first traditional shots, So confused!

[Pgohil]

Jumping into the traditional game after 20 years shooting a compound. Went to my local shop and shot 2 bows. A 60" green mountain meca lowbow @ 45 lbs, and a 58" Bearpaw ILF recurve @ 40.
I went into this assured I wanted a recurve. But now I'm more confused than ever. I was explained how much easier limbs torque/trust and deflect on a recurve and could see it. The longbow is way more forgiving and significantly quieter, but of course slower.

The longbow was much lighter in hand which seems important to me right now. The recurve felt better and more like a compound grip, but also had a lot more vibration.


I've been shooting a compound for 20 years. In can tell the difference between low end, mid-range and higher quality bows. I'm not looking for Asian junk to start with, nor am I looking for a custom $1,000 set up either. I'm not nostalgic, I'm just looking for another challenge and enjoyable way to hunt.

I like some recommendations from the group in regards to recur versus longbow as well as other models I should try out. Hunting is the end goal. 5'-7" with a 27" draw.

Thanks for your help.

PD Gohil
WV

 

[Wrench]

You need to shoot a bunch of grip styles before you get too invested.

I have a bunch of bows, most are from top builders and I started thinking I wanted that 3 piece big riser high grip bow.....what I found is a classic hill style low wrist grip works well for me.

Torque can be applied to any grip, but higher wrist grips where the web of your thumb and first finger bear the load are the easiest to be consistent.

Really just need to shoot several.

There's a bodnik in the classys right now that is a good bow at a great price.

 

[Te Hopo]

I'm in the same boat, figuring out what I like/works for me.

So to start off with I bought a Black Hunter recurve and a Bear Montana longbow.
Both are affordable, good quality and are doing their job.
Sure the Black Hunter is made in China but its finishing is very good and it came highly recommend from a lot of people as a great bow for the money, especially when your not sure if a recurve is for you.

If anything I'm more confused
So I'm just enjoying been able to grab whichever bow takes my fancy that day.
Ultimately I think I'll wind up using the longbow more as that light feel and quietness is what drew me back to archery

 

[Recurve Man]

Well I've been shooting and killing critters for 36yrs with a recurve. By no means knocking what you shot but there is a huge difference in recurves and long bows. Im a recurve guy only. Picked up a few LBs over the years to try and 2 shots later i know why i like recurves. Also there are huge differences in good shooting bows versus production bows. Good bows are not cheap. My suggestion is find a big traditional shoot somewhere and go look at bows and most vendors will let you shoot them and try them out. You will pick up something that you'll really like the feel of in your hand. Kinda like a ballglove per say. Then buy it and sell your compound or you'll never get good with it. Very few naturals out there unless you grew up shooting sling shots you made. Its frustrating but fun all in the same day. Your shots will be totally different than that with a compound. Do not over bow yourself. Stay in the 50s range on poundage and you can kill any NA animal that walks. Good luck in your adventure.

 

[Rob5589]

You shot two vastly different bows; ILF vs a one piece longbow. Being new myself, I'd recommend picking one that catches your eye and go with that in the beginning. I would start lower than 45lbs, 35 or so at your draw length is a good place to start.

I've been very pleased with my Southwest Archery recurves. Finish is good, draw weights are accurate, fairly smooth drawing, no significant stack at close to 30" draw. They have great CS as well.

 

[oldgoat]

I can't emphasize this enough, lightness in your hand isn't your friend when you're starting out!!!! Being able to change limbs economically and move up in weight and being able to tune to different shooting styles is your bestest of friend's!!!(that means buy an economical ILF) Pair that with either a coach or an online shooting course like Solid Archery Mechanics by Tom Clum or the like. I would also recommend at least a 60" or 62" recurve to start, not that 58".

 

[Pgohil]

So is it worth it to buy a lower price bow such as one from Southwest and get going? Then sell it and buy something better? I'm still torn between the simplicity of the longbow and the adjustability, modularity, and speed of a recurve.

 

[ScottinPA]

IMO, yes get a lower priced good bow and learn the basics (Black Hunter, Tophat archery, Samick Sage, etc). Way different than a compound especially if you going to shoot instinctive. I find the regular longbow grips are tougher to master and going between them and my recurves isn't good. I'm sticking to recurve with a medium grip and have a Baltic Bow longbow with very similar grip.
There's always a market for used lower end low draw weight bows. Few other pieces of advice:
- go really low in draw weight to start- 35-40lbs (when I switched back, I went from 80+lb compound to a 38lb recurve)
- learn to tune arrows to the bow (Stu Miller spine calculator or similar will get you started along with bareshafting once your get decent form)
- work on form

once you have those nailed down, play with whatever floats your boat.

