From the Lions' Den - A freestylers' journey.

LionOfNarnia

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Thank you all :D

Small postscript -

The 'Adam' I mentioned in the write up, unknown to me at the time, is also a member of the Archery UK Facebook group & was chuffed to be mentioned (I posted the link to that group & also NADA, the Nation Association of Disabled Archers). We are now Facebook friends.

My NADA shirt arrived this morning but as I didn't get to bed until 7am I haven't opened it yet. Photos later.
 

LionOfNarnia

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Friday was more about getting used to a 'normal' target again, after weeks of Worcesters, than it was about recording scores - mostly I was getting 4-arrow ends in (sometimes 5) as there were a couple of slow-shooting rookies on the line.

I was also held back by a head-cold & a VERY painful muscular thing between ribs & hips on the right side, a new aspect of fibro I assume.

Nevertheless I'd guess I was still shooting something north of 500 (Portsmouth).

One of the most pleasing things was that my Bodgit International repair to the armguard actually survived the session! I used Bohning Fletch-Tite to attach, then trim, a couple of vanes to the string-side & a piece cut from one of those oblong 'milk bottle' boxes (from the Tawant sight, I think) to the arm-side. I'll still need a new one as soon as finances allow ofc but at least I have a little time to spare now. I'm thinking of a Beiter one, unless anyone has any good reasons why not?

Another 'discovery' was that whereas the green (shibby) fibre is much better than red for the Worcester, the reverse seems to be true for Portsmouth.

The coach took a few pics of me 'in action' in the new shirt, and with the plate & medal from Green Lane. I did get a minor hard time for the amount of fingerprints on the plate :(

Back NADA 1.jpg

Rear NADA 1.jpg

plate NADA 1.jpg
 

LionOfNarnia

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LOL I polished them out (well, the front anyway) with my microfibre 'bow cloth' before that pic was taken!

Sunday was a non-event, being still very snotty & phlegmy, but was worth it I reckon as shooting under difficult conditions prepares one better than only shooting when everything is 'perfect'. The 'pinch' nuts on my Tec-X came loose halfway through too, so as jalopy managed to limp through her MOT this morning I think I'll be ordering a WNS SP-100 next month.
 

geoffretired

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Heehee I am tempted to say something about " all show and......................" but I won't as it will just sound too rude; and I don't mean it like that.
But I do like the idea of polishing only the front; it's like reducing your carbon footprint by reducing food intake as a result of putting in less effort; therefore reducing the amount of fuel consumed by the food transporters. You're just a good guy doing your best to save the planet. Not really a lion at all.
 

LionOfNarnia

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LOL I did give the back a wipe too, when I got home.

Friday was a pure 'concentrate on form' session, no scores recorded, just trying to get better consistency. I did hit a couple of 29's but I'm still hitting far too many reds for comfort. OK, a lot were probably down to rushing the process in order to get 6/end off, but the last half-hour I only shot 3's & forced m'sel to take my time. That's where the 29's came from but there was a disappointing 21 in the mix too.

I'm going to be breaking one of the 'golden rules' next Friday, is that more Leonine for ya?

Because my wee jalopy sneaked a first-time MOT pass on Tuesday (I was certain that the front tyres would fail but they are still just legal) I found m'sel with some 'spare cash'. Yes, I have things that it would be useful for - tax & insurance are due in a fortnight - but the lure of new kit got to me (I did resist for a couple of days) on Friday. A WNS SP-100 carbon sight & a Beiter armguard are winging their way northwards from Poole.

But I'll only have Friday evening to set the sights ready for the Cumbria County Open Indoor next Sunday. It's a risk factor, yes, but I reckon that it's countered by not having to worry about the pinch nuts coming loose again. It's the only 'design flaw' on the TEC series imo.

- I did ask around at the club, no-one else has an SP-100 but one of our stalwarts is still using its' predecessor, the SF Velocity, and swears by it. Says the pin-lock only needs to be hand-tight & never moves. If it's good enough for a dude with £1500 worth of riser, limbs & stabilisers (plus X10s) then for sure it's good enough for me!
 

Emmadragon

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If it's any consolation, I put a new grip onto my riser on Sunday morning, immediately before a tournament. No testing, nothing! Fortunately it worked a treat.
 

LionOfNarnia

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The way things are going, I'll be lucky if it's here before the compo :(

- They had to order it in from their suppliers, was due at the shop today but I haven't had a dispatch email yet so time is getting a little tight.

I didn't even get to practice on Sunday, I cocked up on my finances (forgot to take my compo entry cheque into consideration) so had no money for fuel. Will run out of baccy 2moz too, will have to resort to a vape until Friday. Hey, I was an engineer not an accountant!
 

LionOfNarnia

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Are Beiter the Ikea of Archery?

When my Fivics armguard arrived, many moons ago, it came out of the pack ready to be worn. The new Beiter came in SEVEN pieces (3 Elastics, 3 Clips & the Guard) which took flippin' ages to assemble partly due to how hard it was to guide the elastics through the slots until you realise that what the instructions should have said was 'use tweezers'; and partially from having to do the whole thing twice due to not noticing that the elastics are all different lengths until I put it on. Happy with the final product, but slightly better instructions would have made the process of getting there a lot less frustrating. Bloody Germans!

So yes, the order arrived this lunchtime, less than 4 hours after the 'dispatched' email did. A welcome surprise!

Beiter 1.jpg
 

KidCurry

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Ha Ha... yep mine too. Took ages to thread through the gaps. And of course it was round the wrong way. Who would have guessed the instructions would be so clear :) But only came with two straps :(
 

LionOfNarnia

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AVALON TEC X vs WNS SPR-100 - First Thoughts

The reason to purchase the WNS sight was simple - I got sick of the 'pinch nuts' on the pin shaft coming loose, more often than not in the middle of an end, requiring withdrawal behind the line & use of two spanners - and some very awkward hand positions - to restore.

However, and bear in mind I don't get to actually shoot with the WNS until tomorrow, I have already spotted a couple of other 'features' which I think are superior to the Avalon...

... in fact, comparable to 'premium' sights costing up to SIX times as much.

1) The adjustment knobs are much bigger, and smoother to use, and the 'clicks' are more positive.

2) The bow-side vernier is blank white, so it'll be easy to mark off the right elevation for different distances without scrabbling for a notebook.

The 'surprise' was that although the WNS feels lighter - it lacks the 'smooth' vertical guide-rod & has a carbon bar - it is in fact around 100 grams heavier than the Avalon. Whether I have to compensate by removing weight from the long rod remains to be seen.

WNS 1.jpg

WNS 2.jpg
 
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