[<< Volcom >>]

hey im lookin to just get started in traditional, i shoot compounds right now. im looking for either a longbow or an olympic style recurve. if anyone has any good ideas for me i would be very much obliged

btw i need a bow that will be #40-#50 at 30" thanks in advance

cam

PS sorry for hijacking the arrow cresting #1 thread i got a little excited haha

 

[the Razorhead]

I'd think you'd be able to pick up a used Gold Medalist fairly reasonably...

 

[Viper1]

Vol -

Ya got me a little confused here:

" im looking for either a longbow or an olympic style recurve."

OK, you've got both ends of the spectrum covered. What are you planning on doing with this bow? Are you considering a sight?

"btw i need a bow that will be #40-#50 at 30" "

Which is it #40 or #50. That a pretty wide range with stick bows.

How heavy is your compound? No, not the peak weight, the holding weight? Let's say you have a #70 compound with a nominal 65% let off, that means your holding around #25. You're considering doubling that on a stick bow?

Am I correct in assuming you're drawing 30" on the compound? If that's the case, you probably won't have the same draw on a stickbow.

Sorry if this seems a bit harsh, but you really didn't give us a lot to work with.



Viper1 out.

 

[<< Volcom >>]

im sorry if i am a bit( more like a lot) confusing. this bow will be used for shooting around the yard and hunting occasionally. i have always liked the look of longbows, and their lightweight and how fun they are to shoot, on the other hand i have also always wanted an olympic recurve. i guess you could say i will shoot almost anything. if i got a longbow i would (of course) not be shooting with a sight if i got an olympic recurve i would probably use a sight

i know that 40-50 pounds is a lot of difference, i've now narrowed it down to anything from 40 to 45 pounds

i actually draw 31" with the compound and 30" would be more suited for a traditional but if you think that that maybe a bit longer than i want feel free to give suggestions

i actually shoot a Martin bow that was made in 1984. i shoot around 57 pounds on that bow, and i believe the letoff is 40% (not positive)
not sure what that equals out to but i have had no problems shooting a recurve that was 45 pounds. it was a hoyt gamemaster that i shot at the dealer. he said that i seemed to be able to handle it well. i think i will be fine up to that weight

anyways, sorry if my post leaves much to be desired, im just really new to the traditional thing and looking forward to trying it out. if you have any more questions feel free to ask, i think i covered everything so far

any more suggestions?
cam

 

[Viper1]

Volcom -

OK, sounds better. I'll stand by my first suggestion, to all new stickbow shooters. For your first bow, go cheap and light. Look around, (including eBay), for a new or used recurve 62" - 66" in the #35 - #40 range. The so-called "vintage bows" are a bargain. Older Pearson's or Bear's or Brownings shoot as well as the newer counterparts. If you want new, Martin, Check-mate, etc are good places to start looking.

The reason for cheap is, right now, it sounds like you're not sure which direction you heading, and that's OK, when all is said and done, a recurve is shot the same way as a longbow, as an Olympic recurve. Get the basics down, and you can then go in what ever direction you choose. Only difference is, you'll have some experience under your belt, and so make a more educated choice. Then you can go for the higher dollar bow. Light is important, for two reasons, first you want to have fun shooting, can't do that, if you're fighting the bow, second, once you start fighting the bow, any hopes of developing proper form are thrown out the window. Yes, shooting is fun, but shooting well is a heck or a lot more fun!!!

As for your draw length, I don't know what it will be on a stickbow. Only way to find out is to try it. Most compound/release shooters loose 1'" -2"s.

BTW - Razorheads suggestion of a Hoyt Gold medalist, was pretty much the first thing that came to my mind too. Nice bow, and if you can find one at a good price, you won't go wrong, I paid $300 for mine. Believe current retail is $170 for the riser, and around $225 for wood core limbs, still not too shabby. Oh yeah, who said yoyu can't use a sight on a longbow??? Sight's have been around for a long time, in the 1930 through the 1950, a lot of target shooters used just that!

