RichS

Any archers on here?

Always wanted to take it up and now I think I will.

I have a basic understanding of the different forms, bows and equipment and I have names and addresses of local clubs to check out.

Any advice to help me get started?

Thanks


Rich

Alas

Yeh m8
Fire the pointy bit away from you
Alas

Aadvark69

Alas

BUT, don't fire it straight up in the air unless wearing crash helmet.

RichS

LOL - I asked for that I guess

The Crushinator

Would using a crossbow be considered cheating?

Sorry Rich

RichS

A bit like using a gun in a sword fight I suppose...

Should I have posted this in the Muppet Show? LOL


Go on.. someone out there must have a non-muppet answer...

STi-Frenchie

Please inquire at HMP Lincoln (or whatever it's called) - I do believe they have an archer in custody at the moment who may be able to help you with your enquiry.

It'll be a refreshing change for him and helping the plod with their inquiries

Yeah, 'nuther muppet answer which you didn't need ! Check out your local clubs - that's where you'll get the info.

MartinDB

Have a look here http://www.gnas.org/home1.htm,
http://www.bownet.com/,
http://www.quicks.com/,
http://www.archeryworld.co.uk/.

If your local clubs are like the one I used to go to, they'll have plenty of beginner's bows for you to try. Don't worry about stabilisers or sights yet, wait until you're getting good groupings first.
Oh, and expect bruises along the inside of whichever arm you're holding the bow with .

Martin (hmm, must dig my bow out and start shooting again).

Pavlo

I used to shoot compound UL a few years back, family and so on has led me away.

I have a big back garden and target so might get the bows out for a shake down.

The GNAS are the people to talk to, and Quicks are also very helpful.

Crossbows tend not to be that powerful, as they have such a short draw. Easier to point and shoot maybe. But compound unlimited uses a release aid (over centre hand held trigger for releasing string), telescopic sight, spirit levels and of course the compound bow mechanism.

Field archery is the best fun I ever had, tends to be over 2 days, first day un marked distances (and 4 different face sizes just to add to the confusion) and second day marked distances but generally further.

Don't start in compound just because it looks good, better shoot a normal recurve to get started.

Paul

RichS

Thanks guys

I've tried target archery a couple of times in the last few years.

The first time I was completely rotten at it. I shot maybe 20 or so arrows and finished up with a black, blue and green arm from my shoulder to my wrist. Damn it hurt! Didn't score too well either...

The second time a year or so later, I made a point of just slightly bending my bow arm at the elbow (attempting clear it from the path of the string on release). Don't know if this is the right thing to do or not, but I suffered no bruises that time and won the event! Mind you, without a finger guard on my other hand, I damaged a nerve completely losing the feeling at the end of my middle finger for about 3 months...

Can't wait to try it again

Rich

Mice_Elf

Advice...where will you be shooting?

Get a good bow, for starters - Yew is always a popular choice. Make sure (sounds daft, but trust me on this one) that you can pull it and that it is the right size for you. Some will "feel" better than others. And if you've seen "Prince of Thieves" where a certain un-English Robin Hood sits there for about a decade and a half with his bow pulled....it's got a pull-weight of about 3oz....there is no way that you could do this without your arms shaking with the effort of holding it back, if it's a decent bow.

Guards are another consideration. Unless you want a black and blue arm, go for an arm guard and a finger guard. Get it out of leather, obviously. There are other types on the market which aren't as good.

If you're shooting in a club...hoorah. If not, remember that certainly under English law, not sure if this is applicable in Schkotland, but under English law, you MUST shoot arrows towards your house. Yep...towards...

(Am still laughing at "crossbows don't tend to be that powerful". Should see mine.... )

What else...be prepared to lose arrows!

Euuummmm...initiailly go for good grouping of arrows before trying to aim the bow. Different people shoot in different ways, unsurprisingly, and you will find that you have to compensate to accommodate your way of shooting....ie shoot up and right slightly if you pull down on firing....or whatever.

That's all I can think of for now, but you know where I am should you need any more advice.

paulr

Rich........my best mates dad used to be in the county team.Occasionally we used to have a go in his back garden.All i'd add is...

