Articles by Archery Insider Editorial Team

Page 4 of 7 · 203 articles, newest first

Archer wearing glasses and a cap at full draw with a compound bow, seen from behind on an indoor range

Archery With Glasses: Anchor, Peep and Lens Tips

Archery anchor point with glasses: keep your head upright, check string-to-face contact and peep alignment, avoid progressives and see an optometrist.

Updated October 7, 2026 · 5 min read

Four-panel diagram of making a paracord wrist sling: cut two 5.5 foot and two 4 foot lengths of 550 paracord, loop the long pair alternately from the centre, tie a cobra weave a little longer than your fist round the middle, then fit a mount under the stabiliser and test the sling

Training

How to Make a Paracord Bow Sling

How to make a bow sling out of paracord: the cord you need, how to size it, the weave steps, fitting it under the stabiliser, and how to test it safely.

March 17, 2026 · 4 min read

Simplified diagram of three bow sight mounts on a compound riser: a standard direct mount whose bracket bolts to threaded holes on the riser face above the shelf, a dovetail mount where a bar slides into a bowmount and locks with a knob or set screw, and a Picatinny mount where a bracket clamps to a slotted rail on the front of the riser

Gear

Bow Sight Mounts: Dovetail, Picatinny and Brackets

Bow sight dovetail mount, Picatinny rail or standard bracket? How each attaches to the riser, whether bow sights are universal, and what to check before buying.

March 16, 2026 · 4 min read

Bar chart of youth draw weights from named sources: Genesis Mini 6 to 12 lb, NASP Genesis bow 11 to 20 lb for grades 4 to 12, USA Archery Basic Compound class maximum 20 lb, Bear Brave 25 lb peak for ages 8 to 12, and Scouting America recurve recommendations of 15 to 20 lb for Cub Scouts, 20 to 25 lb for Scouts BSA and 20 to 35 lb for Venturers and Sea Scouts

Guides

Draw Weight by Age: A Starting-Point Chart

Draw weight by age, from named sources: what NASP, Scouting America, USA Archery, Genesis and Bear suggest for young archers, and why strength matters more.

March 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Close-up of four wooden arrows with orange, blue and black feather fletching and coloured thread bindings at the front of the feathers

Training

How to Straighten Crushed Feather Fletching

How to straighten arrow fletchings: the steam-and-finger method a feather maker recommends, how to avoid scalds, when to re-fletch, and how to store arrows.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Archer drawing a modern American flatbow (longbow) with a wooden arrow, bow arm extended and draw hand at her face

Training

Longbow Shooting Form: Cant, Anchor and Release

Longbow form explained: canting the bow, split-finger vs three-under hooks, traditional anchors, instinctive and gap aiming, and release and follow-through.

Updated October 7, 2026 · 5 min read

A compound archer at full draw with the sight housing and pin visible in front of the riser

Comparisons

Single-Pin vs Multi-Pin Bow Sights: Which Should You Choose?

Single-pin vs multi-pin bow sights compared: fixed pins vs sliders, speed in the field, long-range precision, low light, gap shooting, hybrids and scopes.

February 25, 2026 · 5 min read

Fan of archery fletching feathers in different sizes and colours

Comparisons

Feathers vs Vanes: Which Arrow Fletching Should You Use?

Feathers vs vanes compared: weight, forgiveness off the shelf, speed, drag, weather, durability, noise, rests, broadheads and which fletching suits your bow.

Updated September 30, 2026 · 5 min read

Simplified four-panel diagram of the eye-dominance test: framing a distant target in a small opening made with the hands at arm's length with both eyes open, closing the left eye so the target stays centred for a right-eye-dominant person, closing the right eye so the target jumps out of the opening, and a small blinder on the left lens of a pair of glasses for a right-handed, left-eye-dominant archer

Training

Shooting a Bow With Both Eyes Open

How to shoot a bow with both eyes open: test your eye dominance, why it can help, blinders for cross-dominant archers and a simple drill to learn it.

