Short answer yes!! A short ata bow, regardless of your skill will definatley be harder to make high scores, try and look at 34-35 ata bows, they are more comfortable to shoot and very managable for hunting, you say now you will never be top ranking but when you start shooting for points it gets real addictive and you gotta take every advantage you can

 

Hunting is not an issue here as it is not allowed to hunt with bows over here.

 

Thanks for the answer. I will try out some more bows before making the decision

 

Look at the hunting bows that have a long stable riser, you will be more than happy with the accuracy. My Elite Impulse 34 is as accurate for me as my target bow yet has a 6" brace height, something that would have been considered impossible a few years ago.

 

Trying out different bows won't do much for a beginner in compound archery.
The hunting bows will feel smoother on the shot and that'll be about the extend that a newbie can assess the behaviour or characteristics of a bow.

You can shoot good scores with a hunting bow, but there is a reason very few people shoot them for target archery. Hoyt even offers 35" target bows for people that prefer short ATA bows, but still those are non-parallel bows that give feedback on the shot and even have a relatively small riser.
You can't get 65% Letoff modules for most of the hunting bows and more holding weight is key in my opinion if you're shooting out to 50-60-70m, especially in the wind. Just like a lower mounted stabilizer bar to lower the center of mass.

The geometry of the bow is what's most crucial in my opinion, not the brace height or ATA length. I'm sure the Halon X for example would make a great target bow.

 

Thanks for the insights

 

You have to order a target bow. Dealers don't to very rarely stock them. My suggestion would be find a good used Hoyt Vantage with GTX cams or a Mathews Conquest 3 or 4 . Don't fall into the sub 37" ata trap. If field is your thing the longer ata and over 7" brace is what you want

 

There is absolutely no problem to shot arrows at 70m or 90m with good enough accuracy with a hunting bow.
I own a Halon 6 (30" ATA), with a hunting sight (no lens) and a short hunting stab. I often train at 70m in the outdoor range of my league. At this distance, I can easily group arrows in the 9 or the 10.. sometimes I do a 8 when I do a big mistake, but never less.
And by no mean I'm an expert... I've only practiced archery for 1 year.

But yes indeed this kind of bow is less stable than a target bow with a good set of target stab... Don't buy a hunting bow if your main goal is scoring high scores in competition.

 

I used to shoot field archery with a martin onza3. Did very well with it, the bow before that was a mathews outback. You shoot what is comfortable to you. And higher holding weights can be achieved, In fact with some of Martin's cams you can simply adjust the draw stop to achieve this. Had my Onza draw weight set at 55lbs and holding weight of 19lbs. Thats about 65% letoff. They were also limb stops, so the back wall was as solid as it can get. Shoot a Martin bow with nitro cams or ghost cams and you will not be disappointed.

 

Anymore, it seems like the bigger differences are in the options that you can get with either. Generally target bows (particularly from Hoyt and Prime) let you do an aweful lot more with timing, letoff, draw length, cam options, tiller and draw weight than you can do with their hunting bows. If you're picky about your setup you might be better off in the long run spending the extra money.

The hunting bows are usually more comfortable to shoot though (less hand shock). Most of them are quite a bit faster too, so if you have a shorter draw length or you can't pull a lot of weight they might be a good option for you.

 

If you are shooting mostly target, get a target bow. The reason is that a longer ATA will fit you better at your optimum form. Coming from recurve, you know about form. It's the same with compound. To shoot the best scores that you are capable of, you have to have a bow that fits.

Optimum form is with your head erect. With the short bows you have to tilt your head forward to get your nose on the string or use a kisser button instead. Kissers are fine for hunting, but not quite as precise for target.

First you have to have good form, then you have to fit the bow to your form. It's easier to do that with a long ATA target bow.

There are archers out there who shoot the short bows great, but you wonder how well they would shoot with a bow that fit them better.

Good luck
Allen

 

I use my bow for both. At 34" ATA and 6.5" BH it's the best of both worlds IMO.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

I have a hunting bow 35"ata and 4 target bows 39 to 41" ata and owned 20 bows over 34 years. . anyone mentions sub 37" bows with sub 7" brace probably never owned a bow over 34" or has shot field to know the difference.

 

Yes you can reach 70 m with a typical "modern hunting" bow with a typical set up. For the most part a "hunting" is faster than an old school "target" bow.
There are few things to consider however!
1) A lot of modern "target" bows today have an axle-to-axle length of a typical hunting bow some years back. Many top shelf spot shooters do very well with a 36" a-to-a bows.
2) The real short (< 33") hunting bow isn't really all that short if you have say a 26" or less draw length. You haven't stated your draw length so I hesitate to say what is a long or short bow for you.
3) There are many bows that swing both ways, depending on the archers draw length, and is only dependent on how shiny the bow is. Bows like the PSE Decree HD is a good example. there's no reason to think a 34" - 36" bow can't be a target bow OR to think it isn't a hunting bow.
4) I shot my first 60X game (2007) with a BHFS rig with a 36" a-to-a bow with "speed" cams. At the time 36" was considered too short for a target bow even for my 26" draw. 36" is now considered a typical target bow and too long for hunting. Non-sense! I killed a ton of deer with the same model bow and I'm obviously not tall.
5) Bow shops steer you towards what they have in stock that is your draw length. They will steer you towards what has the biggest margin or possibly what they need to move. The last thing they want to do is to order another bow and unless you insist they won't. Especially a shiny target bow.


