The idiot newbs of archery thread, questions from the dumb seeking answers from the experienced. A thread for everyone.

[total newb]

This is hopefully a continuing thread for newbs to ask questions no matter how dumb or technical.


I have 1 step above "never shot a bow before" full newb. After i met totalgirlfriend and learned she had a "modern" compound bow i bought a very cheap, much older compound indian chief because i didnt know shit and knew that spending $hundreds$ would be a waste. Got myself situated with it and at a close range, consistant and repeatably on target. That all changed tonight.

Tonight i won a mathews mission balistc 2.0 (2016-19). Knowing what i dont know i poked mathews site a bit and got absolutely nothing but generic spec ranges and sales broshures. No tuning, particular specs, tunable parts list, or ways to even identify specificaly what i have in hand. Mathews site lists sub modle bow #s but this bow has zero info aside from brand, family, and a serial number that does not match the specific model coding system. The only thing i learned tonight is that there is some coding system for the primary pullies and they are marked b-b and b-c.


So aside from taking myself to an archery shop and burning $ buying their time where is a good source to learn the tuning and parts variances?

A particular book/manual/magazine or a particular youtuber to follow?

Am expecting to much from mathews or is it more of "take it to the pro and spend the money" situation?

 

[ThePanzerFuhrer]

This is hopefully a continuing thread for newbs to ask questions no matter how dumb or technical.


I have 1 step above "never shot a bow before" full newb. After i met totalgirlfriend and learned she had a "modern" compound bow i bought a very cheap, much older compound indian chief because i didnt know shit and knew that spending $hundreds$ would be a waste. Got myself situated with it and at a close range, consistant and repeatably on target. That all changed tonight.

Tonight i won a mathews mission balistc 2.0 (2016-19). Knowing what i dont know i poked mathews site a bit and got absolutely nothing but generic spec ranges and sales broshures. No tuning, particular specs, tunable parts list, or ways to even identify specificaly what i have in hand. Mathews site lists sub modle bow #s but this bow has zero info aside from brand, family, and a serial number that does not match the specific model coding system. The only thing i learned tonight is that there is some coding system for the primary pullies and they are marked b-b and b-c.


So aside from taking myself to an archery shop and burning $ buying their time where is a good source to learn the tuning and parts variances?

A particular book/manual/magazine or a particular youtuber to follow?

Am expecting to much from mathews or is it more of "take it to the pro and spend the money" situation?

I’m sure you ask where they got it from, the place that sold it would get it tuned up for you pull weight and length.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

Limbs typically have draw weight stickers on them, that is with the limb bolts cranked all the way in. Backing them out reduces it. Cams should have a numerical code, like Z-BBR. Looking that up will tell you the let off and draw length range, it’s usually adjusted by putting the string on different pins.

Draw length and weight will dictate what arrows you need, they will be either aluminum or carbon, and have a spine number which is how stiff the arrow is. The longer and heavier the draw, the stiffer spine you need. It is revered like gauge size, a 350 is stiffer than a 400.

Draw length is the most critical, weight doesn’t matter as much as long as you can draw it. If you’re starting out or hunting deer, I’d error on the lower side so you can practice without getting fatigued and draw in weird positions, you shouldn’t have to raise it up over your head to draw. I shoot 54 lbs and my arrows go completely through deer.

You’ve got a bare bow, so you’ll need a rest, sight, stabilizer, and release. Peep sight will likely need to be adjusted, D loop mat be in the right spot.

You‘ll also need a proper target, the $15 plastic bag over styrofoam or hay bales aren’t stopping those arrows short of the fletchings.

Texas bowhunter is a good site as far as getting things dialed in, just be prepared that a lot of guys are shooting $300 releases, I use a whisker biscuit rest and a $40 4-pin site.

 

[Pony_Driver]

archerytalk.com

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

There are also good shops and bad, places like Bass Pro generally have teenagers or old guys that know basically nothing, if you’ve got a small local shop that is decent they will probably mount everything for you and get it setup for free if you buy parts from them.

Those guys generally like to hang out and talk about hunting, and are happy to help newer guys get going.

 

[total newb]

Limbs typically have draw weight stickers on them, that is with the limb bolts cranked all the way in. Backing them out reduces it. Cams should have a numerical code, like Z-BBR. Looking that up will tell you the let off and draw length range, it’s usually adjusted by putting the string on different pins.

Draw length and weight will dictate what arrows you need, they will be either aluminum or carbon, and have a spine number which is how stiff the arrow is. The longer and heavier the draw, the stiffer spine you need. It is revered like gauge size, a 350 is stiffer than a 400.

Draw length is the most critical, weight doesn’t matter as much as long as you can draw it. If you’re starting out or hunting deer, I’d error on the lower side so you can practice without getting fatigued and draw in weird positions, you shouldn’t have to raise it up over your head to draw. I shoot 54 lbs and my arrows go completely through deer.

You’ve got a bare bow, so you’ll need a rest, sight, stabilizer, and release. Peep sight will likely need to be adjusted, D loop mat be in the right spot.

You‘ll also need a proper target, the $15 plastic bag over styrofoam or hay bales aren’t stopping those arrows short of the fletchings.

Texas bowhunter is a good site as far as getting things dialed in, just be prepared that a lot of guys are shooting $300 releases, I use a whisker biscuit rest and a $40 4-pin site.

Ive got a sighte and biscuit i can pull off the indian and a foam target already.


I know i can have it setup, that doesnt teach me the mechanics and whys as to how that works though.

 

[Tin Roof]

Are there any locally owned bow shops close to you? You are going from a chevette to a corvette and should really have someone help with the setup. They can also answer your questions on how/why everything works.
I‘d pass on using the biscuit rest and get a good dropaway. Biscuits are great for hunting but you will love the accuracy of a good drop away. Also spend some money on a good new sight if the one you have is older. See if they will let you try a few different stabilizers to see which one feels best to your shooting style.
And again, they will be a great resource to explain the mechanics to you.

 

[Will12785]

Archery talk has a ton of good info that's bow specific. You'll need to measure your draw length to tune the bow. It's not hard to do but you'll need a bow vise to tune. You can DIY one or buy one they aren't too expensive.

If you go to a good bow shop they will let you watch and teach you how it's done. It's not like a big secret.

 

[Aggie06]

Texas bowhunter is a good site as far as getting things dialed in, just be prepared that a lot of guys are shooting $300 releases, I use a whisker biscuit rest and a $40 4-pin site.

Archery talk has a ton of good info that's bow specific. You'll need to measure your draw length to tune the bow. It's not hard to do but you'll need a bow vise to tune. You can DIY one or buy one they aren't too expensive.

If you go to a good bow shop they will let you watch and teach you how it's done. It's not like a big secret.

Both of these are good places to start. I shot a cheap starter bow for years before upgrading.