[Derek0525]

Well to start off in Oregon we have a unit hunt that is for traditional bow only (Trout Creeks) there are some monster Mule deer in that unit and the draw is pretty much %100 so was kinda planning on buying a recurve or longbow and giving it a try next year or the year after if I'm feeling confident enough. So my questions are how do you go about picking one out? With my compounds I shoot #70 and a 29" draw length I know #70 with no let off is probably not gona work we have to use at least #40 on deer here but I was thinking somewhere in the #50 to #60 range. What is the difference or advantage between a recurve and longbow. I don't know of a bow shop around here that carries traditional bows so can't really ask them for assistance.

 

[vastomper]

I can't explain a lot from the lack of experience. But I've messed with traditional bows here as of late and am hooked. I'm much like you on dl/dw. I got a t/d recurve and loving it. It's right at 55lb @29. All the draw weight I'm wanting and plenty enough. Ya won't know till ya try. Good luck. It's fun!

Pickle Holler

 

[Moebow]

Derek,

In the spirit of helping you succeed I offer this. Shooting a 70# compound has NO bearing on what you can LEARN to shoot with a recurve or long bow!! IF you are serious about wanting to hunt in a year or two ( suggest 2 years) get a bow that you can "upgrade" as you learn to shoot traditional. Replaceable limbs of increasing weight would be the least expensive option rather than more than one bow. Don't try to start as high as you are thinking. Trying to triple or quadruple your holding weight at full draw will make your "journey" VERY difficult (if not impossible.) I shoot and instruct all forms of archery and routinely carry 3 "learning" bows that draw 16# for folks that are coming over from compounds. Not saying to start that low but even 40# will be a real trial and especially if you don't have anyone helping you.

Take a look at all the posts here on this forum and others; be realistic and don't fall for the "macho" strength thing. Start light, learn and succeed! Start heavy, get discouraged and sell your bow at a loss. Really it is your choice but the advice is out there if you want to follow it.

Good Luck!

Arne

 

[dougedwards]

I shoot a 60 lb compound with ease but drawing and holding a 45 lb recurve was not easy in the least. I have dropped back to a 42# longbow and now things are coming together.

There was a recent thread concerning the easiest bow to learn with......recurve or longbow. Usually the recurve gets to the nod for stability and substantial grip. Longbows are more finicky with spine selection but are usually lighter in weight and quieter at the shot.

Don't burden yourself with too much weight to start. You must learn how to properly draw, hold on form and release and that can be very frustrating when it is done under too much exertion. Be kind too yourself and enjoy the sport.

Doug

 

[Thin Man]

Derek,

Talk to Wayne Endicott at the Bow Rack over on Q street. They are mainly a compound shop but sell recurves as well. Wayne is quite versed in recurve shooting and will be able to get you set up ... they're all good, helpful folk over there.

Good luck.

 

[Derek0525]

http://www.lancasterarchery.com/samick-journey-64-takedown-bow.html

Did some kind of searching around and found this bow seems like a good starting bow by the reviews and I can buy different pound limbs from what you guys are saying I might start with the #30 limbs and work my way up. I'm definitely not gona hunt with it till I'm comfortable with it. Thanks for the advice so far.

 

[Derek0525]

I didn't even know the bow rack sold recurves and I have been in there tons of times actually just had them put new strings on my bow last week. Shows how much I pay attention when I go in there.

 

[Old Sarge]

Derek,

In the spirit of helping you succeed I offer this. Shooting a 70# compound has NO bearing on what you can LEARN to shoot with a recurve or long bow!! IF you are serious about wanting to hunt in a year or two ( suggest 2 years) get a bow that you can "upgrade" as you learn to shoot traditional. Replaceable limbs of increasing weight would be the least expensive option rather than more than one bow. Don't try to start as high as you are thinking. Trying to triple or quadruple your holding weight at full draw will make your "journey" VERY difficult (if not impossible.) I shoot and instruct all forms of archery and routinely carry 3 "learning" bows that draw 16# for folks that are coming over from compounds. Not saying to start that low but even 40# will be a real trial and especially if you don't have anyone helping you.

Take a look at all the posts here on this forum and others; be realistic and don't fall for the "macho" strength thing. Start light, learn and succeed! Start heavy, get discouraged and sell your bow at a loss. Really it is your choice but the advice is out there if you want to follow it.

