jape
18-12-06, 10:05 AM
Well hi folks, I am a 55 yrs old male but a beginner. I have joined a club, but they are nice people with little time (xmas season) which means I am not getting any positive advice in bow selection because I want(ed) a simple longbow. They are all recurve/compound users.
I have measured my draw length as 29.5 using the arms extended sideways and divide by 2.5 method.
It is 31 inches using the arms out and measure fingertips to chest.
Using a 68 inch recurve bow (the longets available), it seemed to measure at about 30.5 when my form looked best to an observer.
So commonsense says use 31 inches so I don't shoot myself in the foot and as my form improves I will extend length (I am told).
My girlfriend has made various comments none of which help.
I am six foot one and a half and shrinking, I have five discs gone in my back, thus I want a long, long bow 72inches (which I cannot find in Australia) with a lighter weight.
I looked at the Samick SL69 but it means a wait of months in a 35 or 40 weight, apparantly they are slow suppliers. A Cartel longbow is available down to 35 at 28 but is only a 68 inch bow.
I cannot spend big money on a bow as a beginner and a pensioner but with arrows, string and stringer I have $400 au. The cartel is short but fits the price.
Then I can go offshore for a supplier, 'medieval collectibles' have a number of longbows bows around this price range in hickory/linen and other combinations. Some even go up to 70 inch.
I am going in circles and my grlfriend says that if I keep worrying about size it will put me off form.
Then I see hunters using short bows, and red-indians on TV often did the same. Does size matter?
Why shouldn't I just get the 68 inch Cartel at 35 and some 31 inch arrows and not extend so far? Do I really have to get something with pulleys and wires and so on and burn out my credit card just to get shooting? I am not anti-technology, if they had laser rifles I would want one, but here I just wanted a simple stick and string and arrers since I was a kid.
In the end I will be field shooting, probably not competition as I can't walk well or far, target shooting 50 meters or so and hopefully graduating to the fierce big game of rabbits.
jape
I have measured my draw length as 29.5 using the arms extended sideways and divide by 2.5 method.
It is 31 inches using the arms out and measure fingertips to chest.
Using a 68 inch recurve bow (the longets available), it seemed to measure at about 30.5 when my form looked best to an observer.
So commonsense says use 31 inches so I don't shoot myself in the foot and as my form improves I will extend length (I am told).
My girlfriend has made various comments none of which help.
I am six foot one and a half and shrinking, I have five discs gone in my back, thus I want a long, long bow 72inches (which I cannot find in Australia) with a lighter weight.
I looked at the Samick SL69 but it means a wait of months in a 35 or 40 weight, apparantly they are slow suppliers. A Cartel longbow is available down to 35 at 28 but is only a 68 inch bow.
I cannot spend big money on a bow as a beginner and a pensioner but with arrows, string and stringer I have $400 au. The cartel is short but fits the price.
Then I can go offshore for a supplier, 'medieval collectibles' have a number of longbows bows around this price range in hickory/linen and other combinations. Some even go up to 70 inch.
I am going in circles and my grlfriend says that if I keep worrying about size it will put me off form.
Then I see hunters using short bows, and red-indians on TV often did the same. Does size matter?
Why shouldn't I just get the 68 inch Cartel at 35 and some 31 inch arrows and not extend so far? Do I really have to get something with pulleys and wires and so on and burn out my credit card just to get shooting? I am not anti-technology, if they had laser rifles I would want one, but here I just wanted a simple stick and string and arrers since I was a kid.
In the end I will be field shooting, probably not competition as I can't walk well or far, target shooting 50 meters or so and hopefully graduating to the fierce big game of rabbits.
jape