Archery and Archery Supplies

If you are new to archery, you can be overwhelmed by the dozens of different options in archery arrows. There are tons of different materials (wooden, fiberglass, carbon, aluminum), colors, fletching designs and different brands. Plus, you will need to find the best ones for your own archery bow. Since all arrow types are not alike, it pays to have some tips to help make this process easier. Here, are our tips to help remove some of the heavy lifting:

1. Consider your budget. How much money you can spend on arrows will help dictate what type of arrows you need. Wooden arrows tend to be the cheapest, but they also have a good risk of breaking resulting in you needing to get more later on. For this reason, you may want to opt for aluminum arrows which can be reshaped even if bent.

2. Determine your archery needs. If you are pursing traditional archery, only wooden arrows will do. However, if you are pursing bowhunting or target archery, you will most likely opt for carbon or aluminum arrows. These arrows have a greater consistency in their form and provide more consistent shooting results.

3. Use what the experts use if your performance is critical. If performance is your highest priority, it only makes sense to follow the lead of the professionals in your discipline of archery. If they trust a certain brand and type of arrow material to excel, you should take that advice and follow suit. One caveat: if you are new to archery, you may want to start out with lesser quality arrows, until you improve your shooting. This should help you become a better archer and will keep your costs down by having you damage fewer high cost arrows due to errant shots.

4. Do not be afraid to experiment with different arrow materials and brands. You will find that different bows require different arrows. For this reason, it pays to experiment with a few different arrows to find ones that work best for your bow. Even some really good arrows will not work well on some top level bows because of the demands that a specific bow places on an arrow. For this reason, a little research and experimentation can go a long way.

An archery arm guard can provide you extra safety and support in your shooting. This no small detail when you consider it is the little things that usually make the difference in great shooting and okay results. Therefore, finding an archery arm guard that is right for you is worth some serious consideration. We have put together this list of tips to help save your some time in your research:

1. Beginners should start with extra padded ones. These will give you extra protection as you learn to shoot your bow. You will learn that it is best to avoid it cuts and scratches as these impact your aim and shooting. By getting some extra padding, you can keep yourself well protected until your shooting becomes more consistent. At that point, you are welcome to move to more streamlined versions.

2. Get arm guards that fit over bulk clothing. This is especially important if you plan on doing a lot practicing in the cold months outdoors. Remember one of the first roles of an arm guard is to keep clothing away from your arrow. For this reason, you may want to opt for arm guards that can easily be placed over bulky sweaters, winter coats, and jackets. Elastic bands can work well here although tied up versions probably work best.

3. Get a few different types. Archery arm guards are very inexpensive so it is a good idea to get several different types. This will let you test them out to see which ones you like best. The arm guards can be made of all kinds of materials so be sure to find some that feel good to you.

4. Plenty of different options in archery arm guards but start out with simple. Recognize that there are dozens of different archery arm guards on the market. They can even get down right costume like when you start looking at what traditional archery or medieval archery offers. However, for beginners, all you really need is a basic one that serves two purposes: (1) gives protection to your forearm and hand from the bow string and (2) the arm guard is made so that arm sleeves can be held snugly to the arm making sure it does not come into contact with the bow. Anything beyond these two features is excessive and is more likely ornamental. Therefore, stick with the simple at the start and you should be fine.

Archery has a part in history as a means of hunting for centuries. The art of archery now, of course, no longer revolves around just hunting, but as a sport as well. Nowadays, people hunt, not for food, but merely for the love of the game and the fun derived from using the bow and arrow. A good hunter needs not only practice upon practice but knowledge of the accessories available as well.

Like all sports, we should start from the basics. Only when your skill improves should you try out the more advanced items. First of all, choose a bow. There are three types. The first is the longbow, then there is the recurve bow, and last but not least, the compound bow.

When choosing a bow, you need to consider your height, length of your arm, weight of your arm, and mode of archery (pure gaming or competition).Some are more suited for one purpose than the other. The most important thing is that you need to be comfortable with it, comfortable using it.

Next is choosing the other gears such as handles, bowsights and bowstrings. If you have chosen a longbow, you do not need handles and grips. Basically, handles and grips gives you a more steady hold because of the solid grip it provides. Bowstrings are the heart of the bow and it will be good to have some spare ones to change out of. Then there are the bowsights, which gives you additional accuracy.

Choosing and using the right bow sights is essential to performing to the standard you want to.There are a variety of designs and thus effectiveness for bowsights. Gradually, through practice and practice, the archer will grow accustomed to the use of the bowsight.