Good Luck!

Arne

Exactly what he said!! The single biggest mistake new guys make is starting out too heavy. You are to be commended for thinking about hunting in a year or two...not this year. Very good plan. If you re serious about this I would suggest looking at ILF bows. They offer the best adjustability of any recurves and you can buy limbs from many manufacturers. Start with limbs around the 25-30 lb. range and learn to shoot with good repeatable form. Then slowly move up in weight. You have to be able to dominate the bow and if you start to heavy it will be just the opposite. Bad habits are easy to acquire, and hard to break.

Good luck!

 

[jkm97]

I am just switching to a recurve after 18 years of compound shooting, and my advice is go for it. Honestly, I may get flamed by the old timers here but I have not found it to be that difficult a switch, though I do have the advantage of having a local man with years of recurve hunting experience to coach me along. I've been shooting just a few weeks, and I am pretty solid at 15-20 yards already. I am happy with that range for the first year.

As far as weight goes, that is a very individual thing. I would think that if you can very easily draw and shoot 70# then a 50# bow is not too much...it is not for me, but I have also shot alot of 80# plus pound compounds as well. You can expect to lose a let draw length, 1-2 inches is common from what I've read. I measure out to approx. 27.5" with a compound, but I pull right at 26.5" with my Black Widow. Hope this is somewhat helpful.

 

[MGF]

As far as weight goes, that is a very individual thing. I would think that if you can very easily draw and shoot 70# then a 50# bow is not too much...

How did you arrive at that conclusion? Don't most compound bows these days have about an 85% let-off? So you're holding 10 pounds?

In any case, keep in mind that some trainers would start a student off by working with stretch bands for a while and then go to an extremely light bow...in the interest of learning "right" and avoiding injury.

I started with a 55 pound recurve but I didn't know any better and there wasn't anybody around to tell me. I still have the bow and I can shoot it but I generally let it sit and pick up something in the 45# range. My heavier bows just sit...I used to be stronger and dumber. LOL

 

[jkm97]

Let off varies on most bows from 65-80%, with 75-80% being most common on today's most popular bows. No major company has had much luck with anything over 80% for some reason. I arrived at that conclusion based on me, which is why I qualified the statement as I did.

 

[LBR]

My advise is do your homework. Dont' rely on one source for your information. Check your sources: Do they hunt? What have they killed? Do they compete? What have they won? Do they coach? What have their students done?

How long they have been shooting can be misleading. I know one older fellow who has been shooting for 50+, maybe 60+ years. He's a decent shot, but I wouldn't recommend him as a coach.

Try different things see what works best for you.

are how do you go about picking one out?

It's very much an individual thing. Try to find a club or shop where you can get a feel for different bows. Worst case scenario, start cheap unless you just have money to burn. The Samick Sage or Journey are both very nice, good shooting, and affordable bows. You won't really know what you like until you have shot for a while.

With my compounds I shoot #70 and a 29" draw length I know #70 with no let off is probably not gona work we have to use at least #40 on deer here but I was thinking somewhere in the #50 to #60 range.

40# will do the trick just fine, as long as you do your part. A double lung with a 40# bow you can shoot accurately is much better than a gut shot with a heavier bow you can't shoot well.

What is the difference or advantage between a recurve and longbow.

Depends on the bows. In general, a recurve is faster and louder, a longbow is smoother and quieter. Never found a "cheap" longbow I would reccommend--they will usually have nasty hand shock--but some recurves can also. The grips vary from "broom handle" to "pistol grip" on both. Lots of personal preferance in selecting one or the other. Either one will work fine, as long as you do your part.

The best shooting instruction I've ever seen is "Masters of the Barebow, Volume III". Two world champions are the main players, who have coached champions, been coached by champions, and killed a lot of game between them. No bull, no smoke and mirrors, no opinions offered as fact--just good instruction by proven archers. It can take years off the learning curve.

Chad

 

[teamorion22]

I got into trad for the exact same reason about this time last year. I have been working fairly hard with a 30# samich sage. I love the bow (I recommend it for you), but I still am not comfy shooting at game just yet, but I'll get there.

I ordered my 40# limbs but I am not ready to shoot with them, still mastering the 30's. Be patient and keep shooting. Also 'shooting the stickbow' is a book by a fella on here named viper1. He and his book has been very helpful for me.

