Is Archery Expensive? Cost Breakdown for All Equipment
In Archery, you need a lot of equipment, which naturally will cause you to ask yourself if it’s expensive. I will break down the costs for you in this article and show you how to become an archer and simultaneously save money.
Before deciding what equipment to buy, you need to figure out if you are passionate about staying with it long-term or if you will test it out. Because when you buy your first equipment, you can either go cheap and buy a starter bow or an expensive but good bow.
Go Cheap or Not?
The benefit of buying a cheap bow is that you can test if Archery is something for you without spending too much money. The downside is that you enjoy Archery and eventually need to upgrade from the cheap version. Well, now you have already spent 200 dollars, which can be hard for someone.
Buying an expensive bow would be better because it would save you money in the long term. Instead of upgrading your bow after a few months, you would already have a good one that you could use for years.
The bow is not the only expense; let me break down all other costs, including the bow. But first, let’s start with what you need for Archery.
What do you need for Archery?
The Bow
This is the biggest decision you will make regarding your purchases. It’s important to get this one right. As I mentioned above, your price point will depend on your passion and drive. Be honest with yourself if you think you have been doing Archery for a long time.
Choosing your arrows has to match your desires. If you want to go bow hunting, you need arrows for hunting; if you want to shoot at targets, you need arrows suitable for that. Arrows come in different materials. The most common is aluminum, wood, carbon, fiberglass, and composite arrows. I will not tell you about all the different arrows because there are only a few I recommend you use.
- Fiberglass arrows are great if you want to go cheap. Suppose you want to have some course where beginners will practice and where arrows can break easily. They are not the same quality and won’t perform as well as the other arrows I will mention, but they are great for starts who want to test out Archery.
- Carbon is the favorite of many hunters. They are robust; they can come in custom sizes and are priced in the middle range. They are lightweight and fast.
- Aluminum is the perfect arrow for a beginner who wants to perform well but at the same time not break his budget. They are straight and robust. And they come in a lot of different sizes and diameters. They are even competition worthy at certain distances. If you are starting, this is the one I suggest you go with if you are not thinking about going hunting shortly. Because then a Carbon arrow would be a better investment.
Target
Now you are set with both a bow and arrow. Now you want something to shoot at. Shooting in your house wall wont be a good solution for a long. So it would be best if you had a target. This can be a hard one since there are so many options, but luckily I have field tested a dozen and found a few that is great and can fit your budget.
I have chosen my two favorites, the rino, and the bone collector. I have chosen these two mainly out of two points. Durability is the most important one. You want a target that will last you for several years and stay in the shape you bought it. The second is the price point. We want to keep our prices low when we start, so I chose one higher and one lower-priced option. So you can choose what you feel fits you.
The DIY. I nearly forgot to mention this. But making one yourself is a great option too. We have an article on that here ( Link to DIY targets). This article is about making broad head targets, but the same principles and targets work for all purposes.
Making yourself, one can be a great idea if you are unsure if you will stick with Archery in the long run. Making one yourself is cheaper, but it will take some time. So prepare for that, but otherwise, it works great.
The Bone Collector 400 F.P.S
The Bone Collector is a great target for anyone starting. You can buy the size and layers you prefer on Amazon. It’s a great target with different target variations. You are giving you the option to play games or practice for your next competition or hunt.
It’s well-made and designed to make it easy to pull out your arrows. It prevents the material from being ripped out or damaged. This can happen to many cheaper targets, and the target won’t last very long.
Rinehart Rhinoblock
The Rinehart Rhine block is also a great choice regarding targets. It’s one of the most popular targets out there for a reason. Both targets I have mentioned are great for practicing outside; they can tolerate heavy wheater conditions. Just wanted to mention that.
It comes with a 3D range target option, where you can practice for your 3D archery competition if you are interested. If you haven’t looked into 3D Archery yet, I suggest you do so. It’s really fun to do, and you can meet many awesome people.
Let’s continue to the nocking point.
Nocking point
Practicing Archery is fun, but even more fun when you can make the shots you want. To do so, you need to adjust and learn how and where to shoot. The nocking point will help you to do so by helping you place the arrow in the same position every time you shoot.
This can help you improve in Archery faster. This is a must-have. Don’t worry, it’s not expensive and can be free if you do it yourself. Here is a link to a website that will show you how to tie your nocking point for your bow (Link to tie nocking point).