Updated October 8, 2026 · 4 min read

Simplified diagram of spin vanes: an end view comparing flat standard vanes with strongly curled spin vanes, a side view of a curled vane pressed onto double-sided fletching tape on the shaft, and five fitting steps from World Archery's guide: clean, mark three lines, tape and press, wrap lining tape over the vane ends, shoot with no glue to cure

Gear

Spin Vanes Explained: Curled Vanes for Target Arrows

Spin vanes explained: what curled spin wing vanes do, why recurve target archers use them, rest clearance, and why they're taped on rather than glued in a jig.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Chart of Black Widow's recommended PL longbow lengths by draw length: 60 in for 23 to 26 in draws, 62 in for 26 to 28, 64 in for 27 to 30 and 66 in for 28 to 32, plus a table showing a bow marked 50 lb at 28 in drawing about 45 to 55 lb between 26 and 30 in

Guides

What Length Longbow Do I Need?

What size longbow do you need? Maker length-by-draw charts, why short longbows stack, how AMO length works and how draw length changes the weight you pull.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Simplified diagram seen from behind the bow: a right-handed bow held in the left hand and drawn with the right, with the arrow and sight window on the left, beside a left-handed bow held in the right hand and drawn with the left, with the arrow on the right, plus the rule that a bow is named for its drawing hand

Guides

Left-Handed Archery: Eye Dominance and Bow Choice

Left-handed archery explained: a left-handed compound bow or recurve is held in the right hand. Choose by your dominant eye, then check the maker's range.

Updated October 7, 2026 · 5 min read

Diagram of a recurve plunger: a cutaway seen from above showing the tip against the arrow, threaded body through the riser, locknut, spring and tension screw, plus a view from behind with the arrow point just outside the string for centre shot

Gear

What Is a Plunger (Pressure Button)?

Archery: what is a plunger? How a recurve bow plunger sets centre shot and cushions the arrow, what spring tension does, and plunger vs arrow rest.

Updated October 8, 2026 · 4 min read

Compound archers at the shooting line in front of Archery World Cup branding at the 2019 Final in Moscow

News

World Archery 2026 Rule Changes: World Cup Minimum Scores and More

World Archery's 2026 rule changes: minimum qualifying scores for World Cup stages, Long and Short Distances terminology, and new equipment and venue rules.

January 27, 2026 · 2 min read

Fifteenth-century manuscript painting of the Battle of Crécy, with crossbowmen spanning and shooting crossbows on the left and longbowmen on the right

Guides

Why Were Crossbows Banned? History and Myths

Why were crossbows banned? What the 1139 Lateran canon really said, why it named archers too, why it had little effect, and how crossbows are regulated today.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Close-up of carbon arrows with fletching stuck in a straw target boss

Comparisons

Carbon vs Aluminium Arrows: Which Should You Shoot?

Carbon vs aluminium arrows compared: weight, stiffness, durability, straightness, consistency, safety checks, cost and which suits target, hunting or youth.

Updated May 14, 2026 · 7 min read

Diagram for a right-handed archer: the left bow hand with an arm guard on the inside of the forearm, the right drawing hand wearing a three-finger shooting glove, and how to measure the drawing hand with a tape just below the knuckles and above the thumb, with Damascus and Berlin-style glove size charts from 3Rivers Archery

Gear

How to Fit and Break In an Archery Glove

How to break in an archery glove, which hand it goes on (your drawing hand), how to measure for the right size and how to care for the leather.

January 15, 2026 · 4 min read

Table from Easton's target arrow chart for recurve bows of 27 to 47 lb and arrow lengths of 26 to 30 inches, highlighting a 640 to 570 spine range for 40 to 43 lb at 28 inches, with the chart's limb and point weight adjustments

Guides

Arrow Spine for 30–45 lb Recurve Bows

Arrow spine for 40 lb, 35 lb and 45 lb recurves: starting ranges read from Easton's target chart, the inputs that shift them, and the bare-shaft check.

January 8, 2026 · 5 min read

Bowhunter in a grass ghillie suit crouched in tall dry grass with a compound bow

Guides

First-Season Bowhunting Mistakes to Avoid

Deer hunting bow tips for your first season: the beginner mistakes to avoid, from skipping the tree-stand harness to untested broadheads and long shots.

Updated October 7, 2026 · 5 min read

Finals-field scoreboards and sponsor hoardings including Hyundai and Longines at the 2019 Archery World Cup Final in Moscow

News

Hyundai Extends World Archery Sponsorship Through 2028

Hyundai renewed its World Archery deal on 16 December 2025, keeping World Championships and World Cup naming rights through 2028 and backing a new Para Series.

December 16, 2025 · 1 min read

Side-view diagram comparing a bow sight on a short extension bar and a long one, with the sight radius measured from the eye and peep to the pin and notes on aiming precision, pin movement and sight mark spacing

Gear

Bow Sight Extension: How Far Out Should It Be?

