We have tested various arrow catches for you and compare the nets and mats from various brands such as Bearpaw, Stronghold Targets etc.
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STRONGHOLD PremiumProtect Green |
STRONGHOLD PremiumProtect |
STRONGHOLD Professional |
PFN BLACK |
Bearpaw DURA Backstop netting |
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| Price/m |
39,99 € | 37,99 € | 38,99 € | 47,99 € | 48,99 € |
| Catch rate up to 40lbs |
100% | 100% | 88,5% | 83,5% | 64,5% |
| Catch rate from 40lbs |
92% | 90% | 78,5% | 70% | 64% |
| Our conclusion | convincing test winner |
price hint |
test winner classic arrow backstop netting | constant catch performance, but higher price |
insufficient stop for Slimline Arrows |
Safety comes first and this applies especially to novices and shooters with a (still) slightly wider scattered hit pattern, including the area around and above the actual target. Therefore we have carried out an extensive test series on arrow backstop netting from various brands.
approx. 3 meters high
To the net
approx. 3 meters high
To the net
approx. 2 meters high
To the net
approx. 2 meters high
To the net
approx. 3 meters high
To the netFor our big quality test we bombarded 3m of the tested nets with a fast bow, the Malachite as a one-piece recurve bow, with 30, 40, 50 and 60lbs on our 18m indoor track.
There were 50 shots per draw weight and the number of shots, shots through and rebounds at the arrow trap were counted. Let's start with the experimental setup: In each test series, 50 shots were made with the Malachite recurve bow from Jackalope Archery in tensions of 30, 40, 50 and 60 lbs, a total of 200 shots per test series.
At first slimline arrows with steel points were used, followed by a total of 200 shots with a 5/16 standard carbon arrow with F-Field screw point at a distance of 18m. The number of shots, the number of shots and the number of rebounds on the tested arrow trap were counted.
Ricochets and shots ensure safe arrow catching in the net or mat: the arrows were prevented from uncontrolled onward flight. A higher rebound rate is an indication of the longer durability and safety of the tested arrow catches.
Test series 1
Shooting with a fast recurve bow and slimline arrows each 3m width
Test series 2
Shooting with a fast recurve bow and standard arrows
(5/16 Carbon) each 3m width
In comparison, the arrow mats of Stronghold Targets clearly win with 100% catch rate for slimline arrows and 90 to 92% catch rate for standard carbon arrows!
So our test winner, PremiumProtect Green, actually only has the first shots from 60lbs upwards, which slightly reduce the 100% stopping effect until then. In the slimline range, you won't find anything to complain about, believe it or not, 100% catch quota - due to the overall outstanding stopping effect, the PremiumProtect Green mat from Stronghold Targets receives our very clear and unrestricted arrow catch recommendation for recurve bows.
Also the Stronghold PremiumProtect scores in our test as a very good arrow catch, for slimline shafts it is also a real recommendation with 100% stopping effect over all draw weights and also our price tip. The same applies to 5/16 arrows up to 50lbs. A Small drawback: a lot of arrows stick in the mat in the high tension area.
PremiumProtect matsAlso the Stronghold PremiumProtect scores in our test as a very good arrow catch, for slimline shafts it is also a real recommendation with 100% stopping effect over all draw weights and also our price tip. The same applies to 5/16 arrows up to 50lbs. Small drawback: there are many arrows stick in the mat in the high tension area.
PremiumProtect MattenWould you like a more space-saving classic safety net anyway? For standard carbon arrows all three tested nets are quite similar, the deviations between the various brands only vary by +-4% of the catch performance.
With the classic catching nets, it is astonishing to see an increasing catching effect with high draw strengths and slimline arrows. The Stronghold Professional with at least 90% stop rate overall strengths is a safe arrow catch with only occasional slips (average catch rate: 95%), and thus the best classic net for Slimline Arrows. Also with standard Carbonis the Professional shows a constant catching performance and up to 40lbs a good stopping effect (80 resp. 84% stop rate).
The PFN Black has a good stopping performance with standard carbon arrows up to 50lbs and is in the middle of the three tested nets with a stopping rate of 80%. On the other hand, the stopping effect of slimline arrows was just mixed. Also here the performance rises slightly from 60 to 70% catch rate at high draw weight, overall the PFN Black with 74% catch rate shows no satisfying stopping effect.
The Dura net surprisingly shows its best performance at 50lbs and is the best classic net for 5/16 shafts with its constant stopping effect of 84% on average, whereas the Slimline arrows failed smoothly - in fact only 20% of the arrows were stopped in the average draw weights! This poor arrow trapping performance at medium draw weights also increased again at 60lbs, but the Dura net is not tight enough for slimline arrows and "only" 40% of the shots in the net are not satisfying, so even the initial 80% trapping rate at 30lbs doesn't help much for the overall rating.
In summary, it can be said that with the Recurve Bow the more stable Arrow backstop mats have significantly higher catching rates compared to classic Arrow backstop nets. In addition, the different point forms may have led to different results. This requires further in-depth testing.
