Board logo

Anyone on here into Archery???
Steve Hignett - 7/1/12 at 09:19 PM

Hi All,

Literally as above, general advice re bow purchase wanted...



Cheers and thanks in advance!

Steve

liam.mccaffrey - 7/1/12 at 09:43 PM

No but I recieved my firearms and shot gun certificates in the post this morning

Archery is good fun though!

bobinspain - 7/1/12 at 09:49 PM

Steve,
30 yrs ago I got hooked on clay-pigeon shooting. I found out all about guns and which one to buy as a result of mingling with shooters at a really friendly clay club.
You'll pick up loads of info and like as not, get a real bargain at an archery club.
Nothing worse than pitching up at the club (of any type) kitted out with gear that real officionados would laugh at.

philw - 7/1/12 at 10:19 PM

What type? a while ago I bought a longbow(i've always been interested in the history of them) and started to get into that , that was fun, i started to get reasonably good with it, it had a 200yd accurate range, then the dog chewed it, because of the cost of a replacement I bought a Hoyt take down recurve bow(like they use at the olympics)but i can't get on with it, so it depends on what you want to do?, arrows are expensive for target archery, bows vary depending on type, do you want a recurve or compound?

Stott - 7/1/12 at 10:45 PM

U2u me what u want to know and I'll make a call tomorrow to find out. I'm friends with 3 people who run archery classes and outdoor pursuits, pretty sure they will advise as they've been doing it for almost 25 years now and are really up on archery.

Atb
Stott

Steve Hignett - 7/1/12 at 10:58 PM

Cheers everyone - please continue the advice ir anyone else has any!!!

U2U on it's way Stott...

daniel mason - 7/1/12 at 11:05 PM

I have a mate who is In the gb Squad and hopefully going to 2016 olympics In brazil! Is there anything you want me to ask him, he has dozens of bows

Steve Hignett - 7/1/12 at 11:12 PM

U2U sent Dan...

raguri - 7/1/12 at 11:16 PM

If anybody knows someone, or is someone who can help me appraise my bow then please get in touch!
With GNAS Membership, plus arrows, plus the fact i've just come out of a heart and lung operation, I've decided to move onto something else (Air rifle target shooting) in 2 months when i'm allowed to start "heavy activities" again.

Sorry to half hi-jack the thread, but i thought it went with the title, so didn't want to make a new thread

balidey - 7/1/12 at 11:25 PM

I've not done archery for a couple of years, but my advice is.... don't buy any bow yet.
Go along to a club, use their equipment for a few weeks, your poundage and draw length will increase as you get used to it so you could end up needing whole new kit very shortly after buying your first kit.
After you've done it for a while you will then know what sort of thing you are after.
Also the type of archery you want to do will greatly affect the decision.

The people in a club watching you shoot will be able to give you good advice of what you need to buy. People on a forum have no idea, so we can't comment.

balidey - 7/1/12 at 11:28 PM

Saying all that, I prefer recurve. I never saw the appeal of compound bows.
I did try bare bow for a while, that was very rewarding.
But be warned, it can get very expensive if you let it. A bow is just one part of it.
Riser, limbs, string, sight, arrow rest, stabilisers, arrows, stand, case, quiver, tab etc. could be the best part of a grand.

Steve Hignett - 7/1/12 at 11:29 PM

quote:
Originally posted by raguri
If anybody knows someone, or is someone who can help me appraise my bow then please get in touch!
With GNAS Membership, plus arrows, plus the fact i've just come out of a heart and lung operation, I've decided to move onto something else (Air rifle target shooting) in 2 months when i'm allowed to start "heavy activities" again.

Sorry to half hi-jack the thread, but i thought it went with the title, so didn't want to make a new thread



I think maybe some people would expect you to start a new thread, and put something in the first line or so saying, inspired by earier thread this one here etc...
But I (honestly) don't mind at all, hopefully we can both get sorted out!

What make/model is your bow?

ATB
Steve

ps - I only say this to share info - I (once again) honestly don't mind at all...

raguri - 7/1/12 at 11:29 PM

As i said, i thought it would suit both things
But Samick Agulla with Samick Universal 36# Limbs. Very nice bow, but maybe a tad heavy for someone just starting out... as i found out at a competition =/

Steve Hignett - 7/1/12 at 11:38 PM

quote:
Originally posted by balidey
Saying all that, I prefer recurve. I never saw the appeal of compound bows.
I did try bare bow for a while, that was very rewarding.
But be warned, it can get very expensive if you let it. A bow is just one part of it.
Riser, limbs, string, sight, arrow rest, stabilisers, arrows, stand, case, quiver, tab etc. could be the best part of a grand.


I've been going to a club for a few weeks.
It's at the local church that my wife used to attend, and the two guys that run it are very nice people.
My problem is that as Church goers, they (happily) let other people use the club bows and some of the people are not the cleanest/most respectful of people.

They also aren't familiar wih telling people what to spend their money on, which why I asked on here.

Basicially, I will be buying 2nd hand from ebay, so that if I have made a mistake with my hobby, I can sell up and not lose too much money.

