First trad bow

[SuspiciousFish]

I got a PSE Nighthawk for Christmas and have been very happy with it. The bow looks good too and have a quality fit and finish. You can get bow squares for about $15 on Amazon and its easy to set up a nock point. Make sure you get a stringer and an arm guard as well.

 

[Beendare]

Buying an expensive bow to start is a mistake, IMO.

I think the guys recommending the cheap Black Wolf or similar setups is perfect to start. Then you can up your poundage and move into something that suits you- right now, there is no way to know what that is until you shoot for awhile.

 

[Te Hopo]

I've found the cheaper but known brands hold their value reasonably well, the Black Hunters, Sammick Sages and PSE Nighthawks seem to still sell secondhand for maybe 75% RRP.

Whereas I see plenty of big name bows selling for 50 to 75% RRP which is a massive hit on a $500-$1000 bow.

 

[RADunfee]

Another vote for the Black Hunter. I have the longbow (reflex/deflex) in 40 lbs but with my 30in draw its more like 45lbs. Great bow!

 

[BRH Archer]

Another vcote for the Black Hunter. I have a Gen 1 version with a Selway slide on, great bow and under 300.00 for a woods ready good shooting bow. My main bow is a Gillo GT19/Uukha rig, but I still kep the Black Hunter as it shoots so well.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Buying an expensive bow to start is a mistake, IMO.

I think the guys recommending the cheap Black Wolf or similar setups is perfect to start. Then you can up your poundage and move into something that suits you- right now, there is no way to know what that is until you shoot for awhile.

You don't say.

 

[Beendare]

You don't say.

View attachment 511396

A couple years ago, You posted that you wanted something special/unique to start. Thats a one off.

I was being somewhat sarcastic in mentioning those Blacktails- THE most unique and more art than bow for sure.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I know, I know...I can be sarcastic too. But I am banned from the local indoor range now because of this bow. Apparently the other archers leave too much of a drool mess when I'm there. Gotta practice at home now. The way this Legacy Gemsbok shoots is equal to its hand carved beauty IMHO. Hope my kids choose to keep it in the family as an heirloom when I'm gone.

 

[Beendare]

A collector item for sure.

I would be surprised if that bow is not worth a lot more than you paid for it in another 10 or 20 years

 

[madtinker]

Also an aspiring archer looking for a first bow. Looking through the posts here, it looks like the Black Hunter, Sage, and PSE Nighthawk are all solid choices. Differences I’ve found so far is that the Black Hunter does not have lugs for accessories, the prices, and the max draw weights available. I haven’t found how much the different setups weigh; can anyone confirm if they are pretty similar. I am a little biased against the nighthawk because Cabela’s is a distributor (a lot of Cabela’s products seem overpriced to me) Maybe I’m being too harsh?

I like the idea of adding a simple sight, so that eliminates the black hunter. Primary use of the bow is going to be small game and turkey. I’ll start with a set of 30# limbs and work up to 40-45.

Anyway, I found someone at church that shoots a Galaxy bow and am going to try his out. If I like it I’ll probably order a Galaxy Sage. Am I on the right track?

Thanks everyone for your input!

 

[Beendare]

Also an aspiring archer looking for a first bow. Looking through the posts here, it looks like the Black Hunter, Sage, and PSE Nighthawk are all solid choices. Differences I’ve found so far is that the Black Hunter does not have lugs for accessories, the prices, and the max draw weights available. I haven’t found how much the different setups weigh; can anyone confirm if they are pretty similar. I am a little biased against the nighthawk because Cabela’s is a distributor (a lot of Cabela’s products seem overpriced to me) Maybe I’m being too harsh?

I like the idea of adding a simple sight, so that eliminates the black hunter. Primary use of the bow is going to be small game and turkey. I’ll start with a set of 30# limbs and work up to 40-45.

Anyway, I found someone at church that shoots a Galaxy bow and am going to try his out. If I like it I’ll probably order a Galaxy Sage. Am I on the right track?

Thanks everyone for your input!

Some of the metal risers are drilled fir a sught mount, some arent. Very few wood risers are drilled.

My Junxing is drilled, and I dont like it.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Also an aspiring archer looking for a first bow. Looking through the posts here, it looks like the Black Hunter, Sage, and PSE Nighthawk are all solid choices. Differences I’ve found so far is that the Black Hunter does not have lugs for accessories, the prices, and the max draw weights available. I haven’t found how much the different setups weigh; can anyone confirm if they are pretty similar. I am a little biased against the nighthawk because Cabela’s is a distributor (a lot of Cabela’s products seem overpriced to me) Maybe I’m being too harsh?

I like the idea of adding a simple sight, so that eliminates the black hunter. Primary use of the bow is going to be small game and turkey. I’ll start with a set of 30# limbs and work up to 40-45.

Anyway, I found someone at church that shoots a Galaxy bow and am going to try his out. If I like it I’ll probably order a Galaxy Sage. Am I on the right track?

Thanks everyone for your input!

A Galaxy Sage and PSE Nighthawk are functionally identical. I would bet they're produced in the same factory and just get a different badge on the way out the door. Either would do fine as a starter bow, but for not much more money you could piece together an entry level ILF bow and have many more options on limb weight/length/material/quality.

 

[madtinker]

I did see ILF as another option. Is it really as simple as choosing a riser and limbs that say “ILF” and then getting a string of the right length? What would you look for in a quality riser? Are the more expensive ones a better fit/better hold/lighter?

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Is it really as simple as choosing a riser and limbs that say “ILF” and then getting a string of the right length?

Pretty much. Below is a handy chart showing overall bow lengths for various ILF riser/limb combos.


Figuring out draw weight of an ILF bow can get a bit tricky because riser length affects draw weight. The draw weight of any given set of ILF limbs will be rated at 28" of draw length on a specific riser length...25" for Olympic-style limbs and something shorter (usually 17-21") for "hunting" limbs. The rule of thumb for estimating actual draw weight when mixing and matching limbs and risers is to add 1 pound of draw weight per 1 inch reduction in riser length, and vice versa. For example, limbs rated 40# at 28" on a 25" riser would be expected to measure 46# at 28" if they were installed on a 19" riser.

What would you look for in a quality riser? Are the more expensive ones a better fit/better hold/lighter?

I haven't shot enough different risers to have an informed opinion. My current ILF riser is a 19" White Feather Lark. It's in the low-to-medium tier pricewise, and I'm happy with it.