I bit the bullet and picked up a cheap Samick takedown with 40# limbs - Man what a difference!
I can reach full draw comfortably now! I'm not a 27" draw like I thought - it's definately longer! I can hold at full draw now! I can aim, actually AIM! I actually have groups!!! :D Can you tell I'm excited?
Now for the "DOH!" moments, because I found where I'm comfortable drawing too, I noticed my arrows are exactly .25" too short. I cut and glued them up when I was using the 50# bow and never making it all the way back. I put a broadhead on just to see, and I'll need to be careful that last .25", it wants to walk off the shelf. I may just pick up some more 33/55 shafts and some inserts and start over. Live and learn - again.
Picked up a new Cavalier tab also - really like it. The aluminum backing fits my hand perfectly, and my release has gotten alot smoother just with switching to this new tab. Expensive little bugger though...
And finally, I did a bad thing. :( I got overzelous. Seeing I had groups at 12yrds, I dug through my ancient archery box and found my old original Cobra recurve pin sight with upgraded fiber. I put moved the pin to 20yrd and 25yrds (only have two) and shot 5 arrows - everything in a 3" circle. :eek: I know I need to get rid of the crutch, but it's interesting to see where I should be aiming in the sight window for the distance. I may keep it on for a bit, but I have an entirely new appreciation for you guys that can do that without any pins at all! :notworthy:
Now -
Do we have someone on the forum's approved sponser list that makes armguards? I'm gonna need one. :D
A site can be a good training aid. It let's you see how important form is and how steady you have to hold to get good groups.
As you can see the list of bows I use is short,
for the very reason you stated above.
and they both drive arrows like darts !!!
Carl
I shoot with two sight pins on my Widow and love it. Hats off to the many guys that shoot instictively, but it's just not for me.
Chris,
For an armguard from a sponsor, go to Mike's Archery Leather. Great work and you have some choices. He is in the drop down sponsers list right above the forum posts on any page.
By the way, get a post card from your area and send it to him. He collects them from his customers. I need to do that yet.
Ray
Nothing wrong with sights. Hap
On the other hand wihill, you'd be suprised how quickly you can build up muscle to shoot that 50 lb bow. Draw it back a few times with EACH arm a couple times a day, then draw it back 5 or 10 times, etc. and start holding it at full draw for a few seconds. Work your way up and in a couple months you should be able to shoot it fairly comfortably.
I did the same thing working up from 49 lb limbs to 62 lbs.
Check out Tim Roberts in the sponsor classifieds. He has a great looking knife/armguard combo.
There was a video out by some big guy a few years back entitled something akin to "Learning to Shoot Heavy Bows"
He used a bow for doing exercises... it was pretty cool. He had some other simple weight tools to help.
If you wanted, you could use the 50# to do some exercises...pull to anchor..hold the count of 5 and let down slowly.
Another was to load bow 1/4 way, 1/2, 3/4, then full and hold for 5 count up...then down. Whew!
He emphasized doing it with BOTH arms though...to keep your body balanced
I'm surprised your 40 Samic does't like lighter spine arrows from the 50# y ou were shooting...course, if you weren't pullin it to what it said, it wasn't getting that full 50# either.
Buy some inexpensive alum to practice with the 40 till you get better form and work out with the 50# till you build those muscles...very different set and strain for a stick bow vs. compound... :)
Keep the 40 for when, like me, you get older and need to lighten back up!
Thanks for the help guys. I'll take a look at the brace manufacturers and find one that suits me. Like to support the little guys when I can. :knothead: . I've only been at this 3 weeks and I've got two trad bows and want more... Wife's not gonna like this at all...