We are delighted so many of you are enjoying archery and want to buy your own bows!  Here’s what you need to know about getting started.

Start with our online guide for buying equipment

We suggest that you start by understanding the basics of archery equipment, including bows, arrows, and accessories.  Read through our beginner’s guide to learn the right terms and start creating a shopping list tailored to your needs.

If you have any questions or need additional help with figuring out what’s right for you or your child, we will be holding in-person workshops once a month in August, September, and October.  You can register for these classes on ArchersArtemis.com for $20.00.  We’ll make sure you come away with a personalized list of everything you need.

Please note that we are not a pro shop and do not have retailer relationships with any of the major archery suppliers, so you can trust that we have your best interests at heart.  We know it can be expensive to get started with sporting equipment, so we are happy to work within your budget and have no motivation to upsell you. Our recommendations are based on years of experience and experimentation with our own shooting.

Order your new equipment

Due to the pandemic and ongoing supply chain issues, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find archery equipment, especially for left-handed archers, youth and low draw weight archers, and people who want their color scheme to match!

You have several options for navigating these challenges.

1. Go to a pro shop.  In Massachusetts, Ace Archers in Foxboro and Sattva Archery in Amherst have the largest selection of equipment in-house.  They can also order you equipment from their partners.  We are not familiar with any options in New Hampshire or neighboring states at this time.

At a pro shop, you will be able to spend a time with a knowledgeable staff person to help you.  However, it’s always best to do research beforehand and come in with a foundation of knowledge.  Remember that these shops do make money from selling you things.  If you start to feel pressured or confused, you can always circle back to us and get additional advice.

Please try to avoid any non-specialty retailers.  These bows and arrows are not typically your best options, and you will not have the opportunity to customize them correctly.

• Buy online. There are several reputable online retailers, including Lancaster Archery (the major US supplier based in Lancaster Pennsylvania. If you are up for a road trip, this is an excellent option), 3RiversArchery (mostly for traditional archers), and Alternative Sports Services (based in the UK).  If you are certain of the specific products you need, feel free to order them wherever you can find them.

There are several benefits to buying online, including a wider range of selections, the ability to get arrows cut to your length and/or fletched before shipping, and the chance to chat with an expert at your convenience.

Do not buy arrows without getting measured in person!  This is a critical step for making sure you are getting the right length and spine.  While risers and limbs are easier to resell if you make a mistake, you might be stuck with the wrong arrows if you skip this step.

You may wish to hold off on buying arrows until after you have your new bow in hand.  This can help to make sure we are measuring you with the highest accuracy. 

Assemble your new bow and arrows

Once your new items arrive, you will need to take several steps to set up your bow.

If you buy from a pro shop, they will offer assembly and arrow fletching for a fee.  It may be convenient to work with the same shop – we are completely fine with that.

However, if the shop is hard to reach or you have purchased your equipment online, we offer set-up services for $50.00.  This includes tying a nock point, assembling your rest and plunger, and setting your brace height.

We will fletch up to 12 arrows for an additional $40.00 fee.  This fee does not include the price of points, nocks, and fletchings (feathers or vanes), so please make sure you buy all the necessary components.  If you lose a fletching through normal wear and tear within the first month, we will fix it for free.  After that, we may charge a nominal fee per arrow.  It will be your responsibility to provide us with the correct new fletchings, so hold onto them!

Tune your equipment

Most beginner and intermediate archers will see a huge difference between shooting a range bow and shooting your own equipment, but every bow needs additional tuning to maximize your potential as an archer.

Tuning is the process of making small adjustments to your bow and your arrows so they work together in the best way possible.

We recommend that you shoot your new set-up for at least a few weeks to get used to how it feels and behaves.  Take this time to work on key elements of your form and develop more consistency.  Most of the time, the archer bears responsibility for a wonky arrow, not the equipment!

Once you have become familiar with your bow and we feel confident in your form, we can begin to explore tuning. 

We charge $75.00 for a full tuning session, which may include adjusting limb alignment and tension, changing your plunger and nock point, and conducting a bare shaft tuning test.

Why can’t I do this all myself?

You can!  If you love getting your hands dirty, you can absolutely develop these skills yourself, and we encourage you to build your own knowledge about your equipment so you can pinpoint issues and make fixes when you’re on your own.

However, it’s always best to start by learning from someone who has been there and done that, because you are working with a weapon.  There are real dangers for inexperienced individuals. For example, never try to string a bow without a bow stringer, even if the pros make it look easy to bend it behind your knee and slip the string on.

We find that for your first bow, you’re better off letting an experienced coach or instructor assemble and tune your equipment.  Of course, we’d love for you to observe the process and ask lots of questions, and we’re happy to teach you some new skills, like fletching arrows, that can be satisfying and enjoyable.

In the future, we hope to offer more structured classes about basic bow building and tuning so you can participate more fully in the process.

Until then, if you have any doubts at all about what you’re doing, we urge you to let us help you in a safe and experienced manner.  Getting it done correctly the first time will save you time, money, and lots of frustration.

We hope this helps take out some of the mystery and confusion that can surround this exciting but challenging process. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Coach Ricci if you have any questions.