New to traditional archery

[Jstumbaugh]

I am looking to test the waters into the trad archery world. I bow hunt and dabble in competitive indoor/outdoor archery with compounds. Where is a good spot to start as far as a bow goes? I'm not afraid to jump into this as I do have multiple bows in my arsenal currently but want to see if its something I will continue with before dropping some coin on something decent. Should I start with some $100-$150 amazon take down? I guess my end goal would be to be confident in hunting with a trad bow to roughly 30 yards. I currently draw 703 with a 29.5-30" draw depending on the bow. Any guidance or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[go4thegusto]

Buy a Black Hunter on ebay. These things are rock solid and really can serve a guy well forever. I have many high end bows but take this flying to TX for hogs just in case they lose my bag etc.
You can't go wrong with these. I think the October Mountain and others are basically the same thing.
Usually around $100-$125 in either a recurve or longbow. Start at 40-45 lbs to be sure you tune your form without struggling.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

Roger that. Also just saw a PSE NightHawk 40# on AT for $85. Any thoughts on that?

 

[go4thegusto]

Roger that. Also just saw a PSE NightHawk 40# on AT for $85. Any thoughts on that?

Not familiar but most of these China and Korea bows are darn decent these days

 

[Vaquero 45]

If new and wanting to go the ILF route the Junxing F261 riser which is also marketed under another name which rite now I cant remember is one heck of a riser for the money . I think they also make them in 21" which is what I would purchase if I was looking and a guy / girl on the taller side .

I have a couple high end risers but I know I 'am in this for the long haul . You can also get really good ILF limbs from " Alternative " across the pond . And save good money . Or the $280 delieverd Nika N3" limbs are fantastic , great for hunting also .

 

[Mighty Mouse]

An ILF bow would give you the most flexibility on length, draw weight, material of construction, quality, etc. You could piece together an entry-level ILF setup with light limbs (I would suggest starting at no more than 35#) for around $200. Once you work up to your hunting draw weight, you could sell your starter limbs at a small loss and upgrade to something nicer. Below is a handy chart showing overall bow length for various riser/limb combos. Double your draw length is a common rule of thumb for minimum overall length. Longer is generally easier to shoot, just a little more unwieldy in the field.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

Great info guys. Thanks for the help

 

[Beendare]

Good suggestions above. One of my current favorite risers is a 19" Bucktrails $129 from Alt services. Then buy some cheap name brand limbs at about 30# on that riser.
edit- if you go ILF limbs, all are rated at 28” DL, some are rated on 25” risers and some a 19” riser. A limb rated on a 25” will be a heavier weight on a shorter riser.

Read the sticky threads on Archery Talk in the Trad section. Watch "the Push" and Jake Kaminsky on YouTube. The Masters of the bare Bow #1 and #3 are good too. Having a mentor or coach is #1.

As you probably know, The degree of difficulty goes way up with Trad gear. A guy can learn to shoot a compound pretty darn good at 20y in about 10 minutes....that can take months with trad gear. Form errors are magnified. Learning proper form is the key to not getting frustrated.

 

[bisblue]

Hold off on the black hunter, I draw the same and it's to short a bow leading to stacking (really heavy)
This thing in 30 or 35# will equal 35 or 40 at your draw length. Less is more starting out.
This is an ilf riser you can buy nice limbs for later, shoots great, even better with a nice string put on.
TBOW 62” ILF Recurve Bow with Gordon Limbs 30-60Lbs for Adult Archery Competition Athletic Right Hand https://a.co/d/e5BApuF

 

[Rob5589]

Southwest Archery take down, 30-35lb limbs, string, some .700's with 100 grain points, done. Buy the riser and I have some limbs I can send you on loan to get shooting to see what you think.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

I really appreciate the insight and offers. Going through a little analysis paralysis right now looking at all that's out there in the under $200 budget right now. I have another question. What length bow should I be looking for? I a 6' tall. Seems what I am reading is that a 60" bow may cause finger pinch. Should I narrow down to 66"-68"?

 

[Squints08]

Just jumping in here but I've been following along. I think bow length is a personal thing. I have 52", 60" and 62" bows. I draw 29.5" and have bows ranging from 42lbs@28 to 49lbs@28. I very much prefer my 52" and 60" bow. The 62" to me changes the string angle just enough to clip my nose when I release. I have no interest in changing my anchor so I don't shoot it much. If I compete with it I just put a Band-Aid over the tip of my nose. I shoot 3 under and use a glove. Finger pinch to me is negligible with my bows and I don't have super tough tradesman hands. The 52" bow does take a serious focus on follow through. If I could only have one bow it would be 60" and as a matter of fact my next custom is currently being built 60" and 47lbs@28.

 

[Rob5589]

6'2", 29.5" draw, 3 under, 64" bow works well for me. You won't do yourself any harm going to 66"+, other than it may be long in a hunting situation.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

Just an update but I picked up a PSE Nighthawk 62" 40# on AT. Apparently the Nighthawk is the same bow as the Sage Samick so I also picked up a ;limb set package off fleabay that has 25#, 50# an 55# limbs that will fit the bow for a steal. Now just have to wait for my bday in a few weeks to start practicing. Thanks again for the advice and direction.

 

[Hmon127]

How is the nighthawk treating you? Just getting into trad as well and looking for an entry level bow.

 

[Jstumbaugh]

I like it. Shot the #40 limbs for a bit and went to the #50 getting ready for the fall. I have played around with different arrow weights/lengths to tune the bow and have taught myself some string walking and I have been building my confidence. Having never shot a high end recurve I dont know if I am missing anything but Im happy with my abilities right now.

 

[Hmon127]

I like it. Shot the #40 limbs for a bit and went to the #50 getting ready for the fall. I have played around with different arrow weights/lengths to tune the bow and have taught myself some string walking and I have been building my confidence. Having never shot a high end recurve I dont know if I am missing anything but Im happy with my abilities right now.

What poundage were you running on your compound before you made the switch?

 

[Jstumbaugh]

I shoot #70 on the compound. #40 was definitely a good spot for me to start.

 

[Beendare]

Just know that Form and attaining it is critical. Lots of good resources like the Jake Kaminsky channel on youtube to help.

Having a coach or mentor is the best option.

 

[Hmon127]

Just know that Form and attaining it is critical. Lots of good resources like the Jake Kaminsky channel on youtube to help.

Having a coach or mentor is the best option.

I coughed up the coin for the Solid Archery Mechanics course to start. It has been Extremely informative so far. I'll have to check out Kaminsky's channel.