recurve bow for a beginner...

[PandaMom]

Just took an interest in archery. Not a lot of places in Southern CA for archery equipment/accessories shops. Where would I find a good old fashioned recurve bow to learn on? Not even sure what my draw strength is. Tried to go to an archery class, but there were so many people and not enough instructors that it was kind of a free for all. Any suggestions would be great.

[Lazarus29]

Try any of the Kodiak recurves. I had a 50lber as a teenager and it shot great.

http://www.beararcheryproducts.com/b.../kodiak-magnum

Not sure what to tell you as far as draw wieght. Really you need to pull back some bows to see what your limit is.

When you find your limit however I would back off 5-10lbs on the bow you purchase, otherwise youll be shaking to pull it back and your accuracy will suffer.

[villacose]

I would get a takedown recurve, a good one, like a Martin Hatfield. you can find lots of used bows on ebay for great prices. it's cool to be traditional, but a good release goes a long way towards accuracy and how long you can hold on your shot. one great thing about a recurve is that they make it easier to go bowfishing...you don't have to draw all the way back and have an arrow go clean thru the fish, and the same goes for smaller animals at close range.

[A-Team]

You aren't looking.

I live in So Cal. There are archery shops and ranges all over the place.

[PandaMom]

I should have mentioned that I love in the Ventura County area and the closest shop had a lot of really bad reviews in Simi Valley. Short from driving an hour or more to a range, I don't know where to go.

[SeekHer]

Get a Samick Deer Master Recurve Bow for $232 at 3Rivers Archery they also have the Trading Post PSE Summit Take-Down Recurve on sale for $179 reg $209 and a Samick Sage No Tools Take-Down Recurve Bow for $139.

[Palma]

Google-fu, says to try here;

Pergson's Archery
11556 N Ventura Ave, Ojai, CA 93023
17.0MI from Ventura Map it!
(805) 640-8366

Good luck, not that I would buy from them, but to test and look things over; try ****'s Sporting Good's, Cabela's, or Bass Pro if any are near you.

[ncpat]

I grew up loving archery. A few places sold stuff but I had no range nearby. I filled boxes with newspaper and put targets on it. My 1st equipment was a Ben Pearson kid's set with a 20 lb fiberglass recurve and 3 arrows. Had a booklet, "Ben Pearson teaches you to become an expert archer". I read that booklet over and over and taught myself from it. I'm sure I could have used some coaching but I became a fair shot as it was. I also wandered around our area, picking a tree at random and shooting at it from different distances. I usually hit pretty well. Also shot a lot in the air for height. School was next door, with a ball field. Plenty of space for such things. Buy a light bow and get comfortable with it. Perfect your draw and aiming. Build up your arm & shoulder muscles. Later, get a heavier bow if you like. Stack some hay bales in your yard. Put a target face on heavy cardboard & put against the bales. Make the bales 2 deep, at least, and stagger so the ends don't match from front to back. You won't lose arrows out the back.

[mrduke]

PSE make a line of takedown recourves called bullseye, thay are target bows , but except for the limbs being painted white, theres no diffrance that i can see, i bought one for my wife quit a few years ago and the cost was about 100.00 brand new, it,s been a good bow, and thay come in a lot of diffrant bow waights, it would be a good begginers bow especaly if your short on cash, also, ebay sometimes has good deals on some of the old classic bow of years ago, ive got an old ben perrson pinto 35 lb bow that i picked up at a yard sale years ago for 2.00 dollers it shoots great, sometimes you can find old bows like that for 25.00 to 50.00 on ebay, but make sure the owner says it,s a good shooter, some of the old bow limbs could twist if thay were stored wrong, or the glass could be cracked, so you have to be careful, but sometime you can realy find a diemand in the rough and get a great bow at a great price

[ncpat]

BTW, I see lots of bows & arrows on E Bay for good prices. I have bought several other items from E Bay & they have been as advertised, no swindles yet. Other than starter sets, new bows in stores are sky high. Some on E Bay are high too, but I see a lot that are reasonable. I still think you're best to start with something cheap to see how you like it. About 20 or 25 pounds is a good starter. Don't be discouraged, archery is a great sport.

