Best Custom Bowyer

[Newtosavage]

By "best" I'm looking for most consistent and most technically sound. I love my satori setup at the moment but there's still something about a custom stickbow. I know some of the giants like Wengard, Toelke, and Black Widow put out an bombproof product but I'm wondering what everyone else's favorites are.

I like having the high tolerances and consistency of an ILF, is it even realistic to expect that out of a custom bow?

Bob Morrison's work, or Dryad, would be very tough to beat.

At one time, OL Adcock made the best performing longbows in the US but sadly he's not making bows anymore. Glad I got mine when we were living 2 blocks apart. Those were good days.

 

[JMatt]

Leon Stewart out of SE PA makes a very nice short longbow. I have one and I love it! There’s also a guy, JT Traditional Archery, who makes a really cool looking carbon fiber backed long bow. Looks like death!

 

[Btaylor]

Bob Morrison's work, or Dryad, would be very tough to beat.

At one time, OL Adcock made the best performing longbows in the US but sadly he's not making bows anymore. Glad I got mine when we were living 2 blocks apart. Those were good days.

Dryad and A&H are both now under the Stalker Flag since South bought both companies

 

[Newtosavage]

Dryad and A&H are both now under the Stalker Flag since South bought both companies

Thanks for the update. I haven't kept track for quite a few years now.

I was in O.L.'s garage when he shared his ACS idea with me, sometime around 1999. He called me at work one day when he finished the first ACS longbow, and I shot it in his back yard that afternoon. 216 fps. with an aluminum hunting arrow and zero hand shock. Just smoking. My Adcock takedown is pre-ACS. It was one of the last ones he built before he came up with the ACS idea. I was glad when John and then Dryad kept O.L.'s ACS design going.

 

[Btaylor]

South is taking the ACS design to a super curve. The guy that taught me how to build a glass bow learned from OL if I am not mistaken and that would have been way pre-ACS.

 

[SHTF]

Border Archery is my top but recently took in a new bow on a trade and Steve Jewett is an Artist. this is his Custom American Native G10+ Carbon+Bamboo Cores hes a master Bowyer and Artist. As you can see he puts it all into his bows. This one is landing today and out for delivery. Its Bushmen Spartan Series which is his high end bow.

 

[wytx]

There is a Herb Meland bow for sale on Wyoming Craigslist with an extra set if limbs right now. He makes a great take down longbow and the price is good on it.

 

[mattflint]

O man, I love these threads. Gives me more bows to want.
I got my 1st wood bow this year from Big Jim, a 58” 50 at 28 thunderchild. I am far from any kind of authority on the subject. All I know is this sucker is pretty, flings arrows with authority and is surprisingly stable at my 30+ dl.
I would not hesitate to get on his books at all.
As of now I think my next bow will be a toelke whistler or possibly a whip. I should probably get on their books soon.

 

[Seeknelk]

Don't forget :
cari-bow
Tall tines
Border
Bob Lee
Big Water Bows
Maddog
Omega
Shrew
Javaman
So many...I haven't gotten a bunch like some guys. Just one from Big Water that I just love, snappy smooth 60" aggressive hybrid, like a Shrew or a Big Jim thunderchild.
I researched the crap out of favorite customs till my head spun. The most common theme is how it felt...and 98 percent of that seemed to come from the grip and that was what made people keep em or sell em.
So figure out what grip you just love and shoot best first...with a metal riser and a pile of grips, file em,.build em up with Bondo or tape or whatever you find the one.

 

[Ozarkansas]

I’m a huge fan of Timberghost bows and his take on the supercurve- the G3SS. It’s been around a relatively long time but is still cutting edge compared to other companies who are just now introducing G-10 riser and carbon limbs.

plus Kent is a local so it just feels good to support him

 

[TradArcher]

Cari-Bow - I have a longbow from that bowyer that I bought when he was first starting. Killed a mule deer 2 years ago with it - love the bow. It shoots where I look but then I've been shooting that bow for about two decades. I think if I went to go buy another bow I'd be looking at his bows for sure. I also own a Black Widow Short Autumn Gray recurve that I've had for more decades and a Great Plains recurve that is an awesome bow too. I also have a OL Adcock longbow that I actually don't shoot that much because the speed is faster than the others so it throws off my aim on the other bows - I have to commit to that one if I want to really do anything with it. The others are fast enough and with a hunting weight arrow hit hard enough to take down Elk so I am happy with them.

I've been through a ton of other bows - had a "bow habit" and would buy used and then shoot them for awhile and then resell through the Footed Shaft shop in MN when I lived there. But the bows listed above stayed. The only one I would maybe part with would be the OL Adcock longbow...but that's still a maybe as it's a low poundage bow with alot of speed so I keep it around in case I injure a shoulder or something - then I have something I could maybe use.

