sbaldasare Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 My son loves archery and I would like to surprise him with a bow/arrow set for Christmas so that he can practice archery in our backyard when the weather gets nice. I have absolutely no idea what one to get though. I would like to spend under 40.00, but I don't understand the differences in the ones out there. I have been looking on dunhams.com and they carry the Fred Bear brand - but what what string length and draw weight would be good? Can anyone help with any recommendations? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarerice Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 My DH got one for our son, he's 8. He paid like 20.00 for one and it ages were like 9 and up. He bought it from a sporting good store. If I were you, I would just ask someone in the store for help or ask someone else there buying one, what thye suggest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrn8 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 The Fred Bear Brave Youth bows are good beginner bows for kids. The 17-22 lb draw is pretty light, but if your son is small he may struggle at first to pull it. The nice thing is that once it's drawn, they weight is "released" so that it's comfortable to hold the draw while you aim. The other nice thing is that he can practice pulling and aiming (but shouldn't dry fire) indoors while it's still nasty outside. Also, and armguard (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/pod/horizontal-pod.jsp?id=0020506&navCount=9&parentId=cat20082&masterpathid=&navAction=push&cmCat=MainCatcat21424-cat20082_TGP&parentType=index&indexId=cat20082&rid=) is a good idea for an accessory. If he hits himself with the sting while firing, it could turn him off to archery and cause him to not want to use the bow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbaldasare Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 My son is 10 but only weighs like 65 lbs. - he's pretty skinny and short, so that helps to know a little more about the lb draw. I didn't want to go into a local sporting goods store and not know anything about bows. I figured they would try and talk me into the most expensive or not be that knowledgeable about them and not be able to answer my questions. We're thinking about taking a trip to Cabela's after the holidays, so the armguard thing might be a good thing to get him while we're there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyers12345 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 We bought ours for my son (7) from tadspoles.com. It was actually an ebay auction, but they sell outright also. It is a PSE, a great brand, and we paid $41 for it, and 7 shipping. (great deal!) I am afraid it may be a little too big for him, but his recurve bow isn't strong enough to take hunting. Are you looking for a recurve or compound? Walmart carries a Fred Bear lil' Cub recurve for 19.96, and a compound for $49.00 The recurve is great, but the rest is very flimsy. I actually had to return the first one because it was broken when I got it out of the box. It has been put through the test though, and has held up great. Our walmart still carries these, but not any adult bows. I hope this helps, I would check out their website, and also their ebay auctions, because ours had superfast shipping, and absolutely no hassle whatsoever. It also came with many accessories and a couple of arrows. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, as I have bought 4 bows for Christmas this year and have really done my research! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyers12345 Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Oh, and our PSE did come with an armguard, and my son weighs 60 lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madiiisc Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I do not know if you have a Bass Pro Shop, but we found one for our 10 year old there, for $20. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbaldasare Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 We bought ours for my son (7) from tadspoles.com. It was actually an ebay auction, but they sell outright also. It is a PSE, a great brand, and we paid $41 for it, and 7 shipping. (great deal!) I am afraid it may be a little too big for him, but his recurve bow isn't strong enough to take hunting. Are you looking for a recurve or compound? Walmart carries a Fred Bear lil' Cub recurve for 19.96, and a compound for $49.00 The recurve is great, but the rest is very flimsy. I actually had to return the first one because it was broken when I got it out of the box. It has been put through the test though, and has held up great. Our walmart still carries these, but not any adult bows. I hope this helps, I would check out their website, and also their ebay auctions, because ours had superfast shipping, and absolutely no hassle whatsoever. It also came with many accessories and a couple of arrows. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask, as I have bought 4 bows for Christmas this year and have really done my research!I will check out the site. Thanks! Not to sound dumb - but what's the difference between a recurve and compound? All I know about them is that he loves doing archery at summer camp and boy scout camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvie227 Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 If he was doing archery at camp..I'd bet they use recurves. FYI... in most neighborhoods it is illegal to shoot in your backyard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayakmom Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 At age 10 he goes to Cub Scout camp and they use recurves and definitely always arm guards. That's the best piece of advice here. (Well, except when a couple of kids get poison ivy and then almost all 150ish kids have poison ivy before you realize it's being spread by the arm guards.) The bows they use at Scout camp cost around $160, but that's really not necessary to get started. If he remains interested, you can look to that for the future and I'd be happy to provide the name of the supplier that our Council uses. For now, it would be overkill. I think he'd be fine to start with an inexpensive bow, although archery instructors will say differently. As long as he's being safe and having fun, that's what really matters! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyers12345 Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 a recurve is your basic string on the bow. The old fashioned type. A compound has a string attached to cams, and is more often used for hunting. I would recommend that you also purchasea foam block target, or some other type. Depending on your location, you may still be able to purchase them. I wasn't able to get one from walmart this late, but bass pro had them. (the original, HUGE bass pro) Our bow also came with an arm guard, and these are inexpensive. I would recommend buying a few extra arrows also. They do break easily and wear with use. On clearance at our WM for 1.50 each, usually $3.50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbaldasare Posted December 20, 2006 Author Share Posted December 20, 2006 Thanks for all the help....I'm going to go looking tonight for a recurve. We have a couple of chain sport stores here and a couple mom-and-pop stores, so hopefully I will be able to find something for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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