Archery Supplies – Archery Gear Guide
Do you want to start with archery, but still know very little about this precision sport? Wondering what archery equipment you need and which bow is suitable for beginners? We know our way around and will be happy to give you detailed advice on archery for beginners. Below you will find all the basic information on archery supplies – in our archery guide!
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Archery Equipment
Archery is a sport that demands not only the whole body but also all the senses of the shooter. It is logical that it requires a fairly large collection of the most varied and above all most expensive material, isn’t it?
You thought wrong. It really doesn’t take much archery supply and bow accessories. You’ll get by with a few basic items. Once you get your archery equipment, you will have fun with it for a long time. With just a few items of equipment, you are ready for a sporting career in archery. A slightly higher investment is usually worthwhile because these archery accessories are of course better manufactured and more durable. Apart from this fact, it doesn’t take much for the archer to get started almost immediately.
The right Arch
As far as the right bow is concerned, there is good news: there is something for everyone. Whether you want to feel like Robin Hood or a cyber-shooter, you can’t go wrong with our bow guide. We will gladly explain the different types of bows and what is important.
- The Longbow: This is exactly who Robin Hood would have chosen. The longbow is perfect for the archer who likes traditional. However, it is not for the faint-hearted – its draw weight is generally rather high, especially if you choose the English longbow. The longbow is made of woods of various origins, is usually shot with wooden arrows, and owes its name to its sheer size: it is about as big as the shooter himself.
- The Recurve Bow is one of the oldest Bow types. Its name refers to the two limbs that are curved away from the shooter. Through this curvature the string transfers much more energy to the arrow, making it much faster than the longbow. The recurve bow is a good, solid bow for beginners.
- The Compound Bow is the Bow for High Tech Fans. What they will love about him are, besides his futuristic appearance, the so-called cams. These are rollers at the ends of the throwing arms, which ensure optimal energy transfer. One of their main tasks, however, is the Let Off: This is the sudden release of the pulling weight when the string is completely tensed. This enables the shooter to achieve a longer target duration and thus greater precision. The disadvantage of the compound bow is the difficult adjustment because this is only possible by means of special machinery and hardly possible for the layman. Therefore the compound bow is rather not a bow for beginners.
No matter which one it should be, you should ask yourself some essential questions before buying a bow:
- Does it have to be a right-handed bow or a left-handed bow?
- How large must the extension length be?
- How large should the bow be?
- How high must, should, or may the train weight be?
- What sporting ambitions do I have?
- Do I want to use a high level of technical equipment?
Once you have answered all these questions for you as an archery beginner, you can decide on the right bow and you will enjoy it for a long time.
The matching Arrows
For the archery beginner it can be difficult to browse through the range of Arrows on offer because in addition to sizes such as spine value and length, it is above all the different types of arrows that make the shooter spoilt for choice. Besides Wooden arrows, there are also Carbon arrows, Aluminum arrows, Fiberglass arrows, and Aluminum-carbon arrows.
- In principle, wooden arrows are only suitable for longbows. They should not be shot with compound bows or recurve bows, otherwise, there is a risk of injury. The arrows are cheap to buy but have several cons because they warp quickly and break or splinter just as quickly. The pro is that they have a very traditional look and are therefore well suited for reenactment. For professional purposes, however, other types of arrows are more suitable.
- Aluminum arrows are virtually the professional arrows par excellence. Therefore they should be used by professionals and ambitious sport shooters. They are very light and suitable for any type of bow, but they bend quickly if you don’t hit the target. Therefore you should only use them if you can guarantee a hit.
- Fiberglass arrows are inexpensive, but they are not suitable for all bows with high traction, because they are not very robust. However, they are a good choice for a hobby shooter with a not very strong bow or for bows for children.
- Carbon arrows are comparatively expensive to purchase, but they have some pros. They are particularly beginner-friendly, as they are very robust and at the same time guarantee optimal flight characteristics. They can be used with all types of bows. For us they are the arrows of choice, so we would advise you to buy carbon arrows.
