Picking Up where I left off - OK, not quite!

[garthling]

I am a returning to the sport after 17 years absence and I would appreciate some advice from others on the best approach.
I used to shoot recourve (Hoyt GM 66" #34 with 1814 X7s 27" draw). I still want to shoot recurve but a number of things have changed - not least my strength and drawlength!

I figured I'd start by winding down my bow to the mimumim, discard the clicker and just work on form whilst gradually winding up the bow. The problem is that I still want to achieve results (THAT hasn't changed!) and that's not necessarily the score on the board but rather how the shot feels. At the moment, it doesn't feel too good - nor suprising as I am only drawing 30lbs and shooting 1814's.

I think my best approach is to start with new arrows - something that I can modify as I get back my old form (am I delusional?).

Any suggestions?

[Harald]

As I understand (though being relatively new to the sport) arrows have undertaken some slight changes during the last 17 years.
I would go to www.eastonarchery.com and check out their arrow chart
or any advice on arrwos suitable the draw length and pounds you would want to start with.
Think nearly everyone can shoot at 90 m with a correct modern arrow.
:bday:

[Flehrad]

I'm not an arrow expert, and what Harald has said regarding checking if the arrows are right for your setup is a good advice to take.

But, I think you should be able to tune your bow/plunger button a bit to compensate for that the arrows are stiffer with the lower poundage (assuming the arrows were the right spine when you had them for 34lb).

Unless the arrows have deteriorated over the years and become weak, I don't think that you have to get new arrows, especially if you approximate draw length hasn't changed.

It may be just you're still not getting used to the shot and release yet after such a long absence.

[tj]

Hi Garthling,

I too have taken up archery again after a 13 year layoff. I shot my old bow and arrow combo for 6 months just to see if I wanted to really get back into it.

If you have the gear already then you may as welll shoot it. The new stuff is still as expensive as it used to be. It depnds on how much gear you have and the condition it may be in. If you must get arrows then spend as little as you can because if you are rusty then your technique will change over the next few months.

Regards,

tj

[garthling]

Thanks Tj.

I decided to get real and did some basic tuning. Yes the arrows were a bit stiff (and they REALLY lob compared with everybody else's carbons!) but I decided that I would just work on winding up the poundage.

And on a nice day like yesterday it was a pleasure to shoot - no matter what the arrows were made of.

[TJ Mason]

I returned to archery in February after a 12-year layoff.

One piece of advice I'll give you is to re-glue the points of your arrows. The glue in mine had perished completely, so my first half-dozen arrows left two tips in the target.

[garthling]

I've been lucky - haven't lost a single pile, nock or fletch in over 150 ends. And I have spares. Says a lot for storing things away properly!

[DrRalph]

I guess the big difference now is with the new string materials (ie Fast-Flight, Dyneema, BCY8125) and light but strong arrows, like triples, ACCs and ACEs, you can go a long way to increasing speed and cast without having to go to 50lb draw weights. Carbon arrows and fast-flight strings have meant that a lot more people can shoot fast arrows without becoming gorrillas.

Your riser is still good. If you want to spend money, spend it on arrows then strings, and then some mid range carbon limbs and your setup will be good for some time to come.

[clever_guy]

"I guess the big difference now is with the new string materials (ie Fast-Flight, Dyneema, BCY8125) and light but strong arrows, like triples, ACCs and ACEs,"

if he is using 17 year limbs they may not be rated for any string material execpt Dacron, and using newer string materials you run the risk of shooting the tips off...

-CG

[DrRalph]

OK, then get arrows, carbon limbs then new strings :) The GM riser should cope with fastflight though, but as you say the limbs might be the weak point.

Fair comment.

[chang]

I used to own two old GMs. There are difference between those GM before and those after fastflight.

The GM before FastFlight has less metal around the grip and arrow platform area. Hoyt actually enforced the area after fastflight.

It is found Dynaflight 97 and Dyneema 2 are more gentle to the older GMs(TD4).

[clever_guy]

"I used to own two old GMs. There are difference between those GM before and those after fastflight."

The GM risers have gone through a number of revisions over their product cycle. I wouldn't be too concerned about the riser, just check for cracks on regular basis, as long as it has ILF you can put new limbs in it. Limbs are a little more tricky, they may be of the vintage when they are rated for only Dacron, or they may be rated for Kelvar. If they are rated for Kelvar you can use the newer string mat., if it isn't you can shoot the limb tips off. Using Dacron won't kill you, but it's slow and stretches.

-CG

[chang]

for risers, Have a look at
http://www.student.utwente.nl/~sagi/artikel/usenet/riser.html

TD4+ was the version that beefed up at the grip area for shooting FFs. So it is for all the later ones. The throat of TD4+ is at least 1/4'++ thinker(measure from front to back) then TD4.

May I am just unlucky, my TD4 was cracked at first release when a pair of WinAct 34#(with FF) was put on it. No problem so far for TD4+ though.

[clever_guy]

"May I am just unlucky, my TD4 was cracked at first release when a pair of WinAct 34#(with FF) was put on it. No problem so far for TD4+ though."

I have shot TD4's and I think I have a TD3 kicking around here somewhere - I wouldn't be concerned with using carbon (newer) limbs at 34# (or lower), if it was 45-50#'s I would be a little more cautious. There were carbon limbs available from Hoyt in that timeframe that used Kelvar and the first FF strings, and people shot them for years without any problem. The first FF isn't like what FF is now days, it had almost no stretch and it was pretty hard on bows. With Magnesium cast bows you always run the risk of there being a bubble or poorly cast areas, which can lead to failure. It's not like it happened that frequently though, and people on the Internet (or like GT calls it 'Errornet') have a tendency to exagerate, one failure they heard about second/third hand becomes 10 they have seen in person :roll: . You just check the riser for stress cracks frequently (like on any riser) and hope for the best, it could last 10 years it could last a month. The only really uncertain thing is if it has large bubble in the cast near the surface you can't see, that where you these old cast magnesium risers snapping in half at full draw unexpectedly.

-CG

[Ozzy]

I too came back to archery after a break of even longer than that Garthling :D
Used to shoot a beautiful wood riser Browning recurve, which was almost the ultimate in it's day :wink:
No Compounds being shot back then.
Do as I did, treat yourself & go compound ! :wink:

[garthling]

Ozzy, it would be no treat to go compound! What I appreciate about recurve is the simplicity of it - although older archers than I would scoff at what I consider simple.

Good to get the feedback about the riser and limbs being rated for Dacron - although my riser is a TD/4 and the limbs are Carbon Plus. I have never shot dacron but I have shot kevlar and I was more than ready to make the transition to fastflite when it came in (1986/87?).

Thanks Chang for your advice about Dynaflight 97/Dyneema 2. It is tempting to use up what I already have but it might be cheaper to buy a new reel rather than a new pair of limbs.

[Hue]

hey garthling

if you don't want to spend years becoming competitive again, do think about compound. It's not easier, just different. Just ask James, he's been there

regards Hue