Some advice I got from a seasoned shooter/hunter, most of the guys that get drawn for those trad only hunts don't even shoot a trad bow until they get drawn, by then it's too late. That's why most of them eat tag soup and the trad only places grow giants. I'm working reading shooting etc. to not be that guy

 

[Fury90flier]

you don't "need" a 50# recurve to hunt with...as mentioned 40 will work well. What's most important is to have perfect arrow flight and a properly placed shot...and learn to be a better hunter.

I'd suggest getting a take down bow with a starting weight of around 30# or less...don't think you need a "manly" 40 or 50# to start with, remember that you're holding full weight. That 70# compound you're holding around 15#...and you'll be easily doubling that. Would you go pickup a 120#+ compound for shooting "fun"? Doubt it. Sure, it would be fun for a few shots but only a few. Why would you purposely buy a bow you can't shoot all afternoon?

One thing to consider is an ILF designed riser. This will allow you to have more limb options at your disposal...for example, do you want a set of longbow limbs? Or maybe you want a set for backyard fun-15-20#, then maybe a set for bowfishing or hunting...easily attained...carbon/wood, carbon/foam, wood...anything you can think of is available. The only down side is the cost is a bit more but if you like to shoot and will be in the sport more than a few years, it could be well worth it.

 

[teamorion22]

you don't "need" a 50# recurve to hunt with...as mentioned 40 will work well. What's most important is to have perfect arrow flight and a properly placed shot...and learn to be a better hunter.

I'd suggest getting a take down bow with a starting weight of around 30# or less...don't think you need a "manly" 40 or 50# to start with, remember that you're holding full weight. That 70# compound you're holding around 15#...and you'll be easily doubling that. Would you go pickup a 120#+ compound for shooting "fun"? Doubt it. Sure, it would be fun for a few shots but only a few. Why would you purposely buy a bow you can't shoot all afternoon?

One thing to consider is an ILF designed riser. This will allow you to have more limb options at your disposal...for example, do you want a set of longbow limbs? Or maybe you want a set for backyard fun-15-20#, then maybe a set for bowfishing or hunting...easily attained...carbon/wood, carbon/foam, wood...anything you can think of is available. The only down side is the cost is a bit more but if you like to shoot and will be in the sport more than a few years, it could be well worth it.

not as versitle as ifl riser, but this is another reason I suggested sage. I just bought stronger limbs for mine, arrived in just a few days, 75$. But i'm hunter on a budget

 

[grantmac]

You can expect to lose a let draw length, 1-2 inches is common from what I've read. I measure out to approx. 27.5" with a compound, but I pull right at 26.5" with my Black Widow. Hope this is somewhat helpful.

If you are going from shooting a D-loop and release then you should really be drawing very similar lengths with either bow. If you are losing that much DL then something is wrong with your form, likely related to shooting too much weight.

Also keep in mind that at 26.5" your "50#" bow is more like 42-44#. The OP might have a 29-30" DL and so he'll need a much lighter bow.

Realistically your best bet is to take then weight you hold with your compound and then double it. 70# with 75% let-off = 17.5# x2 and that is 35# at your DL.

-Grant

 

[kegan]

Here's my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

If you don't mind potentially limiting yourself to 15 yards or less for an effective range the first year or two, then a hunting weight bow will work for you. However, by hunting weight I do not mean 50#, I mean 40#. I think 40# bows get a lot less respect as hunting bows than they should. A well designed modern 40# bow will produce about 30ft-lbs of KE with a well tuned arrow, which is what a 60# bow from fifty years ago would do. Gives you a little perspective. Also, though 40# isn't "ideal" in terms of how quickly and how effective your practice sessions will be, it's still a heck of a lot easier on most archers than the 50#, 55#, and 65# bows I see some people starting with at times. I also see lots of folks coming from compounds handling 40# without much issue.

I often see people looking to get started with one bow, and honestly I think many of them can get away with it. Something around 40# at their actual draw length will be light enough to learn, but heavy enough to CLEANLY kill a big white tail. It can be a cost effective option for someone looking to hunt, when paired with proper practice. As was said, Masters of the Barebow vol. III is tough to beat. Just keep in mind too that not all 40# bows are the same. Some can only give you about 20ft-lbs KE, which is pushing the effective range, where as a better bow will be closer to 30 ft-lbs or even a little more.

Just something to keep in mind.