Hope this helped,

Viper1 out.

 

[RJG]

If the draw you stated is correct remember that most bows unless custom made are marked at 28" for their weight. You gain approximatly 3 lbs of draw weight per inch past 28". To hit your desired draw weight of 45# your would want to select a bow marked in the 40 # range at 28".

RJG

 

[DwayneR]

Hello Volcom,

V>>i know that 40-50 pounds is a lot of difference, i've now narrowed it down to anything from 40 to 45 pounds

i actually draw 31" with the compound and 30" would be more suited for a traditional but if you think that that maybe a bit longer than i want feel free to give suggestions<<

40 to 50 is still a lot of weight... you mentioned earlier you drew 57 pounds at what you thought was 40 percent let off. Most bows back then were 50 percent let-offs. that puts your holding weight about 28 pounds.

You are a 31 inch draw... most all trads are geared for 28" DL. you will probably loose about 1 to 1 1/2 inches with a traditional. This puts you at 30 inches (or close enough). this is 2 inches more then 28, which will add about 5 pounds (rounding) or so to your weight that you are holding.

With this said... a *good* starting bow is between 30 to 40 pounds. buy it cheap...you can get them for 50 dollars or so... just shop around. Whatever bow you purchase, you must add the extra 5 pounds... Thus if it is a 30 pound bow, you will be pulling 35 pounds because of your Draw Length. if it is a 35 pound bow, you will be pulling 40 pounds. 40 pounds is getting up there for someone who does not shoot consistantly with a Traditional. You are holding the FULL weight of the bow. Not 28 pounds of your compound, but 40.

You mentioned the ARchery shop said you looked good handling a 45 pound bow... My personal opinion? I would place my bet that that archery place is worthless. (you have already told me that you are holding 50 pounds with no effort, just by your info you give me). (I am not saying it is, but the chances are, I am right). I have seen TOOO many times, pro-shops say this...and sell 45 pound bows. These bows were 10 pounds to heavy for the people. Yeah.. they can draw them back and fling a few arrows. Sometimes they may hit not too bad. but in the end run, they are overbowed, and learn bad habits.

Now with that said, you have my opinion here. go purchase a cheap bow that is 30 to 35 pounds (40 is getting heavy according to the info you gave me), and learn to shoot with good form. then go back to the Pro shop and try that 45 LB bow... it will be a NEW monster, because you will be able to tell yourself, the good and bad points of that bow.

Dwayne

 

[<< Volcom >>]

thanks for all the suggestions guys, now i know where to start looking.
as far as te archery shop that i shot at, i have been going to him since i started shooting, and he has never tried to take advantage of me, in fact he discounts most of the stuff i buy from him because he knows i onlyl shop there. this guy has been shooting his whole life( his is probably 65 years old) and he has shot a LOT of bows, i trust his opinion. im sure i didnt look like a pro but i thought i did okay. i told him straight off i wasnt going to buy the bow because i had just picked up another compound the day before, and was having it tuned there. anyways, thanks again for the advice and i will tell you when/if things work out
cam

 

[ronbergeron]

wish i could draw 30" ron

 

[<< Volcom >>]

good.......and bad

yeah the good thing is i have long arms and i'm only 15

bad thing is im only 5'7"

 

[ronbergeron]

wow, I'm 6'0" and draw 26" Your knuckles must drag the ground! When I first started I thought my draw was 28 1/2, not even close. That is great for you!!!!! Good luck and good shooting. ron

 

[Dave T]

good & bad?

I'm 56, so I'm too old to change (LOL). I draw 32.5" (actually closer to 33") and it is not all sweetness and light.

