Club Target Selection

naveedgt

New member
Hello,

My University archery club has finally been granted some time to use the sports hall after a year of begging, so we are going to have to get some targets. To start off with there are only going to be a few of us shooting, just to get us ready for competition but we do have intentions of training new members there in the near future.

To start off with we were thinking of getting some foam targets, but we dont't know how long these will last since we would be shooting up to 4 3hour sessions a week.

I would really appreciate some advice on which direction to go. Thank you in advance.

Naveed
 
M

Moose

Guest
When at Rochdale the indoor targets are the stacked foam type and lasted a year with a bit of maintenance, the club had over 100 members with juniors 24 7 access and at least 1/2 the members shot at least once a week every week with another 1/4 shooting between 2 and 3 times a week.

The club had a good number of compounds who generally fell in to the 2-3 times a week so the foam targets are a good choice

Courtesy of iMoose
 

bimble

Well-known member
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Though something that can be said for Ergotec straw bosses (and make sure you get teh Ergotec ones and NOT the Italian ones), is that it is possible to mark the boss and so rotate it every session to spread the wear. My home club does this. With foam bosses the targets are always going to be in roughly the same place so you'll end up with lots of wear in some areas and almost none in others. This then requires you disassembling the boss and moving the packing around (easier in some than in others).

Just a thought, look forward to seeing you at the Uni Champs in the near future!! (which Uni??)
 

naveedgt

New member
Thank you for replies, the info about the foam targets is really reassuring Moose.

We use at the ergotec straw bosses at the club we shoot with (many thanks to Newham archers for getting us to where we are) and we will definitely getting these in the future, the foam targets are just short term.

We are Queen Mary University of London and the archery club is only about a year and a half old, so most of us are newish shooters. Getting as much practice is a must before the bucs indoor competition :).
 

Bald Eagle

New member
Indoors, for storage space and cheapness, I'd go for straw. You can buy 2 or 3 for the price of a good foam boss and by rotating each session they will last longer. Only downside is the mess they make!
 

Eclipse

New member
Have a look at the Self-Pack layered foam bosses from TenZone Targets
Last for ages and easy to maintain if too much wear occurs
Come complete with built in stand/frame for less than the price of a good straw boss
 

naveedgt

New member
The tenzone targets look good. The problem is that the guys who run the sports hall want us to store the equipment on the second floor :S, I don't think they've rolled a straw target before, I know I haven't up a flight of stairs.
 

Shirt

Well-known member
Well, whatever you buy, you're going to have to carry it so consider weight as part of the equation. Foam is a bit lighter in that sense, but only a bit.

Despite what some people seem to believe, you can't roll foam bosses...
 

imntmad

New member
I'd negotiate for one of the cupboards in the corridor leading up to the hall (if it hasn't changed too much since I was there last) - one of the other clubs/societies may do a trade with you - or let you use a bit of space for a couple of butts.

Good luck for the future!
 

naveedgt

New member
I'd negotiate for one of the cupboards in the corridor leading up to the hall (if it hasn't changed too much since I was there last) - one of the other clubs/societies may do a trade with you - or let you use a bit of space for a couple of butts.

Good luck for the future!
Thats what we're hoping to do. It seems that the badminton club has the SU's main attention so sweet talking them might help.
 

Yorker

New member
In my opinion and experience Layered Foam are the way to go for the following reasons:
  • Whilst straw bosses are thinner and rolleable, they are usually much heavier in general: You can compensate for the layed foam's bulkiness by the fact you can form a row of bosses and then more easily stack on top as well - they square away nicely.
  • Maintainance Point 1: Once a straw boss or replaceable section from a segmented target is dead, it is dead for good. I have seen some straw bosses last years and years but eventually you will no doubt have a neatish 12cm ring, 30cm from the centre of the boss, all the way round, that won't stop a highlighter passing through let alone an arrow.
  • Maintainance Point 2: It is not unreasonable to presume that once you have your equipment you will be required to maintain it entirely yourselves and with your own money. If you can find a supplier of decent foam or even offcuts and invest in a banding machine you can keep rebuilding your foam targets and keep them at a high level far longer than if you have to replace whole targets/sections of targets on a yearly basis.

Hoope this helps!
 

naveedgt

New member
In my opinion and experience Layered Foam are the way to go for the following reasons:
  • Whilst straw bosses are thinner and rolleable, they are usually much heavier in general: You can compensate for the layed foam's bulkiness by the fact you can form a row of bosses and then more easily stack on top as well - they square away nicely.
  • Maintainance Point 1: Once a straw boss or replaceable section from a segmented target is dead, it is dead for good. I have seen some straw bosses last years and years but eventually you will no doubt have a neatish 12cm ring, 30cm from the centre of the boss, all the way round, that won't stop a highlighter passing through let alone an arrow.
  • Maintainance Point 2: It is not unreasonable to presume that once you have your equipment you will be required to maintain it entirely yourselves and with your own money. If you can find a supplier of decent foam or even offcuts and invest in a banding machine you can keep rebuilding your foam targets and keep them at a high level far longer than if you have to replace whole targets/sections of targets on a yearly basis.

Hoope this helps!
Thank you, we have decided to go for the foam targets based on several things but mainly they seem to be the cheaper option.

Thanks for the help guys really appreciate it.
 
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