Anybody have one shot one how are they fast smooth handshock??
I have owned a Checkmate Firebird recurve(no longer made) and a Crusader longbow. Both were smooth, fast, with no handshock. Well made, I wish I would have kept the Firebird!!
I have a Chek-mate Crusader longbow,a sweet shooter,fast,no handshock and a well made and well finished.I had a Longhorn flatbow with a set-back grip,wish I still had it.
I LOVE my 68" Crusader. Stable, smooth, well made. Stealthy quiet.
My Hunter II is a good bow too (I really don't use it much as I am a LB guy, but it is a keeper none-the-less).
These are solid bows. Marc is an excellent bowyer. These fly under the radar, and are a really nice product and an outstanding value. Those of us who have them like then, and those who had them seem to say they whish they still did.
BobW
Very nice bows but the grips are on the large side for me. Personal preference. I have had two.
I have a 62" Crusader that is my go to bow. Very smooth, great craftmanship, quiet, and fits my hand very well. It will be back with me in Colorado in Sept. Very reasonable price also compared to some of the other custom bows. The Crusader doesn't have a large grip at all, I have relatively small hands and have shot several of them and nome of them seemed to have a large grip.
BOB
Bob, I was refering to the hunter 2 and 56" hunter I had. Largest grips of any recurve I have owned.
My goto is a Crusader 56# @ 28" - definitely a good shooter. Quiet, smooth, and no hand shock to me. Give Chad (LBR) a email Chad at recurves dot com. He can answer any questions you may have and is a great source of knowledge on those bows. Distributor, too.
I have the Kings Pawn Deluxe recurve (41#). It's a great shooter, no hand shock and the grip fits good to my hand (I have small hands and the grip is fine for me). No hand shock at all.
Nice looking bow, shoots great and they truly are a great value. Don't be scared by the price. Maybe they sell for a great price because Chek Mate doesn't advertise/have no web site and as such those costs savings are passed on to the customer.
Great product.
Ringneck, I have heard about the recurves having a large grip. I just don't have any experience with the recurves. I do know that Marc (the bowyer for Chekmate) makes a fine bow.
BOB
The bowyer will make the grip as you desire if you talk to him. ChekMates are as good a bow as is being offered nowadays.
I have a Hunter II and love it. I notice no hand shock. Though it is really the only recurve I have shot. I like the grip, feels very natural as I hole it.
They are great bows. BTW, he supplies Steve Gorr at Cascade Bows with bows made to Steve's specs.
I have owned an Attila and a Falcon good bows for the money the grip on the Falcon was a bit large for my hand and they are no speed deamons but good bows.
Well I hate them.......evrerytime I try a new model I have to get it. I have now owned 5 of them and have three still. My first bow was a Falcon and I loved it but got a Longhorn and foolishly sold the Falcon. I then got a Chekmate Hunter 2 and traded it for a Robertson longbow....and promptly bought a Crusader. Then I missed the Hunter 2 and got another. So you can see why I hate them.
They are a great bow and a great price. Shoot one and you will see. The Longhorn is awesome and looks great to.
Allan
Love the Hunter II's.
I have a new Falcon, one I found in stock. The doggone bow is purdy, smokes an arrow and is downright fun to shoot. The grip isn't big at all. The finish and gluelines look excellent. And all for $300. CDN new! And it can't ever be pried out of my hands :archer:
I have owned several BIG name bows, but they are all gone now because none of them could outshoot my Chek-Mate (Hunter I).
The hunter 2 is the bow I always go back to...... 3rd time now ;)
Have had a Raven, Falcon and Crusader as well.
You can't do any better at the same price point ....or even more in many cases. If you like to drive a pick-up with good power, you'll love the CM's ;)
I have a King's Pawn. It was a little finicky to set up, but once it was it is very hand shock friendly:
(http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/2459/0000009.jpg)
(http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/8121/riser2.jpg)
Best value out there, wish the grip was about half the diameter they are. Nice crafsmanship !!!
Jack
Great bows, have a hunter II and have had several others both recurve and longbows.
have a hunter 2 52 at 28 takedown, great shooting bow smooth, fast and a very forgiving. great bow for the price.
great bow at any price.I'll be picking one up next spring.
great bow at any price.I'll be picking one up next spring.
