I am in the market for a short recurve. I have lots of other bows, but not a short recurve. Would like to try one out, and I have a 29 inch draw. Please give me some of your experiences with some of the 52 inch bows out there.
Here are the ones I am aware of:
Toelke
Fedora Stalker
Checkmate Raven
Sheepeater Spirit
Lone Wolf Banshee
Kodiak Magnum
Cascade TD's
Jack Kempf Stealth
Any others?
Thanks,
Brett
A 52 inch Saluki "Turk" would be a great choice. I have one myself and I know that it will be very smooth at your draw AND beyond. Plus, it's a great performer!
Good luck with your choice.
/ Paul
I have a K-Mag that I got as a dedicated ground blind bow. Great little bow, but pricey for a production bow. I traded a rifle for mine, so this wasn't a big deal. It begins to stack as soon as the draw passes 28". I draw 28.5, and know the second I pass 28.
Although it's 56", You might also look at the Chek Mate Hunter 56. I have one and absolutely love it. It's my go-to brush/ground blind bow. My only bellyache is that the sight window could stand to be a bit bigger.
Were I to get another short bow, I would look at a a CM Raven or Lee 54" Hunter...
get a 60's or 70's bear k-mag much better than todays version you can pic up a nice one on a popular auction site e##Y for $150 +-
I'll second the 52" Saluki Turk. I just got one last week. At first I was a bit leery of such a short bow but after a short shooting session I was impressed with how it performed. I also draw 29". No stack no pinch.
Martin
If you ask that question to my 11 year old, it is hands down the K-Mag he just got at the Joan Leonard Memorial Bunny Hunt.....
I haven't shot one, but having owned and shot his Kywk Styk, I'd have to believe that Kempf's Stealth would be a pretty good shooter too.
David
I have a Sheepeater Obsidian and it is one I've kept. 29" draw with it isn't a problem.
The Sheepeater Obsidian is the only bow on your list I've held in hand, but once I got it, I stopped my search in the "short bow market." Like you and the V-ster, I draw 29," and the Sheepeeater handles it very nicely for such a compact bow. At hunting ranges, I find it hard-hitting, accurate, and really FUN! It's a wonderfully light, compact, and powerful little package.
I'd really recommend this for your short list for consideration. Best wishes on your decision!
Daryl
I just recieved a Sovereign Ballistik 52" and love it. It is light, smooth and fast.
I've got a half dozen Cascade 52" Magnums that have taken at least 30 deer and coyotes, with a 30" draw and shooting 66-70#.Great bows and Steve Gorr is great to work with-www.cascade bow.com
try a korean hwarang 25 bow.
Best bow I ever owned (I own 16 longbows and recurves: Morrisons,WAPITIS,Palouse,Shrew,Ballistik..)
take a look at the famous search engine and type in korean archery and take the top hit...then look at the site for equipment...
You may look at the slightly longer version(50")or so
If you can get ahold of a 52" G&L Archery Viper recurve you will be hard pressed to beat it.
I will post my experiances and hope it will help. I have a 1970 K-mag and a 2007 K-mag both are 45# I looked under the arrow plate. Both zip a 1916 at 30" with my 29" draw and I have to be honest I cant tell the differance between the two bows. Both are braced at 8 3/8." I will say the 1970 is a more beautiful bow, but other than the grip on the 1970 as just a little more meat in the throat area of the grip the performance is the same for me. Finger pinch is not there for me at this draw lenght. Hope this helps, good luck. Oh, by the way I just was crusing the classifieds and someone has a recent production K-mag listed in the classifieds I think for 280.00 and its 45@28. I did have some arrow proporating when I had arrows with 5" Parabolic feathers on then. I switched to 5" shield and it went away.
i have owned the banshee and the obsidian,and know they will draw to 30 plus inch's with no problems.and are excellent bows.craftsmanship and performance wise.regards,robert :thumbsup: :coffee:
how long is a sheapeater, and what is the wait like for one?
Find yourself and old Brownong Nomad Stalker(70's) these bows perform with the best of todays bows, or any older browning that was 54"s or less. Shawn
I only have the cascade and the obsidian...I like em both a lot...just got the obsidian a month or two ago...that sucker is short (like less than 48" strung!) fast! and light...real light. Did I say pointable? yup. I like it a lot. I am hoping it makes ME a sheepeater!
I would have to say the 52 inch fedora or the sheepeater!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Due to my lack of patience, I have been on eb@@ bidding for old Bear Kodiak Magnums. I guess I could get one for less than $200 and determine whether or not I like short bows anyway.
Whad do you guys think of the Fedora grip, and is it any different than the Toelke grip???
Brett
The fedora and the tolke are about the same he went to school at fedoras. I own fedoras and can say there grip is great and impossible to torque!
If there was some way you could get ya hands on a Bob Lee Dark Archer (54 inch) before you make your mind up.....My draw length isn't as long as yours but that sure is a smooooth drawing shortie bow. Fast too!
I like the K-mags best,,J
QuoteOriginally posted by Whitetail Chaser:
Due to my lack of patience, I have been on eb@@ bidding for old Bear Kodiak Magnums. I guess I could get one for less than $200 and determine whether or not I like short bows anyway.
