asking here because /asp/ has terminal autism and a bow is a weapon i suppose
im thinking of getting into archery, so i have something fun to do when my legs are shot and i cant ride any more. whats the cheapest way i can get into archery in the UK? ive ran the numbers and its looking to be about £100 for an entry 30 lbs recurve bow, a few cheap arrows, a stand and a foam target.
long term id like to shoot longbows, but thats fucking expensive to get into by comparison and im broke af atm.
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Samick Sage Takedown Recurve
the bow im looking at costs £50, its the bow in the picture. its stuff like arrows and that that make up the remainder of the cost. im just wondering if theres anywhere i can get a good bundle or something thats actually worth the money.
cheapest? get a long straight stick of hazel wood, best if fresh and with the rind still on, get a piece of string and make a bow out of it. then either try making your own arrows or buy some proper ones since they're really not the most expensive part anyways.
nothing to compete with, but pretty fun to use and you can see if it's for you without dumping a lot of money on a bow
Samick Sage or PSE Nighthawk. I have a nighthawk and I love it.
Save a bloke
Bin that bow
There are plenty of youtube vids that show you how to make your own bow out of pvc pipes and fiber glass rods.
Also, have you considered shooting slingshots/catapults instead? I used to be really into slingshot shooting a while back, it is a ton of fun. A perfectly nice slingshot can be made from any old treefork or you buy one new from gamekeepercatapults or milbro (both UK made). Much less cumbersone than a bow, can be carried in your pocket at all times, ammo (steel balls, glass marbles) can be reused indefinitely if you use a catchbox made from an old cardboard box and a few rags.
do you have your license for that?
Get a samick sage
Making your own bow is a meme and it will turn out like shit unless you already have a good grasp of bow mechanics.
shekels my dude, the samick sage is a bit above my budget.
im gunning to have it under £100 for the bow, arrows, target, and stand. if i can get it cheaper tho, that would help.
pls no
Start by purchasing a 20# bow. No matter how fit you are, your support musculature is shit. You don't get to exercise that in the gym. So regardless of the inevitable idiot who will tell you to get a 50# because he was able to use it to no ones surprise. You can draw more powerfull bows, but eventually you will develop permanent back problems.
Thus, start with a 20# Samick something (polaris and sage are good for beginners and up).
The next thing is that a recurve has to fit you. I advise you to ask for advise at your local archery store/club when buying as every bow has to be tailored to some degree.
>best if fresh
>im gunning to have it under £100 for the bow, arrows, target, and stand. if i can get it cheaper tho, that would help.
Here you go: amazon.com
I got a PSE Razorback 30# for about 99 US and couldn't be happier with it.
Samick Sage is the best starting bow
Any cheaper than the sage and quality is a crapshoot.
The samaick polaris and swa spyder are comparable in quality, but I think they're similarly priced.
>ive ran the numbers and its looking to be about £100 for an entry 30 lbs recurve bow, a few cheap arrows, a stand and a foam target.
Get a Sage/polaris/spyder
They're all basically thr same design and they're THE best beginner bows for a reason. If you don't have the money for it, save up until you do.
You don't need a target stand or foam target when you're starting. Use a cardboard box filled with dirt.
You'll need a handguard to prevent the string slapping your forearm and finger tabs or a finger glove, because without protection you'll permanantly damage the nerves in your fingers.
Sages are Like $120 on amazon right now
Anyone have experience with Southwest Archery Spyder? I keep seeing it in guides alongside the sage. Just want to weigh my options.
It's literally just a sage with rounded edges, a different laminate pattern, and takedown uses an allen wrench instead of being finger turned. They're both sourced from the same chinese company.
90% of production bows are made in china, even the high end ones like W&W.
is 30 lbs too much for a beginner?
thanks senpai
fair play senpai, if its worth the investment ill go for that. i would go for the box thing, but i literally dont have anything like that, a foam target isnt really that expensive either.
>is 30 lbs too much for a beginner?
I'd say yes. I do not recommend it.
>i would go for the box thing, but i literally dont have anything like that
How do you not have a cardboard box?
is 20 lbs really the highest i can go? i take it i can always buy new limbs later anyway.
how long should i shoot 20 lbs for?
also, how about bow size? im seeing a few options on that, what should i go for?
i dont work in anything that involves packing and/or unpacking, dont really buy things in cardboard boxes here anyway and i always throw out the online order ones when i dont intend on keeping them in case the product dies prematurely.
Bin the bow and save a fellow
is a £35 used polaris with no string worth a shot?
Yeah as long as there's nothing wrong with it. A decent dacron string is like $15.
>how long should i shoot 20 lbs for
Till you've developed proper form and make accurate shots. Then you can buy limbs with a higher draw weight.
>also, how about bow size? im seeing a few options on that, what should i go for?