I am a fan of the Hunter II.
I have a Hunter 54# and I love it. No handshock whatsoever which is one of the reasons I like it so much, no irritation of the arthritis in my elbow.
I've never chrono'ed it, but it is fast. So fast and smooth, the first time I shot it the local range, I had someone wanting to buy it because they were impressed by the speed and smooth draw.
The hunter 56 is one of the smoothest short recurves I have ever shot. A lot of bow for the money.
When I lived in Abbotsford BC I got to know Larry and Dorothy very well and spent the odd evening at their shop .Larry realy helped me to get set up building my own bows and I still order a few supplies from them. Since the mid 70's I've probably owned just shy of 50 of their bows .I'm now done to three. I've got a 64# Firebird which is just to heavy for me now ,but I honestly think is one of their best shooting bows.over the years you could always count on superb craftsmanship and dead nuts accuracy.
We have 3 in the family.1 falcon deluxe and 2 h2's.We couldn't be happier with them.
Take care,
Ed
I have the Hunter I, and a Hunter II. The hunter I is 58", and the Hunter II is 62". Both are really smooth. For the price, they are hard to beat.
By the way, the grip is on the large side for me.
I have a golden hawk mag and a falcon.also a hunter II on the way.they shoot really smooth and you can get them at a nice price.but the grips are on the large size.
Good news! Marc (the bowyer for CM for the last 20+ years) is now the owner. The shop has moved (finally), and he's back in action. He's said he will make the grips a bit smaller if requested (the recurves did have larger grips), plus he has plans for a new model or two.
I've got a spare lefty Longhorn in the shop right now, and he found a few others during the move that I should have early next month--a Crusader or two, a Falcon, and I'm not sure what else.
Chad
Chad, do we just send Marc our risers to get them slimmed down or do we go through you?
PM sent. I'll have to ask Marc what he prefers, but I'd say it will be quicker and cheaper to mail them direct.
I have a Hunter II I bought from Chad a few years ago and love it! Real smooth bow.
I have two checkmate bows and both shoot very well. 1 is a firebird model and the 2nd is a older JOP model.
I also think they still are one of the best bang for your bucks. I got my bows from recurves.com a member on this site...
A Raven, Longhorn, and a Thunderbird .. can't fault any of them ... all have taken deer. Longhorn my favorite
I have shot several over the years. They are a real good , tough as nails bow that seem to last the owners indefinately.The large grips are the only thing I have ever not liked, but that is now being adressed by Marc. A good string to replace the Dacron rope they come with will make them perform much better.
For the money you spend I think you get a lot of bow, that is very reliable, and shoots good.I have not seen any with poor workmanship.
Pete
Chad,
What is the lead time om a new check mate? I had a 56" hunter and like a fool traded it,probably the best short bow I ever had!!!
Bob
I always try to emphasize the lead time is an educated guess, because with one bowyer you never know when something might cause a delay--sick kid, thumb caught in a sander, etc.
That being said, we're giving around 6 months currently.
Chad
I have a Checkmate Cascade (Golden Hawk Mag) that I really like. For a 52" bow at 62#@28", it is smooth, quiet and fast. No finger pinch and no handshock. The grip is medium and fit me very well.
I talked to Chad last week about a Hunter11, now that a slimmer grip is available. Just trying to make up my mind on which wood selections.
I have a Whitetail Hawk and previously owned a Falcon. Checkmates are an outstanding value bow, and very well made!
I had a Hunter II custom made, my choice of woods, two sets of limbs and liked it very much.
Very smooth and no stack at my long draw. Easy bow to shoot.
I would recomend them.
i have had a Kings Pawn and a Hunter1. Both bows shot great. I sold the Kings Pawn last summer to a friend that wanted to get into shooting traditional.
First impressions of my Crusader:
Specs: 64" #55@28" Cocobolo riser&Yew limbs.
Fast, stable&quiet, no shock, on release.
If you are a one bow-man, this is for you. (//%5Burl=http://imgur.com/QyNuFES%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i.imgur.com/QyNuFES.jpg)[/url] [/IMG]
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Crusader pics: (//%5Burl=http://imgur.com/aHbHzeW%5D%20%5Bimg%5Dhttp://i.imgur.com/aHbHzeW.jpg)[/url] [/IMG]
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