What's stopping your arrows?

Since the weather has begun to change archers have begun moving indoors. When they do this they often have select the type of material that they want to shoot their arrows into. The object that stops the arrows is called the target butt. Many archers prefer their target butt to be made out of certain materials. Some of the more common materials that target butts are made of are plastic, straw, and even old clothing. The material that I prefer is plastic, however you not only have to consider the material but you also have to consider the way that the material is designed to stop the arrow. Some targets like The Block are very effective in stopping the arrows and they also allow for the arrows to be pulled out very easily. Another target that allows arrows to be pulled out very easily is the Morrell target. This target is very good for both indoor and outdoor practicing. The only downside about this target is that with many shots its ability to stop the arrows will significantly decrease.
The two main things to consider when selecting a target butt are how easy it is to pull the arrows out of the target and the overall durability of the target after many shots. As mentioned above The Block is a target butt that is easy to pull arrows from while being very durable. Another bonus of this target is that when you pull the arrow out of the target there is not a residue left on your arrow. With some plastic targets the arrows create enough heat and friction that the plastic heats up and actually melts to the arrow shaft. This can be a great hindrance during any archery competition.
If you select a target butt strictly on durability there are some tricks that you can us to make it easier to pull your arrows out of the target. One thing that a lot of archers do if they are having trouble pulling their arrows out of a target is to apply soap to the shaft of the arrow. The way this is done is by drilling a hole slightly bigger than the diameter of your arrow shaft into a bar of soap. Then if you prefer you can wrap the bar of soap in duct tape so it does not get on your hands. Before each round coat the tip end of your arrows with a minimal amount of soap, by dong this the plastic won’t bind directly to the shaft of your arrow. Another way you can make it easier to pull your arrows is to purchase an arrow puller. An arrow puller is a piece of solid rubber hat allows you to get a better grip around the arrow making it easier to pull out of the target.