -- at 10 yards! I was shooting 90% of my arrows in a 18" x 18" target and all of my misses were very close. I put many arrows in a 3" - 5" center. Not great but I felt a true rush after my very first time shooting.

Now, as I got tired my shot accuracy deteriorated. It wasn't even so much that my arms, shoulders or back were tired. It was more that my fingers were getting raw. I will invest in shooting glove before I go again.

I also was able to try a recurve bow and a shooting adaptor which grasps the string. I didn't care for the recurve bow nor did I care for the shooting adaptor. I like having my fingers on the arrow and not relying on a machine to hold the string back.

Just to get an idea of how difficult more range makes, I moved the target to 20 yards, or twice the distance. It was at the end of my session so the results may have been better if I were fresh. Let's just say that accuracy suffered dramatically at 20 yards. It was humbling standing next to people who got there long before and shot many more arrows further and more accurately, particularly the 17 year old girl that competes in tournaments and who is probably as accurate with a bow at 20 yards as I am with an open sighted rifle or a handgun at that range! Quite impressive!

Anyway, a very fun experience and one I would recommend to anyone remotely interested in learning to shoot.

 

[dfaugh]

The last time I regularly shot a bow was when a recurve was "state of the art"! My buddies son just opened an archery shop, and I went out to visit, and he let me try some of the "new technology". It was simply...AMAZING...The bow I used was only a 45#, but with an 80% let off at full pull. So I could hold it there all day long while I aimed. Had a "peep sight" in the string, and aiming points on the bow. At 15 yards, I shot 8 arrrows into a 4" square. Very cool.

It was more that my fingers were getting raw. I will invest in shooting glove before I go again.

a shooting adaptor which grasps the string.

Get one of these and get used to it. It is VERY difficult to release smootly and accurately with your fingers (not to mention uncomfortable)...These devices make it almost like shooting a gun. they have a trigger that "breaks" at a certain point, and I found it very easy to use. I suspect you didn't like it, because you were also using a recurve at the same time.

Shameless plug: my buddies website (which I'm still building for him) is www.archerysolutionsusa.com.

 

['Card]

Great news, lc - and thanks for posting the report. I'd kind of wondered if you'd take the advice, and I'm glad you did. I told you folks would be friendly.

I wouldn't worry too much about the age of the bow, as long as it's in good shape. Sure, it's behind the curve a little bit as far as bleeding-edge performance, but serious archers will pay stunning amounts of money to squeeze a few more FPS (feet-per-second in arrow speed) out of a bow - for a difference that casual shooters like us probably wouldn't even notice.

The gizmo that grasps the string is called a 'mechanical release' or 'release aid', and there are dozens of different types. Hunters tend to like them because they may have to hold the bow at full draw for a long time waiting for the deer to stop moving, step out from behind a bush, etc. Target archers like them because they allow you to shoot more consistently than using your fingers, because a mechanical release lets the string go exactly the same way every time. Personally, I don't have anything against them, but I don't use them. I like to keep archery as simple and instinctive as possible, which is why I hunt with a recurve, don't use sights, and shoot with my fingers. A simple leather glove on my right hand works just fine for me.

As far as your accuracy detiorating over time - I wouldn't let that bother you. Happens to everyone to a greater or lesser extent, especially when you're just getting started. I know your arms, shoulders and back probably still felt OK, but as they wear down it can cause you to make minor changes in your stance and form without even being aware of it, and that really screws up your shooting. My advice? Every night, pick up your bow, draw it slowly, hold it at full draw for 10 seconds, and then slowly relax it (without ever dry firing it, naturally). Do 12 repetitions of that each evening, and by the next time you go to the range you'll be noticing a significant difference.

 

[p35]

Archery definitely uses a different set of muscles. The skeletons of English archers from the Hundred Years War tend to show massive deformations caused by the amount of exercise they got in those specific muscle groups. Of course, a 180 lb draw longbow is a lot harder to draw than a modern bow. In fact, that's why the English were the dominant archers of that war- a longbow is cheap to make but takes a lifetime of practice to shoot well. The opponents tended to use crossbows, which were slower to reload and less effective but easier for troops to learn to use quickly. The English archers were the original militia, practicing the longbow every Sunday after church.

Anyway, have fun and keep practicing.

 

[leadcounsel]

I would estimate that I shot 20 rounds of 7 or 8 arrows, so about 140-ish arrows in 90 minutes.

The bow I'm using is a compound with a high letoff, I'm guessing around 80%.

I'm in excellent physical condition. My shoulders and back are not at all sore today, but they were mildly fatigued after shooting for awhile; my fingers bothered me more and my arrows began falling off the notch near the end. The second digit on my first three fingers are mildly sore today. I will get a leather glove. I will consider a shooting mechanical release and a basic sight of some sort. Without a sight of some sort I felt like I was shooting from the hip with a rifle! I like the 'basic' shooting as much as possible so instead of a mechanical release I may just toughen up my fingers or get a leather glove.

Very keen on this new sport.

 

[p35]

I look at archery as like golf or bowling- get the form down and the accuracy follows. I shoot longbows and recurves without a sight, and I find that if I line up my body and use good form I don't need a sight to know where the arrow's going. Not that a sight isn't a big help, especially with a compound designed to use one. Just make sure you get the basics first.

Ever meet someone with a $1000 rifle with a $500 scope who didn't understand breath and trigger control or how to figure drop? Americans tend to reach for fancier technology to overcome a lack of skill. Get the skill first and then think about what technology you actually need.

Sorry, getting on a soapbox here. If you get a chance, read Zen and the Art of Archery.