Not to put a plug in here, but I have a brand new Toelke Curlew 3pc 60" 55@28 with custom made bow quiver, new price $1100 I'm selling for $500. Reason I tell you this.... Not to have you buy it but to show you can get a top of the line for a good price if your patient and watch the classifieds.

 

Thanks yeah will have to consider that too.... its tough... i wish i could go down to the shop and try out a few... but seems like its all compounds everywhere... each shop will have maybe one token pse recurve

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I feel ya brother. I bought a bow of decent traceable quality and traded my way thru 11 bows alone this year. I like shooting different bows and finding what works. I have since found my ultimate niech hence selling the recurve. Aesthetically I prefer American semi-longbows and it's what I shoot the best. Bama , belcher Union Jack, Howard hill archery, and C&N. So I am getting rid of all recurves

 

Btw i shoot 70 lbs compound very comfortably at 30"... and im thinking 55 lbs for the recurve... i do intend for this to be a hunting bow once i can shoot it well enough. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Generally speaking...you should be able to make the transition to trad with a trad bow that draws 60% to 70% of your compound bow's peak draw weight.

At 70lbs. that is somewhere between 42lbs. and 49lbs. which is legal in most if not every state and is plenty heavy enough for most species here in the US.

Next to the bow's length and draw weight, I believe the grip is next in line to how good the bow will fit you.

Most archers will not be able to exploit the advantages of a high end recurve.

I would recommend just buying one that fits you, is within your budget and appeals to you.

Ray :shade:

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It may come down to ILF or non ILF. The advantage of ILF is that you can mix and match risers and limbs. You do not need to buy a whole new bow if you want to change specs, such as going to a lighter bow it you develop a physical problem, or to work on form. You can also go heavier as you develop strength and form (form probably contributing more than strength). I can set up bows from 14 to 45 pounds depending upon whether I am teaching or competing. You can also get a very low priced limbs to start, which is a good way of determining want you really need in the long run before you drop a bunch of money on something that does not turn out right.

 

Spend the money on a good ILF handle and go cheap on the limbs once you find your weight spend some money on limbs - buy used when you can

Matt

 

That sounds like a good plan... what should i be looking for in a riser... ive seen that there are cut on center and various distances from center.... whats going to be easiest to tune? I get the feeling alot of money could be spent trying to track down the right spine/length/tip weight.... not as easy (at least for a beginner) as with a compound.

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Ok so i looked around at the lancaster site... risers are going for 300 to 600 or so... limbs another 100 to 600.... ouch... ok.... the used search begins...

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Take a look at these:

http://www.lancasterarchery.com/hoyt-excel-recurve-riser.html

http://www.tradtecharchery.com/tradtech-black-max-glass-wood-recurve-limbs.html

http://www.tradtecharchery.com/tradtech-black-max-carbon-wood-recurve-limbs.html

 

Take a look at these:

http://www.lancasterarchery.com/hoyt-excel-recurve-riser.html

http://www.tradtecharchery.com/tradtech-black-max-glass-wood-recurve-limbs.html

http://www.tradtecharchery.com/tradtech-black-max-carbon-wood-recurve-limbs.html


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Thats the second time ive been pointed towards an excel riser... but the first thing i see is "ideal for small framed and youth archers" im a big dude with big hands.... what makes it ideal for youth? Is it small? Or just basic? Basic im ok with... small im not. Thanks for the links by the way.

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The samick sage is a solid beginner/intermediate bow that is quite a bit of bow for your money. The limbs are inexpensive and hearty. You could spend a lot more money for a lot less bow. It is very forgiving, accurate, and cut past center...you could use it to perfect your form while you save for a quality custom bow. IMHO

 

This is the greatest time in the history of archery to ease into traditional shooting on a budget. Multiple options are available to allow one to jump into a light draw weight first bow with minimal financial outlay, learn how to shoot it by developing ground-up good form, and then, based upon your experience and observations with this first bow, go ahead and move into the permanent (yeah, right!) bow of your dreams that will fulfill your needs.

ILF is great, but many "traddies" aren't turned on by them. I have one, but it is not my bow of choice for trad-style shooting.

I take this approach: A 62" Samick Polaris is $110. A 66" is $120. A Samick Sage is $130. This gets one a complete bow for less money than a decent ILF riser alone.

For learning to shoot, I feel a light draw weight bow allows for one to develop their archery skills with draw weight issues completely eliminated from the learning curve. One can also shoot as much as one desires during any given session without fatigue setting in along with the accompanying collapse of proper form ... day after day. Studied repetition is what will help develop skills at the fastest clip possible.

So, possibly grab the cheapest recurve on the market that catches your fancy in a draw weight that will allow success. Have at it until you know you are settled into the skill set. All along you can be researching bows for the next step. Then, predicting what you need based upon what you have accomplished, spring for the dream bow with full confidence.

As a sidebar, I am doing this in reverse by obtaining a very inexpensive recurve with a higher draw weight than my usual in order to perform strength building exercises. If I am successful, then I will decide upon a different bow to settle into.

