Hi Everyone,

We’ve put this guide together to get archers started in their archery equipment journey. This may cause you to ask more questions that it will answer, but it will hopefully provide a good starting knowledge. The idea is that you’ll have enough knowledge to be able to look through a few of the online shops and things will slowly start to make some sense.

Please do ask as many questions of us as you need as it is important for us to help you buy suitable equipment from the start.

It is a huge subject with a baffling array of options and technical spec which will take a bit to get used to.

The key bit of advice is not to rush until you are happy identifying what you need. And we are always here to answer questions as they come up. We’d rather a hundred questions to get the right kit rather than getting the wrong kit.

These are all good online stores.

http://www.merlinarchery.co.uk/bows/recurve-bows/recurve-risers.html
http://www.bowsports.com/acatalog/Recurve-Handles.html
https://www.quicksarchery.co.uk/

There are quite a few others which are just as good. Avoid places like Amazon, only use dedicated Archery retailers.

It’s a good idea to identify what you want and then search for where it is available at what price. You will be surprised at the price differences on different products. BEAR IN MIND P&P, this tends to be quite high for archery gear.

The bows we use are known as take-down recurve bows  –  other categories could be longbow/compound/crossbow

a Bow = a riser (handle) + limbs + string

Risers:

Risers can have screw-on limbs or slot-in limbs, slot in limbs are referred to as ILF (international Limb Fitting) and are by far the most common option.

Risers that have screw-on limbs can be wood, plastic, resin or metal and will be around £50+

Risers that have ILF limb fittings are metal alloy (more expensive are single piece machined aluminium or even carbon) and more expensive at £150+.  These are the preferred option when you want to buy a bow that will grow with your ability and strength.

There are now barebow focussed risers which don’t have attachment points for stablisers and sights so bear this in mind when looking at risers. They should point this out.

With that in mind   £60 – £150 covers some great getting started risers to intermediate and  £150 – £300 is a good midrange riser

Limbs:

There is a huge range of limbs available because they are interchangeable between different manufacturers.

The screw-in type of bow (like we use as club bows) are great for younger archers where there is still some growing to do or perhaps you are still a little cautious of a big investment in kit.

The advice that is generally given is that if you are keen and want to progress then spend more money on a quality riser and go cheap on the limbs as these will change a few times as you get stronger and your form improves.  Bear in mind that in your first few years of archery, you may change limbs multiple times.

Screw in limbs are not so interchangeable so you do need to buy new limbs from a shop stocking the same model riser.

Almost all limbs that slot in are ILF so will fit any ILF riser  (the exception being Hoyt formula – this is normally clearly marked)

Limbs come in three sizes :  Short, Medium ,Long 

Risers come in four lengths :  21”, 23”, 25”, 27”   (21 and 27 are very limited in choice and 25” is by far the most popular).

By combining short, medium or long limbs with a 23″ or 25″ riser you can build a bow of 64″, 66″, 68″ and 70″

E.g.
23″ riser + short limbs = 64″ bow (Small Junior)
23″ riser + medium limbs = 66″ bow (Medium Junior)
23” riser + long limbs = 68” Bow (Larger Junior, although they could switch to 25″ riser with Medium Limbs instead at this point)
25” riser + medium limbs = 68” bow (Average Archer). This is the majority of archers.
25” riser + long limbs = 70” bow (Tall Archer, over 6′)
27″ riser +Long Limbs = 72″ Bow (Archer 6’4″+)

Limbs come in different strengths measured in lbs and the weight marked on the limb is generally when used with a 25″ riser, this may also be marked as 25H

Limb strength (poundage) is measured at a 28″ draw length which is an average for adults. Juniors and smaller archers won’t pull the bow back this far so the draw poundage will be less. Taller archers with a longer draw will pull the bow back farther and thus the poundage will be higher. This needs to be considered. A junior might end up using higher poundage limbs than their parents simply because they don’t pull them back very far. Generally every additional 1″ of draw produces an additional 2lbs of poundage.

(23H may be also shown, but if not, a 23″ riser would add 2lbs to the quoted weight), e.g. 24lb limbs on a 23″ riser will be 26lb

Other things to look at, unless you buy a set. You would need to buy these things separately.

