Any archers on OcUK?

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Lo all,

Thought Id see if theres anyone else on here that does archery, Im just in the middle of my first proper outdoor season so call me an eager amateur, but only in it for the enjoyment and not looking to compete seriously. Thankfully the club Ive joined seems to share those sentiments!

Ive started out with a recurve as personally that seems to be more of an art to shoot well compared to the science of a compound (my opinion for now) and also the upgrade path is a lot cheaper (not that much tbh). Trying to shoot twice a week to keep my eye if not more and hoping to have my poundage up to mid 30s by indoor season (only pulling 22/24lbs atm) - just not trying to rush it and damage something...

Couple of questions I might aswell ask:

1) Any recommendations on tabs? I actually opted for a longbow glove but been told once I start shooting distance (only at 30m currently, need to get my shoulder muscles and poundage up first) that a tab is essential. When I first tried them out I wasnt too keen on them myself...

2) Does anyone know of a company that makes/sells black non-carbon limbs - I really want a black bow (my riser is matt black) but the white limbs I have ruin it. Im not looking to swap them until Ive got upto poundage and draw length

3) Any general tips on how to setup buttons or look after my equipment (maintanence on string etc)

Hopefully theres a few of us around to make this thread worthwhile - be nice to hear others experiences and what they are shooting or aspire to shoot...

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Wahoo! Ta for the response - now to borrow your knowledge! You havent heard of black non-carbon limbs then? Im vain!

I actually have picked up a tab that has 2 layers of leather and a metal frame that has a thumb rest - the one I orginally tried was a lot more basic and fell apart so look forward to trying it out.

Yep I hear you regards the string - already fell foul of that by folding it on itself and its getting dry so bought wax for it to get it back in shape. Im now trying to just fold it in half - wont fit in my box otherwise - may just trail it around the perimter instead though...

The button I have is a bit too fancy (can be adjusted on the fly) - Im not good enough to fiddle with it properly but Im hoping to understand it so when I get better I can adjust it accordingly. I know I dont release cleanly yet and also my arrows havent been cut down until I grow into my draw distance, my initial distance was only a few inches off anyway so made sense...

Just bought a complete stabliser so looking forward to using it - the field we use is in a valley so gets quite windy and noticed how unstable my bow is - cant wait to try it tomorrow - should keep more central - definitely did in the shop I bought it from.

Dont worry about me overdoing it - I had shoulder surgery a couple of years back so know my limits. Am warming up and moving my poundage very slowly. I bought 22lbs, then because I couldnt join a club until outdoor season I went back down to 20lbs and now just got back to 22lbs - because of my draw length I pull more like 24 currently. Looking to move 2lbs every few weeks at most - gonna take it nice and easy!

Bloody hell - knew I had a thread on this, not 5years old though : http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17553494

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For me Ive spent say £700+ on it, but Ive bought stuff thats somewhat futureproofed - you could easily get the equipment you need for a few hundred quid. I wouldnt go second hand though myself, you dont know how its been treated (i.e. dry fired without an arrow can damage the bow) and I recommend going into a proper archery shop and asking as many questions as you can and trying stuff out - do not buy off the internet, like a snooker cue its a personal thing and setting it up takes a bit of practise...

The difference between Recurve and Compound - hmm, I think Ill refer you to wikipedia on that. Its personal preference what you decide, but most recommend starting off with recurve to get your stance/accuracy - nothing stopping you going to compound straight away, personally as its more an all-in-one bow I thought it would be more expensive in the long run (you can replace parts of a recurve bow but you cant to the same extent a compound so if you outgrow it youll have to replace the whole thing).

The minimal items youd need for recurve is:
Riser - handle you hold
Limbs - parts that flex and the string attachs to
Sight - what you target through - its one of your reference points, the other is normally your pulling arm on your face
String
Complete arrows (a dozen at most)
Arrow rest (might be inbuilt to bow)
Button - this works as a damper to straighten the arrow as it leaves the bow
Tab and Finger String - Tab goes on your pulling arm to protect your fingers and give you a second reference point and finger string keeps the bow on your bow hand)
Stand and Case

Think thats it - shout if you want an explanation of any of those terms. Compound would include all the above things I put in bold...

Regards shooting, Im afraid you have to be a member of a Club in most circumstances for insurance purposes (I also think you need to do it as a pair minmum to ensure you are covered - obviously you could do on your own I guess on your private land) and need to do a beginners course before you can join. Best idea is find out what local clubs are to you and see if they do 'Have a Go' days - from there its easy to enquire about courses (some shops do these too) and the cost of membership.

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I'm sure they must exist. There are plenty of club bows out there that use fibreglass limbs and I'm sure there are black ones. It's been too long though, the only brands I can remember are Border (same as my bow ) and Easton who make carbon arrows!

