Any archery fans in here? Let's get something started!
Hey guys!
I do traditional archery, make my own gear, and I love talking about it. If you're not an archer, please feel free to peruse the comments and ask questions if you have any! As for my questions for you:
- How did you get into it?
- What's your setup like?
- What are your archery-related goals and expectations for the year?
My first exposure to archery began as early as Zelda 1 for the NES. I instantly understood the value of being able to attack moblins and gohmas from afar. It was not until the pandemic some 30 years later that I picked up my old man's bow and fell in love with something that I feel I've been missing all of my life. My setup is a 50" cartel doosung epic zen korean bow that reaches 50# @ 32" max draw length with a modified cowhide and deerskin grip. I use only wooden arrows. I tend to draw my bow only to 28", however, which reaches 36#, and that's enough for now as I'm recovering from some shoulder pain. My goals this year are to recover, stay in form, and to make an educational video about arrows.
I enjoy archery, I use a recurve bow. But I've had to bounce back and forward on poundage over the last couple years due to stuff, so I'm not overly good at it. But I still love to shoot at the range.
Been doing it 4 years now, my dad tried it at a sports event and quite liked it, was reasonbly good at it, so when we randomly saw a bloke in our local shop with an archery evolution T shirt, dad started to chat and we discovered about a group locally, so dad went along and I came too for a nosy. About a month later, we both had our own bows.
I've gone from RH, to LF now, lower poundage limbs (18), but trying to work my way back up as I have a 1 piece wood bow I loved to shoot, but it's a little hard for me right now. Discovered that I can shoot either side, but LH is preferable due to eyesight. Shot 20lb last time, gunna try 24 next time. Goal is to get back up to 30 for the wood bow.
I don't shoot good, can't group very well, but I love to do it, so I still do. I am the epitome that you can like and enjoy something even if you're not good at it at all, more people need to understand that. Not everyone in life is there for medals, some of us just like to make others look better ;)
Could there be a better arrow? Maybe one with a steel or titanium solid rod through the core? Possibly making it not wobble so much upon release.
Yes. Though, there is a give and take with materials used and density to diameter ratio, and one's goals require consideration.
Wobbling is fine as long as it isn't doing it too much. What helps with undesirable wobble is decreasing the amount of weight at the front of the arrow, or decreasing the amount of poundage used to push the arrow. The materials used these days are pretty much the best for what arrows need to be... that is, aluminum, carbon, or combinations thereof. They're light, dense, and accessible.
So if you wanted an arrow that traveled far, you'd want a material that has a low density and large diameter. Certain types of wood are perfect for that. If you were going for hunting, you'd want something high density, small diameter, and will absorb an impact from the bow string, absorb the impact from what it hits, and be able to recover the arrow when all is said and done. That's where aluminum and carbon shine.
Just want to say thanks for the very insightful post. Super fun topic.
You're welcome! I love talking about it.
There's a really cool video from Smarter Every Day that talks about arrow wobble. I had never thought about the fact that an arrow needs to wobble some, at least with a recurve, so that it can get out of the way of the bow itself.
Oh yisss!!!
Setup
A Falco "Vintage Triumph" longbow with 35lbs.
Using wooden arrows (which I assemble myself) with this one, simply because the Swiss Archery Association makes this mandatory for longbows.
Made team gold in '22 in the Swiss national championships (no single placement) with this one.
I still shoot this one, and love the wooden arrows.
A custom made traditional recurve inspired by Scythian bows
My current active bow, at 40lbs it still kicks my butt at the end of a training session.
It is very short, so it is also very finicky. Any errors in your shot process - you will know it.
My "struggle stick".
I shoot carbon arrows with this, but looking forward to making some wooden arrows for it.
(not active) an almost 40 year old "Bear Bruin" compound that I inherited.
60lbs, about 40 at the end of the draw.
Since the wheels are still round, there is no distinct "wall" as with modern compounds.
Goals
I actively opted out of any competition this year.
Started with archery to also get OUT of my competetive mindset, a thing "just for me". Moving meditation, etc..
Got roped into the nationals in '22 and of course got hooked - especially with the success we had.
Noticed that it became yet another thing in my competetive brain, so I called it - for now.
So this year, I want to have fun. Wanted to get more out into 3D parcours, but it actually hasn't happened yet.
Early experiences
Shot kyudo for a while, but was too poor to afford the gear back then.
Oh man, I loved it. I was the archery director at a scout camp for two years. Had never really done it before, but they needed someone. I spent hours a day on the line and just got to see myself improve steadily. The best part was getting to help the campers do that too. After moving overseas, I chaperoned a school camp, and they had some bows available. They let me set up a range and run it for all the students. I think it's just such an awesome hobby, especially for teenagers.
