Archery Revisted

[brandyspaw]

Lately, I've been thinking about getting another vintage Fred Bear recurve bow like those I owned back in the seventies. I don't really know why I want to get back into archery.  Maybe its just nostalgia as I used to hunt with a bow. I always found it fun as well as a great challenge even though I was never very successful at it. 

Anyway, I found this YouTube video by Hickok45 and he has some good tips on getting your shoulder conditioned for it. I find that important as I have some shoulder injuries and I've been apprehensive about doing any bow work because of it.  BTW-Hickok45 also has some of the best vids about guns and shooting on YouTube just in case you didn't know.

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]

[870policemag]

I'll keep my ear to the ground for yah. I see about two a year just like the one that Hickok45's got.

[coelacanth]

His advice regarding getting in shape is spot on.  I would take it a bit further though.  Pulling a bow properly is a function of your back muscles rather than your shoulder muscles.  Yes, the shoulder muscles are necessary especially for stabilizing the bow but the back muscles provide most of the "ooomph". 

You should alternate pulling with both the left hand and the right hand to maintain a balance to your musculature and also to maintain core strength which is necessary to maintain your balance with a bow at full draw on uneven terrain.  You may never hunt with it but even playing "redneck golf" will have you standing on a slope from time to time.

His point about not getting "overbowed" is also a good one.  A target recurve in the forty pound range is nearly perfect for honing the fundamentals and they have the advantage of being fairly reasonably priced.  Aluminum arrows are your friend.   

If you have never tried it - shooting an asiatic recurve ( sometimes referred to as "horse bows" ) is an eye opening experience.   For us geezer types they have the advantage of fairly low draw weight and if you use the thumb release the anchor point is always lower which is considerably easier on the shoulder.  Just sayin' 

[Rusty Young Man]

I have to get into this at some point. As a child (~7 years old) I remember my dad made us some cheap "longbows" out of some kind of fiberglass or wood (can't remember, and I don't have the family albums here).

LOADS of fun. I'll have to see what kinds bows I can find in August (when I'll finally have some spare change).
I'll ask for some recommendations as the day approaches.

[brandyspaw]

His point about not getting "overbowed" is also a good one.  A target recurve in the forty pound range is nearly perfect for honing the fundamentals and they have the advantage of being fairly reasonably priced.  Aluminum arrows are your friend.   

So you would suggest 40-45 pounds as around the max for a bow?  I was even thinking of trying to find a bow at 35 pounds if I could.  Back in the day I usually used a 50 or 55 pound bow but that was when I had good shoulders. These days I'm only wanting a bow and arrow to shoot targets anyways.  If I would ever hunt again it'd be with a rifle so I wouldn't need a powerful bow.

[Rusty Young Man]

So you would suggest 40-45 pounds as around the max for a bow?  I was even thinking of trying to find a bow at 35 pounds if I could.  Back in the day I usually used a 50 or 55 pound bow but that was when I had good shoulders. These days I'm only wanting a bow and arrow to shoot targets anyways.  If I would ever hunt again it'd be with a rifle so I wouldn't need a powerful bow.

I think what Hickok45 meant was that as long as you could hold the bow steady, you were ok. "Overbowed" was implied to mean that you shook from the strain to pull it back.
 
IANAA (I am not an archer)

[coelacanth]

So you would suggest 40-45 pounds as around the max for a bow?  I was even thinking of trying to find a bow at 35 pounds if I could.  Back in the day I usually used a 50 or 55 pound bow but that was when I had good shoulders. These days I'm only wanting a bow and arrow to shoot targets anyways.  If I would ever hunt again it'd be with a rifle so I wouldn't need a powerful bow.

Well, understand that there are different types of bows and they all have their strengths and weaknesses.  The recurve is popular today, especially in target competitions because it lends itself well to modern manufacturing techniques and is generally a forgiving bow to shoot.  A lot of them are takedown models for much the same reason.  A fairly high quality fiberglass composite recurve with takedown limbs can be had for a fraction of what most handmade wooden or composite bows sell for.   These are the type of bows used in high school and college level competitions and can be had in various weights and draw lengths. 

You can certainly find bows in the 35 pound range and youth bows as low as 25 pounds in a full sized bow but if you are a large framed man the draw length may be off for you so 40 pounds may be the sweet spot.  There are a lot of bows on the market at 40 pounds as that is typically where most hunting bows start in terms of draw weight.  Practice arrows and even some target type arrows are fairly inexpensive, especially in the lower spine weights typically used in target shooting.  Targets like the ones in the video are also fairly inexpensive at most of the big box sporting goods stores.

