Another year, another bow buying recommendation for young archers! If you’re not sure on whether to purchase a recurve or compound bow, take a look at "Quiz of 10 Questions" to help you decide what might be right for you.

This is an update to our Youth Recurve Bow Recommendation for 2011.

I’ll bottom line the recurve bow recommendations right here:

• If your child is under 13, I recommend the Cartel Bow, also sold as the USA Archery Recurve Bow
• If your child is 13 or over, I recommend the Samick Privilege bow setup.

What is the difference between the Cartel bow and the Samick bow? They key difference is weight. The Cartel bow is much lighter than the Samick. Young archers are physically able to hold up the lighter bow and be more comfortable doing it. The Samick bow is a better investment and can “grow” with the archer for a longer period of time thanks to the ILF limb sockets. The Samick bow is a bit more expensive, but a really good buy.

IMPORTANT: Our coaches can help you choose the right limb weight (strength) for your archer. Do NOT get too heavy of a limb. This can cause shoulder injury. For a child 8 – 13 years old, I might recommend a 16lb limb. For a teenager getting the Samick bow, then I might recommend a 22 – 26lb limb set. It depends on the physical strength of the archer and how used to shooting archery they are.

Samick Bow Setup:

Cartel / USA Archery Bow Setup:

Optional Equipment

Remember that its best to purchase a bow with low limb weight until strength is built up by the archer. Buy limbs that are 13lbs or 15lbs to learn good form. By this we mean that it takes 13 to 15lbs of force to pull back the bow, a great starting point.

We’ve given you a recommendation on bows, click here to get our recommendation on arrows: Youth Arrow Recommendation – 2012

Forsyth County Archery Club members: Remember that we have club discounts on equipment available for you! Contact me on how to get the discounts before ordering.

Please, if you have any questions, contact your archery coach (like me!) and they will do their best to get you the right equipment for your needs. The only dumb question is the question that goes unasked.

Regards,
Coach Kevin Cully
Forsyth County Archery Club

As an archery coach, I am often asked for bow recommendations. If you search this site, you can find my Youth Recurve Bow Recommendations and Youth Compound Bow Recommendations. The very next question is typically, what kind of arrows do I recommend. As with everything about target archery in the USA, it is hard to make a recommendation because I can’t go down to the local archery shop and see arrows that are suitable for target archery. I feel that I’ve reached a point where I definitely have a good recommendation for entry level arrows however and what follows is what I’ve found.

I recommend the following arrow:

• Easton LightSpeed w/ G UNI Shafts
• Made To Order (MTO)
• Shaft Size: 500
• Arrow Length: Needs to be calculated to fit archer. See “Arrow Length” below
• Quantity: 12

Again, I would call into Lancaster Archery and get the arrows “Made To Order” aka MTO. When the arrows are MTO, then it will include the “Easton CB One-Piece Point” (2070039), the “Easton CB UNI Bushing” (2070001) and the “Easton G Nock” (2070125).

Cost
Currently, Lancaster Archery has these arrows for $7.50 per shaft. MTO arrows will cost more (about $15 more per dozen) but it’s worth it. The “Easton LightSpeed” arrows also come in the “3D” version but they cost $10 per arrow shaft. The “3D” arrows are slightly better in that they have a tighter straightness tolerance (.001 vs .003) but for a youth arrow I don’t think it’s worth it.

Arrow Shaft Size
Arrows come in different widths and flexibilities. An archer wants to match the flexibility with the strength of the bow. Note that a stiffer arrow does not mean a better arrow. It is a good thing for the arrow to flex as it is fired and flies through the air. Basically, the number represents the amount of deflection in the arrow when the standard weight is placed on the center of the shaft. With a youth bow, I recommend the “500” shaft size. Basically this means the arrow “should” deflect .500” but many of the arrow manufacturers fudge these numbers.

Arrow Length
If you shoot an Olympic recurve bow, arrow length matters a good bit. The key element is that a shorter arrow will fly faster than a longer arrow. Faster = flatter = better. Also, with a properly fit arrow, you can use a clicker to help you hear and feel that you have reached your full draw position and gives you that input that it is time to release. With MTO arrows, the arrows are cut to the length that you specify. With youth arrows it is always good to leave some growing room. Too short of an arrow is dangerous if the archer pulls the arrow all the way through the arrow rest and it falls off.

So, how do I know what arrow length to order? Correct arrow length is measured from the bottom, inside of the nock groove (deepest point where the string goes into the nock) to the cut end of the shaft. Here’s a good article on measuring your draw length from HuntersFriend.com.

Fletching/Vane
The “AAE Plastifletch Max Vane” (1010015) is a good, durable entry level vane that comes in a variety of colors. I like smaller vanes to allow for faster arrow speed over a long flight to the target so get size “16”. Each arrow will have three vanes. Get two vanes in one color (I find pink is a great color to find an arrow lost in the grass or woods) and the “index” vane in another color.

