To Get You Started

Archery Package Sets

Made up' to fit together 'and get you shooting with value items at a special price, these are a way to start in archery.

Targets and Range Equipment

To set up an archery range you will need a Butt, a Target Face to pin on to the Butt, Face Pins to hold the target face in place, a Target Stand to hold the target, as a basic requirement. In addition you may want backstop netting behind the target area to catch the arrows that miss the target and whilst this netting is good it is not 100% effective. If in doubt two layers is more effective but safety dictates that the netting not be relied on as arrows do occasionally go through! You may also want a Target Anchor to firmly hold the butt to the stand . Safety is an important consideration when setting up archery. We can advise on any questions you may have and would be pleased to help you with you choice. For home practice and recreation the Rover Butt is a favorite, although the 128cm target may be easier to hit when you are starting. Be sure you have clear ground behind the target area for safety. The Egertec Target Butts are excellent.

Training and Beginners Bows

These are the basic good quality bows that are used in many clubs and teaching organizations for 'teaching archery' before individuals go on to more advanced equipment of their own. The Trainer and Rolan Bows are really good value and can take you way beyond just beginner status. The Long shot Storm & Thunder Bows and Indian Glassfibre Bows are used for training all over the UK , and the Wings bows are lighter pull for youngsters to be able to cope with. A good bit of information is to get a lighter pull bow rather than a heavier pull bow, you will enjoy your shooting more! If you are in doubt you can ask us, we will be happy to guide you.

Reliable Basic Accessories

If you are beginning or are setting up archery as an activity, these: arrows, arm guards, finger guards, arrow rests, and bow sights, all compliment the basic bows in the 'Archery Sets' and in the 'Training and Beginners Bows' .

Specialist Equipment

American Flat Bows

In the USA these are called 'Longbows' however in the UK to distinguish them from 'The English Longbow' which is of an all wood construction, the American Flat Bow or 'AFB' is how they are described. These have a flatter cross section in their shape than the traditional English Longbow and mostly have Glassfibre laminates as well as other laminates and wood in their construction. These features make them tend to be more reliable and longer lasting than the English Style bows! There are a good number of types of AFB being made and we stock several including the excellent range of Bows by Samick, our own good value Woodsman and Super woodsman . A 40, 50 or 60 pound pull bow is quite normal adult weights for this style of bow, heavier weights would be to special order.

Badges

We do a service to get these for clubs and groups, in enameled lapel pins, embroidered jacket badges and in plastic printed finishes for logos.. We also do some generic archery badges such as Archery Lapel Badges.

Books

There is a large range of books on archery ; including history books , teaching books, Mental Training and Zen. We stock over sixty titles on the online shop . These books are valuable resource for learning more about all aspects of Archery.

Bow sights

There are several different forms of archery, and so there are also several different forms of sighting where the arrow is going. In Target Archery the bowstring is drawn back until the drawing hand reaches the face, this is the 'anchor point' and for each shot and as for a rifle is the rear sight whilst a 'bow sight' is attached to the bow as the front sight. The angle between the front and back reference points makes the sighting arrangement. The front sight or bow sight can be a single pin, or an array of pins or a scope or a tunnel. These are usually specific to different forms of archery as follows.....:-

Single pins , Tunnels (See online catalogue for full details) carried in a micrometer drive sight ...are used in Target Archery and Olympic Style shooting with a 'recurved' target bow.

Multi-pin sights are used in Field Archery and for shooting unmarked distances or where the shooter is guessing the distance to be shot. Individual pins set in the sight frame are calibrated to known distances beforehand and colour coded. On the day the distance is estimated and the coloured pin calibrated for that distance is used to aim the arrow.

Scopes held in micro drive sights are used on Compound Bows, the ones with the wheels on, to aim more accurately. A low power scope is best to start with as it is difficult to keep the bow still enough for the higher power lenses. Most compound shooters use .50 or .75 power lenses in their scopes; especially for 90 meter shooting.

