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Setting Up a Recurve

Yeah, that’s what I’m wading through now. Seems like way more variables than a compound! My understanding is that Samkck Sage is a center shot bow. I will have a fast flight string on it. I have 100, 125, and 150 grain field points on hand. I’d really like to use the 150s if I can make them work.
 
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It arrived! I was like a kid at Christmas waiting for the amazon truck to show up. Immediately put it together and strung the fast flight string, having to twist quite a bit to raise the brace height to about 8.5”. Like an idiot I pinched the nock too tight and too low, so fiddled with that a bit. Then I cut a small piece of Velcro and stuck it to the shelf as my rest.

Out in the yard I set my target at 5-6 yards and started shooting. The draw weight is perfect, and I was on target with almost every shot. It did become apparent that I need some different arrows. Mine were impacting the target with the nock pointing pretty significantly left (left handed). I believe that’s a stiff spine? I plan to check with my shop to see if they can get me some new arrows that’ll work.

Question: should I leave it strung overnight to stretch the string out?
 
MN_Bowhunter4 said:
It arrived! I was like a kid at Christmas waiting for the amazon truck to show up. Immediately put it together and strung the fast flight string, having to twist quite a bit to raise the brace height to about 8.5”. Like an idiot I pinched the nock too tight and too low, so fiddled with that a bit. Then I cut a small piece of Velcro and stuck it to the shelf as my rest.

Out in the yard I set my target at 5-6 yards and started shooting. The draw weight is perfect, and I was on target with almost every shot. It did become apparent that I need some different arrows. Mine were impacting the target with the nock pointing pretty significantly left (left handed). I believe that’s a stiff spine? I plan to check with my shop to see if they can get me some new arrows that’ll work.

Question: should I leave it strung overnight to stretch the string out?
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I leave my bow strung for months at a time. Limbs haven't twisted or lost poundage.
Your string will stretch more from shooting it than from being strung.
Im new to fast flight strings...always shot b50 dacron. Not sure if fast flight will stretch as much as the dacron, I assume it won't stretch as much.
Remember, as a string stretches, the nock point essentially raises. So unless you readjust the brace height (twist the string again) your nock set won't be where you originally placed it.
 
I leave my bow strung all through bow season and probably a month before as well. Any string will stretch for a short time then it will stabilize. As the string stretches you brace height will lower so check that once in a while until the string quits stretching.
Proper storage is important too. Don't just stand it up in the corner of your closet.
 
ricky racer said:
I leave my bow strung all through bow season and probably a month before as well. Any string will stretch for a short time then it will stabilize. As the string stretches you brace height will lower so check that once in a while until the string quits stretching.
Proper storage is important too. Don't just stand it up in the corner of your closet.
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Rick is right.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER stand a bow in the corner!!! That's a "good" way to twist the bottom limb.
 
Need some help reading the paper tune. Disclaimer, this is the first time I’ve paper tuned outside of a shop.

I’m shooting left handed and have the paper set up about 5 feet off the end of the bow. The nock setting looks fine-ish for the fletched arrows, but pretty significant tear left. That means too stiff from a left hand shooter, correct?

Bare shafts, ***. First one I canted my bow like I did with the fletched arrows and it damn near flew sideways. Second one I tried close to vertical and got that massive tail high. I’m lost on this one?

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
MN_Bowhunter4 said:
Thanks. I do plan to shoot instinctive off the shelf. This thing can't get here soon enough, and you can bet I'll have this thread open once it does!
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I dont mean to start this debate on shooting styles and I am also not a professional archery instructor by any means....much the opposite actually, but rather than shoot "instinctive" start out with a very defined drawing and aiming process. It will shorten your learning curve a lot. Ive committed to hunting with recurve this year. I got a 45# sammick almost two years ago now. Started just letting her rip, some days were good and some not so good. That being the case I didnt have the confidence to take it to the woods. I had no control over it. I ran into a guy at my archery club who is a certified USA whatever (I cant remember all his certifications), but he has taken me under his wing and really got me straightened out. Im not a sharp shooter by any means, but when I have an off shot I can tell you exactly what went wrong based on my shooting process. Im sure you know the Push podcast/youtube channel, but they offer a lot of discussion and resources that are invaluable. Not that they are the end all be all but a lot of good information compiled in one place. Good luck man! Enjoy the journey...Im trying to haha.
 
