Tim -

With all due respect, #55 at someone's draw length isn't a starter bow FOR ANYONE, nor is it a "target" bow. The guys who are serious about shooting start in the #35 range, the really serious target types about #10 LIGHTER. Most wemen can handle #25 pretty easily, if they are in good physical shape other wise.

Picking a bow is easy - let her do it. Start off doing an eBay search on "recurve" and see what comes up that SHE likes. Do the same with the larger archery websites and the Tradmall up stairs. Keep the weight light and the length longer than you think necessary (that depends on her draw length, so we can only speak in generalities). Don't break the bank on a frist bow, if she sticks with it, there WILL be others.

Viper out.

 

That is what I was looking for. I have had a hard time getting an answer from anybody about pull weight. So if 30# in enough we will go from there.

As for my 55#, I've only been doing it for about a year. With no one to go too for advise. Now I'm finding out it was tough at first but, now now it is easier to pull and it will be an ok poundage for hunting.

Thanx
Viper

 

Tim -

Basical rule oif thumb, if new shooter "notices" the draw weight, it probably too much. Too many other things that have to be worked on without the weight getting in the way, that's for men and wemen. Also, remember that thing about the draw length, a #30 @ 28" bow drawn to 24" will be about #24. Seriously, think lighter. BTW - A GOOD #55 over-kill for most N Am game. The Impala is a pretty good entry level bow, as long as you don't have a really long draw length, but you might want to think about lighter limbs to "play" with , they should be about $100.

Viper out.

 

My draw is 28" and I've alway's thought 55# was a bit much for messing around and target shooting. But I have had a hell of a time getting info on traditional bows.
So the heaver pulls are for hunting only?

 

Hi Tim,

My wife is shooting a 62", 25#, Chiron Polaris bow. You can find those at the TradTalk store, among other places.

My wife is about 5'2", her draw length is about 26". Shooting 28" Beman Hunter Juniors, which are an inexpensive carbon arrow, she reaches 50 yds and at times has outscored me at that distance. That is pretty much the limit of her range, but 40 is comfortably in it. There are some tricks we could use (dental floss instead of a brass nockset, low-strand-count string, lighter points, feathers, ...) to eek out a little more distance but we have not had to do that yet.

In reading about bows before buying ours, it looked like the number one avoidable error in buying a bow was getting too much draw weight. We bought 25# for her and 31# for me and I think we made the right choice. Keep in mind that a good day's shooting may be 150 arrows or more, and you don't want to be shaking at the end.

If your wife is taller than mine, she probably has a longer draw length and 25# will be fine for reaching 50 yds as long as you keep the arrows light and pay a little attention to getting the bow in tune (right brace height). If she likes the shiny ones, if you can spend a little more you can get a starter ILF rig such as the T-Rex or Mizar with better quality limbs than the Polaris. The limbs will be faster, and will take a fastflite string, which will add still more speed to the arrow.

:2cents:

Ron

 

Thanx Ron

I wish I would have found this sight earlier. Do you have any web sights in mind for the sale of the bows you mentioned?

 

Tim -

The top Olympic guys are approaching #50, very few, if any are using over that for competition (that's at 70M of Olympic and 90M for FITA). Most are in the mid to high #40s and the ladies are in the low #40 range. Shooting at those distances form or shot execution is everything. For both groups we are talking about experienced shooters.

Most N Am game is fairly thin skinned, so you don't need a lot. Clearly for flatness of trajectory and penetration (highly over-rated, IMHO) you want the most you can shoot accurately, but the key word is "accuracy" and not most.

Viper out.

 

Thanx Ron
Do you have any web sights in mind for the sale of the bows you mentioned?

Sure Tim:

The TradTalk store, host of this site: http://www.tradtalk.com/ckshop.php?category=20
(Robert has a very good price on the T-Rex metal ILF riser if you want to look at alternatives to the Polaris. By the way - ILF mean "International Limb Fitting". It is the standard for connecting limbs to risers used in Olympic-style archery. Going with that standard gives you a very wide choice in limbs, at a pretty wide range of prices.)

Lancaster archery:
http://www.lancasterarchery.com/shop/default.php?cPath=22_24_350

K1 Archery:
http://www.k1-archery.com/recurvebows/indexk1.htm
(Look for the "samwha" and MIND-10 bows at the bottom of the page. They are wooden-riser bows made by the same company that makes the Chiron, to the best of my understanding, and sort of bracket it in quality. While on the K1 site, consider the Samick Mizar riser and the Samick Privilege limbs, another ILF setup. Since K1 is in California I have to pay taxes on the stuff I buy from there, otherwise I would buy from them more often.)

Alternative Services:
http://altservices.eu/
(This is a UK company, so shipping is higher, but their prices are low enough to make up for it, and they carry a lot of stuff in stock. Shipping is pretty prompt too.)

There are others but these should do to get you started.

Best regards,
Ron

 

Listen to Viper. The man knows of what he speaks.

 

Thanx guy's you gave me some real use full info, and thank you for those web addresses Ron, my wife has already looked at them and seen a few she liked.

 

Glad to help. As you and your wife get closer to a decision, feel free to ask for input from the people on this site. Lots of help here. Be sure to check out the "classics" section of the site too.

Do you have a local archery club where you can shoot? People there may have similar equipment, or may be able to direct you to someplace where you can actually try these things out. If nothing else, search for JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development) events in your area. You and your wife won't qualify as Juniors, of course, but you may still be able to see and even try different target bows and talk with people there to see about coaching.

Best regards,
Ron

 

Listen to Viper. The man knows of what he speaks.

DITTO!!

 

One thing to keep in mind.
In hunting you might get 1 or 2 shots in a day.

In target shooting you might shoot between 30 (NAA indoor) to 144 (NFAA Field Round) shots plus your practice ends in a day. Your 55# hunting bow makes target shooting painful. My wife shoots 20#. Yes that is light, but as a beginner her form stay consistant for 36 arrows. I shoot 36# limbs but my long draw means I am pulling 40# After 36 arrows I start having form problems.

 

I know that your post was about recurves, BUT, if your wife is interested in a longbow, I might suggest Black Rhino bows, which specializes in lengths and weights for women and youths.

Might I offer a humble suggestion when searching for a bow:
Find bows for each of you that you can each shoot comfortably and consistently 10,000 times in practice (about 200 arrows a week for a year) for every one shot you will take at a live animal.