What a bow sight extension bracket changes: sight radius, pin movement, mark spacing and peep fit, plus how to choose a hunting or target setting.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Top-down diagram of a tree stand with dashed rings at 10, 20 and 30 yards and ranged landmarks: a trail gap at 15 yards, an oak at 18, a rock at 24, a stump at 30 and a fence post at 38 marked too far, beside an example range card and a note to check the land manager's rules on markers

Gear

Yardage Markers for Bowhunting Stands and Blinds

Bow hunting yardage markers: range landmarks around your stand, when flagging or stakes make sense, public-land rules and how shot angle changes the number.

Updated October 7, 2026 · 4 min read

Chart of crossbow string and cable replacement guidance by maker: TenPoint every 2 years; Ravin 2 years or 400 shots (200 for R18 and R500); CenterPoint 2 years or 400 shots; Barnett at least 100 shots, often several hundred; Mission about 200 to 500 shots; plus warning signs that mean stop and see a dealer

Gear

When to Replace a Crossbow String and Cables

When to replace crossbow strings and cables: what TenPoint, Ravin, CenterPoint and Barnett recommend, how to spot serving wear, and why it's a press job.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

Several modern compound bows laid out on a wooden table

Reviews

Plano Protector PillarLock Bow Case Review: Hard-Case Protection

Plano Protector single bow case review: PillarLock anti-crush shell, high-density foam, lockable latches, arrow storage, sizing and flying with a bow.

December 3, 2025 · 6 min read

Simplified cut-away diagram comparing a glue-on broadhead seated on a five-degree tapered wooden shaft with heated ferrule cement, and a screw-in broadhead threaded into an insert glued inside a carbon shaft with an optional adapter ring, plus a reminder to spin-test every arrow

Gear

Glue-On vs Screw-In Broadheads

Glue-on vs screw-in broadheads: how glue on broadheads fit tapered wood arrows, how screw-ins use inserts, hot-melt safety, carbon cautions and spin testing.

December 2, 2025 · 5 min read

Bar chart and table of our calculated kinetic energy for a 60 lb compound bow: a 400-grain arrow at an estimated 275 fps gives 67.2 foot-pounds, 450 grains at 258 fps gives 66.5 and 500 grains at 242 fps gives 65.0, with momentum rising from 0.488 to 0.537 and Easton's deer and elk energy bands shaded

Guides

Is 60 lb Draw Weight Enough for Hunting?

Is 60 lb draw weight enough for deer and elk? Four agencies' legal minimums, our kinetic energy maths, and why arrow setup and shot placement matter more.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 5 min read

Simplified three-step diagram of a rangefinding crossbow scope: press the range button so a laser measures angle-compensated distance to a deer, the scope lights the aim point for that distance, and auto-calibration builds aim points out to 80 yards from a 20-yard sight-in, with a bar showing ranging to 250 yards is far beyond shooting range

Gear

Rangefinding Crossbow Scopes Explained

How a crossbow scope with a built-in rangefinder works: laser ranging, speed calibration, batteries in the cold, and why legality varies by state.

Updated October 6, 2026 · 4 min read

An adult helping a young boy hold a bow correctly while drawing an arrow

Guides

How to Choose a Bow for a Child: Sizing, Draw Weight and Safety

How to choose a bow for a child: when to start, recurve vs youth compound, draw weight and bow length by size, matched arrows, safety gear and where to learn.

November 19, 2025 · 9 min read

Simplified end-on cross-sections of a double-bevel blade edge ground on both faces and a single-bevel edge ground on one face with a flat back, showing the sideways push that Ashby says twists the head, plus a panel on telling left from right bevel and matching it to fletching

Gear

Single-Bevel Broadheads Explained

Single bevel broadheads explained: what the one-sided edge does, what Ashby and makers claim about rotation, left vs right bevel, fletching and sharpening.

November 13, 2025 · 5 min read

A Hoyt compound bow with sight and stabiliser standing on a farm track in front of a field gate

News

Mathews ARC and Hoyt RX-10 Lead the 2026 Compound Bow Launches

Mathews ARC 30 and ARC 34, Hoyt Carbon RX-10, Alpha AX-3 and Enduro: the published specifications and technologies of the 2026 flagship compound bow launches.

Updated October 9, 2026 · 3 min read