Let’s take a guess—you are a regular at a local archery club. You go and practice to your heart’s content and, one day, you examined the situation and home and decided that you want to buy archery targets of your own. You go online and see the price, then immediately ask, why are archery targets so expensive?
Archery targets have to be expensive because they have to be manufactured to withstand prolonged use and different environments. In other words, you will have to invest some money to get a product that lasts.
So, let’s dive in and see what makes archery targets so expensive.
Cheap and Expensive
When you look at any sort of equipment, whether it’s a bow, arrow, or a practice target, you may be able to guess that the more expensive item is of a higher quality than a cheaper item. This observation can be made whether you are a rookie or a pro.
Here’s why—the more expensive item is more expensive for a reason. It can be anything from its functionality, accessories, quality, durability, or any other trait that the cheaper item wouldn’t have included. The reason there is a price gap in the first place is because the price determines the quality of the product itself.
So, if you want to have a practice target that will last for quite some time, you want to invest money in it. However, it isn’t necessarily mandatory that you do so. It all comes down to the following problem: either you want to enjoy archery as much as you can and have fun with it, or you can choose to spend more money on cheap targets and not enjoy archery.
When you are investing money, you are actually investing in quality, materials, durability, and resistance.
Quality
The first thing you are buying when going for expensive archery targets is quality. Quality comes in many shapes and forms, and can range from functionality to additional accessories. So, when you purchase an archery target, you will want to ensure that it can supply all your needs.
Therefore, quality can be a huge determining factor of the price. You can look at it this way: if you were purchasing a cheap foam-layered practice target it may break much easier compared to if you bought a more expensive one. In the former, the wooden drawer that holds the foam is made of cheap wood, which can easily break and succumb to various conditions that you won’t be able to prevent.
If you decide to buy an expensive foam-layered practice target, the wood will likely be of a higher quality and can hold for a longer time. The foam is also of good quality, meaning that it’ll keep from deteriorating, even if you use it every day for practice. It can also resist potential wear from transportation.
It comes down to the quality of the targets you are buying. There are cheaper options, but when you buy expensive ones, you can expect that they will come with the additional quality that can help you spend less money and keep you practicing more often.
If you’re looking to get a high-quality target that will last you a good long time, try the Morrell bag archery target. It comes highly recommended, which is what you want to see.
Materials
When you are buying anything, the quality of materials is important to the quality of an archery target. For example, let’s say you are buying a 3D archery target—it will look like a rabbit or some other animal. If you plan to put it outside, do you want it to lose its color after you’ve left it out just once in the rain?
Of course you wouldn’t. Therefore, buying the target is going to be meaningless, since you want to have a 3D effect. You want to feel like you are chasing a real rabbit through the woods. That’s because, if you do that, it will prepare you better for the hunt.
However, this also works for hanging targets or foam targets. Hanging targets are usually filled with sand. While there are different types of sand, the type of sand you put in it is pretty unimportant. On the other hand, the material that the bag is made of will change the target’s quality drastically.
So, whenever you are buying anything, you will want to make sure that what you are buying will be made of good materials. This is especially so because you will be piercing the target a lot. Therefore, getting a product made of good materials is mandatory.
Luckily, you won’t need to scout too much to find good materials. You can easily learn to recognize good wood from the bad. It’s also the same for foam and other types of targets.
To see each of these materials in action, check out this helpful video:
Durability
The first thing you want to buy is durability. Whenever you buy an archery target, you want it to last for a long time. You want to spend money without worrying that you will have to buy a replacement in the near future.
That’s the reason why people love hay bale targets so much. They are cheap and affordable, and they do the job. However, the problem with hay bales is their lesser resistance to the heat, meaning that you won’t always be able to use it.
It could very well be a transportation issue or it’s not exactly feasible to get them within your geographical location at the moment. In some instances, your club or garage isn’t good for hay bales. Thus, investing money in a good, durable target is a way to go.
That’s where buying a good foam-layered or 3D target will help you a lot, especially if you are serious about practicing. However, in a situation in which you are going to an archery club, the club will likely be equipped with everything you need for practice.
The specific situation described here is when you want to build your own archery range. Don’t ever sacrifice durability for the sake of a cheaper price. It will cost you way more in the end.
To learn more about keeping your archery targets functioning for longer, check out these articles:
Resistance
The reason you are making the purchase now is because you want to practice as much as you can for the least amount of money possible. Then, resistance to exposure becomes even more important, since you won’t want the targets to suffer as soon as they are exposed to heat or water.
Here again, it’s important to say that this doesn’t work for hay bales. When it comes to archery targets of simpler construction, you won’t be able to prevent deterioration effectively. It’s a basic material used raw for making a hay bale target.
Therefore, you won’t be able to keep it usable for long periods of time. Yet, it’s a totally different story when you take a look at foam-layered and 3D targets. They should be more complex and have a higher resistance to exposure, which will allow them to last longer.
As the targets get more advanced, you will want them to be more resistant to exposure and breakage. Therefore, you will want them to be made of good wood, have good paint on them, and be sturdier, among other things.
Of course, you can go for a cheaper target, but that means you may reap fewer benefits than with a higher-quality product. As with anything in life, you will want to watch out where you invest your money.
Investment
It all comes down to what you are willing to pay to get the best possible product. If you are serious about archery, then it’s only natural that you will try to invest money into a product of a higher quality.
Regardless of whether you are pursuing pleasure practice in your home, or you are looking to build an archery range, investing in high-grade products will always be in your best interest. If you still don’t believe it, try to look at it from this perspective.
Buying a cost-effective product when it comes to archery targets is like buying a cheap car. Sure, you can run on the road, but it’s a ticking time bomb, and it will only be a matter of time before it’s going to break or deteriorate.
The problem is, you don’t have time for that. Archers have to practice regularly. Sure, once you get a correct technique and know how to shoot, you can ease up with practice. But, as with anything in life, practice makes permanent.
Therefore, it’s best for you to get targets that will allow you to practice as much as you wish, whenever you wish.
That’s Why It’s So Expensive
Now, you understand why archery targets are so expensive. Yes, you can often buy them at a cheaper price; however, if you really want to enjoy archery, you should ask yourself whether you can afford higher quality targets that will help you boost your game.
Archery, after all, is like anything else in life. If you want to be serious with it, then you should invest in it. In the end, the difference in the price will be the difference in the quality of your archery. From here on out, it’s a self-investment.