Bow equipment
The bow equipment includes different technical extensions to the bow depending on the type of shooting and the sporting bow class. There are different designs of arrow rests , aiming aids , clickers , overdraws, stabilizers for limbs and bows. For the attachment of additional equipment, metal threads are incorporated in the middle part of an arch provided for this purpose.
The bow equipment also includes accessories for the bowstring , such as noise dampers , kisser buttons and nocking point aids (made of metal or " D-loops ").
The technical archery equipment of a sports bow is particularly important in the Olympic discipline of archery and when shooting with the compound bow . In contrast to traditional archery , in which bare bows are shot without any additional equipment, there are a variety of accessories for the "Olympic" bow and the compound bow that can be attached to the bow.
Bow sights
Archers use special bow sights as aiming aids, comparable to the rear sight and front sight on a rifle. There are different sights for compound shooters, for example pin sights or scope. So the grain on the compound bow can be called pin or scope.
Pin sights
Depending on the competition discipline, pin sights have up to five permitted pins, which can be fixed for the various distances using screws. The top pin is used for short distances, the bottom pin for the greatest distance. The distances between the pins must therefore be estimated. Pin sights are used in 3D shooting, the pin heads can also be equipped with LED -lit heads for hunting in the dark . The time-consuming adjustment of the visor is also no longer necessary.
Laser sights
A laser pointer attached in parallel to the normal sight can make sighting even easier. However, this is not recognized in normal tournaments and leads to disqualification if used .
Peep sight
The so-called peep sight serves as the rear sight on compound bows - basically a small plastic part with a hole the size of a darning needle, which is braided and fixed in the middle of the tendon. To ensure that the peep sight points in the direction of the weft when the bow is drawn, it must be braided very carefully. But wing cams or a rubber band attached to the handle can also be used. The direction of view: Peep-Sight → Scope → Target corresponds to the rifle: rear sight → front sight → target.
Scope
The scope is a round lens with a holder. In its center there is a point, circle or crosshair that is brought into line with the target. The lens often also has an optical magnification (2, 3, 4 or 6 times). As a result, details in the target or the target can be seen better at greater distances (70, 90 meters and more). Too much magnification also makes every small movement of the bow visible and does not lead to a better hit image. A small spirit level is also integrated in the scope. With it, the bow is aligned exactly vertically after it has been drawn out (by turning the bow hand). This is also used for more precise shooting, since tilting the bow (deviation from the vertical alignment) leads to left / right deviations in the hit pattern. The height of the scope can be adjusted by a precisely worked mechanism. With this adjustment, the visor is set to different distances. The scope must be adjusted on the mounting rail for each distance and thus only forms a distance setting.
stabilizer
Stabilizers are often used on the bows , which balance the bow better and dampen the bow's vibrations when the arrow is released. However, stabilizers are not permitted for various bow classes.
Arrow rest
Simple plastic arrow rests , which are glued in the bow window, or high-quality metal arrow rests, which are screwed to the bow window, can serve as arrow rests for the recurve bow. If a clicker or button is used, the arrow rest, clicker and button must be coordinated with one another.
Overdraw
The overdraw is a special form of arrow rest. He shifts the arrow rest in the direction of the string. With the same extension of the string, shorter and therefore lighter arrows can be shot in order to achieve a straighter trajectory.
Clicker / mirror
Clickers and mirrors are mechanical / optical devices on the arched window and allow the extension length to be controlled . The arrow is therefore always shot with the same energy and thus increases the accuracy at the longer shooting distances.
When the user clicks, a "click" sound signals that the desired extract has been reached. The clicker supports the automation of the shot process through acoustic conditioning .
The use of a small mirror attached to the arch, on the other hand, only shows the length of the desired extension: when the tip can be seen, the optimal extension has been reached. A disadvantage can be that the shooter's attention is briefly diverted from the target. However, there is no “click = shot” conditioning.
Button
The button (plunger) on the arrow rest serves as a spring-loaded spacer between the bow and arrow. It is only used on recurve bows with a metal middle part. It is a mechanical component that is screwed into the middle part (archery) of a recurve bow or bare bow . If a button is used, an arrow rest must always be used. The button then determines the position of the arrow on the arrow rest.
Using the button
The primary function of the button is to adapt the stiffness of the arrow to the bow used and the shooting style of the archer. The Button's secondary function is to distance the arrow on the arrow rest from the arrow window so that the arrow does not touch that part of the central portion of the bow.
Construction
Basically, all buttons are constructed in such a way that the installation depth of the button in the middle part is determined with a nut and thus how far the pin of the button protrudes into the arched window . The spring strength is then regulated with a screw on the button itself.
Due to the fact that the button is loaded every time it is fired, it is subject to wear. The pin of the button is rubbed off by the contact with the arrow when firing or the spring of the button loses its elasticity. Therefore, the button (usually only the pin of the button and / or the spring of the button) must be replaced regularly. If the button or parts of it are replaced, a new fine-tuning must be carried out using the Berger test .
Shock Terminator Suppressor (STS)
The task of the STS system is to stop the tendon at a certain point in order to prevent the tendon from swinging forward uncontrollably. This prevents the tendon from stripping the forearm and the resulting shooting errors. Second, the STS system significantly dampens the tendon vibrations and thus the tendon noise. The energy-consuming tendon noise dampers can be dispensed with.
Release
Release (in English “to let go”, “to release”, “to give out”) describes a mechanical tensioning and release aid for the compound bow.
One of the forerunners of modern shooting aids, as used in compound bows, is the thumb ring, which was used to pull out the tendon in most Asian (reflex) bows. This had a different shape depending on the culture and historical epoch, was made from various organic and inorganic materials (leather, wood, horn, bone, antler, ivory, metal) and placed over or around the thumb. The bowstring was placed on the ring and pulled out on it. Depending on the shape of the ring, the tendon was allowed to slide or jump off the ring during the release process, so that the shot could be released.
The compound shooter often does not pull the tendon with his fingers, but uses a mechanical tensioning and releasing aid, the release . This is necessary because the extended tendon of the compound bow, which is much smaller than the recurve bow, forms a very acute angle and there is no space for the three fingers to hold the tendon and pulling and holding the tendon is very uncomfortable. The release is attached to the string with a loop. It either has a trigger that triggers the shot (similar to a rifle or a pistol), or the release is armed by pressing the trigger and only triggers the shot when the load is released. Other models trigger the shot by turning the firing hand or increasing the pulling weight. There are types that are held in the hand like a pistol grip and others that are attached to the wrist with a loop. The launch with a release is much more accurate than with the hand, since the tendon does not experience any (unintentional) lateral deflection during launch and the entire process of launching is less dependent on humans than when releasing it by hand.
literature
- Oliver Haidn, Jürgen Weineck, Veronika Haidn-Tschalova: Optimal archery - training and movement science basics . Spitta Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-938509-74-6
- Johann Krost: Archery from 0 to 1300. Self-published, 2005, ISBN 3-00-000024-0
- John C. Williams : Textbook of Archery. Weinmann, 2010, ISBN 978-3-87892-050-2