Daughter just got a Diamond Atomic and I'm gonna order some new arrows. These will be 21" long Gold Tip Falcons. The bow has a full containment rest (soon will be a biscuit, I think) and am wanting to know if the mini blazers should be fletched straight or offset? She will only be target shooting for awhile so broadhead stabilization is not a factor. Any other vanes to consider? Options are limited from my sources but will consider any and all. Thanks in advance for any input.

Mini Blazers are great. As small as her bow is, they will do fine to stabilize her arrow.

The Hostage rest is not so super duper.

Put on a Whisker Biscuit for a young shooter. It is super simple, tough, and full containment.

Straight or helical fletch, doesn't matter to the WB.

FYI - Standard Blazers will rub in a Hostage rest.

My daughter used to shoot a Nuclear Ice (predecessor to Atomic) and it was a fantastic bow for her. I got it shooting pretty well for her, but it did take some doing (a bit of tuning).

A better rest is a great idea, so is a little better sight (preferably one that is round, so she can learn to line it up in the peep correctly) and whenever you can, some better strings. The factory strings are little more than twine, and new threads make a huge difference. Also, if you can lube everything up while you're putting new strings on it, it makes a difference.

The Falcon arrow should be a great match for the bow. I've also had great luck with the Beman ICS Jr.

For points, I have her shooting the 85gr Trophy Taker® Tight Point® Field Tips. They have a small O-ring on them to keep them tight in the arrow.

http://www.basspro.com/Trophy-Taker-Tight-Point-Field-Tips/product/10212227/

They do a couple of things for her:

1 - they never loosen up. This is a biggie.

2 - they go into the target really well. As a youngster, shooting a light draw weight, having arrows bounce off the target is disheartening. She wants her arrows to stick in the target like Daddy's arrows.

Those trophy taker tight tips are great. My daughter shoots them 85gr ones in ASA competition. So she started shooting when she was 5, she turns 8 in two months, came in second at the State ASA meet in Abilene this past summer.
Her First bow was a Nuclear Ice, she now shoots a Mission Menace.

Here is what we learned.

1. On her Nuclear Ice the capture rest shot better than the whisker biscuit until she was able to pull more than 18lbs or so. She shoots a QAD on her Menace now.

2. We tried a few different arrows and with her Nuclear Ice and Menace the hands down best we have used are CE Mayhem Hot Pursuit 150s.
http://www.carbonexpressarrows.com/archery/hunting-arrows/mayhem--hot-pursuit--

3. Ditch the sights (Broke two plastic pins in the first week), we went with Viper Archery Products all metal sight forget the model, it is small and light and comes with pink highlights. I am so impressed with the pins that are on it I am considering getting one of their high end sights for my new target rig.

4. Peep sight, I don't know how old your daughter is but peeps are tough with the flat string angle of a super short draw. She may have problems looking though it, get the biggest one you can find and you will need tubing to keep it centered at low draw weight it will move everywhere. As my daughters draw length has increased it has gotten much easier for her to see through her peep.

5. Get a soft target that arrows won't bounce out of my daughters in a Big Green target and it has a super soft face that arrows will stick in.

6. Posture and Loose hands, teach it now and they won't fight it later. My daughter has better shooting posture than me.

7. Get them to try and visualize their point of aim and teach aim small, miss small. My daughter will close her eyes, think of her aim point, take a couple of breaths, and then draw. She is now more and more confident calling 12s.

8. Resist the urge to jack up their draw weight, my daughter always wants to pull more, but when you jack it up she is done in 6 or so arrows. Get some exercise stretch bands for her to play with and work on form while in the house watching TV and the such.

9. Don't buy a release online or over the counter. Have a good bow shop fit one for her. It make take some modification and dremel work to get it right, but when it is she will thank you for it.

10. Have Fun, my daughters bow journey so far has been a blast. She just found out there is Women's archery in the Olympics, I may be doomed. LOL.

Thanks Gummi and Chuck. Lots of good info there. The Atomic is quite surprising so far but the included sights and rest are indeed just good enough.

Daughter is loving the bow and shoots several sessions daily, 20-30 arrows per session. I think the rest will be the first thing to go. Haven't decided on a replacement yet but will most likely be a biscuit, a Bodoodle or a QAD.

Peep sight was installed before her first shot so we are good to go there. It's a 3/16" tube type to give consistent line up and she is happy with it.

Looked at the viper sights and was wondering, how many pins? I just don't see this thing needing more than three but I can always move a five pin to her next bow. Chuck, do you think the sights you have were around $75?

Also, gonna go with some standard 3" Vanetec vanes for now until we need to buy some better arrows. Those CE Mayhem's are not in the budget yet and are definitely on the high end. Just need to order some of those field points with the o-rings. That's a nice touch to keep her from having to constantly tighten them up.

Thanks again guys!

Chuck had a TON of great insight there in his post.

At her age, the mass weight of the bow is just as, if not more important than the draw weight of the bow. It is hard for little arms to hold up a heavy bow. They get tired, start bad habits, and it becomes something that is frustrating instead of fun.

For an affordable and super light weight sight, take a look at the TruGlo Carbon XS. It is perfect for youngsters, the pins are nice and bright, it is tough, and it looks great (like one you'd have on your bow).

I recommend against a drop away for a new shooter. She needs simplicity, in order to develop good shooting habits early on. By adding too much gadgetry, you make it complicated and distracting.

It is a good idea for a beginner to start with a wrist release. Scott is now making a youth release that looks to be much nicer than the Cobra or TruFire offerings, and in the same price range (maybe $5-10 more). Getting fitted is a good suggestion. As she advances, if she wants to use a thumb release, there are some good youth sized ones available (my daughter shoots the Carter Fits Me Too)

She will take off with it pretty quickly, and you'll upgrade equipment and be adjusting her bow as she grows pretty often.


My daughter has been shooting for 4 years now. She has graduated from a simple recurve, to the Nuclear Ice, and is now shooting a Hoyt Ruckus. She still loves shooting the recurve sometimes. It gets more and more complex as time goes on, she saves up her allowance and buys parts for her bow sometimes, and I will sometimes buy her stuff. For the last few nights, we've been putting on new strings, and tuning her bow. I am standing right next to her, and coaching her through the process. She is the one pressing the bow, adding a twist here and there, and inspecting the results. It is fun, and it's time we get to spend together. We have to cut it short, she loses interest after a little while, so what would take me 2 evenings to tune my bow, is taking all week with hers.

This is my daughter's Viper.

http://www.viperarcheryproducts.com/h500.html

You can get cheaper, but make sure they are all metal sights. The way she shoots competition, I didn't want to go too big or too small I think it is just right for her.

Another thing, low poundage bows use a lot of pins. When she just started shooting it too her all 4 pins to get out to 20 (ASA max for 6-8 yo is 15). Now she is down to 3 to get out to 20, with the 4th for 30 (she hates shooting up close, loves to practice long which pays big time when she is limited to 15 in competition).