Bow press

Kernowlad

Supporter
Supporter
I think I could do with a simple bow press; any recommendations?
Carter and Bowmaster ones seem okay; any recommendations?

It’s for a Mybo Origin and possibly my sons Hoyt Ruckus.
Thanks!
 

ArcheryFox

Active member
I have found the Synunm portable press great for small everyday jobs - changing strings, rotating peep - though I have also successfully used it to change limbs once when I was in a pinch.
I think cartel might make a knock-off now as well.
Just make sure it is suitable for your bow (no past parallel limbs etc.).
I found Synunm very responsive to emails to clarify if their press would work with my bow.
 

Geophys2

Active member
AIUK Saviour
I have a Bowmaster G2 with the extra L-adaptors. I have used it very successfully on my Hoyt Podium for things like peep and string installation. I have also used it a number of times on other bows when archers at our open shoots have had trouble with their bows, including a rebuild after a dry fire. A few years ago when I was in the USA I visited Lancaster and a number of their staff had a Bowmaster in a belt pouch for the simple tasks for customers, to save waiting for the big presses. They do state that with the L-Adaptors they will work for up to 6deg past parallel limbs.

As you shoot a Mybo, give Merlin a call, they sell the Bowmaster and will be able to tell you which of the L-adaptors should work for you (almost certainly the standard one). Normal bow press rules apply of course, follow the instructions and wear eye protection. Oh and use a socket and ratchet handle rather than the bar attached to the press handle, much easier and quicker.
 

AndyW

Well-known member
I've got the Kaya compound bowpress. It's brilliant.
The Bowmaster is great for the price but I got bored with winding it up and down - it hurts after a while (as per Geophys2 s comment) if you need to keep making repetitive adjustments like string twists etc. If it's the odd peep or string change then the Bowmaster is a great choice.
I also had an old Apple which did the job but was huge and way over engineered.
 

Kernowlad

Supporter
Supporter
Hmmm, I’m feeling a bit down on archery. My son has definitely gone off it, I never seem to get beyond “okay,” various archery issues have haunted me for a while now, we so rarely get to shoot proper rounds. It’s also exacerbating lifelong shoulder niggles.
I’m seriously considering selling up (at a huge loss) and buying myself (and my son) an air rifle. That was our initial plan, the wife vetoed it. My son is now almost 12. Surely old enough now?!
We are both pretty decent shots with a rifle.

She’s still against it but the time may have come.
 

4d4m

Active member
Hmmm, I’m feeling a bit down on archery. My son has definitely gone off it, I never seem to get beyond “okay,” various archery issues have haunted me for a while now, we so rarely get to shoot proper rounds. It’s also exacerbating lifelong shoulder niggles.
I’m seriously considering selling up (at a huge loss) and buying myself (and my son) an air rifle. That was our initial plan, the wife vetoed it. My son is now almost 12. Surely old enough now?!
We are both pretty decent shots with a rifle.

She’s still against it but the time may have come.
Consider getting a more trad style bow. Something to get back the joy of archery. Doesn't have to be the full English (longbow), a flatbow, hybrid longbow or other simple bow. The simpler the better: stick and string. You won't hit as much but I bet you'll have more fun. No pressure, no complicated stuff to fiddle with. Just flinging pointy sticks. I did that when getting bored with target recurve and although I still have the recurve and it does come out from time to time, more often than not I reach for one of the stick bows. You can get a decent AFB for around £100.

Oh yes, get the air rifles too of course! ;)
 

ArcheryFox

Active member
I think all of us who have been doing this long enough experience moments when we feel less enthused or a bit worn out. This is especially true at the moment where it is hard to keep up the motivation when all I have had for 3 months is 10yds in my garden.

I completely agree with 4d4m in that mixing it up a bit can allow you to rekindle the passion and remind you what you really love about the sport. For me it was going in the opposite direction - recurve to compound, but each to their own :). At the time I was feeling similarly to you in that I was putting a lot of work in and not progressing as much as I felt I should. Within a year of changing I progressed a lot more and was much happier. I firmly believe that for some people there is a particular bow style they just click with and find most comfortable and enjoyable, and it's not always the one they first think! ;)

Another thing that helped me in similar times was discovering field archery which I really enjoy and am now very active in.
Finally, when things were not going so well on the shooting side of things I got more involved in my club, other governance, and maintenance. Teaching and organising archery for others can be a great way to keep in touch with the sport and the people whilst shifting focus and giving yourself a reprieve from what you're burnt out on.

Hope things work out. 🤞
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
Hmmm, I’m feeling a bit down on archery. My son has definitely gone off it, I never seem to get beyond “okay,” various archery issues have haunted me for a while now, we so rarely get to shoot proper rounds. It’s also exacerbating lifelong shoulder niggles.
I’m seriously considering selling up (at a huge loss) and buying myself (and my son) an air rifle. That was our initial plan, the wife vetoed it. My son is now almost 12. Surely old enough now?!
We are both pretty decent shots with a rifle.

