Hello, I am Tom and I just joined after lurking and reading about archery.

I want to purchase a bow, but have a question about how to measure the draw and how many pounds I should go.

Maybe it's here, but I never found any information.

Looking for a one piece bow to get started, and looking for suggestions. Thank you.

My recommendation would be to go lower 40"s in weight, so that you can develop good form. Then move up a few pounds for hunting if you want to.
Some bow shops can have you pull a light bow and use a marked arrow to determine your draw length.

Thank you Mike. I will have to look around for a shop that can do that. I don't mind starting with a lower weight, as I am just starting out and need something to practice with.

I am in middle TN if anyone can recommend a place.

If you can find a traditional club near you in TN then you could get some hands on training and probably try a few different bows.
TIM B

Going to do a google search now to see if I can find one. It would be cool to try some out, but I wouldn't want to mess someone's gear up.

I think I may have found a shop close to the house to try some things out. I am a complete newbie, so I may need some instruction for sure.

Where in TN are you?  There are lots of people from that part of the country, and since it is the volunteer state I'll bet someone might volunteer to help you out  

Whip I am in Mt. Juliet, just 13 minutes east of downtown Nashville.

I found a few places online, but haven't contacted them yet. Looks like there are more than I thought around here.

xecutech welcome! I'm still fairly new to traditional archery so I may get trumped with my suggestion. But don't count out a take down bow. Samick makes good bows for good prices and most of the time you can get a new set of limbs for around $100. So you can have a lighter set now then if you want to hunt or just shoot a higher poundage you can buy new limbs and have two different bows. Nice to have options!

Thanks for the advice. I will take a look at Samick. Too bad the online sites don't sell beginner sets for grown ups! lol

My advise is to not dump a ton of money on a new bow. Get to the classifieds on the main page and see whats available at a low price. When you do get a bow start with the basics. Form,form,form and form. And get some reading material as well, Hitten em like Howard, Fred G Ashbel books and such. And dont try to aim and hit the bullseye for the first month of practice,it will throw you off your form. Without good form you wont be a good shot. Tim

And maddog archery has good prices on bows.

Yeah, I am now looking at a Samick Sage. They look like they are about $129. I think I will go with 35lbs to work on form, based on all of the suggestions on here.

The snob in me is wanting one of the custom rigs, but I better learn first and then blow my wad on something high end.

I appreciate the advice. Also, if anyone has a RH used bow with low weight, I may be interested in it. The Samick seems decent though.

Tom, PM on the way. Welcome aboard

To measure your draw length draw back an extra long arrow and have someone mark it where it touches the back of your bow when your at full draw.

QuoteOriginally posted by JamesKerr:
To measure your draw length draw back an extra long arrow and have someone mark it where it touches the back of your bow when your at full draw.

And sence you are brand new the back of the bow is the side facing the target at full draw and the belly is facing you at full draw.

In otherwords the front of the bow is the back of the bow  

I would also suggest you find your dominate eye and start off the right way. The bow shop should be able to help you out.

I too am a newbie to the sport and started with a 35 pound bow to learn form. I took my time a lot of time to get my form down. I am very thankful I did I just got my new bow and it's going to take me some time to get used to pulling it back.

Tom, you could not have gotten any better advice anywhere but here. Ask away friend.

click the "trad archery for bowhunters" article link in my sig line

Tom,

If I may humbly suggest, go to a traditional shoot and ask the shooters to shoot their bows.  You haven't laid out hard earned cash and you will get to try many types of bows.  Most trad shooters are happy to share their knowledge and equipment with a "newbie".

great advice tom....pappy will be having a shoot soon just out of clarksville not sure if venders will be there or not.google twin oak bowhunters and he will have directions and date.i know in the may  he has a good shoot with plenty of venders and they will let you shoot them.he also put on the trad worlds again this year.