Besides the intended use of the arrow, its spine value is of great importance. This indicates how flexible the arrow is. You should definitely pay attention to it, otherwise the flight characteristics suffer when archery and there is even a risk of injury.
Also, arrow length is important. You can determine this by calculating your extension length. How to do this, we explain here.
Targets and Alternatives
As far as targets are concerned, all possible designs are available on the market. From cheap to extremely expensive – and sometimes even overpriced – everything is available that your heart desires. So you have a wide choice and should therefore inform yourself well which target is suitable for you.
Besides the traditional targets made of Styroline, foam, Karphos, or straw, with or without paper support, there are also the targets used for 3D archery. These offer the archer the illusion of a real target and come as a deer, wild boar, or other wild animals. Their con is that they are very expensive to purchase.
Whether you as a hobby shooter need a real target immediately is a matter of opinion. If you live in the countryside, you can also try archery with bales of straw – but of course, especially in the open field, you have to think about safety!
As an alternative, there is the possibility to buy a shooting bag or to stuff it yourself. This is a jute bag that is filled with old rags or straw. You can paint either an animal or a target on it.
The fact is, however, that sooner or later you won’t be able to avoid buying a target if you have even halfway ambitious ambitions.
Arrow Rest
An arrow rest is used to keep the arrow steady and thus also to shoot with a calmer hand. It also protects wooden bows from wear and tear.
Traditional archers use an arrow rest made of calf’s hair or leather for their longbow – or none at all. The archer with a more modern attitude is allowed to use high-tech materials, such as various plastics in combination with metal.
Quiver or Back Quiver
Using a quiver is much more convenient than half-blindly reaching for arrows scattered next to you in the grass or on the table. Every halfway reasonable archer should buy a quiver. This is available in different versions. The most common ones are the following:
- Back Quiver: The arrows are carried on the back
- Side Quiver: The arrows are worn on the side
- Bow Quiver: The arrows are worn on the bow
It is important that the quiver fits you, your ambitions, and especially your bow. If the quiver is in your way, it is definitely not the right one for you.
Armguard
An archery bracer is of enormous importance, even if some hardcore people might not sign it that way. If you let go of the string, extremely high energy is released, which is optimally transferred to the arrow – sometimes unfortunately also to the forearm. Once you have really injured yourself on a rebounding tendon, you will know why it is better not to do without the arm protection. Such injuries hurt badly and often take a long time to heal.
Beginners should therefore better use long arm protection, for advanced players it may be a little less. The former has the disadvantage of interfering with your movements a little. Therefore it really offers optimal protection.
An archery arm guard is either made of plastic or thick leather. Which one you use is basically a matter of taste. Of course, long archers like it more traditional, while compound archers probably prefer plastic.
Hand Protection
The archery handguard is available as a finger tab or as a glove. It is also useful, because releasing the string or tensioning it can cause numbness in the fingertips or even sore fingers.
You can choose between a shooting glove and a finger tab for your bow equipment; this is also a matter of taste. While a shooting glove provides optimum protection when archery, its use often reduces precision, especially when it is made of thick material. Therefore many archers prefer to use finger tabs. Once you have mastered their use, you will find that they allow you to shoot more precisely and easily than with a glove.
Arrow Net or Arrow Stop
Especially for the archery beginners an arrow net or other arrow stop is recommended if they shoot in an environment that is not completely secure. If your neighbor is behind your garden and you miss the target with every second shot, this can have consequences that are not really funny. After all, you don’t want the neighbor’s cat to involuntarily bring your arrow back – or even the neighbor himself.
Therefore, you should think about buying suitable protection. An arrow stop is available in different variations, from netting to a completely dense material – the arrow catching mat – which really covers the whole environment. You also have the possibility to have these materials cut to the size you need. The compound bow in particular has a shooting speed as well as a range that can put the fear of God into some neighbors; for such a bow we recommend a mat instead of a net. The top priority with the bow equipment is safety.
As you can see, you can start archery right away with relatively few equipment items. Most importantly, bow hunters supplies is usually very durable, which means that you can get by for a long time with a one-time investment. Have fun shopping and shooting!