Another option would be the “Bohning Blazer” vane (1480114). These vanes have a slightly higher profile than the “Max Vane” above. At this point it is all about personal preference.

Quantity = Dozen
I always recommend purchasing a dozen arrows at a time. In an outdoor target tournament you only shoot 6 arrows per end. However, arrows are lost and arrows get damaged. Over time, you’ll find that you move through several arrows. Sometimes they can be repaired, but other times they are too damaged to be repaired.

What about Aluminum arrows?
You’ll notice that the LightSpeed arrow is a carbon arrow. Anything “Carbon” is basically baked hardened fiberglass. Carbon arrows are a bit more durable and take more abuse than aluminum arrows. Aluminum arrows are cheaper for sure. However, as a youth arrow, the archer will miss the target a lot, bounce the arrows off of the target stand or trees (if they’re shooting 3D tournaments) or even off of other arrows in the target. In rare occasions, aluminum arrows can even be straightened but take my word for it; carbon arrows are worth the couple extra bucks.

Cheaper Carbon Arrows
Yes, there are cheaper carbon arrows for sale at Lancaster Archery but not all carbon is manufactured the same. My sons have owned cheap carbon arrows and they shatter and shatter badly when things go wrong. And things always go wrong. The Easton Lightspeed arrows are a good quality carbon, that is a good balance between quality and cost.

Carbon Arrow Shattering
If you shatter a carbon arrow, dispose of it safely. Immediately. Seriously. The carbon shards are extremely dangerous if they puncture the skin. If you have a broken arrow, throw it away. It’s also good to periodically gently flex your arrows and listen for any cracking. If you hear cracking, then something bad has happened to the arrow and it’s getting ready to fail. Don’t let that time that it fails to be when you or your youth is firing the arrow. That arrow is done and dispose of it properly.

Other Arrow Brands
There are many, many quality brands of arrows. In fact, a manufacturer will make a good high quality arrow, and they will also make a low-end carbon arrow that isn’t worth your money. For target archery, I just haven’t had the opportunity to shoot a lot of target arrows from other manufacturers.

Your Local Archery Shop
Remember, most arrows in the archery shops are hunting arrows and will be too stiff for youth target archery. They can order arrow shafts though and make you arrows just as Lancaster Archery can. If you like your bow technician at your local shop, by all means, please support them by ordering your arrows through that shop. They can also help you when it comes time to repair the arrows as well.

If you have questions about arrows or bows or targets or other equipment, please reach out to your archery coach. Archery coaches are there to help you as much as possible!

Coach Kevin Cully
Forsyth County Archery Club

Here’s a quick update on the bow buying recommendations for young archers. If you’re not sure on whether to purchase a recurve or compound bow, take a look at "Quiz of 10 Questions" to help you decide what might be right for you.

This will be a quick update to our 2009 Bow Buying Recommendations.

During the past year, we have had a chance to compare two Olympic entry-level bows; the KAP T-Rex bow with the Samick Candidate bow. Overall, the specifications of the bows are extremely similar. The differences are slight but it’s nice to see where to place your hard earned money. Personally, our club has found that the Samick bow of slightly tighter tolerances and the paint quality might be higher quality as well. The limbs fit in tightly into the ILF sockets where the limbs fit too loosely into the T-Rex riser for my tastes. The KAP T-Rex limbs and Samick Candidate limbs seem to be of equal quality. It’s the riser that appears to be the difference. A way to save some money is to purchase the Samick Candidate riser, and the KAP T-Rex limbs for a savings of $10 over the Samick Riser and Limbs.
[EDIT:] It appears as if the pricing of the KAP limbs has been raised to match the price of the Samick Limbs. At this point, I will recommend just purchasing the Samick limbs as well.

The bow as configured above is a great entry-level bow. The one drawback is that it may be heavy in weight for young archers that are 7, 8 or even 9 years old. What I mean by that is that it may be so heavy that it may be difficult for the archery to lift up the bow for the length of a tournament. For younger archers, we would recommend another recurve bow; the LAS Rolan.

Remember that its best to purchase a bow with low limb weight until strength is built up by the archer. Buy limbs that are 13lbs or 15lbs to learn good form. By this we mean that it takes 13 to 15lbs of force to pull back the bow, a great starting point.

Forsyth County Archery Club members: Remember that we have club discounts on equipment available for you! Contact me on how to get the discounts before ordering.

Please, if you have any questions, contact your archery coach (like me!) and they will do their best to get you the right equipment for your needs. The only dumb question is the question that goes unasked.

Regards,
Coach Kevin Cully
Forsyth County Archery Club

“My son/daughter is interested in a bow, what should I buy?”

This question strikes fear into my heart. In a good way though, as I’m also excited that one of our archers are committing to the next step; bow ownership. This question is a bit like asking someone: “I like to drive, what kind of car should I buy?” The possibilities are daunting: SUV, sports car, station wagon? Mercedes, Honda, Ford? Now, imagine never being able to test drive the car before you purchase. That’s exactly what it’s like when someone wants to purchase an Olympic recurve bow.