Whad do you guys think of the Fedora grip, and is it any different than the Toelke grip???
Brett
I had a Fedora 560, and the grip/thumb rest was huge. I didn't like it...
Looks like I won a Kodiak Mag on eb@# for $150ish. 45 at 28, so about 48 or so at my 29 inch draw. I have some .500 carbons that I can shoot out of it. Should be a fun experiment, even though I doubt it will replace my Schafer as my #1 bow.
Brett
(http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh193/ckiefner/DSCN1285.jpg)All the way! Chris Kiefner
Dan Toelke
:campfire:
Dont forget Red Wing hunter and Thunderbird come in 52" Nice shooters......
Shrew
The best 52" recurve ever made was a mid 60's Bear Magnum. Sweet shootin' bows!! dino
If I had to pick one out of those you mentioned.The Lone Wolf Banshee hands down.Funny you mentioned that one I spoke to John a couple of weeks ago. Great little bow. Pm me if your interested in a used one. I know where one might be available.
I really like my 1967(1/2) 55# Kodiak Mag.
I draw 28" and shoot 3-under so I never had a problem with finger pinch.The old girl may be "40" but she's still got what it takes!!!!! LeRoy "GoldenHawk" Carlson is gonna make her a new string.
The "old girl" is gonna be "dressed to kill" for Turkey Season!!!!! :archer:
1962 Bear Kodiak Mag :thumbsup: :campfire:
And why did you guys have to go and do that !!
You make me feel bad :bigsmyl:
Carl
Go 2 more inches and shoot a RER Arroyo at 54"s, it will be smooth to 30"s with no pinch or stack, the next choices would be the Obsidian and the Fedora Stalker. Shawn
If your going to go the extra two inches don't rule out Bob Lee's Hunter they are nice solid bows and good shooters.
Morrison Cheyenne!
Hey, you guys shut up about how great a 60s-70s K-mag is. I'm working up a trade for one! A greenie!
Bob, if you're out there, I'm back from Atlanta, tornados be danged, and ignore these guys. You'll be much better off with my Martin than your Bear! ;)
-Charlie
There are several short recurve reviews on my trad reviews at www.peteward.com (http://www.peteward.com) . Toelke, Sheepeater and the Rodney Wright Stalker along with some short Flat Bows from Quarter Moon, and jack Kempf.
Pete
Guys he draws 29"s, sorry but no K-Mag ever made does not, not stack at that draw and it also starts to pinch pretty good, great bows but if ya draw over 28"s be prepared to start gaining 4#s or more per inch. Shawn
Been shooting one of the eb@# K-mags for a week or so now. It is fun to shoot but certainly finicky at my draw. Stack is noticeable, but not severe. I have not put a Slide on quiver on it yet, but hopefully that will cut down on the bounce that it has upon release.
Thanks for all your input.
Brett
I have one of those 52" K-Mags I just got. It is 55# and shoots great. I got it for $60.00 at a local archery club banquet. It looks to be mid 60s vintage and is like new.
Dan
Come on, guys, you're messing me up!
Tell the truth- those old sorry K-mags are slow, jittery, stack like lead plates, and pinch like a bear trap at anything more than 26"! Fortunately, I only draw 26" and am willing to trade for such a sorry bow as a service to another archer....
Seriously, it's one of the most fun bows I ever shot, and I own a couple of custom sticks that are great but will remain nameless. The K-Mag wasn't even mine, and my uncle banned me from his years ago. Hopefully, I'm gonna get me one of my own right soon.
Bob, if you're reading this I hope these knuckleheads haven't changed your mind about the swap!
-Charlie
I would have liked to have kept mine, but with my 29 1/2 inch draw, I need to be reasonable. So my Kodiak Magnum is no longer available.
So I will be searching for a custom, but I will need to add $$$$ to the " Whip fund " Don makes a 52", does anyone have one of his 52", what are your thoughts on it.
I know there's a lot of people that have Bob Lee Dark Archer, I did hold and draw, Brooks bow from double bull when I was up at the factory at Big Lake,Mn. last week. But I didn't get a chance to shoot it. Maybe I'm just pushing it, maybe my 62" Whip was some adjustments will be OK in my
" Dark Horse" blind.
Pastor Carl
I picked up a used 52" Martin rebel for under $75 on the auction site for my son.
I was bareshafting to setup the bow for him.
And I start thinking to myself this would be a pretty good blind bow or fishing bow.
It's fast, doesn't stack or pinch. It's small and most importantly I hit where I'm aiming.
I have a 28.5 draw.
Now Joe, don't you go and tell us that you are going to do that to your son ! You did give him the bow didn't YOU !!!!
Come on fess up.
Carl
shot lots of bows, including some very nice customs, including Schafer, Morrison, GN, Hill.
For the terrain I hunt, NOTHING beats the versatility of my 52" Texas Comanche! Nothing.
justin
Well I compromised, instead of going with a 52' or 58"
I talked to Rob at Bob Lee, they had a 56" in my poundage 43#, and it's coming from Texas, so I suppose, I'll get that thing all set up, and it will start looking for "PIGS" coming from Texas ya know. It was bound to happen, now I'm a two bower !
Carl
what... no votes for the Pearson Hawk?