[mrduke]

i don,t remember where i saw it at but i remember seeing somewhere that balboa park has archery shoots

[SeekHer]

Originally Posted by ncpat

BTW, I see lots of bows & arrows on E Bay for good prices. I have bought several other items from E Bay & they have been as advertised, no swindles yet. Other than starter sets, new bows in stores are sky high. Some on E Bay are high too, but I see a lot that are reasonable. I still think you're best to start with something cheap to see how you like it. About 20 or 25 pounds is a good starter. Don't be discouraged, archery is a great sport.

The absolute least amount of draw you should consider is 35# -40#.

Your muscles will develop quite quickly and you'll hate the light bow after about a month, frustrated that you can't shoot farther or more accurately at longer distances...20# is what they use at summer camp for 5, 6 year old kids...I've started my daughters on a 35# when they're around 7 yrs old.

[Madcow]

Originally Posted by A-Team

You aren't looking.

I live in So Cal. There are archery shops and ranges all over the place.

And one of the best. FS archery are the kings of customer service in my opinion.
Dont know if its in so cal, but they are good folk nonetheless.

[Madcow]

Originally Posted by PandaMom

Just took an interest in archery. Not a lot of places in Southern CA for archery equipment/accessories shops. Where would I find a good old fashioned recurve bow to learn on? Not even sure what my draw strength is. Tried to go to an archery class, but there were so many people and not enough instructors that it was kind of a free for all. Any suggestions would be great.

Don't over bow. You do find them on ebay, but I have been burnt twice and both bows went back to the sellers due to horizontal cracks across the glass. Samik makes a decent line of reasonably priced bows bows as does PSE. The Impala comes to mind right off, but the price is creeping up on that one. Check thees guys out-

http://www.fsdiscountarchery.com/

Call them when its time to order and they will get you set up. And remember, it does not have to cost five million dollars to be a good bow.

[nitewing117]

I'm in the same boat as OP. does anyone have experience with the samick sage?

[Madcow]

Originally Posted by nitewing117

I'm in the same boat as OP. does anyone have experience with the samick sage?

yes. good bow for the $$.

[nitewing117]

Originally Posted by Madcow

yes. good bow for the $$.

I've been eyeing one for a while now. Does overall bow length matter? I'm trying to decide between the Sage or the Polaris

I've seeing posts saying that I should have a 66"+ bow length (Polaris) for my stature and others saying that the 62" Sage is fine. I have a 28.5" draw for reference.

[Madcow]

I am no expert, and everything I say is 100% opinion, That said, I have a 29 inch draw length and shoot a 48, 58, and 60 inch bows. One is the 48 inch horse bow from bear paw, one is an old wing, and the last is a custom take down. All made to be drawn a long ways. With the Samik line, bows that are rated at 28 inches mean 28 inches. If I understand correctly, you draw 28 inches. This should not make a difference. I shoot a sage sometimes and just bend the bow arm to suet. This is a bad habit to some. Get as much input as you can, but in the end you will need to try some bows out to be sure.

[Paull]

+1 For Samick Sage.

I got mine in 35# a few weeks ago and as a novice I think I made a great choice. The quality was surprising for the price, other bows in this price range felt 'cheap'. I have heard by others that the Sage is a good bang for your buck. I love mine so far.

I like the fact that samick sells just limbs in various weights so I can progress as I learn.

[Madcow]

Originally Posted by Paull

+1 For Samick Sage.

I got mine in 35# a few weeks ago and as a novice I think I made a great choice. The quality was surprising for the price, other bows in this price range felt 'cheap'. I have heard by others that the Sage is a good bang for your buck. I love mine so far.

I like the fact that samick sells just limbs in various weights so I can progress as I learn.

That is a nice feature. If you want some decent cheap targets, fill up a plastic store bag with a bunch of other store bags and throw it out in the yard and take a shot or two at it. When you go to retrieve your arrows throw the bag again and repeat.