Man, archery at scout camp was the best. That was and still is my only real exposure to the sport but it was so much fun, and attending camp right around when the LOTR movies came out just made it seem so much cooler. I hadn't thought about that in ages, thanks.
I've never really done archery, but we do have a local crossbow club. Instinctively I think I'd like a normal bow and arrow more, but does anyone have experience between the two? Or theoretical knowledge of the difference in experience?
So, a crossbow is an evolution of the bow. It's better because you could load up an arrow or bolt with both hands and/or feet, requiring less actual strength in your upper body to aim and loose. If you weren't strong to begin with, you could have a friend load it for you. It also means you could run around with it and it's ready to go. The culture around crossbows is more around hunting and less about competitions or meditation. I don't like crossbows but I appreciate them for what they are.
The bow requires you to aim, draw, and loose in a moment's notice. I achieve a certain zen when I use my bow. It's a form of meditation and exercise for me. It allows me to control my breathing, focus my mind, and get in tune with the environment. Naturally, I like the bow much more than the crossbow.
Try both if you have the chance.
The meditative practice of archery is one of my favorite aspects of the hobby.
Yes, it’s my “moving meditation”
I have a Galaxy Sage takedown recurve, which has been fantastic so far. I'm on 25lb limbs right now, but I'll likely be upgrading those in the future, as they're starting to get a bit light for me.
I've been doing archery for a couple years now. I can't say I'm out there every weekend, but I've had a couple dozen shooting sessions. I'm starting to look into things like 3D shoots, which are a bit more engaging than just shooting the same target for an hour. I don't really have any want for competition, hunting, or anything like that, to me it's just relaxing and fun! Maybe I'll eventually shoot in my Renaissance Festival's recurve competition or something, though.
I find archery pretty meditative. It's a good way for me to relax, clear my mind, and have a simple goal to work towards (hit the target).
Since I didn't see other compound bows on here I'll add mine. I have a Hoyt Torrex XT. I use it for elk, deer, and turkey hunting. I got into it because archery season for elk is a lot longer than rifle season and it's easier to get tags, but I honestly enjoy it so much more than firearms both as a hobby and for hunting. It just feels so much more complex, connected to what your doing, more visceral... like driving a stick shift vs an automatic or fly fishing vs cast & reel. And being able to reuse the arrows after shooting them instead of burning through at least $50 worth of ammo every time I go to the range.
My goals? I would like to actually get an elk with it this fall after being unsuccessful last year and an unsuccessful spring chasing turkeys. I would also like to take longer shots (at the range, I would never take a risky shot at an animal). I'm dialed in at about 20-50 yards on a 70 lb draw weight. I can hit further targets but I see the guys out at like 90 yards at the range and it just seems so cool to be able to send one that far. I'd also like to get an inexpensive adjustable recurve to bring camping. I like to bring my Hoyt camping but I'm worried about the wear and tear on an expensive bow. And other people can't really try it because the draw weight is really too high for women and children and even a lot of guys and I don't know want to mess with adjusting something as complex as a compound. I love the hobby though. Best thing I ever did was buying my own target so I can set up anywhere there's enough room.
Recurve archer here. Started in college back in 2013, helped started the college archery team, and have been on and off the sports for the past 10 years.
For me, it is a meditative sport that helps me focus and relieve all my stress every time I go the range.
Current setup:
The setup is pretty expensive, but boy is it smooth like butter. I have had no issues with this setup and it also looks amazing with the two-tone color of the riser.
What's the best way to get started? I did as a kid in summer camp, dropped it for years, then tried it again with a not-shitty bow at a ren faire and felt a rush actually grouping shots near the center. I'm sure it was a kiddie target, but hey!
Always start with a low poundage bow (borderline is 30#). Sometimes there is a culture of machismo with archery, and those people are dead wrong. Get your form down first and foremost. If you like it and want to get goal-oriented, then you can explore higher poundage bows.
Always start with arrows made from aluminum, carbon, or a combination thereof because their "spines" are usually the same on all side of those arrows. Wooden arrows can mess with your confidence because they aren't always identical in spine from one side to the next, and will steer in the direction of the side that is stiffer. Never dry fire and never, ever shoot with people in front of you.
Check your closest archery outfitter and see if they offer free classes or equipment tryouts. My local place will offer a day of self practice for less than $20, for example, but you can probably find an outfitter who is nice.
Don't be prepared to drop tremendous amounts of cash to get started. You don't need to do that. If your local outfitter tries to sell you on expensive stuff, don't fall for it and find a more affordable dude. There's no reason to spend more than $200 to get your own starter gear if you actually, truly like archery.
If you want to study archery theory online, the dude I can recommend with 100% confidence is Nusensei on youtube. He knows what he's talking about. Avoid people like Lars Anderson and Shadiversity. They teach trickshots, bad form, "instinctive shooting", and overall clown town behavior.
