Trad Gang

I recently shot a JD Berry Longbow and it was an awesome looking bow that shot incredibly well.  I was surprised at how quick and smooth the bow shot with absolutely no handshock.

Does anyone shoot them?  What are your opinions?

Ghost D,

I have three JD Berrys.  You can not find a better longbow  IMO !!!!!!!  I got my first one in the 1990/91 time frame and it's still going strong.  TOP notch craftsmanship! He has been doing this for a long time and is not a "johnny come lately" bowyer.

I'd recommend James and his bows to anyone that wants first an incredibly good performing bow and second a bow that is best of the best for appearance.

Thank you for your reply.  that is what I thought.

I have three JD Berry Bows, which I have purchased in the last two years. The 1 Appolo and 2 Reinassance. They are as you describe, smooth, fast and beautiful. I would call JD Berry. He is easy to talk to and work with. My recommendation is the Reinassance 66". I'm not sure if you like long bows, but this particular length and model are incredible.
Karim

I had one several years ago that I hunted with for about 2 years.  It was a very accurate FINE looking bow, but it was increadibly shocky and slow.  It is one of the only bows that I have sold and never missed.  Mine was probably an isolated insident since I always read such good reviews about them.  I've always admired the craftsmanship of them.  They are one of the finest looking bows out there. dino

I have a JD Berry Taipan Accuracy. Its a forward handle bow. Unbelievable craftsmanship. James will bend over backward to me you happy. I have yet to see a bow with more craftsmanship than a Berry.The trapezoid limbs draw smooth and the yew core shoots fast. I also had a Rennaisannce that was awesome.
(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z267/horatio1226/taipan/taipan001.jpg)
(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z267/horatio1226/taipan/taipan004.jpg)
(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z267/horatio1226/taipan/taipan006.jpg)
(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z267/horatio1226/taipan/taipan007.jpg)
(http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z267/horatio1226/taipan/taipan009.jpg)

I have a 2008 Model Renaissance that is 64" 47@29.  It is very smooth and extremely quiet, especially with wood arrows.  James is a real gentleman and knows his product completely.  I found it very useful to stay in touch with him by phone during the waiting time for the bow.  The more information that you give him about your shooting style certainly helped him in building to my expectations.  He has my full recommendation and I would certainly purchase another bow from him.  Only problem, the bow is a work of art and I don't want to scratch the finish......

QuoteOriginally posted by dino:
I had one several years ago that I hunted with for about 2 years.  It was a very accurate FINE looking bow, but it was increadibly shocky and slow.  It is one of the only bows that I have sold and never missed.  Mine was probably an isolated insident since I always read such good reviews about them.  I've always admired the craftsmanship of them.  They are one of the finest looking bows out there. dino

My experience as well...as far as looks go, the Reinassance I had was a beauty!  It did, unfortunately, have noticeable handshock.    :(

There is no handshock with my bow, nor is it slow.
I wonder if when it was made makes a difference.
I really don't remember handshock with my Rennaisance either.  

Tim? Mike? What do you guys think about JD's bows?

:confused:

Well Chuc... As you know Mike and I have several of JD's bows.  The Taipan is my favorite and most of the animals I've taken have been with one.  Got nothing but good to say about them with only one negative... and that would be the durability of the finish under wet conditions. I just happen to be one of those guys who will hunt for hours in a downpour and when the finish has water on it that long, it tends to get soft and is easily scratched. Because of this, I've learned to keep a coat of Johnson's polish on the bows during hunting season and that keeps the water out.  It's a trade off though because the finish James uses really shows the beauty of his work and the quality of the woods.

Every bow I've owned from James has been exceptionally beautiful, accurate and consistent.  Very smooth, quiet, and quick. I like it that James is now making just a hunting bow without so much of the artwork.  It seems the older I get, the more I appreciate the simple look of solid limbs and riser on the longbow.  James has a new bow he calls the "Argos" that fits in there perfectly. Give him a call and see what he can do for ya.

I have to agree with Tim about the finish. I found out the hard way. Immediately put on a coat of paste wax. I wish I knew about this before I hunted in the rain with it. Still one of my favorite bows. Definitely a work of art and great shooter.

No handshock on any of my bows. No string silencers either.

I had a JD Berry Yaweh,a beautiful bow and was a great shooter.I didn't notice any handshock on my Berry.

I have a viper,owned an apollo at one time,and now have another  apollo on the way.Great bows.Great bowyer.James is top notch.You don't see many Berry bows up for sale on the classifieds.

Ghost Dancer,

You are more han welcome to try my JD Berry bows and decide for yourself if they have handshock and you can judge the speed for yourself. Where abouts in NY are you? If you are close to me, we can meet up. Let me know.

Is he related to Glenn Berry?

whats his contact info?

http://www.berrygamecalls.com/jd_berry_bows_2.html

I also have an older Jd Berry Yaweh.  Nice shooting bow, absolutely gorgeous.   I've tinkered with the idear of buying another one or two but for whatever reason never have.  I will never sell the one I have though.   Gorgeous and a great shooter!

I had a Sylphee and a Yahweh, both 50# but due to medical problems couldn't pull them any more.  I was at a shoot in Medical Lake, WA and had the Yahweh on my table for sale.  Guy comes up and asks why I'm selling it, didn't I like it?  I explained that I loved it but it was now too heavy for me.  He replied that that wasn't a problem, he could make me a lighter one...  Yep, it was James.  He built me a gorgeous Viper, 66" and 35# at my 25" draw:

(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/berryviperriser1.jpg)

(http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h186/CaptainDick/berryviperriser3.jpg)

It shoots even better than it looks.

I talked with James a good bit during the building of that bow, and when I mentioned wanting to learn to build so that I could build a type of bow I was interested in that no one would build for me quite the way I wanted it, he invited me over to learn in his shop, built a form for me and guided me through the first model of what I wanted.  I've since built a couple of other forms and bow #17 is currently on my bench... my first take down.

As has been said, James is real good folk.  I know I'll never build a bow like he does, but without him, I wouldn't be building my laminated flat bows.

I've got a Yahweh that he made for paul Brunner that he didn't hit the weight on. It has ivory from a warthog Paul had shot in Africa. Nice shooting and great looking bow.

Handshock!! If you purchase a J D Berry bow and there is handshock, send it back and James will do whats right. There will be no handshock------Dan Berry

I am also saving money for one. Anyone know the turn around time?

Hello JV I just called James and he said is turn around time right now is 4 to 5 months. Give James a call and just talk is number is (509)2993029-----Dan Berry