As I've commented a couple times before, I was unemployed for 7 months ish last year, I started my new job Jan 3rd this year, so things are looking up - I've obviously not paid back any of the iving debts that accrue with a large spell of unemployment. So the reason I was asking was to do a search on a regular basis, once a week for eg, on ebay and try and find a bargain.

I know it can turn into a dear do.

I am 5'9" ish and when healthy (free from the pain my back injury gives me), I am relatively strong. I believe I need a bow that is roughly 68" and over 30Lbs draw (if that's howyou say it!). I want a bow that is suitable for above a beginners experience as I shot 20 years ago in college, and in the last few weeks have picked it up again very quickly and came 6th out of 18 people in a competition (for fun).

It would def be a Recurve bow that I would be after - (only as I don't know that much about compounds!)

Hopefully this answers a few more questions.
I didn't enter this level of detail in my OP as I just wanted people to answer that they were experienced and then I was going to U2U and ask if they wouldn't mind giving specific advice................

Kind regards,
Steve

raguri - 7/1/12 at 11:43 PM

One thing i would say, which every member of my ex-club had said.
Don't buy from ebay, unless you've seen the bow before bidding, it could be destroyed.

Steve Hignett - 7/1/12 at 11:47 PM

quote:
Originally posted by raguri
As i said, i thought it would suit both things
But Samick Agulla with Samick Universal 36# Limbs. Very nice bow, but maybe a tad heavy for someone just starting out... as i found out at a competition =/

I don't think I could have written the word "honestly" any more times! So thanks for realising I didn't mind!


I know your bow quite well as I looked at one in a local store, but found it a little cheaper at the next store an extra few more miles away from me.

Brand new, the Samick Agulla (full Bow with limbs) and free P+P is £135. (along with P+P that price, at the store I was looking at, also includes,
Price includes :-
• 25" - Agulla Handle
• 1pr - ILF fitting limbs
• Fast Flight String
• Fitted Nock Points
• Magnetic Arrow Rest
• Pressure Button

Hope this helps your search for a price.
It's up to you, but I usually expect stuff that I put on ebay to get roughly 50% of the new price etc (as a general rule - there are obvious exceptions like 12 year old cars LOL)

What size is yours? (66", 68" etc)
Do you have a photo of yours?
Does yours come with all the extras still included?
Any damage/marks on it?
Do you want to do a deal Off ebay to save the listing/selling fees etc?

Kind regards,
Steve

raguri - 7/1/12 at 11:48 PM

U2U is on it's way in a sec

Steve Hignett - 7/1/12 at 11:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by raguri
One thing i would say, which every member of my ex-club had said.
Don't buy from ebay, unless you've seen the bow before bidding, it could be destroyed.


Yes, I know what you mean, but that goes for absolutely everything, not just bows.

And at the end of the day if it genuinely doesn't resemble the photo's and description, then I would just (legitimately) claim my money back through Paypal. It's not something I make a habit of, in fact I've never done it before because I've never had to. But if someone "ripped me off" in that manner, then I would think it would be within my rights to do so?

Cheers,
Steve

Steve Hignett - 7/1/12 at 11:51 PM

quote:
Originally posted by raguri
U2U is on it's way in a sec


Cool!

This could be sorted faser than I helped the guy with the Fireblade sump LOL

balidey - 7/1/12 at 11:57 PM

If buying 'blind' on ebay then I would stick to a known good bow.
You can't really go wrong with any Hoyt bow.
The GM (Gold Medalist) may look dated, but still a great bow for every skill level.
Limbs, well the best you can afford really. But as you don't know their history, that could be difficult.
I shot for a couple of years using cheap fibreglass / wood limbs that were OK. But trying a set of carbon / foam limbs on the same bow was amazing. Cost was atleast double, but very worth it.
Arrows, I would buy new.

And not wanting to sound too judgmental about your club, but maybe you could see if there are other clubs in your area and go along a couple of days to see how other clubs operate.

[Edited on 7/1/12 by balidey]

Steve Hignett - 8/1/12 at 12:03 AM

quote:
Originally posted by balidey
And not wanting to sound too judgmental about your club, but maybe you could see if there are other clubs in your area and go along a couple of days to see how other clubs operate.
[Edited on 7/1/12 by balidey]



They happen to be in my home town, but the next club is a long way away, else I would take your advice. But it's just not that easy... Agree with above points though, Cheers!

Steve Hignett - 8/1/12 at 12:06 AM

quote:
Originally posted by raguri
U2U is on it's way in a sec


Replied - actually sent two back to you!

tomprescott - 8/1/12 at 04:39 AM

Yep!

I did an internship making longbows and spining arrows a few years ago. Search google for Richard head longbows, he's really helpful and also stocks some fibreglass bows if you're price conscious.

I completely disagree with the above comment though, you don't need to spend loads to have fun - and if people at the club don't rate your equipment; who cares?

As you're on locost builders I assume you enjoy making things - in which case Richard also stocks staves and complete diy kits to build your own bow - though I would suggest you look into it carefully before starting as to get a bow with a nice cast requires a fair bit of skill, might be better off paying the extra to have it made for you! Spining, knocking and fletching your own arrows is pretty easy though!