Longbow Shooters and Bare bow Shooters don't have a front sight on the bow but use the 'picture' they see when aiming plus the rear sight of where they anchor on their face to reference their aim. This is not as inexact as you might think and often is honed to a highly accurate aiming system by those who practice it.

Bow stands

Used to hold the bow either on its own or with all its attachments when your bow is not being shot. Can be used indoors and outdoors. A good selection is available.

Bracers

The Armguard or Bracer is the item that protects your arm from the return of the bowstring to its rest position during the shot. We all have need of these at one time or another, especially if you pluck the string to one side in error. Long armguards are often used to start with until the new archer gets the shot under control. Ladies can often suffer with hitting their arm with the bowstring worse than men in this regard as ladies can reverse their elbow joint significantly more than men . The Flinton is good for ease of putting on, and is thickly padding to the arm. There is a Junior one for Smaller arms.

Buttons

Buttons ,(Also called Compensator Buttons, Plunger Buttons, and Berger Buttons) are screwed into the handle of the bow to act as a pressure point for the arrow as it rests on the arrow rest and when it is leaving the bow when shot. The button has two main functions. First it enables you to move the arrow in and out from the face of the bow handle, in order to fit your size of arrow shaft to the bow you are shooting. You should set this up correctly to get the optimum arrow flight from your bow. (See Bow tuning your bow)  Second the tip of the button is spring loaded so that the bend of an arrow leaving the bow can be 'tuned' to get the most repeatable arrow flight. The spring in the button can be altered softer and firmer to obtain the best results.(Again see tuning guides). There are a number of buttons available . The most de luxe is the Beiter Button which is truly excellent. A good button is the DX button by Yasui, and the Cartel Button is a good one to start on ....

Cases and Bags

Equipment can be expensive and needs looking after. These bags and cases are both safe storage and a way to transport the archery tackle to the shooting ground. Hard-shell cases are often better to protect equipment in transit in cars and public transport. Soft cases are also popular as there is a bit of give in the material whilst still padding and protecting the equipment.

Clickers

These are used to test that you have pulled the bow to full draw and to time the loose of the arrow. Simple ones just stick or screw to the bows sight window and as the arrow is drawn back from under the arm of the clicker it snaps back against the face of the bow sight window with an audible ' CLICK' hence the name. If you are shooting an extra long arrow then an extender allows the clicker to be moved out from the far side of the bow. A recommended item is the Cavalier Clicker which allows the arm of the clicker to be put almost anywhere to suit all shooting styles.

English Longbows

The all wood bows that have been made in the UK since the middle ages in one form or another. We do a selection of bows in different woods and styles. Because these bows are made from natural materials without the addition of reinforcing laminates of Glassfibre, they do break easily. Care should be used to select one that has been made to be pulled to your draw length and weight. In addition care in storage and handling does prolong the life of these lovely bows.  We will help you select a bow suitable for your needs.

Finger shooters Arrow Rests ...As used by most Archers

Arrow rests are designed to support the arrow when first put into the bow, and to provide part or all of the launch pad for the arrow as it leaves the bow. When you shoot an arrow holding the bowstring with your fingers, the string rolls across your fingers when you loose the arrow. This in turn sets up a sideways movement in the string and in the arrow as well. As the arrow slides past the arrow rest it travels out sideways from the bow because of this sideways string impetus. The arrow rest for finger shooters has to allow the arrow to leave the arrow rest sideways as well as forward. Other rests such as those for compound shooting don't allow for this sideways movement.

Fletchings

A wide selection of Feathers, Plastic Vanes, and Mylar Spin Vanes are available . Feathers are usually used on wooden arrows and in traditional archery as well as indoors for target archery. Plastic fletchings are widely used in target and field archery on Aluminium and Carbon Arrows because of their durability and for the bright colours available, and because they have a lower drag n the arrow for long distance shooting. The longer the arrow the bigger the fletching needed to steer it. On carbon arrows 1.75 inch plastic or Mylar vanes are most usual. Smaller vanes slow the arrow down less but can be unstable if too small. Large feathers 5 inch are sometimes used on average sizes of arrow for shooting the shorter distances and indoors so that a very stable arrow flies to the closer target. Spin Vanes in very light weight Mylar are used for faster arrow performance and we have Riteflite Vanes, K Vanes and Spinwing Vanes for these arrows.

