General Questions / Chat Zone

Hey Sarah, the help didn't exactly come raining down on this did it? Let's see if we can help. First of all just generally we have some good info on the forum.. e.g. check this one out (and all the comments) http://www.2020archery.co.uk/blog/josie-buying-a-bow/

Specifically.. I was similar to you when I first started in that an 18lb bow was really heavy. I was pretty skinny overall! I actually had to stop archery for a little bit, do some weight training and then come back. When I did go back to the club I borrowed a slightly heavier club bow (I think we should have a couple in the 20-something lb range).. or yes, buying a 22 or 24lb training bow would also totally work. You can then switch out the limbs as you feel stronger until you have something you're comfortable with that is a reasonable weight that you're completely in control of. Personally I shot a club bow at 22 / 24lb for a few weeks (maybe 8 to 10) and then I bought a 30lb training bow. I shot that for about 6 months and then bought my first 'proper' bow with international fitted limbs.

It's worth checking out that a few places do a limb exchange scheme. Clickers are one of them - we use them for a lot of the 2020 Archery equipment and they're super nice. So, if you exchange second hand limbs they'll buy them back / give you a good discount on your next set.

Lastly, it's a good idea to practice a little at home. I used to string the bow and practice raising, drawing, holding and then coming down. As long as you're careful never to dry fire it's a good way to build your strength. I used to do sets of 5.. raise, draw, hold and then come down. I aimed for 60 'arrows' to get stronger with a Portsmouth. You can also work on your posture if you do it near a mirror (you have to kind of swivel your eyes to the side!) but it does give you a good solid basis for developing your shooting skills. Good luck! And feel free to ask more questions!

Thank you so much Heidi!

Hey Sarah... wasn't sure what Petron was so i had a quick look and it appears to be a bow that has specific limbs.. which would tie you in to buying from the same company when you want to up your poundage.
My personal feeling is to go for an ILF (International Limb Fitting) Riser / Handle.... pretty much any limb will then attach and you can chop and change as you feel.
I bought my bow and all my limbs via eBay... secondhand / used and thankfully not too abused.
You can then always resell via the same route although I have to admit I kept all mine... and have lent them out on a few occasions to anyone who wants to try a higher poundage...
A lot of the archers on the line are shooting SF... fairly cheap and seem to be good... SF limbs are the ones I used and they never done me no harm!!