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Archery Equipment

This is the list of equipment that we at On Site Archery recommend for an archer that is progressing, showing a liking for the sport, and wants to get equipment that won’t have to soon get replaced. This equipment is generally not for very young archers, say under the age of ten, unless they’ve been doing it a while.

We’ve tried to hit a good price point—solid equipment that will definitely get the job done without breaking the bank. You can find less expensive equipment, but our goal is to spend a bit more (but not a lot more) for some of the more important equipment so that it will last a while. All the equipment we list has been used by many archers and has lasted quite well.

Note: Because we realize cost is often an overriding factor, we’ve done our best to also list choices that are less expensive, particularly in regards to a riser and limbs—in the hopes of allowing an archer to get equipment that will suffice. In some cases we haven’t yet tested such equipment.

Quick Overview

Some of the equipment comes in either a right hand or left hand configuration. Most archers use a right hand configuration, but some use left. If the archer grabs the bow with his/her left hand and pulls the string with his/her right, the archer is a “righty”. If the archer uses his/her right hand to grab the bow and the left to pull the string back, the archer is a “lefty”.

There are many kinds of bows, but the type of bow almost all archers shoot at On Site Archery is called a “recurve” bow. Archers start by shooting a “barebow” configuration of a recurve bow, which basically means they shoot with a riser, limbs, a string, and an arrow rest. Later on, if the archer is interested, they may change to shooting official “Olympic recurve” style, and this means they will add other components to the bow. This post is about getting the equipment for a barebow recurve.

There are risers specifically built for shooting barebow and not recurve, but these are more expensive. Such a riser is either for more advanced shooters or for those that know they will be continuing with the sport and in particular barebow. One may go this route if one doesn’t mind spending extra money (anywhere from another $100 to $300) in the interest of learning and growing with a riser that is suitable in any level of archery—even in a world-class tournament.

The riser is the “bow” without the limbs attached. Limbs then attach to the riser to form a “bow” that one can put a string on. When an archer shows up to class with their own equipment, you’ll see him/her put together their bow by attaching limbs to the riser and putting a string on the bow.

Below is a picture of my daughter Emma, a right-hand archer, shooting a barebow recurve. Her left hand is holding the grip of a riser, and she is using black “ILF” limbs (International Limb Fitting) that snap into the ILF riser. Choosing an ILF riser allows one to snap any ILF limbs into it—and there are many choices of ILF limbs. For added bling, her string is pink and it matches the vanes on her arrow. The picture was taken at the Woburn Sportsmen’s Association, a great place to shoot year round.

Emma at the WSA
Emma at the WSA

In the above picture, perhaps if you zoom in, you can see a few details. Emma has an arm guard on to protect her arm from getting hit by the string, and she has (on her right hand) a finger tab that protects her hand from the string grazing it over and over and over again (you can’t really see the finger tab, other than the black ribbon that runs over her fingers that attach the protective area to her palm side). She has a quiver on her right hip, attached by a belt around her waist, and this allows her to carry equipment such as her finger tab, as well as allowing her to carry her arrows. On the riser, right above her left hand and to the side facing the camera (you may have to zoom in, it’s above her thumb), there is a small, black device sticking out—this is a plunger and it helps give an archer control over the direction of the arrows.

It is assumed that the archer’s draw length has been determined. The draw length is a measurement that tells one how wide the span is between the riser and the string when one is at full draw. This length determines the size of some of the equipment. The first thing one’s draw length decides is what size riser/limb combination one needs. Here is a general chart to follow that lists one’s draw length and the corresponding bow size that should fit well:

Draw LengthBow Size
14” – 16”48”
17” – 20”54”
20” – 22”58”
22” – 24”62”
24” – 26”66”
26” – 28”68”
28” – 30”70”
Longer72”

The recurve riser sizes we are interested in for intermediate archers come in 21, 23, and 25 inch lengths (there are 27 inch risers as well, but these are generally expensive and for more advanced archers). Limbs come in 41, 43, and 45 inch lengths. The length of the overall bow is the riser length plus the limb length. A bow can be made of a combination of riser lengths and limb lengths. For instance, one can combine a 23” riser with 45” limbs for an overall bow length of 68”.

41” limbs are often labeled as “short” limbs. 43” limbs are often labeled as “medium” limbs, and 45” limbs are referred to as “long” limbs.