The bow has to be tailored to you. You will not receive a satisfactory answer here. What you need to do is to go to your local archery store and let them tailor the bow, and tailor the arrows to that tailored bow. If there is no local archery store, then you can find an archery store online where your can submit relevant information. Such as your height, ocular dominance etc. Do not ask for advice at a general sporting store as the employees are not competent in answering these questions.
A 20# bow might sound lame, but everyone has to begin at some point. This draw weight is very forgiving as you will make mistakes. 20# is not as weak as you might think. I myself managed to get a pretty ugly cut from a turkey feather on the arrow when learning the basics. That's the day I learned that you can cut yourself on turkey feathers, and that 20# is enough.
Buy new limbs when you master the basics. Being too high, and you might never be able to shoot a recurve ever again in your life.
things a touch rough looking, but theres one with a string for a touch more.
man i stand no chance of getting into a dedicated archery shop any time soon, is there some size to height chart? also im thinking of buying a used good bow off ebay.
>man i stand no chance of getting into a dedicated archery shop any time soon, is there some size to height chart? also im thinking of buying a used good bow off ebay.
There are size to height charts, but it's really not something I'd advise a beginner to use. Are you sure there are not archery shops nearby? I am under the impression that your are a citizen of the United Kingdom, and it appears to be a fair amount of shops there. If not, buy your bow at a website where you will have to provide information used to tailoring your bow. And if that's not possible, then make a call.
I am by no means an expert, so actually talking with an expert is what I do advise.
Check out the mandarin duck website. A lot of their stuff has been getting decent reviews and they are sub 100 shekels.
mandarin duck?
i dont own a car, i live in the middle of nowhere, and public transport will cost me half the price of the bow if im lucky
>i dont own a car, i live in the middle of nowhere
Again, make a call to the store or find some adequate website. You can, of course, just buy a kit like many people do. I might be a little uptight about simply because I have access to an expert.
And to digress, how come you are not licensed to drive a motorized vehicle if you live in the middle of nowhere? It's common for literally all teenagers to own a scooter/moped at the age of 16 if they live in the middle of nowhere where I live. It'd be wise to prioritize the acquisition of a vehicle in your case.
And considering my country has about 7.6% of you population whilst being ~59% larger in size, I can't understand how you're living in the middle of nowhere. Your country is packed.
Just a silly digression.
k
i recently moved for work reasons, but a fair amount of shits changed since then so its on my list of shit to do. getting your license isnt cheap though.
>And considering my country has about 7.6% of you population whilst being ~59% larger in size, I can't understand how you're living in the middle of nowhere. Your country is packed.
relatively speaking, its a lot larger when you dont have a car. i live in a village in the middle of the fucking moors.
Op I would strongly suggest calling/visiting an archery shop for advice, many are very helpful but will try to get you into the expensive stuff, I'd recommend Clickers Archery. They've always been upfront and honest with me, even if it wasn't in their best commercial interest.
Bow wise, the central part, the riser, is the part worth spending the most on as that part can see you through many limb changes. As for starting weight, if you're doing target Olympic recurve #20 is absolutely enough. We started people on even less than that usually, and they leveled up over a few months. Another important piece to remember to get is the button and finger sling. Button corrects for arrow flex (search archers paradox) and finger sling keeps the bow from falling after the shot (you should not be gripping it with correct technique, can be made out of a shoelace in a cats cradle). Get cheapest aluminium arrows, you will probably break a lot. Dented ones are dangerous.
Honestly best thing I'd recommend is looking for your local archery club, they might have some beginner bows/arrows you can use, plus free tuition if they like you (archers are usually a bit weird but friendly in my experience). If you want to teach yourself look up KSL archery, he's pretty much accepted as the world's best coach. Technique and practice is everything, enjoy
Ah forgot to mention bow size. Limbs come in three normal sizes, short, normal, and long. Risers also come in short, normal or long. These denominations will usually be 23", 25", and 27" for risers, and 66", 68" and 70" for limbs. These can be combined, so I shoot a 72" bow because I'm a giant 6'4, made of a 27" Inno Max riser and 70" Winex limbs. Check with the shop about arrow sizing, it's been too long since I did beginner stuff to remember how much to overlength them by, but remember your draw length will increase rapidly during the first few months (and also if you're drawing beyond the usual 28" that means the poundage on your fingers will be higher, its called stacking. Bow limbs are usually designed around an assumed 28" drawlength, though this can be offset with a bigger bow. I seriously injured myself my first year as I was getting 37# out of a 26# bow due to my drawlength, a weight I was not ready for). Regarding draw weight again, remember that Olympic archers only shoot high 40s,low 50#s, poundage isn't everything, and if you're shooting with correct technique then you should be loading your back rather than arm. Makes things much heavier, but more accurate.