The Bow

Discussion in 'General Survival and Preparedness' started by Ajax, Jan 6, 2012.


  1. Ajax

    Ajax Monkey++

    I didn't want to high jack the Crossbow thread but it reminded me of something I need to determine.

    I am thinking about picking up a used compound bow. I may gt a cross bow at a later time but figured I would start with a bow. I can shoot so I could use a cross bow easier than I could pick up a bow and use it so I would like to get practice with a bow.

    One of the main things I am trying to determine is if I need a left or right handed bow. I am left handed but I shoot right handed and turns out I am right eye dominant. For the most part I am ambidextrous but have an advantage with my left hand.

    I have read that if you are right eye dominant you should use a right handed bow but I have also read it doesn't matter if you close your left eye when shooting the bow.

    What do you guys think, should I get a left or right handed bow. As far as comfort goes, just holding a bow not including sighting, I would say if left is 100% right is about 90% - 95%, my main worry is how does right eye dominant play into it.
     
  2. gmt48

    gmt48 Monkey+

    It's best for those new to archery to choose a bow that matches your eye dominance since you won't have to "unlearn" any habits. Having said that, an excellent article on eye dominance and choosing a bow can be found online at Hunters' Friend: Eye Dominance Issues for Archery - HuntersFriend.COM.
     
  3. Ajax

    Ajax Monkey++

    Cool thanks. What are some good brands to look for?
     
  4. limpingbear

    limpingbear future cancer survivor....

    i have the eye dominance problem too. im right handed but shoot a bow (and rifle) lefty. In my case it is a rather extreme case of left eye dominant. I picked up a left handed Parker compound and fell in love with it. Some good brands would be PSE, Bear, Browning, Parker,Hoyt,...and the list is a long one. i would recomemd going to an archery shop and have the bow set up for you. mine was and i placed 4th in a 3-D shoot the very next day after having only shot that bow for a few hours the previous day.
     
  5. gmt48

    gmt48 Monkey+

    Ajax: limingbear's suggestion of going to an archery shop is a good one. Allow me to offer an additional piece of advice: don't fall into the trap of overbowing yourself. It's far better to be accurate drawing a 45lb bow than struggling to shoot a 65lb bow. Overbowing will introduce all sorts of bad form problems and adversly affect your accuracy. If you plan to use your bow to harvest game (e.g. deer), check your state's Fish & Wildlife hunting regs for minimum legal draw weight and use that as a guide.

    Last suggestion. hang out in the www.archerytalk.com forums for awhile. Newbies are welcome and you will get good, knowledgeable answers to your questions. One question you might start with is asking for recommendations on a good archery shop in your area.
     
  6. Espada

    Espada Monkey+

    Always interesting to talk about the minutia of bows like we talk about cartridges and rifles, subjects I've loved since early high school... but the most important aspect of bowhunting, after hundreds of hours of practice, including learning the best personal ergonomics (as in, above, "...better a 45 # bow that you can hit with, than a macho 65# bow that makes you tremble at full draw), is STALKING.

    Axiom of bowhunters:

    A bowhunter's hunt begins at the distance a rifle hunter's hunt ends."
     
  7. GrandpaDave

    GrandpaDave Monkey++

    Okay lets take them one at a time... first off your right about buying used... it'll save you a ton of cash... and as I wrote in my "How to buy a used bow" you might just get a few goodies to go with...

    but first ask yourself what you want to do with said bow... target, hunting, just something to mess around with??? I picked my Z7 because of something we hunters call "Sting Jumping" see a deer can hear when you release an arrow, "Sting Jumping" is he jumps at the sound and turn a clean kill into a total miss... so I went with the fastest arrow speed I could find at the time... the less time it takes the arrow to get there the less a problem "Sting Jumping" is... that my friends is not an issue with target shooter so they dont need all that fancy stuff...

    Okay on to eye dominant... yes it makes a diff... a big diff too... you'll have a greater selection of used and new equipment if you buy a right handed bow... but if you get a lefty you might want to wear an eye patch over your right eye until you train yourself to target through your left one...

    Lastly it's a huge mistake to close one eye...you'll miss seeing everything that's going on around you... closing your right eye to sight might seem easier but if you do you might miss seeing an even bigger buck on that side, or worse yet, an enemy opponent sneaking up on you... Always, always KEEP BOTH EYES OPEN
     
  8. CATO

    CATO Monkey+++

  9. STANGF150

    STANGF150 Knowledge Seeker

    When I got my Bear bow for Christmas at age 16 it was used from a local Gun shop that also did bows. It was supposedly a 65 pound draw. I got pretty good with it, not great but good. Yet every few times I took it out I either lost an arrow or pranged one on a tree warping it. Usually from it blowing thru my target.

    Years later a friend was building a General Lee so I got it out & took it over there. Much to my surprise only Me & a Big Ole Boy that was a friend of ours could even draw it.

    Well another friend got into bows & was gonna go to a Bow place up in Hendersonville to get sum sights. My arrow rest had came off so I took my bow gonna get a new one. They took one look at my bow & knew EXACTLY where I'd bought it at. I was shocked & amazed & asked how they knew. They said that shop was only one that I think they said "strung it backwards" so it was a heavier draw. Well they checked mine & it was an 85 Pound Draw!!! So now I knew why only me & a big ole boy could draw it as I used to lift weights regularly. Surprised my butt!!!

    Hmmm...........prolly oughta get my bow out soon & practice sum more, its been awhile....
     
  10. munchie3409

    munchie3409 Monkey+

    Sounds like you could use a left or right hand set up for your needs. I'm left eye dominant and right handed...I shoot rifles, shotgun, pistols and bows right handed.

    As far as bow manufacturers I'd stick with the big three...Hoyt, Mathews and Bowtech. They aren't cheap, but quality seldom is cheap.

    Used bow market is funny since I personally wouldn't buy a used bow unless it was a closeout from a store since the used market prices can be funny.
     
  11. Ajax

    Ajax Monkey++

    If someone has a bow that says is 25" - 30" draw lenght how hard is it to adjust it? For compound and recurve.
     
  12. Ajax

    Ajax Monkey++

    I finally found what looks like a good Archery Pro shop in my area so I'm going in next Mon or Tues and see what used bows they have and will see if they have a draw bow to accurately measure my draw and then hopefully they will adjust it for me if it doesn't need any new hardware.

    Something else I wanted to ask, targets! What do you guys do to make your own targets? It seems like ready made targets are expensive in the stores, anyone know of a cheap place to buy them or a cheap way to make them? Probably need a large target I guess.

    Off the top of my head I was thinking about cutting several squares of cardboard and duck taping them together, would that be able to stop a arrow from a modern compound bow? How thick would it need to be?

    When it comes to arrows are there certain types that work with certain bows or are they mostly one size fits all? Should I use certain arrows for target practice or do you use the same one you hunt with with a different tip?

    Thanks for all your help.
     
  13. Ajax

    Ajax Monkey++

    Went in and picked up a used 2011 Bowtech Assassin compound bow with sights, stableizer, and four arrows worth about $70 retail for $525.

    Seemed like a decent deal and I liked the way it shot. There was a new used PSE also I looked at and I figured for an extra $140 I would go with the Bowtech since it is higher end from what I have read.

    For a target I am going to take a big box and shove it full of heavy duty plastic bags and old rags and then tape up the outside and see how it works.

    Do any of you practice finger shooting instead of using a release? Any trick to it or just practice?
     
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