Good luck in your quest.

 

The Excel is a great place to start. Assuming your a pretty big guy with a 30" Draw length I would opt for the 23" riser and medium or long limbs for a 66 or 68" long bow. Tradtech Black Max limbs are quite nice for $129 - or SF Axioms are just fine for $80. Make your first set of limbs 30#'er - it is much easier to learn on a bow that is too light than too heavy and I think you will find the 30#'ers to be not a light as you thought after a hundred or so shots. While your ordering make sure to get a copy of "Shooting the Stickbow" - best book going for learning to shoot and tune traditional bows.

 

66" AMO (62" actual).

The 64 AMO was too short for my taste.

I twist up to brace height (8.5 ").

 

I'll probably start with a 64 AMO string and see how that works. What string material do you suggest? I assume the Black Max wood/glass limbs will handle the FastFlight strings such as Dynaflight 97.

 

D97 is da bomb (amongst many da bombs) and will do quite well. Those limbs are made for any material.

 

ILF...bah! Get a 55# Omega. Be happy. I went from a 70# recurve to a 56# Omeaga, that was a perfect transition. (although I did shoot another 55# bow for a while in between) It is very accurate, way faster than my 55#, almost as fast as the 72#, forgiving, easy to tune for. (with cedar arrows, I can't speak for the space-age arrows) And the Omega is beautiful to look at also...the whole bow is one beautiful flowing line...unlike the lego-land bows.

 

i ended up buying a greattree highlander from a local shop. shot every recurve they had, I really liked the bear grizzly, but out of my price range for now. i shot alot of different weights from 40 to 60 lbs, and went with the 40, it just feels better to shoot. I ordered "shooting the stick bow" from barnes and noble because they didn't have it at the shop... can't wait to read that. really excited about this. while i was there i had them put my homemade longbow on the scale to see if my measurement was accurate (i had measured it at 43 lbs @ 28" on the club scale) turns out its 57 lbs @28.. and 60 at 29 which is where im drawing on these bows.... holy cow! i knew it felt heavy. by the way, i kept seeing references to the omega longbow on here, so i looked it up... Kegan i didn't realize that was your doing! looks awesome man i think i will have to set my sights on one of those once i get the hang of this trad thing. I don't know if you remember me or not i talked to you a bit when i was building my long bow. I'm building another now, this one for my daughter, I'll post up some pics once i get past the "quarter of a tree trunk" stage. slow and steady you know. Anyway thanks for the advice everyone, glad you all gave me second thoughts about ordering a 55 lb bow without shooting one.

 

Good for you. Glad to see you're off and running.

 

Another good book for you, very inexpensive, "Become the Arrow" by Byron Furguson.

 

you know, i keep looking at that one, and the only reason i didn't order it tonight is it didn't qualify for free shipping... i needed to spend 5 more bucks on a qualifying purchase to get Viper's book shipped free (spend 5 to save 3??? thats my logic for you) anyway i grabbed some 6 dollar book on making legit native american archery gear... which i am supremely interested in...

 

NO SUCH THING AS "EXPERT" OR "BEGINNER" BOW, ONLY EXPERT OR BEGINNER ARCHER! When it comes to bows its more about what you want to spend and what looks purdy to you. As a beginner it makes sense not to spend 1000 dollars, or even 500 dollars on a bow, but you CAN do it, personal choice. Higher end custom bows are works of art, not just tools. Some shoot very nicely and have distinct personalities...but you won't learn to tell the difference right off the bat. Get a Samick Sage recurve (excellent bow for ANYONE) or a Samick or Greatree longbow, or something else inexpensive with a good rep, depending on the style you like...these 'budget' bows shoot wonderfully and compared to many customs you can't tell a damn bit of difference. Good luck, HAVE FUN, and enjoy!

 

BTW, book-wise "Shooting the Stickbow" will be a huge aid. VERY comprehensive.

 

Not a lot I can add to what has already been said. I'm an ILF fan, so obviously I think something along those lines would be the most versatile...expecially as you progress.

One thing I did want to mention however is that an "expert" archer will be an expert archer no matter what well made bow he/she is shooting. The technology that is being used on much of the entry level ILF equipment today is a lot like what was being used to win gold medals in the Olympics just a decade ago, and many of those records still stand.

An expert shooter with average equipment is still an expert.

An average shooter with expert equipment is still average.

Have fun...

KPC

 

Well Furguson says, and it makes sense to me, that you can take a good, quality arrow, cut down a sapling in the backyard, make a bow out of it, and it will shoot that arrow pretty good.

But visa versa, take the best bow in the world, find a stick and glue feathers on it, and it's not going to shoot worth crap. The bow is important, but the arrow is more important. !!??

So yeah, the bow that suits you best, is the best bow.

 

I find myself drooling over beginner bows more than the expert ones, especially when I see the price...

You can't get more "expert" than hitting your target....