If you’re not sure if you would like to purchase a Olympic recurve bow, a Traditional bow, or a compound bow, then hustle over to our “Quiz of 10 Questions” to help you decide what might be right for you.

I have never seen a shop in the United States that stocks Olympic recurve bows. I’m sure that they exist somewhere but I sure haven’t seen one. Therefore archers are left to make purchasing decisions based on recommendations of coaches, friends who have equipment, tiny pictures in catalogs, and scant recommendations in archery forums. I promise, absolutely promise, that my advice will be no better.

I’m assuming that this is your first bow, that you are budget conscience, and that you want good value for your money. If you have unlimited funds, you can go out and buy the very best. However, no amount of money will purchase a score at a tournament. Hard work, perseverance, and sweat equity will yield the best results of all.

With that in mind, lets talk about what you will need to purchase, followed by what are highly recommended items, and then optional equipment. Required equipment for Olympic recurve bows are the (1) Riser, (2) Limbs, (3) String, (4) Arrow Rest, (5) Plunger, (6) Nock, (7) Arrows. We’ll leave arrows to another article all on its own. Highly recommended items are (8) Finger tab, (9) Bow Stringer, (10) Arm guard, (11) Quiver, (12) String wax, (13) Bow case. Optional items include (14) Target Sight, (15) Stabilizer, (16) Chest Guard, (17) Clicker

I’ll include a really quick summary of what the items are but I think you’ll get the idea from the images that I’ve linked to.

(1)Riser – Is the thing you put your hand on and most everything attaches to. The riser is the foundation for the bow. I’m recommending one that you can grow with as you grow in height and strength.
(2)Limbs – These are the flexible boards that connect between the riser and string. These come in 2lb increments for Olympic recurve bows. You can change these out and keep the same riser and (often times) string as you get taller or stronger.
(3)String – Self explanitary but this is what flings the arrow when released.
(4)Arrow rest – A small ledge made of plastic or metal that holds the arrow in position, just off of the riser, and yet lets the arrow slide past the riser as it is shot.
(5)Plunger – A small device designed to help tune your bow so that the arrow, arrow rest, and string are all in concert with each other for maximum efficiency of the bow.
(6)Nock – Often times a small brass or plastic or even dental floss. The nock keeps the arrow from sliding up and down the center serving.
(7)Arrows – You know what these are
(8)Finger tab – This is a small device that fits in your hand and protects your fingers from the pressures of the string. A nice one may have a shelf that also helps with a tactile indicator of your anchor point.
(9)Bow Stringer – This helps you get the string onto the bow. Never leave a bow strung for an extended period of time.
(10)Arm guard – This is a “just in case” device. If you are out of your normal stance, or have bad form on a shot, it’s possible that the bow string will whap your forearm. Painful. This protects you from major harm in that circumstance. If Olympic archers wear one, you can too … and should.
(11) Quiver – A thing that holds arrows. I recommend hip quivers for Olympic archers. Traditional archers may opt for back quivers. Compound archers may have a bow quiver.
(12) String wax – This is wax meant to condition your strings and keep it in good shape.
(13) Bow case – A case that protects all of your equipment as you travel to all of these cool/fun archery tournaments.
(14) Target sight – A device that attaches to your riser allowing you to better sight in your shot.
(15) Stabilizer – A device that attaches to your riser moving the center of gravity of your bow lower and forward, giving the archer greater stability.
(16) Chest guard – A mesh or light weight fabric that straps over your chest and shoulder as a mechanism to keep clothing and other items from interfering with the bow string. Strongly recommended for the ladies. I’ll stop right there.
(17) Clicker – If you are really good, and you have stopped growing, and you have your arrows custom cut to your draw length, then a clicker may be for you. It gives an audible and tactile feeling when an archer has reached the exact draw length they’re looking for in a shot. To be honest, when you need this, you’ll know that you need it.

That’s it for my “dictionary” or “glossary” of terms. Three big questions remain before I get to the specifics of the equipment recommendations: (1) Should I get a 23” riser or a 25” riser? (2) What length bow (riser + limbs) should I get? and (3) What poundage of limbs should I purchase?

(1)23” or 25” riser? Check out some of the other references that I link to at the bottom of this article for more (better) information. I would say that the bottom line is, if your maximum height is going to be less than 5’9” or if the archer is very young (thus a long time before they reach their full height) then go with a 23” riser. If you are going to be 5’9” or taller, then go with a 25” riser. NOTE: The KAP T-Rex and the Samick Candidate riser I’m about to recommend only comes in 23” lengths.
(2)Length bow? If you are 5’7” or shorter, go with a 64” bow. From 5’7” to 6’0”, go with a 66” bow. If you are taller than 6’0”, then go with a 68” bow. All heights mentioned are for your full height. Small children should probably stick with a 64” bow.
(3)What poundage of limbs? The limbs for the recommended bow is interchangeable. The #1 injury in archery is shoulder injuries. Do NOT buy too heavy of a limb. You can sell these limbs and purchase up later. This is a really hard question to answer. The archer should be able to hold the full draw length for 10 seconds comfortably. I would think that no child should have limbs over 30lbs. A 20lb limb is a good start. A 12 year old healthy boy might be able to start out at 24 to 26lbs. A 12 year old girl, perhaps a bit less than that.

