# Firearms and Shooting > Archery >  Recurve help

## Ryan_Songhurst

I would like to get myself a recurve bow. I am totally new to archery and have no clue what im doing or what to look for as a good starter package. I would like something thats somewhat "traditional" ie: I dont want some brightly coloured aluminium and fibreglass monstrosity.
Ive had a look at a few different bows online but dont really have any options nearby to go and take a look at a bow before purchasing. Im somewhat confused as to what exactly is a right/left handed bow. I would shoot with the bow in my left hand but draw with my right hand, is that a left handed bow? I am left handed but I do a lot of things right handed, I shoot rifles right handed for example.
I would like to be able to shoot targets to begin with and then move onto small game and possibly at some stage a fallow or chamois if one is silly enough to let me get within bow range and I dont really want to go down the whole path of purchasing a "learner bow" then having to purchase a big boy bow later on, so I want something thats forgiving, but versatile. cheers for any help

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## MSL

You are right handed in bow speak


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## ebf

Ryan, check if there is a local archery club in your area.

I know the one near us does a "intro" course, where they give you basic instruction and let you use their equipment for starters.

There is one is Ashburton and a couple near CHC

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## Ground Control

I have recently gone down the same rabbit hole .
I have purchased a Samick Sage recurve 35 pounds draw weight.
It is regarded as an entry level bow , but the reality is that it can and will do everything you need for ever more.
Dont be tempted to go to high on draw weight to begin , recurves dont have the mechanical advantage of a compound  and even guys who shoot an 80 pound compound only shoot maybe 50-55 recurve .
The Sage is cool because as your ability increases you can buy higher poundage limbs for not much money.
Good luck its very hard to master a struggle stick and Ill be honest and say Ive moved to a compound myself 
To keep my sanity and to actually hit stuff :Have A Nice Day:

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## Padox

I haven't been able to find anything to do with archery here in Central haven't even been able to find a bow hunter to learn off have a post on archery in here and only had 1 response and was a x bow hunter

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## Carpe Diem

@Ryan Songhurst - Just took the missus on the same journey you are going on. 
Today we went to Advanced Archery in Auck's (I'd pre booked a timeslot with Carol on the previous Tuesday). Got her to try both pulling a recurve and compound bow from there they then do a 101 course of 3 half hour sessions or one 1.5 session to get you started using the training methodology they get her to learn all the basics correctly from the get go and then match the bow that is the most comfortable for her. That way you end up with the best start and options... 

Maybe these guys do something similar? https://www.bowhunt.co.nz/ in CHCH.?

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## Preacher

The Samicks are a good first option, likewise the Ragim line of bows.  I really like my Ragim Black Bear.

Be aware that drawing a recurve to your anchor point "feels" much more difficult than many compounds (depending on let off).

For example my 50# recurve feels much harder to anchor than my 70# compound purely due to no mechanical assistance.

stickshooterssupplies.co.nz was pretty f@cken good to deal with so I would suggest giving him/them a sniff

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## jakewire

Probably Dumb and no help but the latest NZ hunter has something about bow hunting
Never got past the cover

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## Tahr

Is this a recurve? Looks like fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eulNShXb0MQ&t=932s

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## Steelisreal

@Ryan_Songhurst - probably the first thing to figure out is which is your dominant eye?

This matters quite a lot if you're going to shoot your recurve 'instinctive' or barebow style i.e. no sights. It's a lot like shooting a shotgun as you don't aim as deliberately as you would with a sighted setup.

You can train your muscles and brain into shooting a bow or rifle the opposite way to whatever feels 'natural', but you cannot change your eye dominance.

I'm like you being left-handed, but shoot rifles right-handed as I'm right eye dominant. When I did archery for a few years I went with shooting a bow left-handed (bow riser held in right hand, draw string with left) as I only shot with sights with my right eye shut. If I tried to shoot instinctive I would very likely have to re-train and shoot right-handed.

