# Archery Question



## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

I am getting back into archery after about a 17 year hiatus. I never really was a good shot with my compund bow as a kid. Just ok I guess. But to be honest I really don't remeber much about and I feel like I never really learned the proper mechanics and so forth. To make matters worse I am now going to start shooting a recurve as it seems much cheaper to get into. Does anyone know of any good literature or video's I could watch that would help me along. Thanks.


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## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

Anyone shoot recruve in here?


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## nostawmama (Dec 29, 2011)

My hubby shoots recurve and compound but I honestly don't know where he learned. I would think that google would offer some results for good posture and after that it is just practice. Nothing improves us more than doing something a gajillion times! Good luck with your new endeavor. :thumb:


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## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

Thanks for the encouragement. I will probably need it, lol....


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## jbo9 (Oct 30, 2012)

I wish I could be more help. A couple of years ago, I searched the internet for tuning a recurve and stumbled on some good stuff about the mechanics and ideal form for instinctive recurve shooting. But I can't remember where it was. Most of it would apply to shooting compounds as well, but it had some good visuals on form.

From my experience, it is all about consistency. Start off with the same stance, the same anchor points, the same everything. Train the muscles and the eyes to know how and where to aim. It may seem funny to talk about aiming with a recurve, but you do every bit as much as with anything else. 

Find a good archery shop and get arrows to match your bow. There are less adjustments that can be made, so matching the spine and bow is very important. Not all shops want to spend any time with people who won't use wheels. But when you can hunt whitetails with your stick bow successfully, you enter into a rare group.


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## WesleyDS (Feb 16, 2013)

I shoot a longbow and absolutely love it. There are a number of sites that if you ask this question you will get a lot of help. www.paleoplanet69529.yuku.com/ or www.tradbow.com comes to mind. You just can't go wrong with the simplicity of a stick and string. I would advise that you don't over do it with the poundage. 40 to 45 lbs is plenty of bow for a whitetail and you will be able to learn with that much easier. Later if you want a stronger bow go for it.


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

I've shot a recurve or longbow since I was about 10 years old - Killed my first deer with a 45lb recurve when I was 12 and have been hopelessly addicted ever since. I think the key to consistant shooting is a consistant anchor. This may not be the same with every bow, and may not be where you want it to be, but once you find what works for the bow you're shooting there is no greater joy in life. ( no, not even sex). The part about recurve being cheaper is incorrect - a good recurve is more expensive than a good compound - You will have a hard time finding arrows and componants locally, so you have to learn to make them yourself - another joy in itself. Online 3Rivers is a good place for componants. Feel free to pm me if you'd like. 
Recurve or longbow when mastered is far superior for hunting. IMHO


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## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

jbo9 said:


> I wish I could be more help. A couple of years ago, I searched the internet for tuning a recurve and stumbled on some good stuff about the mechanics and ideal form for instinctive recurve shooting. But I can't remember where it was. Most of it would apply to shooting compounds as well, but it had some good visuals on form.
> 
> From my experience, it is all about consistency. Start off with the same stance, the same anchor points, the same everything. Train the muscles and the eyes to know how and where to aim. It may seem funny to talk about aiming with a recurve, but you do every bit as much as with anything else.
> 
> Find a good archery shop and get arrows to match your bow. There are less adjustments that can be made, so matching the spine and bow is very important. Not all shops want to spend any time with people who won't use wheels. But when you can hunt whitetails with your stick bow successfully, you enter into a rare group.


I am hoping to get good enough with it to hunt the tails. Should extend the season out pretty good for me. I went to buy the arrows from Bass Pro at the archery section but they claimed nothing would need to be done to the arrow, since it is a recurve. I said are you sure, when I shot compund bows we had to get my draw length and all kinds of stuff.


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## jbo9 (Oct 30, 2012)

There are some pretty good ways of checking the proper arrow for a recurve bow, most involve lots of shooting:

You can change the spine of an arrow by changing the length. The longer the arrow the more flexible the arrow will be, which may or may not be what you want. The bigger the diameter of arrows, the stiffer the arrow. With carbon arrows, the thicker the walls, the stiffer the arrow. If you go with wood arrows, you have to do some more tuning on the arrows than just length, shaping each arrow to the proper diameter to obtain the proper spine.

