Saturday, June 23, 2012

Finding the Right Bow


July goal- Shoot a bull's-eye consistently with an arrow from 15 yards away.

I know, I know, it's still June. Why am I already starting on my July goal? In order to begin working on this goal at the start of July, I have to get my hands on an archery bow before July starts. This is turning out to be more difficult than I had anticipated.

Turns out that like electronics, archery is an expensive hobby. Money, money, money. Why can I be interested in hobbies that doen't cost much? Maybe I should get into cleaning or mastering video games. Surely those hobbies would be less expensive in the long run. But, I'm not interested in those. I'm passionate about archery. Passionate about accomplishing my childhood goals in archery, to be specific  Allow me to explain the three main types of bows:

First, there is the longbow. This is the most traditional shape for a bow. The first records of these large bows dates back over 10,000 years, but the first record of the name "longbow" was first used to refer specifically to the English style of longbow. These bows range from four feet long to over six feet long! Longbows are still used to this day in competitions, fishing events, and historical reenactments.

This is probably the bow I will be purchasing. The longbow is generally a cheaper type of bow because of its basic design. Bows only get more complicated from here...




Next, there is the recurve bow. The recurve bow is a spin off the longbow design. The "recurve" element refers to the recurve of the bow limbs at its extremities. This recurve allows for the bow to be smaller, while still being allowed to deliver the same, or more, power than the traditional longbow.

Due to its compact size, the recurve bow is more popular in America than the long bow. Off course, there is one more type of bow that wins out in popularity.



This bow is the compound bow. A compound bow uses a system of pulleys and counterweights to achieve impressive strength and accuracy. With its impressive capabilities, the compound bow is the most widely used bow in America for hunting large game. Indeed, a whole industry is centered around bowhunting with compound bows. Naturally though, with this bow technology comes a steep price-tag.


I have researched for two days now, trying to find a bow in my price range. As I am on a one year quest, with my goals changing every 30 days, I can't afford to spend a chunk of change on a truly great bow. I'll leave that to the olympic archers and successful bowhunters. Instead, I am pursuing two purchase routes. First, I am asking my local community of North Platte if anyone is willing to sell me their cheap bow. So far, I have gotten one response. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this will work out! Otherwise, I will be forced to go with my second route: purchasing a junior bow from Amazon.

Wait, what is a junior bow you say? A junior bow is a type of archery bow which can be effectively used using less power. Generally, junior bows are less accurate than professional bows, but they do come with a huge plus: junior bows are in my budget. So, this month, I may be going back to my 6th grade archery roots by buying a junior bow to achieve my goal with.  Stayed tuned..I should have a final decision made by tomorrow!

*What are your opinions? Should I buy a used bow or go with a junior bow? I'd love your advice!

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