1.You need strong arms and shoulders.There's some tension on those strings,and those arrows travel at one hell of a speed.(btw,we used to shoot away from the house,didn't know it was illegal)

..and join a club(common sense really)

IWatkins

Missed this thread.....

Yes, been shooting (recurve) for a while in a club. Very enjoyable and very relaxing (well I find it that way). I don't do tournaments yet, but that might be down to the fact, I'm not that bothered about that side.

Only advice. Join a club. There will be people there who know more than you ever will. And usually they are very approachable and are very happy to talk to you about any aspect, even questions you are scared to ask because you think they are dumb.

Best bet it to find you local club. Find contact details of the club. Talk to them and arrange a visit to the club on a day when they are shooting. Go down, have a chat and see about a beginners course. You will need this to get you started. Usually something like £20 for three x 3 hour sessions (or 6 x 1.5 hours etc.) and you just need to turn up, no equipment needed. This will get you to the point where you are competent with regards to safety and using a bow. After this, you can then consider joining the club and either buying your own gear or (if they do it) hiring equipment from the club for a few months.

After that, it is a case of turning up for club nights / weekends and spending the effort getting your 'form' right. This is basically your way of shooting, i.e. aiming for a consistant, repeatable technique. Everyone is slightly different in shape, size, weight, strength etc. so you will learn what works for you. Most clubs have very good coaches who will help you with this all the time.

Our club costs about £80 a year (which I think is representative) but most of that goes to the GNAS for your insurance and the rest to the landowner for our excellent shooting field and facilities.

Basically any time after you beginers course, you will need to start thinking about your own gear. Again, talk to your club members, they will be able to give you lots of advice on what will suit you.

Erm, that'll do for now. Ask away if you need more.

Edited for some typos and to add a link:

Archer Reference has a downloadable .pdf document with lots of good info in there.

Cheers

Ian

[Edited by IWatkins - 9/28/2002 11:51:40 PM]

Crush

You have a crossbow?: eek:

Mice_Elf

Yes Crush, I do. Actually I have 2, but one is decorative only - it's about 12" long.

The other one is the powerful beastie.

Pavlo

Mice_Elf

The power in a box is defined by the area under the force/draw curve. Crossbows do have a big overdraw, but how many crossbows have a 30" draw? So anyway, my compound which is limited by GNAS rules to 60lbs draw force shoots arrows at about 290feet per second with 300grain arrow. If I put hi-speed cams and wound it up to 80lbs, you are looking at about 340fps with 330grain arrow, but it's a bitch to shoot on a target range. Good for field because of the flat trajectory means the sight marks are nice and close.

I know crossbows have very high peak loads, especially the compound ones, but the few I've seen in action were slow in comparison, you could really see the difference over 90metres.

Paul

[Edited by Pavlo - 9/29/2002 8:17:10 PM]

IWatkins

Yep, crossbows I've seen used tend to drop off very quickly when used over 50 yards. Maybe just the bolt size ? Don't know enough about them though. What I do know is that with a good recurve and carbon arrows, the speeds stay up out to 90+ yards no problem.

Compound UL is something I don't want to get into. I can see myself modding away non-stop

Shoot recurve myself, what I would call 'proper' archery, but as I always say, each to their own.

Cheers

Ian

Mice_Elf

Hello Jason.

The crossbow that I have, the powerful one, is not one that's meant to be used on anything but target practice. I have one that I use for mediaeval re-enactment which is a mere 45lb pull-weight, but that is always shot at a 45* angle with rubber tipped bullets and is a bit apathetic, to say the least. Not that it can't cause a bruise if the arrow hits correctly.

The other one is a powerful beastie and is pulled with a lever. This one is good for up to 200yards - it can and has pierced armour at this distance, obviously with AP bolts.

Mice_Elf

Can also shoot....

Mice_Elf

...round corners. But only with a special arrow.

Pavlo

I am looking to get an 8inch group at 100yards though.

IWatkins

... I'm looking to get a 1 inch group at 90 metres, but it'll never happen

Pavlo

1 inch group at 30 metres, and about a 4 inch group at 60metres, but at 90 it just goes for a bender, possibly because by then my shoulders are knackered.

Shoot around 580 on a fita 18 with inner 10.

Didn't do any outdoor Fita rounds, prefer field archery, much more fun.

Paul