Enough talk, lets get to actual recommendations. We, as a club are currently recommending two bows: the KAP T-Rex, and the Samick Candidate. Our club is about to purchase two of the Samick Candidate bows so hopefully for the 2010 buyers recommendation, I’ll have a concrete review. If you notice, we had a big price reduction from last year on these bows! Welcome indeed. I’m not sure if that’s due to a slow market or a weakening of the US Dollar. We’ll take it either way.

KAP T-Rex Riser : $90
KAP T-Rex Limbs: $90
Magnetic arrow rest: $11
Cartel Super Plunger: $12
String: $8 (Lots of choices here.)
Noc: $0.40 each (buy a couple, just in case)

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Samick makes a comparably priced setup as the KAP above.

Samick Candidate Riser: $80
Samick Candidate Limbs: $90

Since both of these risers take the ILF limbs, you can put the T-Rex limbs on the Samick Riser and/or the Samick limbs on the T-Rex riser. That’s part of the reason that we recommend these risers is that they will grow with the child and offer options for different limbs.

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ADDITIONAL PURCHASES:

Finger Tab: $17
Bow Stringer: $10
Arm Guard: $9
Quiver: $25
String Wax: $7
Take-down bow case: $22

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OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL PURCHASES:

Target Sight: $80
Stabilizer: $60
Chest Guard: $30
Clicker: $15

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I recommend buying through the local shop such as Timber Ghost (Cumming, GA) or Mitch’s (Canton, GA). They’ll help with setup of the equipment.

I’ve done my best to get as much information into your hands as I possibly can, but I understand that buying sight unseen and out of a catalog or website can be daunting task. As always, turn to the experts from your local club to help you answer questions and help you make informed final decisions. Good luck.

For more information, check out some of these additional resources.

Archers reference, issue 5 (PDF format)
Choosing The Right Recurve Bow For You
Buying Your First Bow

It’s always hard to decide on where to spend your hard earned money when getting your little guy or gal a bow to shoot archery with. Your local archery shop doesn’t always carry a lot of youth equipment for you to examine and try out. If you don’t belong to a club where you can try out other member’s archery equipment, choices are getting short. This leaves just the matter of going by specs. But first, lets go over some of the foundational information on just exactly you need to be buying.

WHY A COMPOUND
I’ll assume that you know whether you’d like to purchase a compound, a traditional, or an Olympic recurve bow. I’ve even created a short quiz that might help you decide on whether a compound bow is right for you. Check that out first.

WHAT TO BUY
There are some things that are required, and other items that are optional, and other items that can be left for much later as the youth gets more serious about the sport of archery.

Here is a list of items that I would consider to be required:
(1) Bow – Obviously. Compound bows are purchased, riser and limbs as a combination deal.
(2) String – Unlike recurve bows, all bows will come with the string already installed on the bow
(3) Arrow rest – Will often come with a compound bow set.
(4) String nock – Some bows will come with this already on the string.
(6) Release loop – A string or metal loop attached to the string that your release attaches to
(5) Arrows – I’ll leave arrow selection for another article however.

Optional Equipment:
(6) Sight – Helps with the aiming of the bow and arrow.
(7) Release – Provides a more consistent release of the string during the shot than just using fingers. Can also spread out the pressure of the string across the hand, compared to fingers.
(8) String Wax – Helps maintain string integrity and extend the life of the string.

Bow equipment that can optionally wait until the youth knows they’ll stick with the sport of archery:
(9) Peep – A small circle tied into the sting that when aligned with the sight, provides greater accuracy of the shot. Please have an archery technician install this for you. It’s hard to do.
(10) Stabilizer – Helps steady the bow while aiming and shooting.
(11) Bow case – Compound bows are built tough. Not indestructible, so a bow case can help protect your investment.
(12) Bow stand – A mechanism that helps hold the bow while out in the field, whether practicing, in competition, or hunting.
(13) Bow Sling – A strap that goes around the riser and connects to the fingers or wrist. Keeps the bow from hopping out of your hand.

WHERE TO BUY
Let me pause here and plug your local archery shop technician. Compound bows often look like the archers are holding equipment from NASA. These technicians and bowyers can be invaluable in getting your equipment in shape and tuned for the individual archer. Please purchase locally when possible and all things being equal. I know I’m linking to Internet web sites, and they can be very helpful when you call in, but there’s nothing like having a good technician tune your bow for your child. If you are in the North Georgia area, I recommend TimberGhost, or you could check out our other archery shops listing.

You’ll see from the pricing that there is typically two ways that the bows are listed: plain and as a package. Make sure that you understand what is included in the package deal and what isn’t.

