r/Archery • u/Leather-Juggernaut30 • 3d ago
First time, how'd I do? Range Setup and Targets
Bought an El cheapo sinoart recurve off Amazon to see how I like archery(may hunt eventually) the target hasn't arrived yet but thought I'd try it out. Also, learned very quickly not to put your finger up against the arrow lol
93
u/Blueskyminer 2d ago
Yeah, don't shoot into plywood.
If they aren't damaged going in, they probably will be when you try to pull.
Foam core targets or bales.
7
u/Kenneldogg 2d ago
While they may appear to not be damaged. They could very well be cracked and will be a ticking time bomb.
28
u/Icy-Performer-9688 2d ago
Was going to say not to shoot at wood boards but someone beat me to it. This literally would shatter or send splinters through the arrow shaft which would break meaning if those are 5 dollars an arrow and you be it 6 in a set that’s 30 dollars down the drain. If you had a better arrows which in average is around 60 dollars per 6 set that’s still a lot of money wasted. Go to bi-mart or some sporting goods store they sell affordable targets if you don’t have one already.
Also if you live in the city limits check with your local police department to know if you can shoot where you’re at. Cause some city class it as a actually shooting your gun even though your shooting bows an arrow.
9
u/Sam-314 2d ago
Just to tag onto this. The police govern the ordinances, calling them and asking is good in practice but few know the actual codes. If you expect to be a resident for any period of time it would be best to get familiar with the local codes yourself or at the very least how to find them and search through them.
Typically this can be done online on their website. Sometimes it’s well organized or even digitized to the site, mine town happens to be. Searching my town cites that you can fire a bow within property limits so long as safety measures are taken. You cannot discharge any firearms on private property without approved permitting to do so. A bow and firearms are viewed as two separate entities in my town. Yours may vary.
Just because the police may say one thing does not mean it’s true. Research yourself.
12
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
I didn't think to check with the city but I have now and it's perfectly legal, thankyou though
2
u/Longjumping_Cod_2401 2d ago
I in a pinch have taken a good size box then stuff a bunch of layers tight as you can left to right and finish with some good old duct, tape and boom you have a temporary target just don’t let it get wet. It’ll last longer than you think and it’s better than shooting plywood. I wouldn’t shoot those arrows again just cause I’d be scared of them splintering into my forearm.
13
u/Riverwolf89 2d ago
A cheap and simple back drop can be made with an old thick rug or carpet. Hang it just behind the target and bury the bottom edge under the target. Don't stretch it taught. It will stop field points without damaging the arrow.
3
34
u/MisanthropicNun 2d ago
What kind of monster shoots plywood
46
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
The kind that is waiting on a target to arrive and doesn't know how sensitive carbon arrows apparently are
28
u/Spicywolff New Breed GX36 BHFS. 2d ago
It’s not just carbon all of them. Fiberglass or aluminum shaft will still break if you shoot it into wood on a regular basis.
10
u/Hopeful-Wallaby1471 2d ago
I.ve had wooden arrows splinter while going through a bale and hitting the concrete behind, i.ve since 2 bales 😂
8
0
2
1
u/Electronic-Fee-8625 1d ago
what are your thoughts on full wooden arrows for tree target practice, ik shooting trees injures the tree and poses few environmental risks but if that’s what it’s come to, so be it a trees dying. would the pressure fitted broadheads be better for distributing shock? lmk
1
u/Spicywolff New Breed GX36 BHFS. 1d ago
Don’t shoot arrows into trees. For one they WILL break, as arrow hitting hard objects will snap the shaft.
2 yes you’re damaging trees and hurting them for no reason. I don’t recommend anything for this other then get a real target.
If you’re on a budget, go to your normal store and in the back take that plastic wrap they used to bind pallets. The store has pounds and pounds of it for free that they just blow up and throw in the trash. Take that and stick it in a box.
It’s a proper target and that they can stop a 70 pound compound arrow without damaging the arrows
Whenever the box gets all shut up, you just take the stuffing and put it into a new one
2
u/Electronic-Fee-8625 1d ago
i have a hay bale conveniently on hand i’ve been shooting at it aswell as a drewfoam target. but you skipped my main question, wooden arrows would absorb the shock(long term) if the broadheads pressure fitted right?
1
u/Spicywolff New Breed GX36 BHFS. 1d ago
I answered your main question. Stop shooting arrows into trees. Regardless of the tip you’re using you’re going to break the shafts.
Broadhead will get wedged in there, and when the air wedges into the tree, it will shock the shaft and break it.
Energy that doesn’t disappear into the tree because the tree is harder than your arrow and the head. All the shock load goes right back into the shaft.
2
u/Kenneldogg 2d ago
No, you mean the kind of person who enjoys exploratory surgery because carbon doesn't show up too well on xrays. So if they explode the next time you fire you will be in severe pain and will take months if not years to recover. Waiting for a proper target is a very dumb excuse. I know this sounds mean but look up exploded carbon arrow damage and then get back to me.