If you are totally lost, talk to other hunters and ask for advice. What’s better than getting into a new sports and making new friends at the same time?

Early Use of the Crossbow

Evidence suggests that the first crossbows were made towards the end of the fourth century BC in China and surrounding areas. They appear to have been first used as toys or for untended traps. Crossbows are mentioned in the famous document by Sun Tzu, The Art of War, written sometime between 500 and 300 BC and a fourth century BC document, also from China, has references to a giant catapult. The tomb of the emperor Qin Shi Huang, famous for the Terracotta Army, contains crossbow remains.

In Greece the crossbow appeared around the fifth century and was known as a gastraphetes. The Greek besiegers to the city of Tyre in 332 BC used crossbows and they were also used in the year 397 BC at the siege of Motya. The gastraphetes is believed to have been invented around the year 400 BC and consisted of a composite bow which was cocked by pressing down on the stock which was rested on the stomach. Heron of Alexandria described the gastraphetes in the famous work the Belopoeica. Composite bows comprised of a trigger and stock, operated on a stand and known as oxybeles, were developed from the gastraphetes, and further development led to the much larger ballista.

Europe

Crossbows were used by the roman armies and figured in the Battle of Hastings in Great Britain in 1066. They were increasingly used in preference to long bows until they effectively replaced them by the twelfth century. They had distinct advantages over longbows, most notably in a much shorter training period. A crossbow can be mastered in as little as one week while a longbow takes years of practise to use effectively. Battle formations often consisted of archers, javelin throwers and crossbowmen as a central component protecting the infantry, and crossbows were often used in pre-battle skirmishes and sneak attacks. Knights in armour had little defences against an attack by crossbowmen and pikemen and with the invention of better drawing mechanisms, crossbows could also be used while on horseback.

With the invention of gunpowder weapons crossbow use started to decline, although in the early years gunpowder weapons were less effective than crossbows as they were slow to reload and less accurate.

In Other Places

In Asia crossbows were used as siege weapons and the Saracens used composite crossbows in their was against the Crusaders. Muslim armies in Spain used crossbows and throughout Africa they were used for hunting and by scouts. The technology crossed the Atlantic to North America with the slave trade and light crossbows were used by the Inuit for hunting.

Today

Crossbows today are mainly used for target practice although they are still used in some countries for hunting.

An expert in archery should know how the parts of a bow contribute to an accurate and powerful shot. First, we have to recognize the different parts.

The riser is the part where the handle or grip is located or where one holds the bow and where the limbs are attached. In the simple bows and recurve bows, the riser and the limbs make one part. Risers in compound bows are made with either aluminum or titanium. Titanium is lighter yet stronger, but much more expensive.

The limbs are attached to the ends of the riser. These parts are bent back when pulling the string to load energy. Once the arrow is shot (line is released).the limbs spring back to normal positions. As the limbs are critical to the performance of the shot, it is often the most researched upon and improved. In recurve limbs, the limbs are slightly curved forward from the center to the ends, providing extra force to recurve bows. Split limbs are thinner, therefore leads to faster arrows due to faster movements of the limbs.

Cam wheels are the ones on which the cable travels as the bowstring is pulled or released. The shapes of these wheels depend on the manufacturer’s design. The shape may either be round or eccentric. Eccentric cams fans feel that they work better than round ones because of the additional force exerted on the bowstring upon release, since the string has to travel over more distance and thus must move faster. This leads to a faster and further shot. However, it may be said that the eccentric cams makes a shot potentially inaccurate. Still, more manufacturers use eccentric cams today.

The cable guard applies only on compound bows. This is a piece of steel with small rollers used to place the bow cables off the arrow shaft. Cable guards hinder shooting accuracy because it sets the cable off-center, thus making one side heavier. Some guards are located below the grip, others are above.

The arrow rest is a part of the riser that can be detachable, where the tip of the arrow is placed when drawing.

Arrow rests range from bent wire rest to fall-away models that drop down as the arrow traverses the bow riser after release. This leads to higher accuracy and faster shots since there is no resistance from the bow that can hinder the arrows as it begins its trajectory.

The bow sight serves as a scope, much like ones soldiers use on their rifles. It is a great aid in accuracy. Most hunters today uses either a pin sight or a electronic scope. Having a bow sight is entirely up to the individual. Perhaps a truly skilled hunter can do without any bow accessories and still leaves its prey no room for escape.