Starting in Archery

Choosing Your Bow

What You Need To Know When Setting Out To Buy Your Own Bow, Arrows, and Basic Equipment

If you have read Beginners Corner then you should have most of the information to be able to make a good choice. The important points are

How long an arrow you are going to pull.
This determines the length of the bow that you need to get the best shooting. If the bow is too long you wont pull it enough to flex the bow and so to get any power into the bow and then to the arrow. The other extreme is that if the bow is too short then you will pull it so much you will nearly pull it in two. So somewhere in the middle is the happy medium, a bow which your arm length will when fully pulled flex the bow enough to deliver the power to the arrow but not too much so as to over stress the bow. Usually the arrow length for a man 5' 10" is about 27-29" and this needs a bow length of 66-68" for target archery

How strong a bow can you easily pull.
In target archery with a recurve bow, a starting bow weight is around 28-30lbs at the archers draw length...the longer your arms the further you pull the bow back and the higher the pulling weight of the bow becomes as you pull it back further and further. If you pull 30" then you will increase the pull of the bow about 2lbs for each extra inch you draw over 28" compared with the pulling weight that is marked on the bow itself. (Because they are generally measured at a standard 28").The weight will be less than the indicated weight if you dont pull as much as the 28".....again you can adjust the weight for you by about 2lbs for each inch under the 28" draw.

As you progress and shoot to the long distances then you will probably want to use 38-40lbs or even 40-50 lbs bow weights, but it is important to not get too heavy a bow at the start until you can truely manage the technique...then a heavier bow can be controlled and can be of benefit in improving you shooting. In Field Archery, the bow is often shorter and of a heavier pulling weight than for target archery, but the same guide lines apply.

Dont get a bow you cant control because it is too strong for you. The bowmen of the middle ages did use 100lbs pull bows, but they shot their bows all their lives and were well used to the draw weight! Once you have used a basic bow for a while ,and it is the bow that is finally holding you back from progressing to the next level....then get a more specialist bow...refine the bow power and length to customise it to you.

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