Along with limb length is limb “weight”. The weight of the limbs dictates how much force they apply to the arrow when shot. Higher weights produce more force, but also make it harder to pull on the string. We recommend lower weight limbs for beginner archers because then the archer can more easily improve their form before moving on to higher weights that make it more difficult to pull the string.

Equipment

Riser:

  • Important! Be sure to select the correct “Hand” of either right or left, as noted above.
  • Get an ILF riser.
  • A large reason for getting your own riser is because you’ll be able to pick your own limbs. While class riser/limb pairs suffice for a while, by customizing the riser and limbs for your characteristics you can shoot with more consistency. You can also begin upping the limb weight so that your arrows fly faster and further.
  • If you want a:
    • 64” or 66” bow get a 23” riser.
    • If you want a 68” bow, you may want a 23” riser with long limbs or a 25” riser with medium limbs.
    • If you want a bow longer than 68”, get a 25” riser (or longer).
  • A riser is a component that, if you think you will be shooting with any longevity, you should spend a little more money on because it is the heart of an archery system. In particular, more expensive risers can handle heavier limb weights that you’ll eventually want to use as you get stronger.
  • 25” risers are the most common risers in regards to what is available. 23” risers aren’t as commonly made and so your choices are somewhat limited. Depending upon price point, don’t feel awful if you have to get a 25” riser because it is cheaper—at the end of the day the archer is the most important part of archery, not the equipment.
  • Economical risers that work well:
  • Middle priced risers (our recommendation if possible):
    • 23” riser: WNS Motive FX 23” Riser: $250
    • 25” riser: WNS Motive FX 25” Riser: $250
    • 25” riser: Galaxy Solstice 25” Riser: $250
    • 25” riser: X-Spot Barebow Riser: $300
      • The X-Spot is a heavy riser, weighing up to 1.5 pounds heavier the the ones above. In barebow this is generally considered a good thing because more weight means a more stable bow, but for some archers it may be too heavy. Reviewers also mention that this is a well balanced riser, which is important in barebow as well. Also, this is a riser geared toward barebow—so if you think you may want to transition to olympic recurve in the future, this may not be the right bow for you. You’ll be able to shoot recurve with it, but its weight is more targeted to barebow.
    • Note: At the time of writing this we have not tested the Galaxy or X-Spot riser.
  • Top end risers:
    • 25” riser: Gillo G2K: $319. Great riser if your draw weight is 40 pounds or less, which is true for almost all non-pro archers.
    • 25” riser: Gillo G1: $399. Not long ago the most sought after barebow riser. Total classic.
    • 25” riser: Gillo GX: $449. Crèm de la crem if your draw weight is 42 pounds or less, which is true for 95% of archers (or more). For serious archers that know how to tune an archery system.
    • 25” riser: Gillo GT: $650. I think this is currently the best riser in the world, 25” version, and for $650 I actually think it’s a steal. This is for serious archers that know how to tune an archery system.
  • Full list of Olympic Recurve risers to choose from: Riser Search

Limbs:

  • You need to know the draw weight you are targeting before getting limbs. A coach can help you with this. By the time an archer is ready for their own equipment, we often suggest 25 pound limbs—but sometimes may suggest more.
  • Economical ILF Limbs: Galaxy Bronze Star Limbs: $90
  • Excellent limbs for the price point: TradTech 2.0 Glass/Wood Limbs: $150
  • Limb search
  • Note: If you choose TradTech limbs, once you know the limb weight you want you will add 5 pounds to this weight when selecting limbs. For instance, if you want 25 pound limbs you will order 30 pound TradTech limbs. This is simply because TradTech limbs are measured on a shorter riser, producing a higher limb weight rating than would be on a standard riser.
  • Important: Choose the correct length and weight.
    • Short limbs are 41”.
    • Medium limbs are 43”.
    • Long limbs are 45”.
    • The length depends upon the bow length you are after combined with the riser length. If for instance you want a 68” overall bow length and you’ve chosen a 23” riser, then choose long limbs.
    • The draw weight depends upon the archer. The higher the weight the harder it is to pull back the string and the harder to keep good form. On Site Archery coaches will recommend a weight.

