The: I am a mega newb to archery thread

[hillbillyr]

Let's start this with full disclosure

I don't know anything about archery. My father has a old weak recurve bow that I have shot twice. The last time I shot it I found it to be more of a novelty than anything else. Sure you could kill something at 30 yards if everything went perfect and the target was very large.

I was measuring a counter reno the other day and the woman I am working for asked if I wanted a bow. Sure I said, I have always been curious. So I now have a Bear , Polar LTD 6 pulley bow circa late 70's. A good place to start IMHO.

I got the bow home with a bunch of arrows with fletchings in various states of decay and NO arrow rest. Being I have more curiosity than brains I had to shoot the bow and used my finger as a rest with one of the arrows the fletching "appeared" to be good. I did end up with a large portion of1980' brittle plastic flething embedded deep in my finger. No worries though, I was aiming at a 4'x4' plastic target 100 yards away, without knowing how to aim, I came very close to my POA with the target arrow burried 8" in the ground.

I was very impressed with the bow, the pain of removing old fletching, I deserved.

Two evenings latter I met up with a friend to show him my new found bow and try his. His bow was torqued at or past 80# and is a single cam bow with what he thinks has 60% let off. For a newb with no technique it was a good pull and I am not a weak man.

His bow was setup with a peep sight and a trigger. I was within 3 inches at 20 yards for 4 shots but 2 of them, the last one specifically were painful



After some reaserch as was stated in the OT thread it seems a kisser button and peep sight is the way I will go.

I hope very much BRI and others can explain in the proper detail;

Peep sights
Kisser button
Trigger
arrow pinch

and all the other things, a complete and total ingnoramious like myself needs to know.

I am headed into the city (shudder) on Saturday to have my bow checked out and a new string, peep, kisser, rest (whisker?) and string installed.

I will buy some new arrows as well

Any and all ultra newb infromation both general and specific will contribute to this site

[Candychikita]

heh, my inner arm looked like that when i tried someone else's bow with her...just wait until it goes all green and yellow you can get an arm guard if you're concerned about smacking your arm bad like that again. i figure if i smack my inner arm, i deserve the welt...and should either smarten up with how i'm holding the bow, or it's quittin' time.

hand position is a big thing. you should be holding your bow not with your knuckles vertical, but with your knuckles more horizontal. like this:

with this part of your hand contacting the bow the most, like this image:

if your hand is holding the bow right and you're not hyperextending your elbow, you won't hit your arm like that...

if you've got your bow in a death grip, it will "woggle" left and right, and you will always miss. you should have a strap around your wrist that is attached to your bow...trust it. (or make it trustworthy, so you can relax your grip) for me, i have a tough time not doing a death grip. it was recommended to me by some of the target shooters i shoot with to make your fingers into a shape like you're holding an invisible egg and it will stop you from having a death grip on your bow and changing your hand position. this sounds positively retarded, i know, but i'll try to take some pictures tomorrow while i'm shooting so that i can better explain this hand position.

i was referred to archerytalk.com for a forum full of archery Q & A and just browsing there is informative

tell the shop you need your draw length measured, and they'll set you up with that information (if you don't currently know it), as it's really important for how your bow is set up.

there's a couple of different triggers available. if you can, try them all out and see which one feels the best to you. if you are using a trigger, they'll put a little loop of string on your string so that your trigger has a place to go, which decreases the setting that they will set your bow up at. this is important info for your bow shop to know; that you'd like to use a trigger

(you don't have to use a trigger, i know a few people that use fingers and that little finger flappy...try them all out, and save yourself the cost of having your bow set up again if you change your mind)

good luck. that's all i can tell you...

[hillbillyr]

Thanks Candy

I am going to start using my fingers as the trigger and I have the "finger spacer"? (SIC)

I read you are using a whisker biscut, perhaps you could give some more detail on it than is availble from the retail sites.

[BrotherRockeye]

Keep in mind that I'm old school and for me archery is about hunting.
I target shot solely to practice for hunting and make my buddies look bad
I stopped learning a long time ago and I'm not up on the newest shortcut gear...it doesn't interest me.


the "trigger" is called a "release"
the "finger spacer" or "flappy" is called a "tab"

If you ever plan on hunting stay away from all the crap that only works in perfect conditions in full light.
Simplest is best when hunting.
A release can break or malfunction. If you insist on using one,buy two that are identical and use them both for practice. Carry the spare WITH YOU when hunting.
If you have a properly consistent anchor you don't need a peep sight.they suck at low light anyway.
You don't need a sling,they are useless and get in the way. They were designed for open hold target shooting iirc.
I could go on and on but you get the point...

You are shooting fingers.Good choice!
you already have a tab (you can pull the plastic part off and throw it away once you learn control)
Get a $5 flipper rest...they're prolly $15 now...
A good set of sights that you like (fibre optic can be good)
kitty whiskers (string silencers)
A kisser button will help to find and maintain a good anchor point.
Have that baby tuned!

Forget the fancy stuff until you are comfortable and proficient. There is plenty of time to piddle your cash away on bling later.

