What Type of Bow is Right for You?

Choosing the type of bow you want to use can have a big impact on your archery experience. For instance, if you’re a compound bow user, traditional archery is probably not something that you’ll be participating in. So what type of bow is right for you? Ultimately it comes down to your own preferences and what you want to do with your bow. All I can do is tell you about the major bow types and let you decide for yourself.

For those interested in traditional archery especially there is the humble longbow. Longbows are the most basic and simple form of bow dating back thousands of years to the initial invention of the bow and arrow. While they have come a long way from their simple roots longbows are still the least complex bows around and truly capture the essence of traditional archery. They also require a higher level of physical strength to pull back than other types of bows making them perfect for those wanting to get an arm workout from their archery experience. Because they are more difficult to draw and hold often times you’ll find that longbows are crafted to have lighter draw weights and thus are used primarily for hunting small game or for bow fishing. Never the less, longbows can still perform just fine in most archery events, though they may be outmatched by other bows in these events.

Next up is the recurve bow. Recurve bows are the natural evolution of archery technology and utilize mechanical advantage to take an otherwise heavy draw weight bow and make it easier to pull back. Because of this additional advantage, recurves are frequently used by those who have injuries that prevent them from exerting much force with their shoulders (rotator injuries especially) or those who haven’t yet developed strong archery muscles (like those new to the sport). More often than not archers will learn the principles of archery on a recurve bow and move from it to other styles should they decide to do something different. One of the great benefits of recurves though is that they can be used effectively in almost every version of archery and styles exist to suit almost every need (even the Olympics use recurves for their events).

Compound bows are the technologically enhanced version of the bow using pulleys and tensioning cables to create a huge amount of force while still being easily held at full draw, even for those with weaker muscles. This is not to say that compound draw weights cannot increase to such a level that they can be hard to pull back for some users, but rather that they’re easier to pull back than a longbow of the same weight would be and can be held at full draw without excessive muscle fatigue. Compound bows deliver projectiles with devastating force making them perfectly suited to hunting, though they are frequently used in other archery events. Compound bows are more difficult to maintain, however, requiring oiling of axels, occasional replacement of moving parts, and replacement of strings and cables as they stretch out from the high levels of tension. Modern materials help prevent the deterioration of these things, but eventually, parts can fail especially with such high tension on them. What’s worse is that in the field, a compound bow is difficult if not impossible to repair regardless of what breaks and the tools necessary to fix them are generally not reasonably portable. If you’re hunting with a compound bow and it’s important that you come home with food you may want to carry a collapsible style recurve bow with you as a backup.

Finally, we have crossbows. Essentially an intermediate step between compound bows and guns the launching mechanisms are essentially a bow laid sideways on a gun stock. These make the use of bow technology easily accessible to those who haven’t spent years learning how to use a bow. This is not to say that crossbow use doesn’t have its own challenges, just that they’re different from many of the challenges of a traditional style bow. Crossbows allow for more force to be delivered with greater accuracy and longer hold times than you could ever get with a normal bow. They also tend to have a greater range as a result of the much higher draw weights. Crossbows are primarily used for hunting and most archery events do not have crossbow divisions, though I’m sure exceptions apply. Field repair of a crossbow presents challenges similar to those of a compound bow depending on what breaks and generally, a failure in the field can mean the end of a hunt unless you have a backup piece of equipment.

With so many options available it’s clear that there is a piece of archery equipment perfect for your situation and preferred style of archery. Whether you’re in it for the thrill of the hunt or just for fun there is a bow type that is just right for you.

Research for this article was conducted at the following sites:

- https://www.archery360.com/archery-101

- http://www.livestrong.com/article/116274-four-types-archery-bows

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How to Choose the Correct Bowstring

Almost all bows that you buy will come with a bowstring ready made for that bow. If however your string is now broken, you made your own bow, or you’re just ready for an upgrade you need to know a little bit about bowstrings to know what it is you need for your bow and your situation.

The first thing to know is that the listed length of your new string should be the same as the length of your bow. Bowstring length is pretty much always listed by the length of bow it’s made to fit on, but in reality, the string is typically a little shorter than the bow (if it were the same length your bow wouldn’t be so much of a “bow” and would be more of a strung stick). So if you get your new bowstring and you measure it and come to find that it’s shorter than your bow, don’t worry, it’s designed to be that way. More often than not you can request an appropriate length string from string makers and they’ll make sure it fits your bow.