Might be worth talking to some experienced people from the bowhunters organisation for advice NZ Bowhunters

There is an archery club in Dunedin that does beginners courses (Olympic style target), though I suspect you may find it a little dry for your tastes  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Tahr

> @Ryan_Songhurst - probably the first thing to figure out is which is your dominant eye?
> 
> This matters quite a lot if you're going to shoot your recurve 'instinctive' or barebow style i.e. no sights. It's a lot like shooting a shotgun as you don't aim as deliberately as you would with a sighted setup.
> 
> You can train your muscles and brain into shooting a bow or rifle the opposite way to whatever feels 'natural', but you cannot change your eye dominance.
> 
> I'm like you being left-handed, but shoot rifles right-handed as I'm right eye dominant. When I did archery for a few years I went with shooting a bow left-handed (bow riser held in right hand, draw string with left) as I only shot with sights with my right eye shut. If I tried to shoot instinctive I would very likely have to re-train and shoot right-handed.
> 
> Might be worth talking to some experienced people from the bowhunters organisation for advice NZ Bowhunters
> ...


His dominant eye used to be a .270 one. Then a .222 one but that faded quickly and changed to a 308 one. That seems to be losing its sight in favour of an arrow one.  :Have A Nice Day:

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## c-dog

@Ryan_Songhurst i have shot recurve and compound both right and left handed, taken a few goats possums and rabbits with the compound but not a lot with the recurves. i started with righthand as im right handed but realised after the fact im left eye dominant and with a shoulder injury could no longer use a right handed bow. so picked up the old mans lefthand recurve and got a new string made up, hoping to get onto a deer with it at some stage, just moved house so have room to practice now, if your in the outram area let me know and you can give it a try (only 50lbs draw) its quite possible you are left eye dominant so would be good to confirm this before you make a purchase. i make my own arrows up with either cedar shafts or just recently made some carbon ones with a timber veneer on the outside which gives the best of both worlds (straightness and weight and look traditional) i purchased my products from stick shooter supplies and if i was in the market for a new bow i would look at the slikstick, really nice light traditional bow with a really high speed for draw weight (as far as recurves go) good reviews on youtube etc, nowhere i know of in the south to look at them tho.

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## Ryan_Songhurst

I'm pretty sure I'm right eye dominant? I use a rifle right handed although I just recently got a spotting scope and it doesnt seem to matter which eye I use, I naturally start using my right eye as I'm used to looking through scopes etc with my right eye but if I get tired I switch to the left and doesnt seem to make any difference. I have a buddy who's gonna play rugby for West Taieri this coming season so hes just moved down from the Kurow area so I'll possibly come over for a visit at some stage, will keep in touch, cheers  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Ground Control

This thread got me motivated to try the Sage again, but with I tried  string walking  for the first time .
What a difference, in 10 minutes I was grouping better than ever before .
I will be using this technique from now on for sure .
The group in the picture 15 yrds is fairly consistent with what I'm achieving now which is miles better than when i was shooting split finger gap

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## c-dog

here's a pretty simple way to figure out your dominant eye, i use index and thumb fingers on both hands to make a small diamond shape to use as a sight, look through the diamond shape at a small object with both eyes open, close each eye while remaining looking at the object then when it stays inside the diamond it confirms your dominant eye, attached a link with easier to follow instructions(just a bigger sight picture)
https://www.allaboutvision.com/video/dominant-eye.htm

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## gonetropo

buy a bloody compound, best move you will ever make

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## Micky Duck

even easier...throw up your right  hand like you did as a kid playing cowboys and itchybums...pistol shoot something out at 20 yards with your pistol up at eye height inline...close your left eye...does your pistol now aim somewhere else??? if so left eye dominant.if it stays the same ,right eye dominant
same with shotgunning...it matters a HUGE amount.

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## northdude

how long do you think you will keep it for  :Psmiley:

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## Micky Duck

once used recurve forsale   coming to a space near you soon....