IMPORTANT FACTORS OF BOW COMPARISON
As far as youth goes, draw weight may be the most important. Many parents purchase “too much bow” for their child. Shoulder injuries are the most prevalent injury in archery. Attempting too much draw weight on a growing shoulder can lead to an injury. A compound bow’s draw weight can be adjusted by a twist of an allen wrench on the two limbs of the bow.

Another related factor of compound bows along with the draw weight is the “let off %”. What this means is what the “hold weight” of the bow will be. If you purchase a bow with a 40 pound draw weight, and a 75% let off, the hold weight will be 10 pounds.

Draw length is also very important. Young archers are growing rapidly so a wider range of draw lengths, will often lengthen the life that the bow will last with your child. There are several ways of measuring the draw length of an archer. I’ll leave this up to you to do the research and measurement of the draw length. Try to leave extra growing room for the bow that you’re looking to purchase.

RECOMMENDATIONS
PSE makes a great youth bow called Chaos . The bow comes in camo but you can also special order the bow in pink. The price is right too at approximately $290. Lots of settings to adjust the draw length that can all be done without specialized tools. All that is required is an allen wrench and a couple of minutes. High arrow speed (IBO Speed) at 286 fps for the draw weight.

Another recommended bow is the Diamond Razor Edge. All of the above benefits of the PSE Chaos also apply to this bow as well. This bow costs just a small bit more but may be made of slightly better components. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

Ask your archery coach about these bows and how they compare. There are many kids in our club that shoot these bows and are happy with them. Sometimes you can even ask to try one out before buying! Always a smart idea.

The Matthews Genesis and Genesis Pro bows. These bows are great learning bows for families, although I don’t recommend these bows as a “Tournament Quality” bow. The first thing you’ll notice on the stats is that there is a 0% let off. This isn’t a typo. Along with a huge draw length range, these bows are unique in that they don’t have a specified draw length. What this means is that the bow has unique qualities to fit into a family of new archers: Father, mother, big sister and little brother. This one bow can fit the whole family and the whole family can practice and learn archery at the same time.

Good luck. If you have questions, contact someone from your archery club, or contact someone that will help you find the right bow for you or your child.

WHY A COMPOUND
I’ll assume that you know whether you’d like to purchase a compound, a traditional, or an Olympic recurve bow. I’ve even created a short quiz that might help you decide on whether a compound bow is right for you. Check that out first.

WHAT TO BUY
There are some things that are required, and other items that are optional, and other items that can be left for much later as the youth gets more serious about the sport of archery.

Here is a list of items that I would consider to be required:
(1) Bow – Obviously. Compound bows are purchased, riser and limbs as a combination deal.
(2) String – Unlike recurve bows, all bows will come with the string already installed on the bow
(3) Arrow rest – Will often come with a compound bow set.
(4) String nock – Some bows will come with this already on the string.
(6) Release loop – A string or metal loop attached to the string that your release attaches to
(5) Arrows – I’ll leave arrow selection for another article however.

Optional Equipment:
(6) Sight – Helps with the aiming of the bow and arrow.
(7) Release – Provides a more consistent release of the string during the shot than just using fingers. Can also spread out the pressure of the string across the hand, compared to fingers.
(8) String Wax – Helps maintain string integrity and extend the life of the string.

Bow equipment that can optionally wait until the youth knows they’ll stick with the sport of archery:
(9) Peep – A small circle tied into the sting that when aligned with the sight, provides greater accuracy of the shot. Please have an archery technician install this for you. It’s hard to do.
(10) Stabilizer – Helps steady the bow while aiming and shooting.
(11) Bow case – Compound bows are built tough. Not indestructible, so a bow case can help protect your investment.
(12) Bow stand – A mechanism that helps hold the bow while out in the field, whether practicing, in competition, or hunting.
(13) Bow Sling – A strap that goes around the riser and connects to the fingers or wrist. Keeps the bow from hopping out of your hand.

WHERE TO BUY
Let me pause here and plug your local archery shop technician. Compound bows often look like the archers are holding equipment from NASA. These technicians and bowyers can be invaluable in getting your equipment in shape and tuned for the individual archer. Please purchase locally when possible and all things being equal. I know I’m linking to Internet web sites, and they can be very helpful when you call in, but there’s nothing like having a good technician tune your bow for your child. If you are in the North Georgia area, I recommend TimberGhost, or you could check out our other archery shops listing.

You’ll see from the pricing that there is typically two ways that the bows are listed: plain and as a package. Make sure that you understand what is included in the package deal and what isn’t.

IMPORTANT FACTORS OF BOW COMPARISON
As far as youth goes, draw weight may be the most important. Many parents purchase “too much bow” for their child. Shoulder injuries are the most prevalent injury in archery. Attempting too much draw weight on a growing shoulder can lead to an injury. A compound bow’s draw weight can be adjusted by a twist of an allen wrench on the two limbs of the bow.

