Archery, a thrilling and exciting hobby, no doubt! But if you are new to this field or you are pursuing it professionally, you will surely need a complete platform where you can get all the information related to the equipment of archery, whether it is a bow, a crossbow, arrows or related archery gear. Our goal is to become such a platform for you. We will be giving you the most authentic and reliable information to make your passion to archery reach greater heights. You may be overwhelmed with plenty of information available, but all we place here will be relevant and quite up to date. When you plan to go out in the wild, it is important to know all the necessary info whether it’sa bow or lightweight hunting boots. So whether you are a professional or a newcomer we can serve you according to your interest and requirements.
Bows have been in existence for ages and have evolved throughout history. They started as a piece of wood with sinew but have since evolved and are now made with material like fiberglass and carbon fiber, and have many advanced features, including scopes as featured on scopehut.com. Let’s start with an overview of what types of bows exist nowadays.
Main Types of Bows Are:
Recurve Bows
This bow got its name from its shape. The center of the limbs curve towards the archer and the ends of the limbs curve away from the archer, which makes the bow more powerful. This design does not require as much strength from the shooter. Recurve bows are great starting bows for those who want to get started with archery. Novice archers start with a barebow consisting of bow limbs, a string, an arrow rest, and a riser for balance. As students become more skilled they can add additional features. There are also a lot of advanced recurve bows for more experienced and competitive archers. The recurve bow is also known as a traditional bow.
Takedown Bow
This is a recurve bow on which the limbs can be taken apart from the riser for easy storage, transportation and upgrades. The limbs are commonly made of fiberglass on a wooden central piece, and the riser is made of alloy, carbon, aluminum or wood. Takedown recurve bows are usually inexpensive and they are very easy to use. A great benefit of takedown bows is that they can be easily dissembled for transportation and storage, and I case it breaks you can simply replace the broken part for a fairly low price. Another great benefit is that once you train your muscles and get stronger, you can quickly and cheaply increase draw weight by changing limbs.
Longbows
Another traditional bow is the Longbow. Longbows are one of the oldest bows dating back to 1298. If you are watching a movie with a battlefield scene from before the 16th century, you are most likely to see this type of bow. It is a very simple bow made of a long curved piece of wood that is as tall as the archer. It does not have arrow rests or sights. These bows are harder to aim and do not have the speed of a Compound or Recurve bow. It takes a lot of practice to master this bow, and it is good for those who enjoy a challenge.
Compound Bows
These bows were developed in the 1960s. They are mechanically operated by pulleys, cables, and cams that help archers hold heavy draw weights at full draw. Compound bows are known for their light weight and accurate speed. Materials used to make compound bows include aluminum, magnesium, carbon and fiberglass. Limbs on this bow are stiffer than other bows which makes them more energy efficient, and increases accuracy. There are also several types of cams; the single cam is for the more skilled archer.
Although these bows can be easy to use, choosing the right one can be difficult because of the different sizes, styles and configurations available on the market. If you are interested in compound bows, you should check out our Compound Bow Selection Guide, it will give all the information you need to know about compound bows. These bows are great bows for beginners for deer hunting.
Yumi Bows
A Yumi bow is a Japanese bow used in Japanese archery also called Kyudo. These bows were very popular among samurai warriors before advancement of gunpowder and guns. The Yumi bow is very tall, normally taller than the archer, and is made from a combination of bamboo and wood. Nowadays there are three kinds of Yumi bows – a synthetic yumi made from carbon-fiber and fiberglass, a lacquered bamboo yumi, and a standard authentic bamboo yumi. The standard bamboo yumi is the one most commonly used today even though it is more expensive than the other two.
Reflex Bows
A Reflex bow has curved arms that face away from the shooter. When you take the strings off, the whole body bends forward in a C shape, compared to the recurve bow where only the ends curve away. The material of the bow is put under a lot of pressure because of the curves that enable a short bow to have a long draw length and a high draw weight. Because of this, a bow can shoot at the same or greater speed and stopping power than a longbow or recurve bow. The Mongols used these bows during their takeover of much of Asia and Europe.
Crossbows
Crossbows have existed since ancient times and were used mostly by the military during wartime. Evidence shows that they were used in Ancient China as far back as 600 B.C. Crossbows in modern times are mainly used for hunting and sports. This bow is a horizontal limb assembly mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles. The projectiles are called quarrels or bolts. The bow is called the prod or lath.
Crossbows today are made to use arrows which are more suited for hunting game rather than bolts. Bolts are still used but they are inspected and marked to ensure weight consistency, and there are various heads available. Strings for a crossbow are made of strong fibers that do not easily unravel. Interestingly, crossbows can be made to shoot rocks and even lead bullets.
The draw length on a crossbow is much small than a regular bow. The crossbow has a heavier draw weight but the power stroke is a lot smaller. There are many people who feel that crossbow hunting should not be considered bowhunting because it is too easy. Others say that the crossbow is superior over vertical bows and should not be allowed in archery season. As more people are educated, there is now a revival of the crossbow and it is now being used more often for hunting.
Its More Than Mere Bows, You Need a Complete Package of Archery
All those who are interested in archery and are getting started, may think that knowing about the bows is enough. This is not the case. There are a lot of additional elements that need to be taken care of to At www.aStraightArrow.net we provide information about everything that may be needed in archery and hunting. Some of the major areas addressed at our website are:
- Archery Bags
- Archery Optics
- Archery Quivers
- Bow Arrows
- Crossbow Bolts
- Broadheads
- Types of Broadheads
- Pistol Crossbows (including best pistol crossbow)
Besides, advanced archers and hunters are using sights for their bows. It helps to improve their accuracy even if there are factors like the wind that can interfere with them.
Our main goal is to help archers of all levels by providing them accurate information. Please let us know your feedback by contacting us via this form.
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