String:

  • 60X Custom Strings 8125: $30
  • Choices:
    • Bow Type: Recurve
    • Colors: They allow you to choose two main colors. Choose the same color for both if you want a solid color string or different colors for both if you want a striped string.
    • The “End Serving Color” is the color of the string that wraps around the limbs and the color of the string in the middle where you attach the arrow nock while shooting.
    • The string length to choose is 3” shorter than the bow length. If you are putting together a 68” bow, for instance, choose a 65” string.
    • The various colors, both solid and combined: Colors

Stringer:

Arrow Rest:

  • Important! Select the correct hand!
  • Spigarelli ZT Arrow Rest: $35
  • This is what the arrow rests on, attached to the riser, when shooting.

Plunger:

  • Infitec Plunger: $38
  • This device helps the archer get the arrow pointing in the right direction as well as controlling its left/right direction.
  • Upgrade: Spigarelli Plunger: $59
    • Spigarelli is a great name in archery.
  • If you want to splurge on the very best plunger, which if you stick with archery will be worth it, then get the Beiter Plunger. It depends upon the riser you get, but you’ll very likely want the 5/16-24 thread size and 17.5-23mm length.

Finger Tab:

  • Important! Select the correct hand!
  • Black Mamba Finger Tab: $20
  • Another choice: Infitec Perfect Tab: Infitec Perfect Tab: $25
  • Choose only one of the above.
  • This protects the archer’s hand from the string. Without it, the string soon begins hurting one’s fingers.
  • If you want to spend some extra money on a pro-grade finger tab, get the Black Mamba T1, T3, or Yost.

Bow Stand:

Arm Guard:

  • Beiter Arm Guard: $12
  • Aurora Arm Guard: $10
  • Note: The Aurora arm guard is flexible so that if the archer tends to hit their arm higher up with the string, the guard can overlap the elbow but still allow the archer to bend his/her arm. This is the guard on Emma’s arm in the above picture.
  • This protects the archer’s arm from the snap of the string.

Arrow components are listed below. While you could get all the above and shoot with class arrows, it’s the marriage of your personal bow and your personal arrows that creates your own, personal archery system. This is based upon your shooting characteristics (draw length, draw weight, etc.) and it allows us to tune your entire system so that your arrows fly straight. Experienced archers spend a lot of time “tuning” their arrows to their shot so that each arrow flies straight as…well…an arrow! Arrows are a very important part of the overall archery experience. If you don’t want to invest in your own arrows that’s fine—start with the above and get your own bow. However, if you don’t get your own arrows and tune them (with help from a coach) then whether your arrows fly nice and straight with class arrows is a bit of a crapshoot that you’ll probably end up on the losing side of.

You need to have a coach help you with determining your draw length and the draw weight you are targeting before purchasing arrows.

Arrows:

  • Easton Avance Sport: Easton Avance Sport Arrows: $7.50 per arrow
  • Eight arrows. Be sure to select the correct number of arrows.
  • Shaft Size: Coaches will choose this for you. The shaft size determines the flexibility of the arrow, and choosing this depends upon the archer’s draw length and draw weight.
  • Shaft Length: Coaches will choose this as well. The longer the shaft the more flexible the arrow.

Arrow Points:

Arrow Vanes:

  • AAE Plastifletch Vanes: $12 for each package of 100
  • You need two packages of these, each of different colors. Each arrow will have three vanes: two of one color and one of the other (called the “index” vane).
  • These are the “wings” on the end of the arrow.

Arrow Pins:

Arrow Nocks:

  • Beiter Pin Nocks: $16 for package of 12
  • Select the #2 size to match the string choice we listed above. #2 nocks have slightly wider gap than #1 nocks, and the string we suggest above is thick enough to mate with #2 nocks.
  • Select the color of your choice.
  • These are at the very end of the arrow and connect the arrow to the string.

Accessories below are not 100% needed at first, though having a quiver is an almost necessity once you have arrows:

Quiver:

  • Important! Choose the correct hand!
  • Avalon Quiver: $30
  • This carries the archer’s arrows and some other equipment, such as the archer’s finger tab and finger sling.
  • Quiver search

Arrow Lube:

  • Scorpion Venom Arrow Lube: $11
  • This is used to lube the arrows so that they are much easier to pull from the target. Every now and then while shooting you coat the tip of each arrow with this fluid.

Finger Sling:

  • Finger Sling: $3
  • This allows one to correctly shoot the arrow while keeping the bow in one’s hand after the shot.

Bow Case:

Bow Square:

  • Easton Bow Square: $10
  • This is for configuring the bow and ensuring it remains correctly tuned.
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