I'm too old and weak to shoot my bows..............my current line-up of bows that is!!
Many years ago when I was young and strong my bows ranged from 70#-78# at my draw length. Around 50 years of age I realized that I was struggling with the draw weight and as a result my accuracy was suffering. So I sold and traded my bows for new and used bows in the 60#-67# range, which have worked well for me.
Now, at 63 years of age, I've returned to the same scenario. I'm now struggling to draw my 60# bows to full anchor, hold as long as I want and shoot accurately. It's time to sell my current bows and buy new ones with less draw weight.
I shot several bows at RMSGear and discovered that my sweet spot is now around 51#-53# at my 30" draw length. I decided that I would like to try something new this go around. Currently I have a "go to bow" that I shoot all of the time while my other bows gather dust. This is because it takes me a lot of time to recalibrate my instinctive aiming when I switch bows since their trajectories and points of impact differ. I thought if I could buy 3 bows with similar specifications that shoot the same POI for me that I would enjoy shooting several bows in lieu of just one. I decided to go the custom bow route to more easily make that happen. Also I have specific requirements for limb veneers and wood risers as aesthetics of traditional bows are as important to me as performance and fit. I've shot a LOT of different longbows and recurves the past few years so I've got a good feel for many of the custom bows available and what features I would like in my new bows. See photo below of a violin with stained quilted maple veneer that has influenced me. Would it be possible for a bowyer to match that wood and stain?
(http://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w469/macdonaldarchitect/Quilted%20Maple%202_zps4knjcrss.jpg) (http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/macdonaldarchitect/media/Quilted%20Maple%202_zps4knjcrss.jpg.html)
After much research I decided to go with 3 models of Stalker Stickbows with similar specs that I hoped would satisfy my needs for performance, fit and aesthetics. South Cox assured me that he could match the violin stain (without the shiny finish of course) on my new bows. The specs of each bow are as follows:
Wolverine FXT, 62", stained quilted maple riser with black phenolic flare, one set of static limbs 52# @ 30" and one set of static limbs 46# @ 30" (for working on technique in the winter), stained quilted maple limb veneers with black phenolic overlays, carbon and bamboo limb cores.
Coyote FXT, 62", same riser, limb veneers and limb cores, one set of static limbs 52# @ 30" and one set of longbow limbs 52# @ 30".
Dingo FXT, 64", same riser, limb veneers and limb cores, 52# @ 30".
(http://%20[url=http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/macdonaldarchitect/media/STALKER%20STICKBOWS_zpsjsysphop.jpg.html%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w469/macdonaldarchitect/STALKER%20STICKBOWS_zpsjsysphop.jpg)[/url] [/IMG]
The Dingo (one piece longbow is on the left, Wolverine (3-piece take-down recurve) is in the middle, Coyote (3-piece take-down recurve and hybrid longbow) is on the right.
I received the bows a few weeks ago and have been shooting them daily since. Each of the bows exceed my expectations for performance, fit and aesthetics. All 3 bows with their multiple limb sets shoot my 600 grain Carbon Express Heritage 250's where I look with the same point of impact. All of the bow and limb combinations are buttery smooth to draw with no stacking at my relatively long draw length. I'm impressed with the speed of my heavy arrows from the carbon/bamboo limbs. I'm still curious to see if one bow rises above the others and becomes my "go to bow". One thing that really surprised me after shooting the various bows and limb combinations so far is that I'm enjoying shooting the 46# limbs much more than I anticipated. I thought I would just use them for working on technique but I found that they are really pleasant to shoot and don't fatigue me at all. Also I'm amazed at how fast the lighter limbs are with lighter 530 gr arrows (same 11.5 gpp as my heavier arrows). The transition to the heavier limbs will be easy to do the latter half of this summer as I get ready for elk hunting.
South Cox was excellent to work with throughout this process. I consider his bow creations functional works of art. I smile every time I shoot my new Stalker bows.
You lucky SOB. :D South builds a super bow, there is no doubt. Sweetest shooting 3pc static I've tried besides an RER.
Wow what a collection!! Exact specs to my liking. Are you adopting anytime soon?LOL
Big Ed
Good Lord Those are outstanding. :notworthy:
I must agree................Beautiful!!!!
WOW...got to tell you I was never a fan of Maple...till now, those bow's are beautiful!!
Well, that ought to put you on South's Christmas card list.
Super set of bows - congrats!
Sweeeeeet set of Bows, South builds some beauties, my Coyote FXT LB has been my go to since I received it a couple of years ago. I have taken quite a few deer with it.
Enjoy :thumbsup:
Steve
Those are beautiful Michael!! I hope you enjoy all three of them. Thanks for sharing!!
BTW, Big Ed doesn't eat much if you decide to adopt him...just saying... :laughing:
South makes some beautiful bows, for sure! And all of yours fit that bill to a T!
Congrats on your new sticks,
Bisch
Absolutely amazing. Congratulations on a very nice set of bows. God bless.
Good God all mighty! Those are gorgeous! Did you get a discount for buying in bulk? Lol. You did well... Very well.
I am very jealous, those are beautiful bows. I have been arguing with my wife over getting one new bow, you are my hero.
very nice
These are yours!!! I was wondering...