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## MSL

> how long do you think you will keep it for


Thats a point, make sure you buy something that will appeal to the broadest market


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## Ground Control

My Samick Sage Bow  , 12 Arrows ,and  Finger Tab cost me less than the equivalent of a cheap / middle quality 3-9 power rifle scope .
For the amount of fun I’ve had for the money spent its a bit of a no brainer in my opinion.

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## Frodo

Haven't shot big game with recurves, but I've flung sticks at targets and rabbits/wallabies. 

Best bet would be to go along to an archery club (i.e the canterbury bowhunters society) - think they're shooting out at Living Springs now - and actually try a few bows out, and watch/chat to those who've mastered the game. 

If traditional archery is what you're thinking of getting into, it's best to take it slow and do it properly from the get go. Otherwise you'll likely develop bad habits, and you'll have to work twice as hard to 'un-do' the bad habits, and then re-learn everything. 

I.e choosing a bow with too much draw weight can encourage you to short-draw the bow and 'snap shoot', instead of pulling the string all the way back to your face; anchoring the string at a specific/consistent point; building muscle tension in your back; and letting the string gently roll off your fingers (and doing all of those things each and every time). Snap shooting can eventually lead to target panic.

Most people overestimate how much they can pull. It's not just about 'pulling the string back', but pulling it back and being able to focus completely on the shot process as opposed to "shit, my muscles are getting tired, I've gotta let go NOW". And like any exercise, if you haven't used a group of muscles before, it'll likely take a bit of work to develop some strength. 

The best way to begin would be to buy a cheap and reliable bow (someone else in this thread mentioned the Samick Sage - good option) that allows for the limbs to be changed. Buy some medium weight limbs (i.e 30lbs) and practice your shooting. Start at a short distance (i.e 5m) and once you can get all the arrows into a fist sized group, slowly increase the distance. 

Once you're shooting pie plate groups at 20-25m, and you're considering hunting game, buy a second set of limbs (on a cheap bow, it may only cost you $150-$200, as opposed to, say, $1000+ on a higher spec model) at a higher poundage (45-50lbs). 

A cheap riser (bow handle) + two sets of limbs might cost you $700-800.00. 

It may take a year or more of daily practice to develop your skills to a level where you're 100% confident of hitting small targets at unmarked distances.

If you're just after the challenge of getting close, but don't want the fuss of having to practice constantly to keep your skills sharp, just get yourself a compound bow. They're the superior option if hunting is the goal. 

If you look at most of the top traditional bowhunters in the USA, most of them are big on target archery (either Olympic style or 3D). There's a reason for that.  :Have A Nice Day:  Traditionally, bowhunting and target archery went hand-in-hand. Not quite like buying a rifle and going off hunting the next day.

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## GSP HUNTER

Ryan, I rate the Bear Grizzly or Kodiak.
45 to 55 max to start. Great bows, shoot well. few good dealers over the ditch.

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## Preacher

> Ryan, I rate the Bear Grizzly or Kodiak.
> 45 to 55 max to start. Great bows, shoot well. few good dealers over the ditch.


Agree wholeheartedly but $$$$ if only just getting into it.

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## GlenM

Have a look at the ILF bows. I am looking to get into trad archery too and these seem to be a great option. Multiple manufacturers making limbs and risers that are all interchangeable with each other. Could start off with a riser you like and cheap, low draw weight limbs and when you get good technique you can get another set of limbs with a higher draw weight.

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## WillM

Hey Ryan, 

Im a bow hunter in CHCH. Might be worth coming down to the club to meet some of the lads. https://canterburyarchers.co.nz/ Youll be able to try some gear and see which discipline suits you best. Everyone will be more than happy to help. Flip me a DM if youve got any questions. Im a compound man myself so wont be as much help with the stick and string.

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## Shearer

https://www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=...2-7ADF2F94722C

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