1
u/UntamedCuda 2d ago
It blows my mind how a completely true and cautionary statement gets downvoted.
Go ahead and shatter a CF arrow into your wrist and you'll never have to worry about archery again. hard to draw a bow with 1 hand. I swear Reddit is full of trolls.
2
u/aurasurfer 1d ago
an excited one. i’da probably done it back in the day even knowing the risks. sometimes you wanna just go
8
u/ChefWithASword 2d ago
I hope those arrows were el cheapo too cause they are probably toast lol
Inspect them very closely, the cracks are usually by the arrow point or at the nock.
2
u/goodoledepression 2d ago
Also bend your arrows by hand and use your ears (if the work) any sort of crunchy or cracks sounds? In the trash.
1
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
They are lol $3 a piece. will do, I did notice a gasket sticking out a bit just under the field trip but nothing other than that
9
u/Liathano_Fire 2d ago
*insert.
Don't shoot those arrows again. They can still be damaged even if you don't see anything right away.
9
u/Material-Imagination 2d ago
Pretty good! You hit the bullseye twice and turned perfectly good arrow shafts into hand piercings three times
4
u/HarveyScorp 2d ago
Do some google searches on homemade archery backstops. Maybe even pinterst (sorry spelling). You can use plywood as a last resort to protect anything that goes astray. That aside, you really should be mindful of what's even behind your back stop. Houses and possibility of people are a bad choice.
I've had my release break and sent an arrow sailing down range over a 100 yards marker. I start my draw with my bow up because of how my stand is setup. Sot that's what I practice. I was almost full draw, thankfully I was at a safe range. If I was in my backyard, I have no idea where that arrow would have landed or who's yard it would have landed in.
Glad you're getting into archery, but if you look at the complexity of what you using and think about it there is a lot of little things that happen to shoot an arrow in a straight line. But if Just one of those little things going wrong, can send an arrow astray.
It's not the perfect shot you need to worry about, it's the what if that could go wrong. If one of those little things goes wrong.
You are apart of the archery brotherhood, you need be responsible for all for all of us.
1
4
u/Catatonick 2d ago
Well, you did great at ruining the arrows lol.
Go to a local archery shop, grab some new arrows, and pick up an archery target. Do not shoot hard targets with arrows.
I actually saw someone hit plywood once, skip the arrow off of it and send it straight up into the air, it arched perfectly, and went directly into a woman’s car door missing her head by inches. It’s pretty unlikely but that was enough to convince me to only shoot foam targets that had no wood even remotely near them.
4
u/natureofreaction 2d ago
Your shot looks fine and of course everyone is caring about your arrows safely
My carbon arrows have missed my target and hit hard things and they sometimes seem fine and then after it happens a few times they start to splinter. Watch out for those shards.
3
u/aricbarbaric 2d ago
Have you seen the price of plywood!?
2
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
Was $20
3
u/aricbarbaric 1d ago
Head out to a feed store and get a square hay bale for like 15$, it’ll last longer and won’t make a mess like the cheap styrofoam ones
1
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 3h ago
I'm planning on it once I have my yard in a bit better shape, for now imma stick with the yellow jacket target I got recently
1
3
3
3
u/HobblingCobbler 1d ago
Man... It's really bad to shoot at wood intentionally.. the shock will destroy the arrows. Otherwise youre doing great.
7
u/bluebird2449 2d ago
good shots! enjoy your new hobby! :)
you've already heard this from others, but I'll echo it just once more with some added info - careful of shooting into hard surfaces like wood, it's bad for the head of your arrow (likely field tips) and will quickly flatten its tip! can also weaken the carbon fiber as others have mentioned, though a few shots here and there would not bother me personally. I'd inspect the arrows for cracks and shoot again no problem if finding nothing (but not into wood this time!)
also be careful of shooting into hard surfaces for another reason - if the arrow doesn't embed itself, it will likely bounce back towards you! stiff, flexible materials will also do this - tires, outdoor plastic trash cans, etc.
best of luck to you!! enjoy!!
<} ¢--> ∆
4
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
Thankyou much, yeah I have a normal bag target coming soon, bought this guy to use as a backstop but now that seems like a not great idea, any advice on a backing for keeping misses from hitting my neighbor or his oh so precious fence?
6
u/FluffleMyRuffles Olympic Recurve/Cats/Target Compound 2d ago
The easiest way is to shoot at a distance where all of your shots will land on the target. The backstop is to stop stray arrows from complete form collapse or equipment failure. You can use something like a horse stall mat hung up to catch stray arrows.
1
3
u/bluebird2449 2d ago
methods can vary but if you have the room, from my experience you either want something soft and thick, (like hay bales, or a mattress) or something soft and LOOSE, like a thick tarp with a lot of "give" to it. Think of those nets in batting cages that catch the ball with all the drooping netting. If it was tighter, the ball would bounce away instead of getting gently caught.
