As exciting as getting into archery is, please don’t rush out and just buy “archery gear”. We recommend that you read this page first to get an idea of what to look out for.
Purchasing archery gear is not like buying other sports equipment. It needs to be fitted and sold by an archery professional.
There are many dealers of archery gear out there that are either sports stores or hunting stores selling bows off the shelf. We highly recommend that you do not purchase you gear from these places.
In Victoria the specialty archery stores that we can recommend are:
*Urban Archery is operated by two members of Diamond Valley Archers
Buying secondhand is very risky if you are a new archer. You could end up with a bow that won’t fit you. It may seem OK, but with a compound bow it is vital that the draw length is exactly right (within 1/8″) and with a recurve bow that the draw weight is comfortable.
A major problem with secondhand bows is that they are often old bows with little adjustment. You may find a new bow will be a similar price with much more flexibility. If you buy secondhand please purchase it from an archery store where they will stand by and support your purchase.
Archery technology improves greatly every year making shooting good scores easier and easier. While old bows can and do shoot well, some of the technology has been long updated and replaced for good reason. Some bow companies are selling bows using VERY old technology (20 year old) as new bows to unsuspecting buyers.
When purchasing a bow make sure that company has a manufacturer’s website. With compound bows most are made in the USA. With recurve bows most are made in the USA or South Korea.
Some major bow companies include:
Bows require maintenance. It’s a good idea to take your bow back to the place you bought it from for repairs or adjustments. Buying from eBay will provide you with no after sales service. If the bow requires complex adjustment the store you bought it from will be happy to provide that.
Like cars different brands of bows require different knowledge. Most of the dealers listed above are capable of working on any bow brands, however they will tend to specialise on particular brands.