Moving from the Dark side

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dunhoo

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After a year of frustration with my lack of progress shooting compound I have made a decision after shooting 120 arrows with a longbow and managing to get 4 out of 4 on the target at 18m. I am going certainly for the indoor season to change to a longbow. I have got to the stage with compound where I need to shoot at least 1x10 and 2x9 on average to meet my PB and have any chance of getting in the final rounds and I just can?t do it, and its not fun any more its just too much precision involved. I was using our club long bow which is 68" and 30lb. I draw 31" on my compound.

What would you recommend manufacturer, length and strength in order to shoot FITA rounds which is max 60m outdoors I am not interested in shooting clout at this time. I am also not interested in making my own bow.
 

geoffretired

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Hi Dunhoo, I can't answer your question but I am interested in the situation you find yourself in. It seems to me that some recreational archers end up on the treadmill of searching for higher scores. Nothing wrong with that in itself, but it can damage the fun. I have seen smiles on longbow archers' faces when they shoot and afterwards too. I guess I know why. What I find interesting is the compound equivalent. Is it possible to just shoot a compound for the fun of the DOING, not the score???
I hope you don't mind my question. I would really like to know, whether or not it is possible to shoot compound for the same reasons as shooting longbow. What is so important about scores??
 

dunhoo

New member
I think there are archers who shoot compounds just for the fun of it, in Denamrk bow hunting is allowed and we have alot of archers who just come to shoot in order that they can pass their bow hunting test. The problem with compound especially indoors is there is no room for error and in order to have success you have to develope a technic you can repeat time and time again. The technic shall include the abilitity to shoot the arrow unconciously at the right moment in time when your aim is pointed within a circle approx. 1/2" 18m away. I just can?t hold the bow still enough to do this no matter what I do and how much I train I just don?t have that ability and therefore it is not fun any more. If I could average 565 on an indoor fita 18m or around 1320 out doors on a full fita I would be happy, but that I can see now is an unrealistic goal. Thats the reason why I have am thinking of going to the opposite end of the archery range.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
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Hi Dunhoo, thanks for that. It sounds like the other archers, and how they shoot and score, is influencing your thinking.I am not saying that is good or bad, just interested in the way things are at your club.Compared to other compound archers, I shoot fairly badly. I don't mind that,too much. All that matters to me is how well I shoot compared to ME and how enjoyable it is to shoot the bow of my choice.I am a bit lazy and find the compound so easy to shoot. It is not so easy to shoot it well or better than most; but that is a different matter,yes?I wish you well with your change to longbow. It is a style that reminds me of my childhood. If I was younger, it could be the bow of my choice,too.But I do love machines!!! heehee.
Enjoy!
 

blakey

Active member
After a year of frustration with my lack of progress shooting compound I have made a decision after shooting 120 arrows with a longbow and managing to get 4 out of 4 on the target at 18m. I am going certainly for the indoor season to change to a longbow. I have got to the stage with compound where I need to shoot at least 1x10 and 2x9 on average to meet my PB and have any chance of getting in the final rounds and I just can?t do it, and its not fun any more its just too much precision involved. I was using our club long bow which is 68" and 30lb. I draw 31" on my compound.

What would you recommend manufacturer, length and strength in order to shoot FITA rounds which is max 60m outdoors I am not interested in shooting clout at this time. I am also not interested in making my own bow.
I feel the same way about compounds. Competitions are won nowadays on how few points are lost. Our only local club is a serious target one, and all joiners/members are inevitably nagged/cajoled into shooting in competitions. Some kind of club ego thing? I now shoot FITA 60M 'longbow.' And I do enjoy it, simply because the pressure ain't there. You don't need an ELB for FITA, you can shoot an AFB (much easier). Most AFBs of about 36 lb will reach 60M mouth anchor. If you anchor under the chin you can go lighter. I highly recommend White Wolf custom Bows. Very reasonable price, and very accurate. But of course there are many others to choose from. Last thought, if you're drawing 31" on your compound you need to check with any manufacturer whether any prospective purchase will draw out that far. Many AFBs will only go out to 29" with safety. Sounds to me as though you would need a minimum bow length of 70". A full compass ELB might be the way to go after all? Good luck.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I do not wish to sound as if I am trying to get anyone to change their mind. We all shoot what we choose, and rightly so. What I want to say is about compound shooting, not about changing style. I think it is a shame that compound shooting has produced a situation where lower than **** scores can be seen as a reason to change style.Just shooting a nice compound is very enjoyable experience. Lobbing arrows up a half mile long field, is huge fun!! Compounds have kept some archers shooting who would have had to give up recurve years ago.
Sorry for the interruption!
 

blakey

Active member
I do not wish to sound as if I am trying to get anyone to change their mind. We all shoot what we choose, and rightly so. What I want to say is about compound shooting, not about changing style. I think it is a shame that compound shooting has produced a situation where lower than **** scores can be seen as a reason to change style.Just shooting a nice compound is very enjoyable experience. Lobbing arrows up a half mile long field, is huge fun!! Compounds have kept some archers shooting who would have had to give up recurve years ago.
Sorry for the interruption!
I'm not trying to knock anybody Geoff. I move across to Barebow Compound in the winter when I have to layer up to keep warm and my draw length changes. I love shooting a low weight wheelie. But the pressure is definitely different, the odd bad loose seems to be expected. The other thing I love shooting about barebow comp, is the much lower mass hanging off the arm. Sights, stabs,rests, lenses, etc used to add a pound to my setup. Now I only have 4 lbs dangling off the end of my arm, instead of 5. Makes a big difference to my tired old muscles. But when the spring comes and I go back to my 'longbow', which weighs less than a pound, and isn't like a sail in the wind, Wow, I'm in heaven! Cheers
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Hi Blakey, it seems you like both,yes? You enjoy one more than the other, but haven't been put off the compound by the expectations put on it by others. It is that aspect that saddens me. A beautiful machine that can bring enormous pleasure, set aside because the owner can't shoot as well as the best with it.( I do not mean Dunhoo there; I mean Mr or Mrs hypothetical archer.
I shoot mine with a left eyed recurve sight and no peep. It's like a recurve when I aim.Put the shot together properly and it is a great feeling. Hit a gold with it and that adds to the fun.Hit a red and I tell myself off. I did something wrong, missed the mark, but more than that it felt wrong so I didn't deserve a gold. Take off the sight and just shoot it; wow, that gives a lot of pleasure.I miss the mark less often that way ,too.
 

Shady

New member
Hi Dunhoo, If Denmark is anything like the UK then welcome to the noisy end of the shooting line and I hope you enjoy the joys that shooting Stick can bring both in competition and at club level. It is my experience Longbows are a rare sight at full FITA's but this is changing in the UK with resurgence in popularity of the Longbow. I enjoy shooting amongst the very best archers in all the disciplines and find target companions to be very friendly and tolerant even when a wooden shaft finds its way on occasion into their territory in the gold. I find an ELB with 42lb @ 28, under the chin normally finds the mark at 60m without needing to cloud shoot. Good luck with your efforts.
 
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