Another related factor of compound bows along with the draw weight is the “let off %”. What this means is what the “hold weight” of the bow will be. If you purchase a bow with a 40 pound draw weight, and a 75% let off, the hold weight will be 10 pounds.

Draw length is also very important. Young archers are growing rapidly so a wider range of draw lengths, will often lengthen the life that the bow will last with your child. There are several ways of measuring the draw length of an archer. I’ll leave this up to you to do the research and measurement of the draw length. Try to leave extra growing room for the bow that you’re looking to purchase.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Here’s the bottow line for you: Bear makes a great youth bow called Pioneer II and Odyssey II. The price is right too. Lots of settings to adjust the draw length, quality metal cams. High arrow speed (IBO Speed) for the draw weight. There’s a lot to like with these cousin set of bows. Recommended. I heard recently that Bear is discontinuing these bows and are releasing the Young Gun bow, however I haven’t seen pricing yet for this bow. There appears to be good draw length adjustment, so lets hope that the prices on these bows are reasonable.

Bear - Young Gun

The Matthews Genesis and Genesis Pro bows. These bows are great learning bows for families, although I don’t recommend these bows as a “Tournament Quality” bow. The first thing you’ll notice on the stats is that there is a 0% let off. This isn’t a typo. Along with a huge draw length range, these bows are unique in that they don’t have a specified draw length. What this means is that the bow has unique qualities to fit into a family of new archers: Father, mother, big sister and little brother. This one bow can fit the whole family and the whole family can practice and learn archery at the same time.

Good luck. If you have questions, contact someone from your archery club, or contact someone that will help you find the right bow for you or your child.

“My son/daughter is interested in a bow, what should I buy?”

This question strikes fear into my heart. In a good way though, as I’m also excited that one of our archers are committing to the next step; bow ownership. This question is a bit like asking someone: “I like to drive, what kind of car should I buy?” The possibilities are daunting: SUV, sports car, station wagon? Mercedes, Honda, Ford? Now, imagine never being able to test drive the car before you purchase. That’s exactly what it’s like when someone wants to purchase an Olympic recurve bow.

If you’re not sure if you would like to purchase a Olympic recurve bow, a Traditional bow, or a compound bow, then hustle over to our “Quiz of 10 Questions” to help you decide what might be right for you.

I have never seen a shop in the United States that stocks Olympic recurve bows. I’m sure that they exist somewhere but I sure haven’t seen one. Therefore archers are left to make purchasing decisions based on recommendations of coaches, friends who have equipment, tiny pictures in catalogs, and scant recommendations in archery forums. I promise, absolutely promise, that my advice will be no better.

I’m assuming that this is your first bow, that you are budget conscience, and that you want good value for your money. If you have unlimited funds, you can go out and buy the very best. However, no amount of money will purchase a score at a tournament. Hard work, perseverance, and sweat equity will yield the best results of all.

With that in mind, lets talk about what you will need to purchase, followed by what are highly recommended items, and then optional equipment. Required equipment for Olympic recurve bows are the (1) Riser, (2) Limbs, (3) String, (4) Arrow Rest, (5) Plunger, (6) Nock, (7) Arrows. We’ll leave arrows to another article all on its own. Highly recommended items are (8) Finger tab, (9) Bow Stringer, (10) Arm guard, (11) Quiver, (12) String wax, (13) Bow case. Optional items include (14) Target Sight, (15) Stabilizer, (16) Chest Guard, (17) Clicker

I’ll include a really quick summary of what the items are but I think you’ll get the idea from the images that I’ve linked to.

(1)Riser – Is the thing you put your hand on and most everything attaches to. The riser is the foundation for the bow. I’m recommending one that you can grow with as you grow in height and strength.
(2)Limbs – These are the flexible boards that connect between the riser and string. These come in 2lb increments for Olympic recurve bows. You can change these out and keep the same riser and (often times) string as you get taller or stronger.
(3)String – Self explanitary but this is what flings the arrow when released.
(4)Arrow rest – A small ledge made of plastic or metal that holds the arrow in position, just off of the riser, and yet lets the arrow slide past the riser as it is shot.
(5)Plunger – A small device designed to help tune your bow so that the arrow, arrow rest, and string are all in concert with each other for maximum efficiency of the bow.
(6)Nock – Often times a small brass or plastic or even dental floss. The nock keeps the arrow from sliding up and down the center serving.
(7)Arrows – You know what these are
(8)Finger tab – This is a small device that fits in your hand and protects your fingers from the pressures of the string. A nice one may have a shelf that also helps with a tactile indicator of your anchor point.
(9)Bow Stringer – This helps you get the string onto the bow. Never leave a bow strung for an extended period of time.
(10)Arm guard – This is a “just in case” device. If you are out of your normal stance, or have bad form on a shot, it’s possible that the bow string will whap your forearm. Painful. This protects you from major harm in that circumstance. If Olympic archers wear one, you can too … and should.
(11) Quiver – A thing that holds arrows. I recommend hip quivers for Olympic archers. Traditional archers may opt for back quivers. Compound archers may have a bow quiver.
(12) String wax – This is wax meant to condition your strings and keep it in good shape.
(13) Bow case – A case that protects all of your equipment as you travel to all of these cool/fun archery tournaments.
(14) Target sight – A device that attaches to your riser allowing you to better sight in your shot.
(15) Stabilizer – A device that attaches to your riser moving the center of gravity of your bow lower and forward, giving the archer greater stability.
(16) Chest guard – A mesh or light weight fabric that straps over your chest and shoulder as a mechanism to keep clothing and other items from interfering with the bow string. Strongly recommended for the ladies. I’ll stop right there.
(17) Clicker – If you are really good, and you have stopped growing, and you have your arrows custom cut to your draw length, then a clicker may be for you. It gives an audible and tactile feeling when an archer has reached the exact draw length they’re looking for in a shot. To be honest, when you need this, you’ll know that you need it.