Let me know if you have any questions!
At the club I’m in, we start around 20lbs.
It forces a clean release and you can focus on the technique without being bothered by the draw weight.
Nice!!
How did you get into it? : A friend invited me to his club to try and, well, I stayed.
What's your setup like?: Riser is an old TD4 I was lucky to find in great condition and had it repainted with gun paint and looks modern enough, not sure wich of the TD4 it is, and everything else is either WNS or Shibuya.
What are your archery-related goals and expectations for the year?: I had to dial down the expectations due to read life and now I'm just about improving technique and score bit by bit, just keep going to the club frequently. Quality over quantity of training.
I just like to see archery as a medidation medium and a way to try out adages and sayings, like "you own your labor but not the fruits of your labor".
Why don't we make a monthly league? We report the best score in the month and keep track
A monthly league sounds awesome!! We can call for scores at the end of the month. What do you think we should call it? I'm thinking... Wolfpack Archery League..? but in all seriousness, Tildes Archery League sounds good.
I am all for it, yet Tthis becomes really complicated if you want to compare scores, as target sizes, bows, arrow material, and distances collide.
But maybe an informal “my best results” type of thing?
Edit: English be hard, yo!
Informal "best results" would be great I think. And mention your set up when you do it.
Bit late to the party but I'm making an effort to engage with the community more, so...here goes.
I've always loved archery as a concept. My characters in video games always used bow & arrow builds if they were an option.
I live in a relatively large metro area and there are surprisingly few archery ranges around. It seems like everyone that's into the hobby got into it via bowfishing so they aren't really looking to/needing to spend time in a range. I took the (hour long) trek out to a range on a whim once and, man, I loved it. It was so natural. The person leading the class said that my partner and I were naturals and that we should come to an intermediate class sometime. I spent upwards of three hours out there just zoned out, enjoying nature and working on form and accuracy. That was years ago and I haven't been able to go back since.
I looked into buying my own bow but (at least where I live) you can't practice in public parks. I don't own a home so I can't set anything up in my backyard or anything like that. How do those of you in non-optimal locations keep up with the hobby? Open to any and all suggestions!
I love archery! I didn't do it at all until I was a counselor at a summer camp where they had no one to lead the archery program, so they just asked who was interested. I raised my hand, got two days of USA Archery coach training, did it for the rest of the summer and didn't stop. I shoot a recurve take down from Boss Bows in Colorado, USA. I use 500 spine carbon fiber arrows. I don't have any goals this year other than making sure I keep shooting.
I also first learned about archery from Zelda 1, but I basically fell in love with everything about the Zelda series with that game. As a young teenager (or maybe a little younger), I built bows out of sticks and braided fishing line and arrows out of dowels. They were pretty crappy and lasted about as long as your average bow from Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom. But boy was it fun.
Then about ten years ago I got a chance to shoot my friend's dad's recurve bow, and wow did I have a blast. Then more recently (maybe a year ago?), a friend of mine sold me his bow--and coincidentally, my friend's dad gave me one of his old bows and his target setup that I'd used ten years previously--so I have a pretty nice setup now. I absolutely love it. It's such a thrill to shoot such a powerful but simple device and to get into a groove of hitting the target. Unfortunately, I just don't know how to find the time for it! I'm so busy with work, all of my at-home responsibilities, and my other gardening/propagating hobby that I really don't know how to fit it into my life. I need to learn to just carve out 15 minutes or so to shoot for a while and go from there.
All of that is to say... Archery is a blast, but I sadly have nothing especially interesting to add about it!
One of my daughters is quite into archery (recurve). I'd like to get her a better sight - does anyone have any recommendations for a sight that is relatively inexpensive (ie. <$150) that is appropriate for a relative beginner, but will last them for a while?
"If she's into target shooting any of the olympic style sights would work just fine. You can spend as much or as little as you want on one. I've seen them from 10 bucks and up. If she doesn't have mounting holes then some 3M Permanent double sided mounting tape will work just fine. Thats what I use to mount my SRF aperture."
Information courtesy of Tater3000
I actually just started a couple weeks ago on a recurve bow. I'm not really sure why, I think I just always thought I'd be good at aiming at stuff. It's pretty enjoyable so far even though I'm having trouble aiming consistently/grouping.
Barebow archer here. Aside from it "being fun" I got into it as a way to cultivate discipline and push myself competitively.
My setup is all HOYT XACT for riser/limbs, I use indoor target arrows I had built and fletched by Lancaster (large archery supply company in the USA).
My club is part of USA archery, so we use their ranking system to classify our skill levels. This year I'd like to earn my Bronze award, which is scoring 250pts at 18m on a 40cm target for barebow over 30 arrows. My current record is 241 so I still have quite a ways to go!