One thing is for sure - its good clean fun.   

[brandyspaw]

You can certainly find bows in the 35 pound range and youth bows as low as 25 pounds in a full sized bow but if you are a large framed man the draw length may be off for you so 40 pounds may be the sweet spot. 

Thanks Steve, thats what I was wondering about. I guess then I'll search I'll look for around the 40 pounds
range since I'll only be buying the vintage Fred Bear's like I owned eons ago. The takedowns, while practical, don't appeal to me. I just find those older Bear's to be very beautiful bows.

[coelacanth]

 They are and I won't try to steer you away from them but just be careful and inspect them with a magnifier if necessary in good light.  The materials used in those older bows is not quite up to what the newer stuff is capable of and you want to make sure there are no visible cracks in the glass or gouges or scrapes in the edges of the limbs.  Also look for signs of delamination in the handle or the limb tips.  One of the nastiest surprises you'll ever get is a bow getting the come-aparts at full draw. 

[steve2md]

you can help yourself to get in "bow pulling shape" with dumbbell rows
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/one-arm-dumbbell-row

This can be started with low weight and built up as you get stronger. No dumbbells? no problem! Start with a can of soup, then find other items that fit the bill. Remember that your form is far more important than the weight you are lifting. When you get to about 25#, you'll notice that pulling a 50# bow is no problem.  A heavier weight bow is nice because of its flatter trajectory, since it flings the arrow at a higher velocity. Big 5 has those red fiberglass "kid's bows" in the 15# range, which are good for re learning archery fundamentals, such as not snapping yourself in the forearm with the string and proper draw position. start close and shoot until you are consistently grouping tightly where you want to, then move back 5 feet at a time and repeat. you can usually shoot the distance of the average phx backyard within a few days, and if you shoot at least a dozen and a half arrows every day, 50 yds in a week.

[car-ram-rod]

50 yards is a goo distance with a recurve. I'm an ok shot and I do the 45 yard at the deer valley and 7th ave range.

[steve2md]

If Ghengis Kahn's army could shoot their bows 1/2 mile (probably like artillery), I figure we should be able to push past the accepted norms with our modern equipment.

[brandyspaw]

They are and I won't try to steer you away from them but just be careful and inspect them with a magnifier if necessary in good light.  The materials used in those older bows is not quite up to what the newer stuff is capable of and you want to make sure there are no visible cracks in the glass or gouges or scrapes in the edges of the limbs.  Also look for signs of delamination in the handle or the limb tips.  One of the nastiest surprises you'll ever get is a bow getting the come-aparts at full draw. 

Thanks again and I'll take that under advisement. I really just wanted a on Fred Bear because of nostalgia--nothing more. Perhaps I really should broaden my criteria a bit.

[Alex]

Goodness ... It looked so easy. I saw it on TV but in my first tour through college we were required to take some type of PE class. Stupid like I want to pay for PE which would do me a world of good in getting a job.

Anyway .. At the time I was very very seriously into power lifting. Had just finished 4 yrs of high school football and assumed .. Eh .. bow will be easy. Teacher hands out the bows, target felt like it was a million miles away and when I went to draw that thing I FELT LIKE A LITTLE GIRL!

I thought ... What the .... I thought he handed me some kind of trick bow. After failing miserably for 5 minutes I bowed my head and called over the instructor.

Turns out that it was certainly its own muscle set and you cant develop it through any other way than doing it. What an eye opener.

[Rusty Young Man]

From another thread:

Most of the forum's out there like this one have a thread for Archery, so I don't think it'd necessarily hurt anything.  I would question how much traffic exactly it would get, but there's really only one way to find that out... 

On that note, the notion of reusable ammo and the Walking Dead has me seriously shopping for crossbows as well.

I think that would be a good idea especially for those that want to start getting into archery, like myself......

I blame Walking Dead....

Given the potential for a zombie apocalypse to occur and the possibly infinite re-use of arrows( ), I'd like to take up archery.
Might even make my own PVC bows for the sake of simplicity/reproducibility.

Anyone in the Tucson-Marana area? I figured I could get a few pointers in exchange for food and/or beer? Maybe some other consumable for barter?

[ArizonaGunOwners.com]