I never get tired of looking at these beauties!!!
Awesome!!! :thumbsup:
Are you kidding me!!! That was one sweet order to put in. Wow those are gorgeous!
nice is all I can say!!!!!!!!
Beautiful bows. That photo is the stuff trad archers dreams are made of!
Uhhhh, ummmmmm...ummmmm..uhhhhh.
:eek:
Those are rediculous..
One of these days I'm going to buy a stalker static tip...one of these days!
Sweet bows! I love my Stalker Coyote! :thumbsup:
Nice brace of bows, flock of bows, herd of bows, band of bows?
Well, a gorgeous bunch of bows, for sure!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I never was a fan of maple like I am now. Stunning bows, Way to treat yourself.
Memo
Man, those veneers are off the hook. I remember seeing those limbs on the stalker fb and Instagram pages. Congrats.
Thank you everyone for your kind remarks regarding my new bows. For those of you interested I'd like to share some info on my wood and stain selections. Last summer when I was thinking about wood for the risers and limb veneers I learned that most woods selected for bows are done so for their natural wood grains and wood color that are finished under clear coats of finish. I looked on the internet for examples of beautiful wood bows and furniture to help me make decisions on wood selection. That's when I found the photo of the violin with stained quilted maple veneer. Maple is not normally used for bow risers and exposed limb veneers because it is REALLY plain looking in it's natural state. But it was obvious from the photo of the violin that maple can be transformed into something beautiful by staining it. I also found many examples of high end custom made guitars with quilted maple veneers that were really appealing to me.
(http://%20[url=http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/macdonaldarchitect/media/Quilted%20Maple%205_zpsqj2pjoib.jpg.html%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w469/macdonaldarchitect/Quilted%20Maple%205_zpsqj2pjoib.jpg)[/url] [/IMG]
I called and emailed several of the guitar manufacturers and one from USA and one from New Zealand were willing to talk to me. They kindly shared their stain formulas and staining procedures with me. It turns out that both stain formulas were nearly identical. They gave me the stain manufacturer's contact info and the names of the 2 stains they each used. They used a gold color stain as the base color for the maple and a follow-up darker stain that would bring out the wood grain. They gave me their recipes with the number of drops (from an eye dropper) of concentrated stains that are diluted in denatured alcohol, number of stain applications of each color and the drying time between stain applications. I ordered the stains and then turned my attention to the maple.
There are many varieties of maple and their wood grain varies greatly among them. The violin and most guitars are made with Big Leaf Pacific Maple saw cut in a direction that makes the grain look "quilted". I looked on the internet and bought some 1-3/4" wide x 8" long strips of quilted Pacific Maple veneer that I could use as stain samples. I stained up the strips of maple with the stain formula and staining procedures that were given to me but I varied the formula slightly on each strip until I arrived at the one that I liked the best. What really concerned me was that the stained samples looked great while they were wet but when the stain dried the darker wood grain that I really liked faded badly. I spoke with South Cox who told me that the "wet look" that I was after would be there once the limb veneers are glued up under clear glass and the maple risers and overlays were finished with clear epoxy finish. I gave South my final stain sample strips, the bottles of stain, eye droppers and a written formula for mixing the stains and application. He assured me that he would follow my formula. Here is a photo of the many pairs of stained limb veneers that South made for my bows. Notice that the wood grain is barely visible when dry.
(http://%20[url=http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/macdonaldarchitect/media/IMG_2809_zps2xg2kswi.jpg.html%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w469/macdonaldarchitect/IMG_2809_zps2xg2kswi.jpg)[/url] [/IMG]
South was right about the darker grain looking great again once the limbs and risers were finished with 7 coats of clear epoxy. I found it interesting that the stained maple limb veneers looked slightly darker under clear glass and that provided a nice contrast to the lighter color epoxy finished maple risers and limb overlays. South's last coat of epoxy was a satin finish to keep reflections down.
(http://%20[url=http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/macdonaldarchitect/media/IMG_2884_zpsdzavbyia.jpg.html%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w469/macdonaldarchitect/IMG_2884_zpsdzavbyia.jpg)[/url] [/IMG]
(http://%20[url=http://s1077.photobucket.com/user/macdonaldarchitect/media/IMG_2900_zpsmmoqdxun.jpg.html%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i1077.photobucket.com/albums/w469/macdonaldarchitect/IMG_2900_zpsmmoqdxun.jpg)[/url] [/IMG]
I don't even know what to say! Boy, you sure knew what you wanted those bows to look like, and knew how to get the right answers! Absolutely gorgeous bows! Congratulations on beautiful choices. i would now have trouble deciding which one or combination to shoot! :clapper:
Bernie
I see may bows I think look good but man I just can't looking at these. My wife keeps asking what I am looking at. I guess I have quite a strange look on my face.
I see many bows I think look good but man I just can't looking at these. My wife keeps asking what I am looking at. I guess I have quite a strange look on my face.
Incredibly beautiful bows!!!