DaWiz9578 said:
I dont mean to start this debate on shooting styles and I am also not a professional archery instructor by any means....much the opposite actually, but rather than shoot "instinctive" start out with a very defined drawing and aiming process. It will shorten your learning curve a lot. Ive committed to hunting with recurve this year.
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Thanks. I've thought about that and could easily drop a sight on it. My ultimate goal is to hunt without a sight with it, and that made me think that learning to shoot without the sight would be better as I understood what the sight picture looked like at various distances. Maybe counter intuitive, but it seems like starting back at zero when removing the sight eventually?
 
MN_Bowhunter4 said:
Thanks. I've thought about that and could easily drop a sight on it. My ultimate goal is to hunt without a sight with it, and that made me think that learning to shoot without the sight would be better as I understood what the sight picture looked like at various distances. Maybe counter intuitive, but it seems like starting back at zero when removing the sight eventually?
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Good thing is your bow already has a sight on it...your arrow tip! Fine tune that with with a little string walking and your good to go. It takes a little getting used to but thats why if you start out down a solid path you wont have to go back to zero. If you dont have an archery club or any sort of mentor in reach, I shouldnt be your first choice, but I could definitely regurgitate what my mentor has told me and at least get some ideas in your head. PM with your email if youd like and I can send some stuff your way.
 
DaWiz9578 said:
I dont mean to start this debate on shooting styles and I am also not a professional archery instructor by any means....much the opposite actually, but rather than shoot "instinctive" start out with a very defined drawing and aiming process. It will shorten your learning curve a lot. Ive committed to hunting with recurve this year. I got a 45# sammick almost two years ago now. Started just letting her rip, some days were good and some not so good. That being the case I didnt have the confidence to take it to the woods. I had no control over it. I ran into a guy at my archery club who is a certified USA whatever (I cant remember all his certifications), but he has taken me under his wing and really got me straightened out. Im not a sharp shooter by any means, but when I have an off shot I can tell you exactly what went wrong based on my shooting process. Im sure you know the Push podcast/youtube channel, but they offer a lot of discussion and resources that are invaluable. Not that they are the end all be all but a lot of good information compiled in one place. Good luck man! Enjoy the journey...Im trying to haha.
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There's a video out there floating around (wish I could find the link) showing how "instinctive" shooters weren't as instinctive as they thought. It was a non scientific experiment where the lights were turned off and a glowing object was the target. Without seeing the arrow tip, bow, rest , etc. due to the lights being off and the room dark, the shots were significantly less accurate. This would suggest the archer was using a gap aiming technique subconsciously or a similar aiming technique and not nearly as "instinctive" as once thought.
 
Jtaylor said:
There's a video out there floating around (wish I could find the link) showing how "instinctive" shooters weren't as instinctive as they thought. It was a non scientific experiment where the lights were turned off and a glowing object was the target. Without seeing the arrow tip, bow, rest , etc. due to the lights being off and the room dark, the shots were significantly less accurate. This would suggest the archer was using a gap aiming technique subconsciously or a similar aiming technique and not nearly as "instinctive" as once thought.
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I think that most people that shoot instinctive know that we are using the sight picture as a frame of reference. The difference between shooting instinctive and using some sort of aiming method is that I don't have to consciously know the distance to my target. I have played around with every type of aiming method known to man and they all have one thing in common. I either have to range my target or guess at the distance. I don't want to rely on guessing a distance at the moment of truth and I can't get myself to carry a range finder with a stick bow. That's why I keep going back to shooting instinctive, it's just simpler and I am confident inside 20 yds. If I ever planned on shooting at anything farther than that then I would consider an aiming method.


edit: That wasn't meant to be a knock on aiming methods. I think people should shoot however they personally shoot the best and have the most fun. That's what traditional archery is all about.
 