Fletching Jigs

Used to precisely locate each fletching onto an arrow so that every arrow is the same as the rest of your set. A selection of these are available. The magnetic clamp versions are easiest to use . The BPE and Fletchmatic are good. 

Gloves

These can be on the string drawing hand or the bow holding hand. String hand Gloves For the string hand a glove is used in place of a Tab( also called a finger guard ), popular with field archers but less so with target archers, up to you for comfort. Bow hand Gloves help with the grip and position of your bow holding hand. This is an important point for consistency of shooting 

Longbows Re-enactment

For those of you, and there are quite a few, who go out at weekends and re-enact battles and the like. To stand in the way of an arrow is not something I want to do even with a blunt on it!  The bows are of light pulling weights for safety (and Quicks take no responsibility for what happens if you choose to follow this past time.) at about 30 pounds pull. Bows are of simple traditional design and reasonably priced for the work that the bowyers have to put into them.

Mongolian Bow

Made in Hungary, this is a bow designed in the middle ages but made with modern materials to give it modern reliability. Shoots and feels great . The weight at full draw is relaxed similar to a modern compound bow . The performance is impressive.

Multipin Sights

See bow sights above for a description of how these are used.

Peep sights

A small aperture set in the bowstring adjacent to the eye used by compound bow shooters in conjunction with a 'scope sight'.

Quivers

A range of quivers to hold your arrows. An accessory that we all need for holding all those arrows at tournaments and at practice. Choice of de luxe leather collectors items down to basic hard wearing models like the popular Long shot Side Quiver and Belt. Target Archers use side or Holster Quivers usually, and Archers doing Field or Roving Styles of Archery often use a Back Quiver.

Release Aids

These are used by most compound bow shooters. Compound bows are different to other types of bow in being quite short top to bottom. As a result there is a sharp angle in the bowstring where the arrow fits onto the bowstring. It becomes difficult to get the fingers of your hand onto the bowstring because of this, so an aid to release is used which has a narrower point of contact than the fingers of your hand. Also the weight of the draw of the bow is relaxed at full draw, this in turn means any error in how you might let go of the string to make the shot causes a magnified error at the point that the arrow leaves the string: the result is that the arrow sets off in some very odd directions if you make a less than good shot( I never found the first arrow I shot off a compound bow because of this) A release aid causes the bowstring to go straight forward on shooting the shot and eliminates the sideways movement of the bowstring almost entirely. There are a large number of these aids. Generally the Carter and Scott ones are well thought of and for those starting out the True fire Pro Bearing releases are very popular and easy to get used to as you can have your hand in almost any rotation to the arrow and the release finds the correct angle for the jaw and loop holding the bowstring for you.

Release Aid Shooters Rests

These arrow rests are adapted to allow for the different way the arrow leaves the bow to that of the finger shooter who holds the bowstring with the hand. See above about releases to get an overview.. The general point is that the arrow goes straight forward with a release aid and so the rest can be designed to not allow the arrow to go sideways out of the bow or off the arrow rest. Some vertical movement is still there however and rests are designed to allow for this. TIP be sure your arrow is aligned to the center of a shoot through rest 'at the point the bow makes its power stroke' during the shot, then bow tuning for this type of rest is a lot simpler.

Scope Sights

See also Bow sights above, Scopes are used by compound archers to magnify or to clarify the view of the target. Low powers are used to best effect as the bow cannot easily be held still enough for the higher powers lens by most archers. Scopes are used in conjunction with a 'peep sight' this is an aperture (small hole) placed in the bowstring. This serves to reduce the light going into the eye and to make a more accurate rear sighting reference for the aim.

Shooting Accessories

Well there are a large number of things for extra dimensions to the sport from which you can select.

