# Newbie to archery need advice



## aread (Dec 25, 2009)

Check Lancaster Archery Supply website. They have a wide range of recurve equipment available. Generally there aren't any starter kits because archery equipment should be fit to each archer. Everyone has a different body type and size. Everyone wants to use their archery equipment a little differently.

LAS is about the only place online where you can work with knowledgeable people who will help you select the right equipment. 

I'm not affiliated with LAS except as a customer.

One suggestion on equipment selection, don't get a bow with a high draw weight. Keep it 25 pounds or below. Even if you plan to hunt in the future, you need to build up to heavier bows. It's too easy to develop bad habits especially with a heavy bow.

Hope this helps,
Allen


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## CrypticApathy (Dec 7, 2012)

That does help i browsed there website a bit but im still not sure what to look for, like why is one bow 600 an another only 150. Is there a name brand i should be looking for, or on the flip side stay away from.


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## subconsciously (Aug 22, 2009)

A great start would be your local or nearest pro shop. If we knew where you lived we might be able to give you some good direction.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

What gear will be right for will depend on you, your interests, your dimensions, your level of strength and your experience. The best, and possibly the most annoying, advice any of us can give is for you to find a good archery program in your area, or even a bit out of it, where you can try some bows with feedback from a knowledgeable instructor to see what is right for you. However, not everyone has that luxury. If you tell us what area you are in some folks may have some suggestions, but, that will also depend on what kind of archery you are interested in. Target archery? Hunting? 3D (foam animals on trail ranges)? Field archery (paper targets on trail ranges)?

The quality of advice you get will vary, especially at pro shops. Many of them, well, most of them, specialize in hunting rigs and tend to set up archers with bows that are on the heavy side--which is the number one problem for new archers, getting a bow that is too heavy a draw.


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## CrypticApathy (Dec 7, 2012)

I live in tampa fl, i plan to just shoot for fun mainly at targets at this point i have no desire to hunt.

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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

CrypticApathy said:


> I live in tampa fl, i plan to just shoot for fun mainly at targets at this point i have no desire to hunt.
> 
> Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 2


Ah, then a take down recurve would be a good choice. I don't know what archery clubs are in your area. You can ask in the trad forum and the FITA form--both are sections where a lot of recurve shooters hang out--for information on local clubs or stores that are good. The Easton Newberry Sports Complex is pretty cool, but it is several hours away from Tampa.

But since we have you here, do you know what your draw length is? How tall are you? What kind of fitness level are you? What kind of archery, if any, have you done before? The answer to those can help narrow down what folks will recommend to you.


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## CrypticApathy (Dec 7, 2012)

I'm 5”9, no idea what my draw length is an I'm in good shape. I've had a very small amount of archery practice. Mainly at camp when I was younger. 

Why do you recommend a take down vs a non take down?

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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

CrypticApathy said:


> I'm 5”9, no idea what my draw length is an I'm in good shape. I've had a very small amount of archery practice. Mainly at camp when I was younger.
> 
> Why do you recommend a take down vs a non take down?
> 
> Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2


If you want a good value in a bow that can grow with you then a 3 three-piece takedown (a handle and two removable limbs) of some sort is the way to go. Takedowns are easy to travel with, but even more importantly you can get limbs of different draw weights, so you can start with a light bow to get you going without turning each session into a heavy work out, and then you can change limbs as you grow stronger. At your height you''d probably shoot a 68" target bow. Target shooters tend to shoot fairly tall bows since the bows tend to draw smoothly and offer some helpful inertial stabilization. Hunters tend to shoot shorter bows for ease of carrying and shooting in the field, though famed archer Howard Hill hunted all over the world with long bows, so it isn't a rule.

There are basic three-piece take downs with wooden handles and proprietary bolt on limbs, and there are "ILF" three-piece takedown bows that have metal or carbon fiber handles and take standardized limbs available from many manufacturers. The wooden bows are cheaper and work well (one of them is being used in the TV show "Arrow" as the character's main bow). The ILF bows are more expensive, but more versatile in the long run, and are used by Olympic archers.

You can find threads in the FITA Forum and the Traditional Archery forum on beginning archery. And the book "Shooting the Stickbow" has more information than you'll likely ever need for a reasonable price.


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## CrypticApathy (Dec 7, 2012)

I don't mind paying more now to save in the long run, so a ilf sounds like a good idea. What does ilf stand for?

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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

CrypticApathy said:


> I don't mind paying more now to save in the long run, so a ilf sounds like a good idea. What does ilf stand for?
> 
> Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk 2


ILF stands for "International Limb Fitting". The ILF standard is actually other manufacturers standardizing on Hoyt's dovetail limb fitting and calling it something different.

There are some good threads on the topic of what kind of bow to buy. I'll try to find some and post links.


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