Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Thinking about a recurve

I have been thinking about getting a recurve bow, been hunting with a Bowtech for years and looking to try the traditional thing. I have been reading about the 3 Rivers Archery Dalaa and the Bear Super Grizzly. Has anyone had any experience with either good or bad? Should I look at foam core limbs or wood core? Any info would be great.
Thanks

Dude......

Look for an old Grayling Bear on EBAY, or a pre chinese Martin to start out with. Both were great bows, made in the states by real craftsmen. Both will shoot not too far off the speeds you'd see with olympic limbs on ILF risers.

Since it'd be your first recurve, and if you take to it you'll buy a bigger badder assed one later, get something around 45-50 Lbs so you can shoot tons and learn form.

OR, buy one of Neil's new ILF risers and go that route. ( http://www.bpbows.com/modules/content/index.php?id=1 ) Its easy to move limbs for them on various archery forums. Then you've got flexibility for sure... Rock one set of 45-50 pound limbs for practice, and throw on a set of 60 pounders that are wicked fast for killing anything on the planet.



I will tell you that shooting a recurve is a commitment. You're going to have to stick with it a while and be patient. Its not anything like a compound, and if you ever get where you're busting nocks all the time at 30 yards with a stickbow, join the Olympic team.

No offense to the Dalaa, but go the Grizzly route. I started with a '71 Grizzly @ 50 Lbs. A very smooth shooting bow, which can build confidence. I have always purchased good used bows, as there are so many available at reduced pricing.

I'll echo the above. Go used Bear, Martin, Wing, etc in light weight to learn form. Find other trad shooters in your area to pick there brain on setup.
Tradgang.com has a good classifieds and good people for advice.

Perhaps I am more cautious or conservative than most. Before investing in so different of a bow design - I have ONLY DAS Master Hunters - I suggest you try several different recurves, by brand, by riser length, by limb/overall bow length - you get the idea.

My thought is to sample a variety because while short bows are convenient, some archers find them more finicky to shoot. While longer limb sets may appear to propel arrows more consistently, excessive length may be - well - excessive on the hunt. Metal and wood risers feel and shoot differently from each other (I strongly prefer DAS's metal 17-inch risers of which I have too many?).

In the real world I question whether the superiority of foam core limb sets is significant compared with high-quality carbon/maple limb sets. And the question becomes more significant as your shooting weather degrades. Very cold temperatures favor the stability of carbon/maple limbs.

And if you are accustomed to using a release aid, you may want to check into two variations:
- Free Flight C-12 relax release (discontinued??) is a more instinctive aid than most others as it reduces your perceived draw weight by orienting muscles of your draw arm.

- Thumb ring is, in my experience, nearly a release aid - albeit much quicker and easier to use. Its main quirk is that it is more efficient when your bow is [intended for the] opposite hand - that is, if you normally shoot right-handed, thumb ring will work better were you shooting a left-handed riser.

Hope this helps.

If you're going with a production bow,I'd look into a Martin/Howatt.Find a Hunter and have at it.The new bears are sketchy in quality,although I hear they are trying to improve that.The Dalaa, to me, is ugly as sin.If I want an ugly bow, I'll shoot a compound.

Martin Hatfield used to be a pretty good bow. I used to build custom take-downs. If you go that route you have the option of a couple (or more) sets of limbs. It may save money in the long run.

I have a RH Bear Grizzly with the stringer in my garage that is older, but in good working condition and new hair rest, 50-lbs. If you want I will send it to you for $100 so you can try it and not be out much. Just an offer, I do not use it anymore.

I had this one made 16 years ago. Really solid and smooth shooter.

Thinking those Missouri boys know how to turn out a bow. Still kicking that around for next year.

I wont be getting rid of mine anytime soon....works of art, they are.

Pat,
Are you shooting Fastflight with fingers out of a 75# bow? You must have some tough fingers!

Thanks for the input guys, I am starting to lean towards the bear over the dalaa. I have shot recurves before but it has been quite some time.
Scenarshooter I really like that Blackwidow bow, beautiful. What model is that?

Anyway thanks for the input.

That one is a "Graybark".

I'm good for about 30 to 35 practice arrows per day...Someday I'll need lighter limbs..



Nasty cutter...always liked hand sharpening these old Zwickys.

Nice bow and VERY nice broadheads Pat! Dad and Mom use nuthin' but Zwickeys, and have for over 25 years. There's lot's of dead stuff in our house thanks to Zwickeys!

I met the previous owner of Black Widow bows at a traditional bow expo in my area, as well as one of the 3 current owners. They are an awesome company, as are many traditional bow companies.

Anyway, if your not willing to throw down the money for a high end bow, I would jump all over the $100 Grizzly offer, I have 2 of these bows (one set up to bow fish, a 1976 model which has been refinished) and a 1978 model which is all original. They both shoot awesome and I paid right in the $100 range for each of them.

I also have a Hoyt Pro hunter, Sky brand Hunter Supreme(made my Earl Hoyt Jr.), and a Hoyt Game getter II. I can't say I dislike any of them, I love Bear traditional bows more, but just can't afford most of them, especially the original "old school" models. So I go to Hoyt instead (also a Hoyt Compound shooter, I'm not actually a traditionalis at heart).

Comparing a Dalaa to a Bear Grizzly is like comparing a VW bug to a Porsche Turbo Carerra

I've owned close to 40 custom recurves over the years - Widows, Schafers, Morrisons, Palmers, Big Horn, Wallace, Fedora, Johnson, Horn, etc etc.

Until you've shot a metal riser bow like a DAS or Tech with carbon foam limbs you won't appreciate how versatile, quiet, smooth drawing and accurate a recurve can be.

I have shot most trad bows made. Nothing comes close to Dan Toelke's bows. You can spend more or less but you won't get better.

www.MontanaBows.com

i have used a brown recluse bow for close to twenty years and bought an acadian woods bow last year. i can recommend both. the acadian woods bows are beautiful pieces of work and extremely light in the hand.