Check out Cari-bow - those longbows are pretty awesome imo.

 

[TradArcher]

Thanks for the update. I haven't kept track for quite a few years now.

I was in O.L.'s garage when he shared his ACS idea with me, sometime around 1999. He called me at work one day when he finished the first ACS longbow, and I shot it in his back yard that afternoon. 216 fps. with an aluminum hunting arrow and zero hand shock. Just smoking. My Adcock takedown is pre-ACS. It was one of the last ones he built before he came up with the ACS idea. I was glad when John and then Dryad kept O.L.'s ACS design going.

I own one of those ACS longbows - it is fast...and no shock for sure.

 

[Ddog]

Abe Penner of Cari-bow.

 

[ledflight]

I shoot an A&H ACS and love it. Kept me a one bow guy for a bit. Excited to see what Stalker / South Cox does with it.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

I've owned a handful of different recurve bow models but considering how many custom bowyers are out there it doesn't even scratch the surface.

Models I've owned:
Stalker Coyote SL
Stalker Apex ILF. I had a couple of these with different weight limbs.
Hoyt Satori
CD Archery WF19 w/Uukha limbs

Models I currently own:
Wengerd Ibex 18
Big Jim Mountain Monarch

Being built:
Stalker Vortex. It'll be done in a couple of weeks.
I have a deposit down for another Stalker (Wolverine FXT).

Like most people, I have my preferences. I really like South's bows, so he get's my money. I bought and sold the Coyote and APEX ILF as I was figuring out what I really wanted for a custom bow.

I suppose a lot of preferences boil down to aesthetics, beyond that it's probably the grip and overall weight.

My Wengerd Ibex 18 riser is all G-10, so it's quite a bit heavier than the Big Jim, for example.
I prefer the grip of the Wengerd and a Medium Stalker grip over the Big Jim grip.

Considering the limited selection of bows I own or have owned , I like South's bows. I have one being built, and another on order.
However, there are hundreds of options out there.

The Wengerd Ibex is also great. but with a 22 month waiting list; they are practically made out of unobtanium material. LOL.

I know the Black Widow bows are pretty popular. For me, I prefer the look of the material options that Stalker or Wengerd offer over the laminated risers that Black Widow seems to have.

But that's just a personal preference/aesthetics bias on my part.

 

[Squints08]

Bob Lee gets my vote. Great bows and great people to do business with.

 

[CatlinBrewer]

There are so many good ones out there, and have owned a lot of them. I am currently mostly shooting Widow recurves and longbows, but would put my eyes on Zipper Bows and Schafer for a handcrafted highly functional work of art constructed my a single individual.

 

[Kevin Dill]

If someone stole all my bows today, the first person I would be calling is Abe Penner at Cari-bow. Might be the only call I'd make too.

 

[ErikT]

I shoot a Bill Kerner that I had him build me in 1994. I’ve had Wallace’s and Robertson’s but can’t shoot anything as well as my kerner. It has what he called the Competition Speed Limb which has a full-length strip of carbon. I don’t remember any other bowyers who did that in 1994. That was a fun project as I would stop over at his house and watch him build my bow. When it came time to shape the handle we spent a full day tweaking it. Good memories of a great guy.

Bill Kerner. you are going old school. I met Bill and visited his shop and spent the day with him years ago. Had a couple of his Mountain Bows. They were very cool bows indeed. Nothing like them out there.

 

[Foggy Mountain]

Cari-Bow - I have a longbow from that bowyer that I bought when he was first starting. Killed a mule deer 2 years ago with it - love the bow. It shoots where I look but then I've been shooting that bow for about two decades. I think if I went to go buy another bow I'd be looking at his bows for sure. I also own a Black Widow Short Autumn Gray recurve that I've had for more decades and a Great Plains recurve that is an awesome bow too. I also have a OL Adcock longbow that I actually don't shoot that much because the speed is faster than the others so it throws off my aim on the other bows - I have to commit to that one if I want to really do anything with it. The others are fast enough and with a hunting weight arrow hit hard enough to take down Elk so I am happy with them.

I've been through a ton of other bows - had a "bow habit" and would buy used and then shoot them for awhile and then resell through the Footed Shaft shop in MN when I lived there. But the bows listed above stayed. The only one I would maybe part with would be the OL Adcock longbow...but that's still a maybe as it's a low poundage bow with alot of speed so I keep it around in case I injure a shoulder or something - then I have something I could maybe use.

Check out Cari-bow - those longbows are pretty awesome imo.

I’ve got no cari bows, but I hear of guys happy with them. I believe I heard, and I could be wrong there’s a mew owner making the bows?
If that’s true this is only my opinion and it stands anytime guys sell off the new bowyer is untested very often and nothing is guaranteed.
Don’t quote me on the new owner thing, just what I heard