If you have a longer draw I would not go shorter than 36" a-to-a. If you have a shorter draw you can go shorter but there is no need to do so. You may shoot a short bow very well but it is very unlikely to be better than a longer bow. A big thing to look out for with a "hunting" bow that you use for target shooting is a very high let off. You want enough holding wait so you can hold steady. I know nothing about you but I personally have found that I shoot much better scores with about 17-18 lbs of holding weight than I do with 12 lbs. If you are a bigger stronger guy then you may want more holding weight. Low holding weight makes it real easy to get sloppy with your shot.

If you have a real short draw and/or use a real low draw weight then a "hunting" bow may be what you need.

I could go on for pages..........

What is your draw length? I know guys that shoot field and indoor spots real well (55+) with a PSE BowMadness 34 which is a 34" a-to-a bows!

 

Gotta love choices, I hope you get a target bow and a hinge release and some skinny micro diameter arrows and a full set of long stabilizers and a slider target sight. The fact that you are not going to be hunting means you don't want to get a hunting specific bow, just don't do it. There are a bunch of used completely decked out target bows that you can get into for around 1000 bucks, I don't know if that is a option for you all the way over in your country but if it is I would go that route. If you have to piece together a target bow it will cost you 2500 dollars or so but you can get used setups for way less. I would get a bow that has rotating mods so it is easy to set the draw length such as a bowtech specialist or the pse stuff.

 

Your bow decision is the easy one, choosing to get with someone like me and learn how to become a hinge shooter is where you shooting experience will come alive and be something that is fun to train and learn. Do not just spend some money and get a index finger release and start pulling the trigger, there is so much to learn so don't waste years and then have to get started and erase bad habits.

 

The assistance in shooting is covered.
A hinge release won't work properly for me since there is reduced mobility and feel in my draw hand caused by ulnar nerve damage. To start with it will probably be a caliper release since it suits my hand better. I will undoubtedly try a different release after a while but to start with it will be a caliper release.

How about riser length and geometry? Will that seriously affect stability or is it purely ATA length?
For example a Mathews HTR has a longer riser then a Halon X but the latter has a longer ATA length.

 

....How about riser length and geometry? Will that seriously affect stability or is it purely ATA length?
For example a Mathews HTR has a longer riser then a Halon X but the latter has a longer ATA length.

Just about everything effects how a bow fits you. The thing that most look to in order to judge how a bow fits is string angle. This doesn't work precisely for everyone due to differences in face shape. The string angle that fits most is when the string makes a 90 degree or slightly greater angle at full draw. Example, If you have a button nose or a huge honker, the string angle will be different. The riser, cams, bow geometry, draw length, loop length,etc. will determine if it can be adjusted to fit you.

Hopefully you can find someone to help you,
Allen

 

I normally shoot several Field & target tournaments + lots of hunting. I also shot recurves nearly 20 years tournaments & hunting. I have a long ATA Compound used for both. I also have A 68" Longbow I shoot.. Go with the Long ATA Target.. Would you prefer a 60" recurve over a 68" or 70" recurve for your target shooting?????? I rest my case.

 

Since you have hand problems make sure you get a good index finger release then such as a tru ball center x or a short and sweet or a scott rhino xt. Those all have little to no creep and they are a hook release. Don't get velcrow wrist strap, get a buckle one. The short and sweet can be had for 69 bucks on lancasters and the center x can be found in the classifieds. I just don't know the issue with you living so far away from us on issues there in shipping.

 

either all those guys have long ata bows or that's some great photo shop

 

Although a longer ATA bow is best for most people, I shot a PSE Omen at the IBO Worlds last year and finished very well. (33 & 5/8" ATA with 5.5" BH)

On the other hand, I've killed 3 deer from a treestand and 2 turkeys with a 38" ATA bow.

 

3D and field is a different game. You have many more shots in a field round then a 3D deal. Arrows are skinnier, draw weights are less. You can pound roofing nails with a tack hammer if you want to. I would prefer to use the proper tool

 

We shot out to 52 yards on the side of a windy ski slope.

I started out by saying that longer ATA bows are best.......

 

I prefer longer ATA, with a 31" draw length, all else bing equal. I have an old Hoyt Prostar that I group around 4" at 50 yards. I also have a 31" ATA bow that I use and keep in practice with for when I hunt the really tight brush, and at the range I hit ~5-6" groups at 50. I prefer longer bows, I definitely notice a difference in the groups. I do fine out to 40 with the shorter bow, for hunting, but there's no question in my mind the longer bow is more forgiving and I shoot better groups because of that. My two cents, not adjusted for inflation.

 

I have seen people shoot competitively at local club level with all kinds of equipment. It just depends on how far you want to take it and how much you want to spend. If you are not able to shoot 270-280 inner 10 in a 300 round at 18m with a hunting set up then your money may be better spent on private coaching rather than on expensive target bow equipment.
As for the HTR, I use one for target and 3d. At 18m I average 276-282 inner 10 and I am shooting with a index release, cheap trophy ridge 9"stab, no side bar and a fixed 5 pin sight with no lense (hunter class set up). I have not shot 70m fita with it but I have shot 3d targets at 60 yards without issue. I would say my skill level is average as I have only been shooting compound since January.

 

I'm. Olympic recurve shooter 68" setup and have found the compounds in 35-36" range very comfortable to shoot. I just picked up a Pse phenom in flat black, it is a target bow but is perfect for any shooting I would do(3D, field, indoor and hunting). My son just switched back to compound from recurve and is shooting a Moxie Fierce with great results for indoor and is in the process of tuning a Moxie Badger X. The fierce is a 35"+ bow and he is easily reaching 100 yards in some practice for fun.