Best youth archery bow sets according to redditors

For more of a toy approach to get a kid interested: https://www.3riversarchery.com/kid-bow-and-arrow-set.html

For more of an actual bow:
https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Archery-1st-Shot-Youth/dp/B00R3A79HW/

I don't own either of these, I've just been shopping around for my daughter, who is only 4 months old.

I love archery and this community and /u/TemplarReflex777 nailed it in one. Recurvers will suggest recurves, compounders will suggest compounds.

But also take into account that kids aren't silly, and they know if they've been handed a throw-away, so to speak. But if they get something that looks the part, they're more likely to see that you've taken an interest in what interests them.

I recommend this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PO5QVS/ref=psdc_3307768011_t3_B00R6G1154

Plus extra arrows. And a proper target to shoot at.

We bought a traditional style bow kit for $20 on amazon just to get our 4yr old daughter started. At that age they are super into it one day, and not interested at all the next. It’s actually kind of kept it simple as far as teaching her the mechanics, form, how to aim. Bear Archery 1st Shot Youth Bow Set - Flo Purple https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY1ZFYK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZhcwDbJJVP913

That looks pretty cool, here is something similar on Amazon I found and bought a while back, so you can compare and contrast.

If you replace "good hunting" with "extremely cheap and made for kids" you could go for this:

http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Archery-AYB6501-Titan-Bow/dp/B002BIPAOK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404852683&sr=8-2&keywords=long+bow

I got that bow for a friend!

The limbs are plastic/fiberglass. The bow comes pre-strung, so a lot of its power was already gone because the limbs bended from the weight

Unless you've got very short arms, that bow's draw is going to be far too short for you. You'll be over-drawing it pretty far, which leads to more stress on the limbs (again, the plastic/fiberglass limbs!) which could either lead to more warping or the limbs will explode from being over drawn (too much stress from being over drawn!)

If under $50 is your price range, I'd recommend this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Archery-AYB6501-Titan-Bow/dp/B002BIPAOK/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1407389372&sr=1-1&keywords=bear+titan+bow

You have a lot of options to go on the cheap. I mean actually cheap. They won't feel premium or awe inspiring but you can still get quite good (I'm currently retraining myself to use thumb, so I have both those bows below but I have the 18lbs version of the snake)
You can try the famous Snake Bow, or the Youth Titan Bow, Both capable of being drawn to 31" safely, both capable of shooting on the left or right side. Perfect for finding your particular style before choosing better equipment. Both have a reputation of being tanks in terms of durability.

I recommend This armguard

As for arrows, there are a lot of amazon sellers, with 25~30lbs being the kind of weight you want to start with, most of the sellers on amazon give you okay-ish arrows to start, I wouldn't get the cheapest option but if I had to choose, I'd get these. Do not expect to be splitting arrows though.


If you chose those 3 options, that's about 100$ leaving 50$ for a tab, back quiver or target bag. Tab/target bag should be the higher priority, all 3 would be best.


These bows and arrows I linked are for, real budget entry level "I've never shot a bow before" archers. Easy enough to pull, forgiving and more forgiving on the wallet.

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At least I think so.

I believe this one is the one they use in The Walking Dead. ($300)

What about this for a bowfishing bow?

http://smile.amazon.com/Bear-Archery-Firebird-Bow-60-Inch/dp/B002BIM0H0/ref=cm_cd_ql_qh_dp_t

It's within my draw length and I should be able to pull off at least 33# draw weight with it. (Listed is 30-35#)

well, it now comes in PINK!
http://www.amazon.com/Nxt-Generation-NXT-CSBKG-Girls-Crossbow/dp/B0030D60GM

I found a fabulous coloration for anybody scared of doing a little painting.
http://www.amazon.com/Nxt-Generation-NXT-CSBKG-Girls-Crossbow/dp/B0030D60GM/ref=pd_sim_sg_4

http://www.amazon.com/Barnett-Vortex-45-Pounds-Youth-Archery/dp/B003RXOOQI/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t

I bought this archery set for my kid this summer. It is a little cheapo set, but pretty awesome if you want to shoot at a target in your basement. Also, it's green!

http://www.amazon.com/Bear-Archery-Wizard-Right-Hand/dp/B0025XLX60/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1413682821&sr=8-14&keywords=bow+and+arrow+set

My wife rejected spending $140 a set. Suggested this instead. What do you think?

https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Archery-Scout-Youth-Purple/dp/B00R6G1154/ref=cm_sw_em_r_dp_dz_2qihAbSPC6XS2_tt?pldnSite=1

Look into the draw length and bow strength most larp bows I've seen have a max of 20 pounds.

This might be more your speed if thats the case.

Well I'll throw in my two cents since no one's linked a specific model yet.

$50 - 35lb ambidextrous recurve bow

It's a youth bow but I've had no issue with the size of it as an adult. It's a lowish poundage as others have recommended. It's also quite cheap. So if you try it and decide you're not super into archery, you're not out over $100 on a nicer bow. I've been LARPing with it for a couple years. Durability is not an issue as I've spent large amounts of time both shooting with it and blocking weapon strikes with it.

As for learning to shoot the thing, I'll leave that to someone with more traditional archery experience than myself. I believe many gun ranges actually have archery instruction if that's convenient for you. Just make sure you get training before trying to shoot. You'd be surprised the angles those arrows can fly when you shoot improperly. And don't be fooled by the relatively low poundage, that's plenty to put an arrow through someone.