Yeah I know of Easton - not heard of Border before - I really need to look but the shop I bought my gear from does a free limb exchange! So best for me to get my poundage up then maybe invest in a black set - I just dont want carbon . £400+

So the sciency bit is when you release, the arrow flexes. It REALLY bends in fact. The button is there to soak up that energy and prevent the arrow bouncing off in a funny direction. Best thing to do is get your release good, then just get someone to watch your arrow fly. You'll probably be able to see it if it's wildly out anyway. You'll know you'll be releasing nice and straight when your string stops hitting you in the forearm

Touch wood, I havent hit my forearm so far

Stabilisers are essential kit tbh. You'll get into bad habits without them. Think about using a wrist strap if you can't get on with the thumb string because you can let your hand completely relax. Thumb string is a good bit of kit though.

Good idea - might look into that now I have a stabliser its more likely to move forward after the shot. Deffo needed it as the bow was torquing and the vibration wasnt being dissipated...

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Thanks for that. Sounds like a fairly expensive hobby, but then aren't all hobbies expensive?

I think it might be best to find a local club first as you say, then see if I like it enough to spend any cash on my own gear.

What I would 100% recommend is to go down on a 'Have A Go' day and see what the clubs like. Most clubs will do beginners course and some will loan you equipment after you join so theres no real pressure to buy your equipment - some places frown upon it because you are just throwing money away until you know exactly what you want.

I was quite comfortable in doing so as I missed the outdoor season last year when most clubs do courses, so had to go to my local shop to do it (they had a permanent indoor facility) and then bought my equipment from said shop. I felt no pressure to do so and had time to try out my intended bow to get a feel for it, because I had been there every week for a month I had done my research...

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No, thanks for the headsup - Ill have a look though its probably going to be after Ive got my poundage up to the mid 30s first. By then Ill know if I want to go carbon - meant to be awesome...

You can make time! Especially with the weather weve been having (oops saw your location )

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Ill take a pic tomorrow of what Ive got if I remember - may even get a shot of the target if I get a good round in

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Better late than never! :

Not done too much shooting (nowhere as much as I wanted to) due to poor weather - still only pulling in the mid 20s so looking forward to upping that further. Shooting at around 40m now which is proving to be a bit difficult, its a good way to hone technique I guess though as you notice has small movements affect the arrow...

Stabiliser helps but my god does the bow feel heavier due to change in weight distribution...

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Might aswell bump this to see how people are doing...

Had a far better start to the indoor season at the moment and going regularly (think it helps when you are forced to turn up one day a week as its a rented hall compared to having the run of a field). Just trying to get my handicap sorted and getting used to 5 dozen shoots which isnt too bad now...

Not changed much on my bow since my last update, upped my poundage to 30lbs and still taking that easy, kinda pointless to go faster when you are stuck doing 20m/25m shoots indoors and its nice to get that technique honed in. Been warned by my local archery shop that Ill probably have to replace my arrows if I add much more poundage to the bow so might not increase that until the outdoor season and go onto carbon arrows (ACEs I guess)...

Had to get my main stabiliser connector replaced as it broke, my mates had done the same thing so must have been a dodgy batch

Other than that Ive added a clicker which I thought would now be useful as my draw length is pretty much steady, got my arrows cut to size too - unfortunately the blooming clicker broke after a couple of rounds so need to get that replaced - any recommendations? Anyone else using a clicker and finding it useful? Any differing technique to using them?

Any online shops people recommend using?

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My clicker is thin spring steel stuff with a slight bend in it. I never got on with it though, so I never used it. What did you do, release before it clicked?

Mine was just a plastic affair - think it was only a fiver but was advised that its much of a muchness when it comes to clickers - considering how they worked I agreed at the time.

It seemed to have an extra piece of plastic at the end of the arm that touches the arrow - after a few shots that bit just fell off - easy enough to reattach but now its loose it just keeps falling off

Like the idea of a clicker, just not had enough time using it to see if it will improve me or just be an additional distraction...

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Recurve archer here too

Shoot Seb flute pro forged riser with Border CXG limbs and navigator arrows.

As far as custom painted limbs go, how deep are your pockets? You could give Sid from Border Bows a call / email. They painted my limbs black fading to dark blue for me for a little extra over the cost of the standard limbs. He's always happy to help. Border stuff does cost a little bit more than standard stuff but the quality is excellent.

While since I looked into it - you can see why I might be after some black limbs though . Those Seb Flutes doesnt half cheapen it currently

In all honesty I can forsee myself just getting some carbon limbs (think most come in black - my local store makes the Petron Pros) as I get enough enjoyment out of the sport to make the expense affordable. Will shop around though once that becomes a reality...

While I remember do back quivers (robin hood style) exist? My side quiver always feels awkward when walking...

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Ta guys - glad I asked - Ill knock that idea on its head...

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