My son is 5 and I'm looking at a few options for his first bow. His draw length looks to be about 18". What poundage would be a good starting weight?
Secondly, what arrow shafts would you recommend for a youth bow in this range?
Thanks in advance.
Mad dog archery. Talk to Mike he should be able to point you in right direction
QuoteOriginally posted by dahyer:
Mad dog archery. Talk to Mike he should be able to point you in right direction
X2 Give Mike a call, he can help you out.
Most 5 year olds we see are shooting 9#@18". Some of the kids can handle a bit more, but there really is no reason, at that age to shoot anything too heavy.
1/4" wood arrows cut to 24" work well from the little bows. 12/14 jazz arrows shoot like darts.
The main thing is to get him shooting regularly and let him learn what muscles to use to draw the bow.
My son is now 8 and shoots a 25# Maddog Pup. He started with an 11# Black Rhino that his sister is now shooting. We bought him the Black Rhino "light" when he was 3 years old and he's been shooting ever since. They both have been great bows, but the Black Rhino was a great starter bow, but the Maddog feels and looks much more "advanced." Can't go wrong either way.
1/4" dowels work great for the youth arrows!
So would 20@24 seem a bit much drawn at 18?
I got a black rhino for my 3 year old. Great bow. We shoot 1/4 inch dowels. I think he likes roving and stump shooting far more than shooting targets in the backyard. I would say at this stage, leant to staying light weight. Keep it fun and easy on them.
20@24" would be about 11 or 12 pounds @18". A pound or two at his age can be a lot.
We do a trade-in program for our bows that makes getting the right bow for his age easier. We allow 75% of the original purchase price of the bow, when you trade it in.
I helped my niece and nephew learn how to shoot with a St. Joe River Bow. There youth bows are awesome. I believe it was a 14lb draw. About 9 lbs when they drew it. We used 1/4" youth arrows and they worked great. They are a sponsor here and love working with the youth.
My oldest son shoots a Maddog Pup longbow 23#@25" which he draws to 22". My youngest shoots the same bow at the same draw and does it with ease. Both shoot wood youth arrows I picked up on sale at 3 Rivers (if memory serves) several years back.
The bow out performs every other youth bow I've seen and sends the youth woodies down range with real authority.
Talk to Bob at sarrels Archery. He makes some really cool kids bows.
Bisch