Stabilizers

Weights , rods, shock cushioning devices and spacers : to allow the archer to make the holding and shooting of the bow more consistent. A wide variety of these are available. They improve performance significantly and are widely used as a result. Its not that you cannot shoot without them but ...that shot to shot consistency is much enhanced with them. See online catalogue for pictures of typical set ups and more detailed information. When you are starting out a usual set of stabilizers would be : a long rod, twins and V-bar .

String Accessories

The bowstring is a major component of the bow and arrow setup. To shoot well the archer has to be able to repeat the best shot. To do this there are a number of items used in or on the bowstring to assist the making of each shot the same. The nocking point is the most important as putting the arrow in the same place on the string each shot is absolutely vital in this regard. There are a number of types of nocking points, the LA09 is a good starting point. There are other string items such as wax to keep the string maintained in best condition. You can also tie onto the string a bit of Cotton or Dental Floss to locate your arrow. To make this arrangement more permanent put a small drop of Superglue onto the cotton to fix it in position (but be sure it is dry and smooth before using the string afterwards)

Tabs

The finger guard or 'tab' is the most used way by most archers of holding the bowstring . The basic DG tab QH20 in good leather is an excellent starting tab , the Versa Tab is a next step QH30. After that an 'anchor tab' is used by many archers as it provides a further reference point on the archers face to enhance the rear aiming reference in sighting. Not everyone finds the anchor tab comfortable, but the majority of archers do use these. The A&F anchor tab is very popular. If you really cannot get on with a tab then a few people do use a glove (see above) however it is probably better to try other tabs till you find one that you can get on with as results with a tab are on the whole better than with a glove.

Target Faces

A variety of targets are used in archery. Different sizes of round coloured targets as well pictures of animals in field archery . For most uses strong reinforced paper faces are used and pinned to the 'butt' (made of straw or foam ) . The paper face is strong lightweight durable in almost all weathers and relatively inexpensive. For beginners the biggest size of target is best as it is difficult to hit the target at all to start with and a big target leaves the archer encouraged that they can hit it!

Tents

Used at tournaments to shelter the archer from the weather. In the UK this sometimes means the sun but always means wind and rain as well. Can also be used for general home and holiday use of course.

Tuning Accessories

Bits and pieces to help your shooting. Tuning a set of bow and its arrows is a whole subject, see Rick McKinney's book ZOS92 Simple Art of Winning or the Korean master work book ZOT55 Total Archery for good detail on this subject. The basic point is to get the arrows flying from the bow cleanly and as quietly as possible so that it is possible for the archer (... with practice) to shoot arrows in a group in the target . To achieve this there are basic guides to setting up the bow and arrows to fit the archer and more details can be found in the' Beginning Archery' section of our website. Then for the more advanced information there is an excellent and FREE  download  "Arrow Tuning and Maintenance" by Easton the main arrow makers, go to http://www.eastonarchery.com. Beyond that; several books on bow tuning can be found on this online shop ...for when you are looking to master different aspects of the advanced art of bow tuning . For beginners the basic equipment will shoot together without a lot of sophisticated tuning, however it is important to get the 'nocking point' (the place where to arrow is fitted to the string ) set in the right place on the string and to be sure to put the arrow there each shot. For details of this see page 93 of the online catalogue....but basically if the arrow is set on the string at the same point each time, then the shot will be the same. Put the arrow about 3/8 inches 'above square' to the bowstring , and mark the string at this point. A Nok Set LA09 is usually used to do this in a permanent fitting on the string. If in doubt we can of course talk you through it!

Videos /DVDs

A wide range of Videos and now DVDs are available for all aspects of archery. 'The Basics' is an excellent one if you are wanting to shoot. 'Archery Its History And Its Forms' is very interesting on the Historical side with footage of many types of bows. Videos/DVDs often say with pictures more than you can say with thousands of words so they can be a real help. The DVD of the Olympics in Athens VO70 shows head to head medal matches and is very exciting( and instructive on technique) even though I have watched it a number of times