Buying Your First Bow

Many first time archers come to us after their first lesson and ask about buying a bow.

Our answer is simple. Wait. Wait until you or your child is sure that you are willing to

make the commitment to archery. It takes a few lessons to get a feel for the sport.

After 6 weeks of archery you will know if you are ready to make the investment of your

own bow. Once your ready there are quite a few questions to ask and options to consider.

Question #1 – Do I want to shoot a Compound Bow or a Recurve Bow?  We use the recurve bows because they are good for beginners and if your goal is the Olympics, the recurve bow is all that is currently allowed. The PFA Junior Olympic Archery Development

(JOAD) program supports recurve for Olympic and international competition and

compound bow for international competition. This article will deal with Recurve Bows.

Question #2 – What do I need to get? You need some basic equipment. A bow, at least

1/2 dozen arrows, an armguard, a finger tab and an arrow quiver to put your arrows in.

There is some optional equipment to consider. A bow sight, a front stabilizer and a bow

stand.

Question #3 – How much do I spend? Good question. Archery is like many sports; it has

a wide range of prices. You can spend under $200.00 for a complete set-up or you could

spend over $1500.00. We are going to deal with the $200.00 to $500.00 range.

The Bow.

The bow is the first item to consider. The recurve bow come in three parts. The Riser (the

“handle”), The Limbs (upper and lower) and the String. Most beginning bows come with

the bowstring so we won’t get into bowstrings. The riser is the bow handle. The limbs fit

into the riser. There are two kinds of risers. Those that have “ILF” pockets and those that

do not. “ILF” stands for International Limb Fitting. A riser that has ILF pockets enables

you to use limbs from any manufacturer and not have to buy a new riser. This riser will

allow you to increase the size and weight of your limbs has you improve your archery

skills. A riser that does not have ILF pockets limits the type of limbs you can move up to.

You usually have to stay with the manufacturer of the bow. The limbs are what the string

attaches to and dictate the weight of the bow. Limbs come in different materials and

quality. Bows with ILF pockets are the most versatile and will be used by the first time

archer for a longer period of time but the cost more.

The Evolution II is the most inexpensive ILF limb and riser bow on the market today.

Proprietary bow and limbs (non ILF bows) can be found with the popular Optima

manufactured by PSE, a Tucson AZ company. Note that you can buy varying limb

length and limb weight.

The PFA uses the Rolan Dakota bow and the Bullseye wood bow. The Rolan Dakota

bow uses a polymer riser which is light weight and excellent for children. Like the

Optima the Rolan Dakota has additional proprietary limbs that can be purchased.

Wood bows like the Bullseye and Buckeye are also lightweight but the thickness of the

“riser” hinders tuning. Fiberglass and elementary compound bows should be avoided.

If compound bow are of interest to you, consider the Genesis bow used by the National

Archery in the Schools.

Recurve bow size. The appropriate size of a bow is based on the archers draw length, the

distance from the arrow rest to the end of the arrow as the string at full draw.

Most men, with a 28” draw length use a 68” bow

Many women with a 25” draw length use a 66” bow.

Many purchase a 62” bow for a child until they grown into an adult bow.

Many 7-11 year old find a 54” bow to be a good choice.

Arrows.

Arrows come in different material and sizes. They need to be fitted to the archer and the

bow. The wrong size arrow will cause a lot of problems in flight and accuracy. Arrows

come in wood, Aluminum, carbon/aluminum and carbon. For the beginning archery

aluminum arrows are best and are considered safer than wood or carbon. The cost is

reasonable and they are good for indoors and outdoors. Arrows come with points and

feathers or plastic vanes. I like vanes because they last a bit longer and fly better outdoors

at longer distances. You should get at least a 1/2 dozen but I suggest 1 dozen. Arrows do

break and bend and you don’t want to find yourself in a tournament without a back-up

arrow in case one breaks.

Armguard.

The armguard protects your bow arm from the string. There are many different kinds. Get

the one that feels good for you. A 6” long armguard in usually very adequate.

Finger Tab.

The finger tab protects your fingers from the string. Finger tabs are a piece of leather

shaped to the three fingers that “hold” the string. Some have a stiffener. After a long day

of shooting your finger will be numb without a finger tab. “No Glove” finger shaped

rubber tubes that fit on the string, they are great for club bows are not for someone

hoping to achieve in archery.

Arrow Quiver.

Some people consider the quiver an optional piece of equipment. The quiver fits around

your waist and hold your arrows. Wearing a quiver is safer than carrying your arrows by

hand back to the shooting line after you have pulled them from the target. Quiver can be

very fancy or just functional. The simplest quiver is a tube and a belt clip. Get what

works for you.

Bow Sight.

This is optional. Some archers use a sight and others shoot “barebow”. If you are going to

participate in JOAD or shoot competitive a sight is a must. The sight is exactly what it

says. It is a device to help aim the arrows and hit the target in the Gold. Sights come in all

different price ranges and if you are going to use a sight get a good one. A good

beginning sight starts at $60.00. Archers that want to shoot barebow in events are not

allowed to use sights and many other equipment options. Talk to an instructor and discuss

the opportunities and limitations of being a barebow shooter before making this decision.

Stabilizer.

This is optional. The stabilizer helps with the bows balance and absorbs shooting

vibration. There are front stabilizers and side stabilizers. Start with the front one first.

30” is a popular length for beginners. Stabilizers start at $60.00

Bow Stand

This is optional. The bow stand “holds” the bow when you’re not. Bow stands start at

$20.00

Basic Set-up

A Basic set-up using a non-ILF bow (like the wood bows the club uses), 1 dozen

aluminum arrows, armguard, finger tab and quiver will run about $200.00. This set-up is

ideal for children. It will last about 1 to 2 years and upgrades are limited.

A Basic set-up using an ILF bow, 1 dozen arrows, armguard, and finger tab a good sight

and a quiver will cost about $450.00. This will last quite awhile and can be upgraded

easily.

One last thing, buying a bow for a child is different than buying a bow for an adult,

Children grow and get stronger. Bows that worked great last month may not fit this

month, that’s why it’s always best to use the club equipment in the beginning. When

children get stronger, heavier weight limbs need to be purchased. When they get bigger

longer limbs are in order and then a longer riser. This is very important, when buying a

bow for your child, never buy more bow than the child can handle. If your child can only

handle 25lbs, do not buy a 35lbs bow and expect them to “grow” into it. Over-bowing

puts them at risk for shoulder and back injury and is one of the biggest reasons they quit.

Many instructor recommend starting with a 15# to 20# bow.

Buy a bow you or your child can handle without stress or strain. A little inconvenience in

having to upgrade sooner than planned is worth being safe and happy.