Grip- ideally your bow should be suspended between your fingers on the string and the crook (dip between your index finger and thumb) of your hand with your knuckles about 45 degrees
Actually holding onto the bow with your front hand imparts torque...that's bad...

That's 2 days of typing for me and my index fingers are smokin...
Archery is it's own reward but takes time to become proficient. Enjoy it,you're first bull will give you a shat eatin grin for days!

[Candychikita]

brother rockeye's terminology is far superior to mine. i only know what is right because someone placed my hands this way, i'm more of a hands on learner for this sort of stuff

the brother also mentioned anchoring. finding the right anchor point and consistently using it is super essential. i pull my string so that the back of my hand touches my ear, literally tuck my thumb underneath my jaw, and touch the tip of my nose to the string. that's three spots on my head that i have anchored in place consistently before i even think about aiming - your anchor points might vary, find what works for you. heh, you can tell a newbie if they don't touch their nose with the string...it's not going to bite you honey, its going AWAY from you

i was also taught, by multiple sources, to have my finger on the release before i aim...which is a huge DO NOT CROSS OVER TO GUNS. the logic of this was that as i move my finger to squeeze the release, i will lose my target and need to re-aim when i get my finger on the release. make your own decisions on this one.

as you're shooting you also want to follow through with your shot. don't just squeeze the release and figure you're 'done'. your shooting hand should continue on past your ear and towards your back shoulder, otherwise you screw your shot up.

man, maybe i'll make a video. i love this stuff

my whisker biscuit was recommended - i love whiskers and i love biscuits so why not?! bahahah. it's easy to load up, though i'm still somewhat slow because i'm in no rush. if you're going for speed loading, i'm sure there are other options available. it's quiet, and it is lightweight, which were both key factors in choosing it as well. something i recently learned is different rests means your arrows go in a certain way otherwise your fletches will catch on it and/or something about spin on your shot like a football should be thrown...watch carefully when someone shows you where the cock feather goes. sometimes people have their cock feather (the odd coloured feather) facing up, sometimes it's facing out. my whisker biscuit will do both ways the way my arrows are fletched, but it definitely likes one way better than the other.

ok, NOW i think i'm done.

[superbrad]

Some good advice here from both Candy and Brother Rockeye.... I think the kitty whiskers are a must for silencing your striings and getting a better "feel" for your shot... also, they look damn cool IMOP....lol.. I personally like peep sights but that is just me.... a good peep sight and a nice crosshair type sight instead of pins and you will be looking at a view similar to a rifle at short yardage....

Last piece of advice... practice practice practice.... If you are going to hunt something like a deer with your bow you need to be well versed in shooting... otherwise you are setting yourself up fo rlong tracking, a heartbreak and a needlessly suffering animal....

[JustBen]

A quick note on the practice...

Field/target points do not fly the same as broadheads.
Mechanical broadheads do not fly the same as fixed broadheads.

I use field points for the majority of my practice.
I use judo points for shooting gophers.
I use fixed blade broadheads for hunting.

Field points are good for learning form and technique, but be sure to spend some time launching broadheads down range BEFORE you head to the field.

[BrotherRockeye]

Candy uses 3 of my 4 anchor point references...not a coincidence I'm thinking...they are solid and repeatable!

A whisker biscuit is great for releases but is not needed for fingers,likewise with the fall away types.
Shooting fingers takes you back to basics.
the arrow rest simply holds the arrow off the riser so it will clear the vanes for flight.
Helical fletching is a must imo!
Yes you lose aprox 3fps but it is the equivalent of a rifled barrel to a smooth bore,far easier to make you field points and broad heads fly true.And yes with enough fiddling and collar weights etc you CAN make your field points and broad heads hit in the same place.Hardly worth the effort imo though I've done it.
Better to practice with FP's and have 2 or 3 broadheads to practice with that are the same as the ones you plan to hunt with.Weight is the all important factor here.Expecting a 140gr BH to hit where a 125gr FP does is unrealistic.
Cross hair sights are great for hunting and I have one that I love. If you go that route keep your cross hairs to a minimum to start. 1 for 20yds until you are comfortable. Keep the visuals to a minimum while learning.The less your brain has to process in the beginning the easier it will be to make the important things like anchor point and release second nature.
Candy raises a good point with follow through.
When shooting fingers you do not want to "let go" of the string. At full draw just relax your hand and let the string "slip" from your fingers. It should be a surprise when it happens. Consciously "letting go" of the string will cause bad things to happen.
Ok used up my finger tips again...better go dip them in cold water...

[Candychikita]

brother rockeye, you can't just leave a person hanging. what's your 4th anchor point?

[hillbillyr]

Wow lot's of good info here. For mega newbs like myself I will ad this simple diagram of a compound bow and have used links so people can see what we are talking about


I was leaning towards a whisker biscut because I thought it would create a more easily repetable hold on my arrows without having to worry about the arrow slipping off a fall away rest

Here is a video I found describing anchor points. Personaly I would rather watch Candy explain it, you have better hair




As to the finger spacer, flappy LOL now correctly and officially know as a tab you can more info here