Congratulations for you will to pursue what you have Dreamed. I really like the finished work, but expected by a great craftman like South
I found it interesting that the stained maple limb veneers looked slightly darker under clear glass compared to the riser
I think you'll find that with a little age that riser wood will darken with an epoxy finish. Give it a year or so and i'll bet they are matched perfectly.
Btw.... Those are drop dead gorgeous bows. :clapper: :clapper: :clapper:
up
Very, very nice.I like a lot of exotics but I feel like maple is as beautiful as any exotic wood out there.Aside from the staining, that maple is exactly what Ive settled on for my Silvertip build.
Since you have one of each, how does the coyote longbow compare to the recurve in performance?
South is a true artist for sure.Enjoy, I have a Coyote and it's my go to.
WOW, simply gorgeous.
Amazingly beautiful bows.
Incredible........
WOWZER!!!!!!
Oh my goodness. Those are the prettiest bows I have ever seen. Would you consider adopting a 66 year old kid from Texas? Hi Dad. :bigsmyl:
Dad-gum!
I'm currently in the bow market, and the wood choices are almost overwhelming to me!
I admire how you knew what you wanted, and it turned into several AMAZING looking bows.
Kudos to South!
you've come up with a poplular stain there Michael, I've got several bow orders where guys are requesting the same combonation!
Hi South. I'm happy to see people like the stain I came up with but it's your artistic craftsmanship and attention to details that made it all come together. I hope the guys with the new bow orders with the same stain will share their bow photos on TradGang.com. I'm very happy for them.
Thank you again everyone for your kind responses to my new bows. I'm enjoying shooting them every day.
WOW!
Those are AMAZING. You are a lucky guy and kudos to you doing your homework
wow! really gorgeous.
Those bows are beautiful!I just put my deposit in on one and that quilted maple is definitely a contender .But it sounds like I have 5 months to figure it out
Tim
Tim: Be sure to check out stained Spalted Maple as one of your wood choices. South had one of his Coyotes with Spalted Maple for auction at the Compton/CTAS banquet last Saturday and it was really beautiful. It brought in a lot of money for a great cause.
I'll look for some pictures of that.Right now I'm combing the internet looking at every wood combo.I can find.There is a Curly Koa bow on his site that looks VERY nice.
I'm afraid if its to pretty I wont want to take it to the woods!
Any pictures would be much appreciated
Tim
"I'm combing the internet looking at every wood combo. Any pictures would be much appreciated."
Call or email South Cox and have him send you photos of different woods. He has a HUGE inventory of wood for risers and limb veneers and he makes frequent runs up to northern California to his wood supplier for more.
South has been very helpful. But I have 5 months to figure it out and he has allot on his plate right now. As it gets closer I'll bug him more.
By the way you are the perfect guy to ask.How do the Wolverine and Coyote compare? I'm not 100% commit ed to either yet
Tim
I love my Wolverine and Coyote equally well. Both are the same draw weight. The Wolverine is more center cut so it takes a stiffer arrow (same shaft but 1" shorter) than my Coyote. Both are super smooth to draw back to my 30"+ draw length and really spit out my heavy arrows. They are the flattest shooting bows that I've ever owned. Both bows are super quiet and hand shock free. The Wolverine riser is wider than the Coyote riser so it is slightly more comfortable in my hand but it does make it a heavier bow. The Wolverine static limbs with carbon and bamboo cores are really fast but the Coyote D/R longbow limbs almost match them. I chronographed both bows with a mechanical Hooter Shooter (to eliminate the human factor for a more accurate comparison) and found that my Wolverine is exactly 2 fps faster than my Coyote. The Wolverine limbs must be sculpted to the riser where as the Coyote limbs do not. If you want another set of limbs for the Wolverine you have to either order them when South is building the bow or you have to send him your riser. The Coyote limbs do not need sculpting to the riser which makes for easier re-ordering. By the way I ordered another set of limbs for my Coyote last week. I too am looking at 5 months before I receive them. I can shoot one bow and then the other at our local 3D range and both bows shoot exactly where I look. I hope this helps you.
It does help to know I won't have regret s no matter which way I go.5 months is a long time to think about this!
QuoteOriginally posted by Tim in Wa.:
I'll look for some pictures of that.Right now I'm combing the internet looking at every wood combo.I can find.There is a Curly Koa bow on his site that looks VERY nice.
I'm afraid if its to pretty I wont want to take it to the woods!
Any pictures would be much appreciated
Tim
Tim, not sure if you do social media or not but there are a ton of pictures on his Facebook page. Lots of fun to be had dreaming about wood choices. I'm actually just on the list as well...planning to go with B&W ebony.
I've been resisting F B I seem to already waste to much time.I may just need to jump in.
Are you already settled on that combo?
Yeah, I hear you. I've thought about deleting my FB account many times Tim. But you can actually view their FB page without signing up.... Here is the link for their public section with photos:
Stalker Stickbows FB page (https://www.facebook.com/StalkerStickbows/photos_stream?ref=page_internal)
Yeah, I'm pretty much set on B&W ebony. Just need to figure out if I'm going with something like gabone ebony for the middle flare in the riser or something cheaper like phenolic.
Right now I'm on the fence between quilted maple, curly koa or myrle and claro walnut