Yea, I get lots of performance from the long power stroke. My 42# target recurve probably shoots like someone else's 48-50# bow. The down side is trying to buy arrows, calculating actual draw weight (eveything is marked @ 28") and guessing correct spine from margins of the arrow charts (I'm usuall out at the edge of the page). Easton's interactive arrow selection web site doesn't go above 32" for target arrows, so even there I'm guessing by at least 1/2". I have a lot of arrows that aren't spined quite right because I was guessing about what to get. That gets expensive.

See, good & bad to everything.
Dave

 

[Arkie278]

I have been shooting trad. for some time now, and I doubt that you will draw 30" unless your a monster. I am six-foot-two with long arms, and I have a D.L. just over 28". Also I shoot a Viper longbow drawing 50# at 28", What a shooter it is. If you want a good bow to start of on without spending a wad of cash, it is an excelent choice. I also have a Martin Stick, same weight, and it is truly a beut. Ultra light, too. It dosen't have the few fps of extra speed that I get from the Viper, lacking the Viper's D/R design, but a wonderful shooter.

 

[<< Volcom >>]

yeah i am unsure yet as to my draw length with a traditional bow, i think it has a lot to do with my style of shooting. my compound is a wheely bow, so it has a lot of valley. i hit the wall but im not pulling dead solid into it( this is at 31") it feels more comfortable for me to shoot the 31" than my old bow which is 28", feels like i am always bending my arm too much and sticking my neck way out. maybe it is just me but it is far more comfortable to me, and i shoot much better at 31" than 28" but with a trad. bow you are probably right, i am probably 30- but i guess i just have to wait and find out. for now i will stick with my old target bow

btw i looked at a martin stick and i liked it a lot, didnt get to shoot it though how much are they new?

 

[LBR]

I've got a used, but in good/very good condition Martin Vision that is, I believe (need to go double check) [email protected], or approximately [email protected] that I can sell very reasonably. If you are interested, give me a [email protected].

The Stick is $224.95 in last year's 3 River's catalog. Not my favorite style longbow. Pretty quiet, reasonably smooth, but slow, a good bit of handshock, and a grip I really don't care for.

Chad

 

[jmvargas]

the martin stick is recommended for a short draw and may not be the right one for u..i love mine but i only draw 27"...i would think a longer bow between 64" to 68" would work better at your longer draw..the martin vision is 66" and sounds like an ideal length..

 

[LBR]

That should be [email protected] . Another thing I hadn't thought about--the weight may be a little heavier than that at 30". I don't have a scale to check it on, and can't really tell if it stacks at 30" or not (I'm used to quite a bit more draw weight). If it does, it's not a lot, but my experience with Martin bows is they do generally stack past 28-29".

Chad

 

[PineLander]

Guess it all depends on what you want to do with "traditional" archery. You can have plenty of fun with a longbow, recurve, or Olympic-style recurve. I'm thinking that if you're just now transitioning from a compound to stickbow (or shooting both), you may enjoy it more and actually shoot barebow more accurately if you start off with a recurve that has a long weighty riser, overall length from 62"-66", and somewhere's around 40# (at your draw length, VERY important). If you're 5'7" and drawing the compound 31", you're getting plenty of back tension and there's no reason to throw away that form when shooting a recurve barebow. Nothing says ya have to cant a recurve, which in effect will shorten your draw length considerably. But of course, it all depends on your barebow aiming method... some find it easier to shoot "instinctive" by canting the bow. Sounds like you have a good relationship at the pro-shop... which means you can probably go there and shoot that Gamemaster (couple thousand arrows, hehe) and get the feel of shooting barebow and figure out your "traditional" draw style and length.

 

[<< Volcom >>]

thanks PineLander thats what i needed.....now time to find a bow!!

cam

 

[robk]

if your just starting out take a look at a dan quillian longbow he has ssoem you can finsih yourself with your color shoice for a small amount of money and in the draw and weight you want and then you can find out if you like it or not/ i have shot one of his since last year and it is fun to shoot and easy to shoot as well and it;s a 45lber and i know out to 20 to 25 yards i can take a deer size animal
rob k