Bow Stringer
Stringing your bow can be hard and dangerous for you and your bow. To string your bow, you need to bend your limbs to make the bow bend, making it possible to string it. In this process, you can damage the limbs by either pushing them on the ground or other ways.
That’s why I suggest you buy one. Because the price of a stringer is dirt cheap compared to ruining your limbs. I will link to my bow stringer here ( Link to amazon )
To maintain your bow and make it last longer, you want to unstring it. It depends on which material the bow is off, but I am not going in-depth about that. If you want to read about it, we have an article here.
Additional Archery Equipment, Not Must-Haves
Arm Guard
Shooting archery can hurt, especially when the bow string hits your forearm. That’s what the Arm guard is for. To protect your forearm. This is not something you must have, but it can be good if you are scared of hitting yourself.
It’s not dangerous to hit yourself with the string, but it can hurt. Suppose you are not sure if you want to purchase one or not. Buy the bow, arrow, and target first, then test if you think an armed guard is needed.
Here is the “classic” arm guard. It’s great and at a very good price compared to the quality it offers.
Should you use Glove or Finger Tabs, and what is it for
I was debating whether it should be in the must-have section or not. Let me explain why. Gloves and finger tabs are protection for your fingers and hands. If you are going to shoot a lot, having protection is very important!
If you shoot for a long time (years) without finger protection, you can get damage your nerves. This can be painful and can hinder you from doing certain everyday activities. I use gloves because they are thicker than tabs, and I like them. I have an article here if you can’t decide what to buy.
(Link to gloves on amazon) I use these gloves and find them great; make sure to order the right size, and you will be good.
What is an Arrow Rest, and do you need it?
Arrow rest is a must-have if you buy a compound bow, but if you have a recurve like I suggest you buy, then it’s not necessary. At least in the start.
An arrow rest is for “holding” your arrow. If you don’t have one, you will place it on your holding hand, which works. If your bow has an arrow rest included, you are set.
What Is String Wax, And Do you Need It?
After using your bow for a while, you will start seeing a thread on your string. You need to fix this! You won’t have to worry about this at the very start, but you will need the string wax shortly.
When you use your bow, your string will start to be worn out; that’s when you should use the string wax. Using the string wax is simple, just put some of it on your thumb and pointing finger and rub it on your string. Rub it back and forth until your fingers start to heat up. That’s because you need some heat source to stick the wax correctly.
The string wax is also cheap; you can check it out here (link to amazon string wax). This is not the one I have personally, but I have heard some good things about it. And most string waxes will work perfectly.
Optional Gear
Do You Need A Sight For Archery
After shooting a while without sight and your accuracy improved, you want to consider a sight. A sight can make it easier for you to shoot more accurately. This is not something you need; you can shoot very well without it.
What is a String Whisker Silencer, and Do You Need It?
Silencer has the same function as the name; it silences the string. This is not something you will need when practicing in your backyard, but it can benefit you if you are going to hunt.
Quiver, Do you need it?
A quiver is also a luxury item in my eyes. It’s great if you can afford it, but you can start shooting Archery well without it. A quiver is a bag you strap on your back to carry your arrows more practically. It also makes time to pick up arrows and shoot them faster. It will save you time and discomfort, but it is also an extra cost.
Conclusion
I wrote this article because many beginners ask if it’s expensive to start practicing Archery, and the answer is no. The price I resulted with was 360 USD, which can be a lot for some people, but in my calculation, I used HIGH-quality equipment, which you can use for years or your lifetime.
Can be cheaper – If you want to go cheap, you can probably purchase equipment under 100 USD, but it won’t last you for that long. Maybe the equipment will, but your skill will increase, and the equipment won’t match your skill anymore. Therefore you have to buy a new bow.
I hope you found this guide helpful; please comment if there is anything you want me to change or if you found this guide helpful. It means a lot; thanks for reading, and have an awesome day with a lot of archery shooting!
How much should you spend On Archery?
So here is what you need and how much it would cost you.
| Equipment | Cost | Link |
| Bow | 120$ | LINK BOW |
| Arrows | 34$ | LINK ARROWS |
| Nocking Point | Free | No Link |
| Stringer | 12$ | LINK STRINGER |
| Total to start! | 166$ | Not much, right? |
| Target if you want | 200$ | LINK TARGET |
| Total with Target | 366 |