 

[Deerscat]

If I could do it all over… I would buy a Hoyt satori. And if your draw length is close to 28”,29” I would get a 17” or 19” riser with long limbs. Then you can buy different grips to find what fits you, different limbs. After that you will know what you want if you ever want to order a “ custom” wood bow. And it’s always nice to have a set of 25-30# limbs for working on your form.

And above all of that a good coach like Rid Jenkins of Tom Clum is priceless and will save a TON of headaches.

 

[Rob5589]

So is it worth it to buy a lower price bow such as one from Southwest and get going? Then sell it and buy something better? I'm still torn between the simplicity of the longbow and the adjustability, modularity, and speed of a recurve.

For sure. I have two SWA recurves and they shoot very well. They're basically identical, hit where I point, are easy to hold on target, can fling a 525 gr arrow at 172 fps. I'll have a Stalker one day but honestly can't see how my current bows couldn't do anything I'd task them with. They just don't look as purty doing it.

 

[Pgohil]

What SW recurves do you have?

 

[Rob5589]

Tigershark and Spyder. Basically same riser, different woods. Both with 64" limbs, 40lb, which end up 45 at my 29.5" draw.

 

[Warmsy]

I bought a Fleetwood timber ridge 2/3 years ago. Not a custom, not a sage, either. I practice just about every day and I'm doing pretty good with it. Yesterday at 30 yards. It has a452x aftermarket steering on it. I want to do my toe into the custom world, but this thing shoots awesome so I'm going to use it for the foreseeable future.

Good luck finding a bow.

 

[Te Hopo]

I started with a Black Hunter recurve, it's cheap to buy without feeling cheap.
As a woodworker myself, I'm impressed with the quality and finishing of the materials.
Its proven easy to shoot, the grip is comfortable, I didn't flinch too much the first time I dropped it

Comparing it with my friends Sammick Sage, I'd put them on par with each other and they both are highly recommended beginner bows.

Now that the fundamentals seem to be in place, I started shooting a Bear Montana just yesterday and it already feels natural.
Nice and light in the hand, a little smoother, quieter and it definitely feels more instinctive.

Now, I'm pleased that I followed the advice of others and took this journey they recommended from recurve to longbow as I've learned a lot and have really noticed the progression

 

[bjfoxhoven]

There are tons of reasons that recurve produced more hand shock for you. There is a vast difference longbow and recurve. If you want simplicity and performance, you could get a decent one piece recurve around 40lb at your draw. That’s low enough to focus on good form and wil shoot hard enough to kill deer plenty dead.

I’m a recurve guy, love the performance and feel. I have shot a lot of longbows, and yet to find one that feels good to me. However I shoot 3unded, and most I’m sure we’re tillered for split, hence more band shock when i shoot them.

 

[bisblue]

Twig archery sells black hunters they test out first for a few bucks more.

 

[Pgohil]

Oh shit! I just bought a used satori with the 17" riser and 40lb limbs!!!

I'm Stoked!!

PGohil

WV

 

[bbassi]

Pgohil, if you are in WV and want to try a bunch of different bows, you really should plan to go to ETAR this year at the sawmill ski resort in Morris PA. There are dozens of vendors and a practice range where you can test drive anything you want free of charge. It's a 4 or 5 day event so plan to spend a couple days.

 

[oldgoat]

Oh shit! I just bought a used satori with the 17" riser and 40lb limbs!!!

I'm Stoked!!

PGohil

WV

I think that's a fine choice for a first bow, now get some lessons, preferably before or upon receipt of the bow for two reasons, first it will keep you from developing bad habits that will creep back into your shot sequence from now til the day you take your last shot, second they will pay for their self with the prevention of lost and broken arrows. If you find those limbs to be too much to start, realize that most of the really cheap ILF limbs draw weight are rated on a much longer riser and will scale a lot higher on a shorter riser. Have fun!

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Okay, no one has said it yet. An ILF recurve with handshock is out of tune. Fix your tiller, and/or add some arrow weight. Add string silencers while you're at it. Any of the above will make it feel better in the hand.

And a recurve limb that is easily torqued and twisted is a lower quality limb. Good ilf limbs with carbon will have a lot more torsional stability. Assuming decent tiller (and a reasonably spined arrow) on both bows, a recurve will be more accurate, and easier to learn on.