Recurve or long bows generally use longer arrows than compounds; there's no releases and you need the broad head out past your knuckles for obvious reasons. As a rough guide, take a yard stick between your index finger and thumb and rest it on your other hand. Draw it back, like you would your bow. Give yourself an extra inch or two past your fingers. You can always shorten an arrow, but an arrow stretcher is rare.

In shooting the arrows, you don't want the arrows to whip off your rest (what kind of rest does your recurve use? There are some important differences here too.) Just like you check the nocking point by watching for the arrows to porpoise off the string, the visible wobble left and right is the result of matching the arrow spine and the poundage of the bow.

If you can, try shooting a few different weights and length arrows. Pick a really short distance, like 10 feet or so. Shoot a handful of arrows into the target, and look to see if they are all hitting about the same (nock is left or right of point, higher or lower than point) This is one of the ways to check for arrows that are matched to your bow. You want the arrows flying like a dart, not dancing or sliding into the target at an angle. 

See if there is a little old archery shop in your area and ask if they know anyone who shoots recurves. There should be someone around who knows how to get the best combination from your bow and arrows. Most archery shops make their money off selling lots of bells and whistles to compound shooters. They don't make much off stick-bow people. And after a while, a lot of stick bow shooters start making their own.


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## CCCC (Nov 21, 2011)

Don't shoot recurve myself, but I have a few friends that do.

I know there is some good no traditional archery forums they are on, but can't tell you the name.

One thing they have expressed to me is that you need to practice atleast twice as much with a recurve vs. a compound to stay sharp and keep your instinctive shooting skills up to snuff. 

Good luck-heavy arrows, razor sharp broadheads, and good shot placement help a lot more than a heavy draw weight too.

Hope this was helpful.


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

Jbo9 - Good job - It would have taken me 2 pages to say that but you're spot on. 
Get arrow flight down, and release and anchor consistant - then work on sight picture.


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## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

jbo9 said:


> There are some pretty good ways of checking the proper arrow for a recurve bow, most involve lots of shooting:
> 
> You can change the spine of an arrow by changing the length. The longer the arrow the more flexible the arrow will be, which may or may not be what you want. The bigger the diameter of arrows, the stiffer the arrow. With carbon arrows, the thicker the walls, the stiffer the arrow. If you go with wood arrows, you have to do some more tuning on the arrows than just length, shaping each arrow to the proper diameter to obtain the proper spine.
> 
> ...


Thanks for all of the great information. I believe I might change out the rest. The one it came with is plastic with a plastic bolt and nut. It doesn't seem very sturdy. I was thinking baout going with a whisker biscut or something. The bow (PSE Kingfisher) did not come with a nock. How exactly do I figure out where I should put the nock. I hate to ask so many questions about it but you are indeed dealing with a complete green horn here. Thanks.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Www.tradtalk.com, www.tradgang.com, www.piratesofarchery.net are my favorites. Lots of other great sites. Get into their archives. I shoot longbow and recurve. From a survival standpoint the longbow is the way to go. A longbow would probably be the bow most replicated eaisly and no special stringer needed. Also knowing how to shoot with the heel of the hand down would be a plus.


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## Badger (Jun 11, 2010)

Tuning a bow like the Kingfisher is going to be different than tuning a traditional recurve or longbow that is shot off the shelf. I personaly wouldnt consider a whisker bisquit - I think you'll be better off with a center rest flipper or something like that. 
It can be adjusted for center shot. Get a bow square - They're cheap - Start with the suggested low brace height - set your nock at about 5/8 above and see what kind of arrow flight you get. Up and down porposing will indicate a change in nock position - Left to right flipping indicates an incorrect spine for the bow - What is the bow draw weight at your draw length? What spine arrows are you trying to shoot thru it? Length of arrow and tip weight influence spine.


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## wildcat6 (Apr 5, 2011)

Badger said:


> Tuning a bow like the Kingfisher is going to be different than tuning a traditional recurve or longbow that is shot off the shelf. I personaly wouldnt consider a whisker bisquit - I think you'll be better off with a center rest flipper or something like that.
> It can be adjusted for center shot. Get a bow square - They're cheap - Start with the suggested low brace height - set your nock at about 5/8 above and see what kind of arrow flight you get. Up and down porposing will indicate a change in nock position - Left to right flipping indicates an incorrect spine for the bow - What is the bow draw weight at your draw length? What spine arrows are you trying to shoot thru it? Length of arrow and tip weight influence spine.


I appreciate the great information. I am going to look into that rest your talking about. Sounds like I will have some playing around to do with that nock a little


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