That’s it for my “dictionary” or “glossary” of terms. Three big questions remain before I get to the specifics of the equipment recommendations: (1) Should I get a 23” riser or a 25” riser? (2) What length bow (riser + limbs) should I get? and (3) What poundage of limbs should I purchase?

(1)23” or 25” riser? Check out some of the other references that I link to at the bottom of this article for more (better) information. I would say that the bottom line is, if your maximum height is going to be less than 5’9” or if the archer is very young (thus a long time before they reach their full height) then go with a 23” riser. If you are going to be 5’9” or taller, then go with a 25” riser. NOTE: The KAP T-Rex riser I’m about to recommend only comes in 23” lengths.
(2)Length bow? If you are 5’7” or shorter, go with a 64” bow. From 5’7” to 6’0”, go with a 66” bow. If you are taller than 6’0”, then go with a 68” bow. All heights mentioned are for your full height. Small children should probably stick with a 64” bow.
(3)What poundage of limbs? The limbs for the recommended bow is interchangeable. The #1 injury in archery is shoulder injuries. Do NOT buy too heavy of a limb. You can sell these limbs and purchase up later. This is a really hard question to answer. The archer should be able to hold the full draw length for 10 seconds comfortably. I would think that no child should have limbs over 30lbs. A 20lb limb is a good start. A 12 year old healthy boy might be able to start out at 24 to 26lbs. A 12 year old girl, perhaps a bit less than that.

Enough talk, lets get to actual recommendations. We, as a club are currently recommending two bows: the KAP T-Rex, and the Samick Candidate. To be perfectly honest, I’ve never held the Samick bow but the specifications seem comparable to the T-Rex.

KAP T-Rex Riser : $100
KAP T-Rex Limbs: $90
Magnetic arrow rest: $11
Cartel Super Plunger: $12
String: $8 (Lots of choices here.)
Noc: $0.40 each (buy a couple, just in case)

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Samick makes a comparably priced setup as the KAP above.

Samick Candidate Riser: $100
Samick Candidate Limbs: $100

Since both of these risers take the ILF limbs, you can put the T-Rex limbs on the Samick Riser and/or the Samick limbs on the T-Rex riser. That’s part of the reason that we recommend these risers is that they will grow with the child and offer options for different limbs.

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ADDITIONAL PURCHASES:

Finger Tab: $17
Bow Stringer: $10
Arm Guard: $9
Quiver: $25
String Wax: $7
Take-down bow case: $22

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OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL PURCHASES:

Target Sight: $80
Stabilizer: $60
Chest Guard: $30
Clicker: $15

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I recommend buying through the local shop such as Timber Ghost (Cumming, GA) or Mitch’s (Canton, GA). They’ll help with setup of the equipment.

I’ve done my best to get as much information into your hands as I possibly can, but I understand that buying sight unseen and out of a catalog or website can be daunting task. As always, turn to the experts from your local club to help you answer questions and help you make informed final decisions. Good luck.

For more information, check out some of these additional resources.

Archers reference, issue 5 (PDF format)
Choosing The Right Recurve Bow For You
Buying Your First Bow

What good is a quiz however if we don’t also provide the answers? The quiz is for to help you diagnose your interests. I will provide the “answers” to the questions, but these “answers” are really the background of why that question was important.

So lets begin with the quiz. Print this out and circle your answers, or on a separate sheet of paper number the sheet and write your “Yes” or “No” answer next to each number.

1. Are you a hunter, have interest in hunting? [20]
2. Do you have dreams or aspirations of going to the Olympics? [15]
3. Are you a member of a family of hunters? [10]
4. Are you a fan of history or have a love of classical things? [5]
5. Do you have a need to be excel at every task you do? [5]
6. Are you willing to put a lot of effort into a difficult task for the benefits and payoffs long down the road? [5]
7. Do you enjoy gadgets and mechanical things? [3]
8. Would you agree with the statement “Simple things are best”? [3]
9. Do you have a physical handicap, especially of the upper body? [15]
10. Are you physically strong and fit in the upper body? [5]

That’s it. Not too bad, eh? Here’s how to score your quiz; add up the numbers from the bracket for the ODD number questions (1,3,5,etc.) where you answered “Yes” and those are your “Compound” scores. Add up the numbers from the brackets next to the questions for the EVEN number questions (2,4,6,etc.) where you answered “Yes” and those are your “Recurve” scores. The highest total is most likely the avenue that I would recommend you follow. Of course, this is your life and your money, so feel free to over rule this quiz as you see fit. My #1 interest, is to get people involved in the great sport of archery and for these people to love the sport as much as I do.