AKA, this tarp should be strung up so that it has room to be pushed out behind when hit, to catch the force of the arrow without ripping a hole. Note that depending on the poundage of your bow, this gets harder to do at higher poundage as the arrow travels faster with more force
But, just as a backing, I think the wood can be okay. Better than nothing at all behind your target. Also adds incentive not to miss, haha!
An alternative could be a softer wood like plywood, if possible! Still not ideal, but won't stress the arrows as much as hitting a stiff wood like you have there. (It's a bit like if you were to hit a tree with a baseball bat. The shock that travels up your arms is the same thing the arrows get when hitting something with no "give". That energy is what can damage the arrow shaft.)
Edit: not plywood, sorry - you're using plywood. I'm imagining more like corkboard, I believe. The type you can pull apart with your hands
2
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
Okay, much appreciated, I'll probably do a clothesline x tarp situation eventually but this'll do for now. Good news is the arrows aren't fully arrested immediately after hitting the board(half inch thick) they go through and poke out a couple inches, which seems to me like it'd be a bit better than an immediate stop
2
u/softtrii 2d ago
When the target comes shoot at different points on it so that you don’t hit your last shot or other arrows.
1
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
Thankyou I'll do that, I was hoping to get my grouping tighter on the target tho, not sure how I'd do that with different points on the target
2
u/softtrii 2d ago
You do that when firing a gun. Doesn’t matter how tight a group is with arrows as long as you can hit your bullseye. If I shot at the same point at 25-30 yards, I’d be tearing feathers off my arrows all the time and scraping the shafts.
1
2
u/stevesai38 2d ago
Did pretty good. But you’re making an expensive hobby even worse. Don’t shoot those arrows again. Comments here will tell you why.
2
u/GildedDeathMetal Compound - Australia 2d ago
I used a trash bag of old clothes and plastic wrapped the shit out of it for a long time before i got a Redzone (like a Rinehart but actually available in my area).
How did you go with pulling them out 😂
1
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
Wasn't too hard, half inch thick board so they break all the way through
2
u/ShamansArrow 2d ago
Results like that is how archery captures new shooters. Let us know how you are doing after a couple of thousand arrows shot.
2
u/testingforscience122 1d ago
Why are you shooting into a structure?
2
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 1d ago
My options are: my shed my neighbors backyard/house or my house, shed seems like the best option
3
u/awfulcrowded117 2d ago
Don't shoot plywood. You can use it as a backstop, but as a target you are going to damage your arrows which is dangerous.
Other than that, group looks good but you didn't say what distance or anything. Welcome to the sport
2
u/NerdWhoLikesTrees 2d ago
What is with these comments? How many people have to tell OP to not shoot plywood? I counted at least 8 people before you. They get the message
3
1
u/Nearby_Detail8511 2d ago
Expensive lesson you just learned! The 50 bucks in arrows you just shot through plywood could have been used to buy an archery target… now you have to go buy more arrows AND a target. I recommend a morrell bk-300
1
1
1
u/Natural_Design3154 1d ago
Use a hay bale or sand bags next time, otherwise, you need to work on your distance firing, and your stance.
1
1
1
1
u/Voodoobones 2d ago
A lot of jerks on here punching down on someone new to archery. I guess I expected more from this group. Evidently people feel safe dog-piling when in group, but you still look bad doing it.
To the new person, don’t take these comments personally. Learn from them and move on. I suggest watching some videos from Nusensei to pick up some good lessons.
Other than that, nice grouping. Welcome to r/Archery!
4
u/Leather-Juggernaut30 2d ago
I've been lurking here for a couple weeks so I expected them to be sassy but I'm learning from what they're saying so that's nice. I'll definitely check that out thanks
0
u/jelloburn Olympic Recurve 1d ago
He shot arrows into plywood, in his backyard, in a city in which he hadn't checked local ordinances first (apparently it is legal, something he learned AFTER shooting), without a proper backdrop, and without doing enough research to know better. He should be chastised and downvoted into oblivion. This post is a primer on exactly what you SHOULDN'T do.
Bows are weapons. You shouldn't use a weapon unless you know what you're doing. That means getting lessons or at least doing the minimum of due diligence in understanding how to safely use the weapon. Would you just shake your head and chuckle at somebody buying a new firearm and shooting it at an old hubcap in their backyard, and just chalk it up to learning? I would hope not.
3
u/Voodoobones 1d ago
Your approach drives people away and prevents learning. As upset as you are, you won’t change behavior by chastising and berating. Instead, you drive people away from Archery.
Negative reinforcement has been proven as ineffective. All you do is make yourself feel superior while making people interested in archery turn away and view the sport as one filled with inhospitable people and zero room for mistakes.
You can teach and correct without being a gatekeeping thug.
0
u/djereezy 2d ago
I cringed soon as I saw it. RIP those arrows. Straight to the trash they should go
-1
-1
-1
-2
-2
449
u/emorisch 2d ago
don't shoot those arrows again....
Shooting into a hard target like wood can easily damage arrows to the point where they are no longer safe to use, especially cheap carbons.