She’s still against it but the time may have come.
Archery comes in different forms, for different types of archer. Shooting at coloured rings on paper or even pictures of animals on paper, doesn't always grab our enthusiasm. One of the things that I found to make archery more interesting... for younger archers, and people like me... is having something to "knock over". So, as well as a boss ( to catch the arrows), we had small cardboard shapes standing up in front, to knock over.
You have to be fairly accurate to hit the shapes, but not so precise as there is no X in the middle, to indicate that you missed it. We sometimes hung items from a frame above the boss, so you could hit them and they jump but don't need setting up again.
We hung beer mats which give moving targets in a breeze. When we shot a hole through the mat; we changed the challenge to see who could shoot through the hole without moving the mat.
It's the archery equivalent of knocking coconuts off a shy or cans off a wall.
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
Did you, do you set yourself goals? Many archers just use archery as a social past time. If you have a competitive edge this won't be enough and just turning up to shoot every week without a reason will get stale and pointless. Most archers I have seen come and go are those that don't set goals or set goals that are way too high. My goals will change as I improve. It keeps me learning, watching and analysing how I shoot and how others that are better than me shoot. My shooting only takes about 30% or my archery time.
Also, trying to tie your enthusiasm into that of a 12 yr old boy is always going to be a tough ask. For most youngsters todays sport is tomorrows garage junk. Some will find a lifetime's sporting enthusiasm but I suspect that is mostly unlikely.
 
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Kernowlad

Supporter
Supporter
Cheers all. I guess we don’t have any real goals although the Wabtool league thing was quite fun.
And yes I think the enthusiasm has waned from my boy (actually 11 but 12 soonish) after years of giving it a very good go. He was very patient at the very non child friendly target club but we just don’t shoot much with the good but distant field club.

We were lined up for a load of field tournaments but obviously they didn’t happen.

The shoulder thing is annoying; I’m generally pretty strong from years of intense activity. 25 pull ups, 100 push ups, can swim a mile at a good pace, surf for hours without issues but the pull of a bow seems to be the one thing that gives me trouble; it’s on and off though and I did hurt it recently (throwing my daughter over little waves in the sea) so it’s maybe just niggling from that. It has been problematic with archery before though.

It probably wouldn’t be worth selling up; I suspect we’d be lucky to get even a third of what it cost us and maybe a little break might help.

I just like aiming for things and shooting them. I think a rifle would give more reward and less shoulder issues; but I could easily be wrong.
 

KidCurry

Well-known member
AIUK Saviour
It probably wouldn’t be worth selling up; I suspect we’d be lucky to get even a third of what it cost us and maybe a little break might help.
I took a break going back to uni for a while. Didn't sell anything just put the bow away. Just started again where I left off with no expense.
 
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Howi

Member
I shoot a WinWin AtomX39, it comes with a bow press - a massive allen key. Plus! there are strategically placed holes in the cams so you can put pressure on the strings to slightly compress the limbs and drop a steel rod through the cam. There is a video on UTube demonstrating the principle. The limbs adjusting bolts are long enough that winding out these bolts will take the pressure off the limbs for adjustment of string/peep etc without a bow press. Never did like the idea of short bolts that would come free while still a lot of tension on limbs - disaster waiting to happen.
Bow presses! bah! Humbug! :devilish:
 

Corax67

Well-known member
Cheers all. I guess we don’t have any real goals although the Wabtool league thing was quite fun.
And yes I think the enthusiasm has waned from my boy (actually 11 but 12 soonish) after years of giving it a very good go. He was very patient at the very non child friendly target club but we just don’t shoot much with the good but distant field club.

We were lined up for a load of field tournaments but obviously they didn’t happen.

The shoulder thing is annoying; I’m generally pretty strong from years of intense activity. 25 pull ups, 100 push ups, can swim a mile at a good pace, surf for hours without issues but the pull of a bow seems to be the one thing that gives me trouble; it’s on and off though and I did hurt it recently (throwing my daughter over little waves in the sea) so it’s maybe just niggling from that. It has been problematic with archery before though.

It probably wouldn’t be worth selling up; I suspect we’d be lucky to get even a third of what it cost us and maybe a little break might help.

I just like aiming for things and shooting them. I think a rifle would give more reward and less shoulder issues; but I could easily be wrong.
I got like this a few years ago with recurve - couldn’t quite get Bowman, then severe TP then injury & was ready to sell up.

Thankfully one member turned up with an old low power longbow for me to try and it reignited my love of the sport once more.

Your son is at an age when, if you are not at a nurturing club, the desire to continue in any sport or hobby will evaporate and if you too are struggling then this will multiply his feelings.


As someone who has shot a lot of guns since childhood I would always recommend getting one HOWEVER this comes with a load of caveats:

your son can shoot aged 12 but only strictly supervised and on private land by someone over 21
your son can shoot unsupervised from 14
he cannot own an airgun aged 12 but can use one
he cannot transport the airgun until he is 18 (recent change) between authorised venues


You are a very competitive individual, this comes out clearly in your posts and I can understand that as I share the same traits. I believe that if you go down the airgunning route you will want to compete and do well in that too and that plinking away at paper targets or knockdowns in your garden won’t be enough of a test for you.

With this in mind you should know that if you think archery can empty a wallet then it’s nothing compared to what competitive air rifle shooting can do.

You can pick up a £250 spring powered air rifle combo and you will hit a target at garden ranges most of the time but if you venture into Field Target or Hunter Field Target then a top end setup to compare to a Mybo or Hoyt is something like a Precharged pnuematic Air Arms FTP900 (£1900) with a rangefinding scope (£800+) plus associated refill system (£250). 10m target shooting can ramp up the equipment list and costs substantially.


Take a break, consider a change of bowstyle, pick up and air rifle for a bit of fun but don’t give up yet.



Karl
 
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