Other bow necessities are:  

Finger String – £5 – £15
Plunger/pressure button – £10 – £30
Arrow rest (go for a magnetic rest) – £5 – £20
Sight – £15 – £100

You generally get what you pay for in archery kit so it’s better to avoid the very cheapest. Something like a sight might last you forever so you could go straight for a top of the range Shibuya Ultima for £300 but clearly its a lot of money to spend as a beginner.

Strings:

Strings come in various types but typical recurve bow strings will be made from BCY 8125 material, typically 16 strands, and will be marked according to the size of the BOW, e.g. 68″. You adjust size of string to exactly match your bow by adding twists to them, so don’t worry if they look long out of the packet! You can get various colours so the world is your oyster! Good brands are Podium and Reign strings.

Arrows:

Arrows MUST be matched to the Bow! Below is a general description but we’ll help you get it right

Arrows are made from different materials :

Aluminium –  These are recommended,  good to get started with, tough, safe and detectable in the grass. Examples would be Easton Jazz

Carbon – not recommended as they have the potential to explode if shot when damaged, also not allowed on the school playing field. (remember the metal detector)

Fiberglass – these are generally cheap garden arrows. strong, but not very consistent.

Aluminium/Carbon hybrid  – these are good advanced arrows but more expensive. They come in to their own when shooting 50 yards and more. Examples would be Easton ACC or ACE

Using the same principle as for the bow limbs, you will buy new (stiffer) sets of arrows as you increase you bow weight so no need to splash out on your first set. Easton Jazz Alu arrows are about £6 each and ideally you’ll buy 12. We shoot ends of 6 outdoors but it’s worth having spares. Arrows are considered consumables although they can potentially last years.

Easton do the best range of arrows. So have a look at the general models. To get an idea of price. (currently Merlin seem to offer the best price for popular arrows in their pre-built range)

The key measurements required for arrows are length and spine (stiffness). Arrows have to be carefully matched to the bow otherwise they won’t shoot correctly. You can find the Easton ‘Arrow Spine Chart’ on our website under Help and Guidance.

On Aluminium arrows, the spine will be a number like: 1816 or 1916 

This number is actually the diameter (18) and wall thickness (16) which equates to stiffness. The other way the spine is defined is “how much it bends with specific weight in the middle”. For example a 1916 arrow has a true spine of 0.623″   the lower the number, the stiffer the arrow.

Also, the shorter an arrow is, the stiffer it becomes so an archer with a shorter draw length may need softer spine arrows to match their bow.

There is an ongoing balance between stiffness, lightness and length – all important but don’t worry as I can explain this along the way.

Very good starter arrow – Easton Jazz or Tribute  xx75 aluminium
Next step up – Easton Platinum plus – xx75 aluminium with T9 tough coating
Top end Aluminium Arrows – Easton Eclipse X7

Arrow length is also important – we can check your size. It should be measured when you are at full draw at your anchor point and there should be 1″ plus a bit more sticking out in front of the bow.

This extra is to allow you to develop and improve your technique, also allow for accidently over drawing. Once you are more experienced your arrows will be a closer fit to your draw length.

Anything else?

Other kit you will need to buy and should bare in mind when putting together a shopping list:

1. a Glove or finger tab (finger tab is preferable when using a sight). Avalon make some excellent value tabs.
2. Arm guard – If you’re doing it right then you shouldn’t need a huge arm guard! but you will always need something. Rotate that elbow!
3. Quiver – really cheap ones can be a pain as the swing around more when walking. Something that comes with a belt is far better and not expensive.
4. Stand – a bow should not be left on the floor as the strings are waxed and will pickup dirt easily.
5. Bag – got to keep it all nice and safe. Avalon make some excellent beginner bags.
6. Bow stringer – lots available but we really recommend the Avalon webbing type
7. Chest guard – not essential for most, but a possible.
8. Stablisers – this is another slightly complex subject that is covered in a seperate document in our bow setup guides section.

Have a look around the stores to get  a feel for what is there feel free to ask me or the team anything.