Now, on to the thoughts and purpose behind the questions above. If you have NOT taken the quiz yet, read no further until you do. Yes, you may go back and change your answers based on the information I provide here.

1:Hunter? Compound bows are better for hunting. They are more accurate at longer distances, easier to carry through the woods because the bow is smaller, they are more powerful in that they shoot the arrows in a greater fps than recurve bows, and you can hold the draw of the bow longer because of the let off of the bow. Since you are taking this quiz, you aren’t already an expert at recurve archery, so I would recommend someone just starting off, and interested in hunting, to go down the compound path. Yes, there are plenty of recurve hunters and they do very well, but this is an introductory quiz. 20 points.

2: Olympics? The Olympics only allow for recurve bows. If it is your dream to go to the Olympics, even a little bit, you should go down the recurve path. You can always switch over to compound later down the line. You can’t get to the Olympics with a compound, period. 15 points.

3: Family hunts? If you are coming from a family of hunters, you can often score some inherited equipment! Bonus. These family members are also knowledgeable of the tuning and setup of hardware and can be a great asset. Take advantage of that knowledge. 10 points.

4: Classical things? There’s something romantic and historical about recurve bows. Even the Olympic recurve bows all decked out with their sights and stabilizers and kisser buttons and spinner arrows still maintain a certain historical romance about them. Less weighted points for this question, but it’s worth asking. 5 points.

5: Need to excel? I can show you how to shoot a recurve bow in 10 minutes, but it can take years to “master” a recurve bow. Bottom line is that the technology of a compund bow helps you become “excellent” at shooting faster. If you need to excel and aren’t willing to put in the years it would require to become a master of archery through a recurve bow, then compounds might be a better fit. 5 points.

6: Effort level? This is the flip side of #5 above. It has been described that “Compound archer is a science, and recurve archery is art.” If you are the kind of person that is willing and enjoys putting in the long hours to develop an art, then you might be the kind of person that enjoys recurve archery. I guess I could have asked “Have you ever taken music lessons over a long period of time?” Same thing except a recurve bow is your musical instrument. 5 points.

7: Gadgets? Some people love gadgets. These kinds of people might be drawn to a compound bow. And boy are there gadgets to be had on a compound bow; peeps, sights, stabilizers, releases, silencers, etc. This is a small indicator but I thought I’d add it to the quiz. 3 points.

8: Simple is better? If you love the simple things, then you might like a simple bow. In fact, you might be drawn to “traditional archery” which is just the bow, string, arrow and you! Olympic archery allows for more “stuff” on the bow. The quiz is just designed to help you determine whether to go compound or recurve but if this question really struck a chord with you, take a look at a traditional recurve bow. 3 points.

9: Handicap? This is a big one but I didn’t want to lead off with it. Archery is quite literally almost for everyone! I love that about archery. If you have a handicap, no matter what it might be, archery is still possible for you to participate in. If you are in a wheelchair, or are missing an arm, or lack arm or hand strength, more options are available to you with a compound bow compared to a recurve. The shorter bow length leads to a greater string amplitude. This makes it a better choice for those in wheelchairs. The “let off” of a compound bow, allows those that lack upper body strength to participate. 15 points.

10: Physically fit? Unlike a compound bow, the farther you draw back a recurve bow, the more strength it will take to draw back. A bow is exactly like a spring in this aspect. It takes strength to draw back and hold that draw while aiming a recurve. It’s a beautiful thing though. As long as you have the correct weight of bow, this should not be a problem. Do not buy a youth too strong of a bow! They may end up with a shoulder injury, or worse in that they may lose the love of this great sport. If you are physically fit, there’s no reason that you couldn’t find a recurve bow that matches your body. 5 points.

I welcome your comments. Are there questions that I left off? Did I weight the questions incorrectly? Did I miss any aspects of archery for consideration? Please let me know and I can make adjustments to my quiz, and make it even better.

Next up I’ll post an article on “Youth Compound Bow Purchasing” and “Youth Recurve Bow Purchasing”. Stay tuned.

Michael Carruth Archery Specialist

Phone (770) 888-0920

Fax (770) 887-0140

email mcarruth@timberghostshop.com

www.timberghostshop.com

3455 Keith Bridge Road

Cumming,GA 30041

Local Shops:
- Mitch’s in Canton, Georgia – (770) 479-7004
- Schullers in Gainsville, Georgia

Internet Shops:
- Lancasters
- 3 Rivers Archery
- K1-Archery
- Alternative Sporting Services