New member here. I restarted this archery hobby after a 20-year hiatus. I've been shooting anew for about a year and and have gone out for turkey and deer this year (no luck getting a shot but it's sure fun to try). I'm a right handed shooter and feel just fine pulling about 42 pounds at my draw length.
However, I've developed some low back issues. This may be caused by muscle imbalances but may also just be coincidence. I bought a left-handed riser and shooting left-handed seems to be helping the back issues a little. But swapping the limbs is a bit of a pain.
I'm wondering if anybody out there knows of bows currently being produced that are cut with dual shelves or otherwise setup for ambidextrous shooters. It would be nice to be able to learn both sides of one bow rather than one side of 2 bows.
I also noticed that my draw length is about 3/4" longer left handed (shorter left arm or functionally shorter). Are there any padded bow-arm gloves or other devices that can lengthen a draw length so that my draw could be even? Fishing for some solutions that may or may not exist. But any thoughts would be appreciated.
Welcome .
There are some ambidextrous bows out there .
I have an old Bear Cub that I shot as a kid .
You might find one on one of the auction sites .
I don't know of anything current, but Bear made an awesome bow called "Alaskan", that is one of the best shooting bows ever. Shelf on both sides and can be bought at very reasonable prices.
There are a few Hill style bows that have no shelf cut out, so it is ambidextrous. The type called a Heritage comes to mind, not sure if that is the correct one.
They are gaining popularity among a small subgroup of trad folks.
ChuckC
Do a search on here. I know Ron W. had Chad Holm make him one and there were some nice pics on here.
Steve Turay of northern mist longbows makes a dual shelf longbow.
Check out Jay St Charles and the Thunderbird bow, I believe it has a shelf both sides ... at least they used to
bowlovingman, barry loving recently made a nice one
JD Berry's Heritage is shelfless and is a great bow. It isn't shown on his website, but give him a call (and prepare to be entertained).
Mike Mecredy from Maddog made me a very nice dual shelf bow...not a big deal for a true custom bowyer
DDave
HHA will surely make you a dual shelf bow...I have a Robin Hood Special Edition that is a dual shelf
DDave
I can tell you having a dual shelf at home or iat a 3D shoot is extremely handy.... In the field , stand , or ground blind.... it can create a whole new set of scenarios that work sometimes but most times, so far, one would be just as well off with a single shelf! ....
Chad Holm makes longbows and recurves with dual shelves......I have both and another on order. I have a Northern Mist and McBroom longbows as well, both with dual shelves.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/bow/doubshelfbelly.jpg) (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/jjeffer/media/bow/doubshelfbelly.jpg.html)
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/bow/doubshelf.jpg) (http://s47.photobucket.com/user/jjeffer/media/bow/doubshelf.jpg.html)
Had this double shelf made. I don't stay in practice lefty very much, but it is fun to switch up.
Got me thinking. Been leaning toward learning to shoot left handed to balance my muscles, and in case my right shoulder wears out... 40# and dual shelf would work very nicely, I think.
Leon Stewart makes a double shelf slammer great bow I have two. Each shelf is on the same side all you do is roll the bow over in your hand, tiller-ed even- good for split or three under.
I shot 21 various things to eat last year with a dually shooter. 8 of them right handed the rest left handed. Remember the two arrows that you see, if you have your head slightly tilted, the one up and left when shooting right handed is the arrow your right eye sees, the one that is up and right when shooting left handed is the one your left eye sees. Don't stare at the arrow, but just being aware of it, will keep your dominant eye from taking over the shot. if you have spine injuries, try to not spend much time at full draw and keep things as ergonomic as possible. The form and rhythm may try to be a little different on your off side, it is not that difficult to correct that.
QuoteOriginally posted by maxwell:
Leon Stewart makes a double shelf slammer great bow I have two. Each shelf is on the same side all you do is roll the bow over in your hand, tiller-ed even- good for split or three under.
My Northern Mist Whisper is built the same way.
I ordered a 7 lakes blank and had it roughed out for dual shelf. Finished it up and shoot it to keep things evened out. Fun bow if you like to DIY part way.
I think Tom Parsons at KIMSHA (sponsor here) might have some ambidextrous bow designs. Im not sure about in stock bows though.
As for the glove issue, maybe look into some padded golf, cycling, weight lifting type gloves. These are often padded only in the palms areas and made of some nicer leathers.
You may also be able to find a Mechanix glove that you like either at Wal-Mart or a local hardware store. I've used them in the past as a thin layer of insulation on bitter cold days to keep me out of my thicker gloves. The leather on these is nice and soft/supple with a pretty decent grip that's similar to actual skin. I don't like shooting in gloves that have the little rubber gripper dots on them. I don't know why but it messes with my mind to have more traction sometimes and less sometimes so I look for gloves that feel the same as my bare hands when shooting.
I have my old solid glass Ben Pearson longbow! Rubber handle, dual shelf, fun to shoot & brings back fond memories...
Sorry for the inconvenience or the grammar I'm posting voice recognition from a phone I have a sun bear dial shelf 64 pound 62 inch longbow. I love it and it's not for sale but it's a great advantage if you have an issue and you need to shoot left-handed of course I love to shoot left-handed on occasion anyway Just For Kix to keep my self in check in case I ever have to use it
Thanks for all the ideas! I discovered that my right/left discrepancy was functional, not physical. I played around with my 30# limbs and was able to get the same draw length. It took a lot of conscious effort but I eventually got myself to come to the same draw length on both sides & reset my clicker to the new draw. It put my arrows way out of tune but I was going to fletch up some stiffer shafts anyway.
Over the last week, I made one of my boys a simple pyramid bow & started another one for my other son. I'm no expert bowyer by any stretch but my son's bow shoots better than anything he has used to this point. So I think I'm just going to build a dual-shelf pyramid bow for myself for back yard practice & work both sides. Shooting left handed is definitely helping my back issues. It will be nice to not have to constantly switch risers/limbs and should be a very fun project.
Terry good to hear you are shooting both right and left handed...I used to try to tell people why I do it...now I just say I do it because I can
DDave
I had Craig at HHA make me a no shelf, I actuall named it "AMBI"
What I like about mine is that when I find a perfect place to sit, I can change hands to allow me to use that spot best and it has paid off.
I've always thought about getting a dual shelf bow. I like the idea of having both on the same side. I never knew there was bowyers that would do it though and I don't much care to hunt with a light weight solid glass bow. I get a lot of opportunities on the wrong side. It's like they just know