Once you know what length you need your new string to be, you want to decide on a style. There are two major styles of strings, Flemish-twist, and endless-loop. For crossbows and compound bows, you are going to want to go with endless-loop strings more often than not. While it is possible to use the other style of strings on these types of bow, the endless-loop style can be made to a more exact specification so you’re guaranteed a good fit on your bow without the need to adjust the length of the string with twisting or untwisting. If on the other hand, you have a more traditional style bow (basically anything that you don’t need a bow press to string and unstring) you will be just as well served with a Flemish twist string as you would with an endless loop string. In this case, the choice becomes based more on what you’re doing with your bow rather than on necessity. As a general rule of thumb an endless loop string will usually clock arrow speeds just a little faster than a Flemish twist string, however, a Flemish twist string will usually be just a little quieter than an endless loop string. These differences are the result of different construction methods and ultimately the differences are so minor, that they won’t make a really noticeable difference. If you aren’t sure which way to go, a good rule of thumb is to use and endless loop string for target, field, and maybe 3D archery as for these extra sound doesn't matter and use Flemish-twist for bow hunting, bow fishing, and maybe 3D archery as these endeavors benefit from the quieter string and allow you to practice with what you will be using on your hunts.

Next, you want to consider the number of bundles you want in your new string. Strings come in two and three bundle varieties with only minor differences between the two. Mostly the choice comes down to aesthetics; if you want two colors in your string than two bundles will be fine, but if you must have that third color in your string then three bundles are for you. The only performance-based reason to go with three bundles is if your string is going to need more than 14 strands (which is determined by the material being used and the weight of your bow). Having 14 strands in your string means that you’ll have 7 strands per bundle in a two bundle string which is perfect (6 working strands with 1 core strand to maintain static friction). For every strand in a bundle past the seventh you get more and more core strands that weigh the string down, but don’t actually do any work, slowing your bowstring. That’s why it’s best, past 14 strands, to go with a three bundle string as it resolves this problem by splitting up the strands allowing you to go as high as 21 strands without encountering the same problem again which for nearly all bows will be more than strong enough. If you’re not sure of the number of strands you’ll need, talk to your string maker and they can tell you and help you decide on how many bundles your string needs to be.

Next, you want to decide on the number of loops. Most archers know that you’re going to need two loops to string your bow, but both loops don’t necessarily need to be woven style loops. Unfortunately, endless loops can’t be constructed with a single loop, but a Flemish twist string can have either two loops or a single loop and a bowyer’s knot (also known as a timber hitch) at the other end. The advantage to this style of string is that the length of the string can be adjusted to fit several size bows, rather than being suited for only a small number of bows in a small size range. This is great for those who use multiple bows and don’t want to buy a string for each. It’s also good as a backup string in case your bows primary string breaks during a trip and you can’t get a custom made replacement right away. There is a small chance that the knot could slip a little however which requires readjustment to fit the string to the bow appropriately again. Never-the-less, the adjustable nature of the string makes it extremely useful and exceptionally versatile.

You’ll also need to decide on the type of material you want to have your string made out of. If you’re using a traditional style bow and you’re not sure if it’s safe for higher end materials (the bow maker will usually let you know when you buy the bow) than you should have your string made with Dacron or natural materials (more on those later). There are two types currently, B-50 which is a slightly older, but still relevant material and B-55 which is a more updated version of the old B-50 from a different manufacturer. Both are safe on any bow because they naturally allow for a bit of stretch softening the blow to the bow limbs on each shot with B-50 being moderately stretchier than B-55. While stretchiness lessens the impact on your bow limbs, it also reduces arrow speeds so you’ll want to balance this based on the needs of your bow. If you know that your traditional style bow is safe for better materials your best option is Fast Flight Plus (there is an old version called Fast Flight, but it has been replaced by the new Fast Flight Plus which is just as safe and better in every way). Fast Flight strings increase arrow speed but tend to “saw” into your string grooves (hence the need to know if the bow is designed to take this punishment). Typically any bow with solid tip overlays (bone, fiberglass, or dense hardwoods for example) will be safe for Fast Flight strings. If you’re not using a traditional bow (basically any bow aside from wooden bows) than any of the other string materials will be a good option for you. There are a lot to choose from so I’ll talk about each of those more in later articles. Also, a quick note on natural material strings if you wish to go full traditional; there are three materials in this category that stand above the rest. Hemp and Irish shoemaker’s linen are basically on par with one another, regular linen (or flax) is just a step down from these two and silk is just a step down from regular linen. Other natural materials can be used, but these are the three best and all are safe for any kind of bow.

