Earlier this summer I picked up an older Black Widow riser that had been painted black at the factory. I stripped the riser thinking maybe it had some good looking wood underneath. It really didn't matter what was under the black paint. I already knew what I was going to do to the bow. It turned out to be an Autumn Oak. Then I bought a used set of Ironwood limbs and as usual, both transactions from fellow Trad Gangers were flawless. Then I took a flat bottom end mill and removed the old spider medalion and made the hole just deep enough to install one of the little 18mm compasses you can get at 3 Rivers.
I sent the bow off to Lonnie Shepard down at Precision Hydrographics and asked him to dip the bow in Predator Brown. Got the bow back yesterday (Thank you Lonnie...it is awesome!!) I installed the compass with some flexible RTV adhesive, put a string on it and here it is.
I can only say this. If you have a bow finished in this pattern.... do not lay it down or lean it against a tree and walk off, cause you won't find it.
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o232/Ottodude/SDC10341.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o232/Ottodude/SDC10342.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o232/Ottodude/SDC10338.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o232/Ottodude/SDC10343.jpg)
(http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o232/Ottodude/SDC10337.jpg)
Looks great,I like the pattern!
Very Sharp! :clapper:
Very nice!
WOW!
I knew you'd like that one Steve.
Lonnie
Very nice!
Really nice
I couldn't explain why, but Widows have just never caught my eye... I sure like the looks of this one, though!
Congrats on a nice bow.
Daryl
WOW Steve! That bow and a good ghillie suit, you can real get lost. Always wondered what my widdow would look like camo dipped. I like it.
I like the looks of that just as I do bocote and osage with copperheads!
SWEET!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Could you post a pic of the bow? I don't see it anywhere.
I like it, I like it a lot!
Cool!! I would definately loose that bow in the woods.
THAT is a cool lookin' widow...
I can see how you would lose that in the woods if you laid it down.Looks nice. :thumbsup:
Looks great but.....
In all honesty, the one drawback that popped into my mind is when hunting in low light, the white would could maybe be an "eyecatcher" if you move AT ALL. I think I've been busted by deer and turkey more often by them spotting movement of the tips of my bow than any other non scent related reason. Like when you wait till an animal steps behind a tree to move but they see the tips of your bow because they stick out past the tree... Very tiny handle movements are exaggerated at the tips and the white may show up more than normal. I've hunted in the predator fall gray camo and found that while it worked great in most situations, in low light or against a dark background, any movement at all seemed to get picked up by deer. I believe it was the white patches in the camo on the sleeves that were spotted when movement occurred. Maybe I'm making excuses? And yes, I realize that movement is a no-no when hunting but part of why I wear camo is to get away with small amounts of movement in critical situations.
Anyway, I'm certainly not trying to say bad things about your bow, it looks great, I'm just being honest about my opinion. Where that bow would really be an asset would be tree stand hunting where it would be seen against sticks, limbs and sky such as in the fourth picture you posted. Kinda made me do a double take to pick out the edges of the bow on that one. Then too, 99% or more of the bows out there are NOT camo and they work fine so perhaps in reality, it's irrelevant and ya just go with whatever turns your crank.
One thing for sure, I'm no expert and my opinion don't mean squat. :rolleyes:
very nice
wanna sell it? very nice
Guys
I appreciate all the comments on the bow. If any of you have ever thought of having a bow camo dipped, by all means talk to Lonnie. He is the man and knows how to produce a fantastic looking bow. He is a sponser here as many of you know. Know worries, no fretting....just send it off to him and your eyeballs will pop out of your head when you unwrap it.
Thanks again to Lonnie Shepard as he's the guy who did the work!!!