Bought another bow!

[Thunk]

Years ago I shot a one-piece wooden recurve made by Kings of Kelso; older readers of this forum will have heard the tale of how I walked away from archery leaving all my kit, including my bow, on a shooting line I had just been thrown off. I didn't come back for over thirty years.

I've always regretted the loss of that bow and sometimes see a similar one on Ebay - but they're never left-handed...

Last week I saw a one-piece hunter recurve on Ebay - and it was left-handed! Not quite what I was thinking of, but it looked very pretty so I thought I'd put a small bid on it - and won it for thirty-one quid!

It is indeed pretty; a rosewood and walnut laminate handle with rock maple limbs under black glass. It looks similar to the one-piece hunter that Quicks sell, except that theirs is made by Samick (I think) and has a matt finish. This one has a gloss finish and is made in Korea by Horugel. It's 58" and 34lbs at 28".

I've never shot a hunter before, but I got a 54" string for it and tried it out. My 70" target recurve is also 34lbs but this feels much heavier to draw, and my ACCs fly high from it. Hopefully someone here can advise me what brace height is appropriate (currently with no twists in the string the brace height is 9" to the stick-on Hoyt rest) and a better arrow? I know nothing about traditional arrows; come to that, I know nothing about this kind of bow - yet!

 

[JohnnyH]

You left all your gear!??
Man, you must have been annoyed!

 

[Compound10]

yes we want to hear the leaving the gear story ....

 

[Thorvald]

Me too, that sounds like an interesting story. Congratulations on comming back and getting a wonderful bow in your hand. And pictures of the bow would be welcome - we love pictures... :cheerful: It is probably because the bow is shorter, that it feels harder to draw. It is not allways so, but in some cases, depending on the bow design. It can be that the design of this Hunter, makes the bow shoot faster. There is nothing wrong in using ACC's, if they are of correct spine.

 

[Thunk]

I moved my request for help to the trad forum - in hindsight it seemed more appropriate there.

Tried to find a link to my original post of the story, but I guess it got lost in a forum update somewhere. My post history only goes back 500 posts and it must have been way before then...

I was a callow youth in my twenties then. I was a bit good - I would have been something like MB and perhaps knocking on the door of GMB. I went to a major tournament and was shooting sighters when a judge shouted from the other end of the line for me to stand away. He continued shouting as he walked up the line and didn't lower the volume when he was only about three feet from me. His problem was my shirt; it was the regulation shade of green when I bought it and in my estimation still was, although it had seen the best part of a season's use and therefore been in the launderette a few times. According to him it was the wrong shade, and 'if I couldn't be bothered to dress myself properly, he couldn't be bothered to let me shoot'. His rant was continuous, with various allusions to how people like me were the ruin of the sport, yada yada yada...

As I recall, there were upwards of two dozen targets at this shoot, so well over a hundred competitors. I was so embarassed that I couldn't even bring myself to pack my kit away with all those people watching - I just walked to my car and drove away, left the lot where it was. This was in 1973, and I never touched a bow again until my wife and I were watching the 2004 Olympics on TV and Alison Williamson was winning a bronze; Eva said, 'I'd like to try that!' And so, thirty-odd years later we both enrolled as beginners at a club. She didn't stick to it, but something of the old bug keeps me going even though I am now crap and can't always even get a second-class score (I now have MS which wasn't the case in the old days).

Never since have I worn GNAS colours to shoot nor will I ever do so again. If I'm helping at a club event I'll wear club colours, otherwise it's whatever I choose. My old club used green and white for their club colours so I left for one with a less traditional attitude. But the change of clothing doesn't really help - I'm still crap!

 

[Thorvald]

Ok - that was a interesting story. Personally I think these rules about dress code is completely nonsens. People should choose whatever clothes they want. So maybe today you shoot 3D, where there is no dress code??

 

[Thunk]

No, I still shoot target recurve. I'd like to try field but dislike shooting at representations of animals. I'd never shoot at a real animal and find it difficult to differentiate between shooting real creatures and 'pretending' to do so.

If I find somewhere that does a GNAS field shoot, which uses round targets instead of animal representations, I'll definitely give it a go!

 

[Froggy the Elder]

I'd never shoot at a real animal and find it difficult to differentiate between shooting real creatures and 'pretending' to do so.

Wow. So I am not the only one who feels like that. Makes me feel less odd, cheers Thunk.

I don't object to people shooting animals when legal to do so, or shooting pictures or 3D models of them. As long as they don't object to me choosing not to.

 

[Thorvald]

No, I still shoot target recurve. I'd like to try field but dislike shooting at representations of animals. I'd never shoot at a real animal and find it difficult to differentiate between shooting real creatures and 'pretending' to do so.

If I find somewhere that does a GNAS field shoot, which uses round targets instead of animal representations, I'll definitely give it a go!

Ok, I have never heard that before, but of course I respect it. But I think that most people who shoot 3D does not look at it that way. For them it is just another type of target with more difficulties and challenges - smaller targets, unknown distances. I have only shot 3D twice in my 24 years long archery life, both was this year - but I enjoyed it very most. The cosy company, the walk in the woods, being outdoor all day long, the challenged shots - oh yes, I liked it very much.