Speaking strictly for myself, if I were to put a site on my recurve, it would mess with my mind.
Back in the 1980s I shot target and hunting compounds and I developed target panic. I still have it to a much lesser extent, but I shoot with much more control as an "instinctive" shooter.
There are so many variations of aiming a trad bow and a lot of the methods are hybrids of several techniques.
My system is basically this...I do all my "aiming" before I draw the bow. I raise the bow, I point the arrow at the target, and THEN draw. At that point of my sequence, I'm no longer looking at any part of the bow. I'm barely even concentrating on the target because it distracts me from concentrating on my form. My mind is subconsciously aiming, but my conscious mind is focused on my form. It took me several years to learn to trust that I was REALLY aiming at the spot. I always felt the need to adjust my aim, which effected my form. A few years ago, I stopped worrying about "aiming" after I hit my anchor and started concentrating on ME. I still have a hard time accepting that my subconscious knows where to aim, but it works for me. I screw up more of my shots because of poor form and not because of poor aiming.
 
You probably know what good form is. When shooting, subconsciously make sure your form is correct and do the same thing every time you shoot. Concentrate on a small spot on your target. If you don't have a small spot on your target, take a magic marker and make a spot about the size of a quarter on it. Pretend you eyes are casting a laser beam to that spot. Like Tom said, you're aiming as you draw. Complete your draw, again making sure you are consistent with your form but don't break the concentration of that laser beam directly onto the spot. Once you hit your anchor, release the arrow within 1 or 2 seconds at the most. Start maybe 10-15 yards from the target and work your way back. Let your muscle memory do it's thing. It will take a while to develop the muscle memory. Remember muscle memory is just the programming of your internal computer (brain). In my experience, the more you concentrate on things other than the spot the less concentration you'll have for the spot.
That may sound the opposite of what Tom said, but you need to play around and see what works for you.
 
ricky racer said:
You probably know what good form is. When shooting, subconsciously make sure your form is correct and do the same thing every time you shoot. Concentrate on a small spot on your target. If you don't have a small spot on your target, take a magic marker and make a spot about the size of a quarter on it. Pretend you eyes are casting a laser beam to that spot. Like Tom said, you're aiming as you draw. Complete your draw, again making sure you are consistent with your form but don't break the concentration of that laser beam directly onto the spot. Once you hit your anchor, release the arrow within 1 or 2 seconds at the most. Start maybe 10-15 yards from the target and work your way back. Let your muscle memory do it's thing. It will take a while to develop the muscle memory. Remember muscle memory is just the programming of your internal computer (brain). In my experience, the more you concentrate on things other than the spot the less concentration you'll have for the spot.
That may sound the opposite of what Tom said, but you need to play around and see what works for you.
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It is the opposite of what works for me.
I really think each shooter will have a slightly different individual style that is the best style for THEM. I really resist the concept of "This is how it's done". The entire shot sequence, IMO, is very individual.
For me, once I start to draw, I need to think less about the spot and more about execution.
I guess I cant walk and chew gum at the same time! Lol.
 
I guess what I was trying to say most of all is for a beginning recurve/longbow archer "aiming" in some shape or form may be an easier way to get a good effective group around 20 yds and under until muscle memory/mental focus develops. I'm speaking for myself but after trying aiming for awhile the 20 yd groups and under are much more repeatable. I guess once a person gets it, it's like throwing wadded up paper into the trash from a few feet away without much thought. Just different ideas to try! What works for one may not work for the next but at least there's plenty of methods out there to try! Maybe try to "aim instinctively"?
 
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Allegheny Tom said:
I'm barely even concentrating on the target because it distracts me from concentrating on my form. My mind is subconsciously aiming, but my conscious mind is focused on my form. It took me several years to learn to trust that I was REALLY aiming at the spot. I always felt the need to adjust my aim, which effected my form. A few years ago, I stopped worrying about "aiming" after I hit my anchor and started concentrating on ME. I still have a hard time accepting that my subconscious knows where to aim, but it works for me. I screw up more of my shots because of poor form and not because of poor aiming.
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This was the single biggest thing that improved my shooting. The second I quit focusing on trying to aim and started focusing on my form my shooting improved. For me personally I focus on back tension up until the time of release as that is the part of my form I struggle the most with. It all 'clicked' for me listening to Joel Turner and Tom Clum talking about how your conscious mind can only focus on one thing at a time.

I would highly recommend Tom Clums Solid Archery Mechanics course for a new trad archer. It is well worth the money as there is a ton of information that will speed up your learning curve drastically.
 
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