98Redlne
Well-Known Member
Before you buy ANYTHING do yourself a favor and have a couple of things checked out.
1) Do an eye dominance test. Determine if your are right or left eye dominant. That will determine whether or not you will end up shooting right or left hand. Shooting right handed with a dominant left eye is a sure fire way to frustration.
Eye Dominance Test
If you do happen to be cross eye dominant right hand, left eye or vice versa, it will feel really odd shooting with the opposite hand, but it is really the foundation for accuracy.
2) Go to an archery shop and get your draw length measured. I have seen far too many guys come into the archery shop I work at from time to time with a draw that is waaaaaaaaay too long for them.
Draw Length
Incidentally a draw that is too long is the #1 reason for whacking the inside of your forearm with the bow string.
These two things will determine what you really need with respect to finding a bow. Regardless if you are a backyard shooter, a competition shooter or a safari hunter these things are absolutely critical.
Just a couple of other suggestions. As a first bow, DON'T pick up a 60-70# draw weight bow. It will be far too heavy of a draw weight for you to shoot accurately. You may be a big guy but the muscles used in archery differ from those used everywhere else. Until you have them properly developed, try to stick to a lower draw weight bow 50-60# and set down at the low end of that. (most bows can be safely set at least 3# less than their advertised draw weight)
Also you may want to look for a bow that has a fairly soft cam.
With a compound bow at the end of the draw cycle there is a significant drop in the draw weight. Most bows are between about 75 and 80%. If you were shooting a bow with a peak draw weight set at 50#, that means that at full draw you will only be holding 25% of the weight (12.5#). Depending on the particular cams the bow has it it, this drop from full draw weight to the holding weight can be rather abrupt. While it is not such a big deal when you are drawing, it is when you are holding that it can be not so much fun. If you allow your arm to creep forward just a bit the bow can build up weigth very quickly. The general term for this is the "valley". Beginners generally don't want a bow with a very short valley.
1) Do an eye dominance test. Determine if your are right or left eye dominant. That will determine whether or not you will end up shooting right or left hand. Shooting right handed with a dominant left eye is a sure fire way to frustration.
Eye Dominance Test
If you do happen to be cross eye dominant right hand, left eye or vice versa, it will feel really odd shooting with the opposite hand, but it is really the foundation for accuracy.
2) Go to an archery shop and get your draw length measured. I have seen far too many guys come into the archery shop I work at from time to time with a draw that is waaaaaaaaay too long for them.
Draw Length
Incidentally a draw that is too long is the #1 reason for whacking the inside of your forearm with the bow string.
These two things will determine what you really need with respect to finding a bow. Regardless if you are a backyard shooter, a competition shooter or a safari hunter these things are absolutely critical.
Just a couple of other suggestions. As a first bow, DON'T pick up a 60-70# draw weight bow. It will be far too heavy of a draw weight for you to shoot accurately. You may be a big guy but the muscles used in archery differ from those used everywhere else. Until you have them properly developed, try to stick to a lower draw weight bow 50-60# and set down at the low end of that. (most bows can be safely set at least 3# less than their advertised draw weight)
Also you may want to look for a bow that has a fairly soft cam.
With a compound bow at the end of the draw cycle there is a significant drop in the draw weight. Most bows are between about 75 and 80%. If you were shooting a bow with a peak draw weight set at 50#, that means that at full draw you will only be holding 25% of the weight (12.5#). Depending on the particular cams the bow has it it, this drop from full draw weight to the holding weight can be rather abrupt. While it is not such a big deal when you are drawing, it is when you are holding that it can be not so much fun. If you allow your arm to creep forward just a bit the bow can build up weigth very quickly. The general term for this is the "valley". Beginners generally don't want a bow with a very short valley.
