I recently took up archery and I thought it would be useful to record my progression of equipment. I’m lucky in that I have found a really good club and there’s a particularly helpful archery shop a short drive away.
At the moment I shoot bare bow but I’ll probably also try recurve in the future (I’ve only been shooting for about three months at the time I created this page). I started out with equipment loaned to me by the club, originally I was using a 16# bow which I swapped out for a 22# bow after around six weeks.
My Equipment
- Winners (WNS) Forged Motive FX Riser – Matt grey, 25″, right handed – The shop I bought it from suggested a 40# draw limit but most people suggest 50# or no limit for forged risers.
- Soul Archery Every Limbs – 68″, 30# – Measured at 32# at full draw.
- Reign Sovereign Recurve String – 68″
- Easton Jazz Black Arrows – Custom, 1816, XX75 Jazz – See below for more details.
- Cartel RX-103 Bowstand
Additional Kit
March 2025
- Legend XT720 Backpack – Yellow
- Avalon Bow Stringer
- Bohning Arm Guard – 3 Strap – Black
- Avalon Arrow Puller – Black
- Bohning Seal Tite String Wax – Box Version
April 2025
As well as a load of bits and bobs like nocks and fletchings I added the following items to my kit:
- Avalon Classic Barebow Tab – Right Handed – Medium
- WNS Brace Height Gauge – Gold
- Bicaster Archery Finger Sling – Yellow
June 2025
- Spigarelli ZT Magnetic Rest – Type C (Std) widely recommended for barebow (see here and the videos linked).
- Shibuya DX Gold Tip Button – highly recommended as a good low cost plunger.
- Avalon Barebow Weight – Black Nickel – 360G
July 2025
- WNS Delta F2 Recurve Limbs – 68″ – 38#
Arrows
Easton XX75 Jazz 1816 Arrows
These were my first arrows and were already made up by the shop. They were listed as “custom made” on the receipt so the parts below are my best guess based on what the shop sold.
The measured length is 28.5″ this is from the end of the shaft (not including the point) to the bottom of the nock groove.
NOTE: Easton have an arrow selector on their website and an arrow selection chart.
- Shaft: Easton XX75 Jazz – Size 1816, 28″ long not including nock, 4mm nock.
- Point: Easton Aluminium Shaft Bullet Points – very difficult to tell exactly what the points are, this is a best guess. If they are bullet points the ridges near the shaft are very poorly defined.
- Bushing: Easton G-UNI Bushing – this reduces the shaft internal diameter down to a standard internal diameter for a nock. In this case it accepts a 4mm nock. These apparently come pre-fitted according to the catalogue. The bushing must be matched to the size of the shaft.
- Nock: Easton G Nocks – small, 4mm insert.
- Fletching: AAE Elite Plastifletch EP23 Vanes (2 3/8″) – Probably, there are no marking on the fletching but the shop sells these and the shape is a good match.
Child #1 Equipment
- Kinetic Novius V2 Riser – Black, 25″, right handed – Preferred due to the fairly slender grip.
- Soul Archery Every Limbs – 66″, 22# – Measures at 21#, riser was adjusted to minimum draw weight.
- Reign Sovereign Recurve String – 66″
- Easton Jazz Black Arrows – Custom, 1616, XX75 Jazz – See below for more details.
- Cartel RX-103 Bowstand.
- Cartel Focus Carbon Sight – Right hand, silver
Additional Kit
March 2025
- Legend XT720 Backpack – Black
June 2025
- Kinetic Clicker Extension For Arios/Novius
- Beiter Clicker – 6×32 – Black
- WNS Delta F2 Recurve Limbs – 68″ – 28#
- Avalon Tec Chestguard – Right Handed – Small
- Bicaster Archery Finger Sling – Blue
- Reign Recurve String – Sovereign – For 68″ Bow – Polar White
July 2025
- Avalon Tyro A3 Complete Stabiliser Set – 28″/10″ – Grey/Black
Arrows
Easton XX75 Jazz 1616 Arrows
- Nock: Easton G Nocks – small, 4mm insert.
- Fletching: AAE Elite Plastifletch EP16 Vanes (1 3/4″) – Probably, there are no marking on the fletching but the shop sells these and the shape is a good match.
Total Kit Spending
So far I have spent £1360.45 (last updated July 2025) on kit for archery. This includes shipping costs but excludes transportation costs if we visited a shop in person. This is everything, including consumables. It excludes Archery GB membership (which is required by the club), club membership and shooting fees.
I typically buy from Merlin Archery when shopping online as they are almost always the cheapest and have the widest range of items in stock. They are typically slow to ship items if they aren’t located in their main distribution store.
When I want to visit a shop in person I go to Wales Archery who are absolutely fantastic. You are paying a bit of a premium but you can’t fault the excellent service.