Still on the beginners course but looking at other bows

sunmouse · Still on the beginners course but looking at other bows

Hi all,

I am on my second/third week of my beginners course and have, up until now, been using the club's beginner's recurve bows which are slightly lower poundage than my own beginner's take down recurve.

My other half recently bought a Win &Win Proaccent carbon riser at 25" along with Kap winstorm limbs. It is a lovely bow and I am quite envious of him having it. He bought it because he was getting more and more frustrated with using the club's recurves and was being told not to 'strangle the bow'. He also shoots with a longbow normally, but wanted to have a recurve to shoot indoors with.

My problem is that whenever I pick up the metal cast risers, they always seem very heavy in the hand. The other problem is that I simply can't afford the lighter carbon bows which all seem to retail at about £300+ a pop.

My biggest fear is that when it comes to the end of my course and I want another bow, that I won't be able to find one light enough, of reasonable quality and not terribly expensive. I don't particularly want to pay out large sums of money on a heavy bow which gives my arms a bad ache when using it. My partner says that I shouldn't focus so much on weight in the hand and should simply focus on how the bow feels and shoots when I try it.

Anyone had any experience on riser weight?

pafc1886

Hi Sunmouse,

Have you thought about shooting AFB or longbow ?

No problem with metal risers on those beauties.

Les

Dawn

Yes look at an AFB, they can be a lot cheaper than a long bow and are very light in the hand, they also have an arrow shelf and may just be what you are looking for

But do wait until you have finished your course and try as many different bows as you can

madhatter

In my opinion the weight that you are holding AND carrying around all day WILL affect your archery.........your joints will be sending signals saying put it down.......NOW, this will ultimately show in your shooting.

I do wish men would step back and think about things first.

I too like carrying/holding light bows, so does my partner who used to shoot HT with a Hoyt metal riser, the ultimate weight throughout the day eventually got to her [the bow is now for sale] she shoots and loves her very very light longbow.

Listen to what people are saying...BUT listen to what your body is saying first.

Blackcat

Your other option if you want to stick with a recurve is buy either a one piece hunter or if you want sights the wooded trainer bows do go up to 36# draw weight.
I shoot sighted recurve and agree the risers are very heavy especially after a whole days shooting, I've now bought a wooden riser (from border so maybe a bit out your current price range) but much lighter.

sunmouse

Thanks for all your advice. I hadn't considered AFB at all as I wanted to use and progress with the take-down recurve I'm using (which is a trainer bow but good for the job for now). I shall definitely wait for the end of the beginners course before considering other options but I am notoriously impatient so I might consider something like a Samick Mizar or a Kap T-Rex, both of which seemed quite a bit lighter. Ultimately, though, I'm NOT buying anything I'm not 100% happy with.

Fortunately, the Archery store in Chepstow seems to have a good selection of almost every kind of bow, including AFB.

I would like to stick with the recurve as I quite like it, but we shall see!

KerryJ

My girls (10 & 14) shoot take down recurves (trainer bows essentially) and I shoot a one piece (samick spikeman) and my bow is much lighter than theirs. Hubby shoots an AFB and it is lighter again. Its just a case of trying all that is available and then making a decision as to what you think you will be happiest with. You can get some very good prices on some of the lower end AFB's and one-pieces so it shouldnt break the bank.

English Bowman

Don't worry about the price of carbon arrows at this stage, you don't need them. Also I wouldn't worry about the weight in the hand of the metal riser yet. It feels heavy because you're not used to it. When it's time to buy a bow take the time to visit an archery shop with a range and try all the bows in your budget, one is likely to feel better than the others, that's the one to buy. Get a set of cheap Easton Alloy arrows at about £30-£50 a set and practice with them. You only need the carbons if you are shooting longer distances. I have a junior in our club shooting 50mtrs with a 28lb bow, a 25" draw length and Easton Jazz arrows. He's putting them all on at that distance. He's using a Mizar, and it's not heavy in the hand once you're used to it.

Daniel