Finally, there’s just one decision left to make about your new string; color. String makers typically offer a number of colors for their strings and more often than not will list what they have available. In the case of synthetic materials, some archers will choose mono-color strings, regardless of the number of bundles, with all the strands being taken from the same spool, just to ensure there are no minor differences between the strands and that they are all working the same amount. Unless you’re doing high-level competition archery, this is really unnecessary as the differences would only be noticed at that level of performance and the average archer won’t be bothered by any minor differences in material. String colors can be coordinated to showcase your favorite colors, demonstrate your patriotism, or even add to the camouflaged nature of your equipment.

Now that you have all the information you’ll need you can make the best decision about what kind of string to get to improve your archery experience.

Research for this article was conducted at the following sites:

- http://www.archerden.com/choosing-the-best-bow-string-for-your-bow

-  https://www.reference.com/sports-active-lifestyle/choose-bow-string-de3794b26a0e7113#

How to Choose the Correct Arrows

This is something that even long-time archers can struggle with and getting a grasp on it when you’re just starting will not only improve your abilities as an archer but will save you countless headaches (and potentially a good deal of money) down the road. Choosing the arrows that are correct for you and the bow you’re using is a little more art than science, but there are methods to help you along the way.

The primary thing you want to be concerned with during arrow selection is the spine. Spine, and specifically “static spine,” is a measure of how stiff the arrow shaft is which determines, in part, how willing the arrow shaft is to bend during flight. Typically a shaft that is too stiff, or has too much spine, will tend to land left of where you are aiming (on right-handed bows) and shafts that are too weak, or have too little spine, tend to land to the right of where you’re aiming (again on right-handed bows). Finding arrows that fall right in the middle of these two extremes is a process of balancing three different factors; static spine, length, and point mass, which when combined determine your “dynamic spine.”

Quickly let’s go over the difference between “static” and “dynamic” spine. Static spine is the measure of an arrow shaft’s spine during its creation, typically measured with a spine tester. This measure does not take into account the effect of arrow length or point mass on spine. Dynamic spine, on the other hand, is a measure of an arrow’s spine while in flight and does take into account the effect of arrow length and point mass on the spine of the arrow. Dynamic spine is what we’re ultimately looking for when we’re trying to balance static spine, arrow length, and point mass. This process is often referred to as “tuning.”

The next thing to consider in arrow selection is arrow length. The longer an arrow is, the weaker its dynamic spine will be. Unless you’re making your own arrows, you likely won’t be cutting the arrow shafts yourself so a good rule of thumb is to make sure your arrows are at least 1 inch longer than your draw length (if you don’t know how to determine your draw length two different methods are detailed here). For adjusting arrow length beyond the minimum length required (which again is your draw length plus 1 inch), just understand the relationship between length and dynamic spine and err toward higher spine ratings for longer arrows (unless of course that is not balanced for you, in which case you should adjust accordingly).

Finally, when determining dynamic spine we must consider point mass. Point mass (sometimes referred to as point weight) is a measure of the mass of your arrow tip (which is not included in the arrows length). This is typically a field point or broadhead that is secured in some fashion to the end of your arrow and in the case of commercially available ones, will have a mass in grains listed on the package. If you’re making your own arrow heads you can weigh them on a grain scale to find out their mass. Point mass plays into dynamic spine by increasing the resistance to movement at the front of the arrow. To boil that down, the higher grain point you use, the weaker the dynamic spine will be. Broadhead mass also plays a role in penetration and stopping power, so quite frequently hunters will use extremely heavy points and balance the other two factors around their broadheads, instead of doing things the other way around.

So for those just getting into archery, the easiest and cheapest option for finding the right arrows for you is to get arrows with a length at least 1 inch more than your draw length, with a static spine appropriate for that length and test different broadheads or field points to find an appropriately massive point that balances the other two factors.

Quickly I will toss in one final note for those using traditional bows or self-bows; the best fletching option for these types of bows is feathers. Feathers are gentle when passing over the risers of these bows (and your hands and fingers), whereas plastic vanes will not give way and thus will damage the riser of the bow, cut your hand, and have a noticeable impact on your aim.

Research for this article was conducted at the following sites:

-  http://www.oldworldarchery.com/how-to-select-the-correct-arrows-for-your-traditional-recurve

- http://www.bestrecurvebowguide.com/how-to-choose-arrows-for-your-bow