Hello All, I'm Italian and I've started 2 months ago 3d shooting with my Roving archery company.
I actually own a Picchio T/D recurve bow 40#@28".
It shocks my arm too much. I'm planning to buy a higher quality bow, I've tryed my mates Blacktail TD bow and it's great... but I'd know if there are choices...
Which are the best know top 5 custom bowmakers?
Anyone can point to high quality/performance bowyers?
Thanks in advance for any info
Mauro,
This is a very subjective question. If you ask 10 different people, you'll likely get 10 different answers. Here are a few I like and would recommend you consider, in no particular order.
1) Bob Lee
2) Rick Welch Dakota bows
3) Morrison Archery
4) Black Widow
5) DAS by 3 Rivers Archery
I also have a Tall Tines that I am patiently waiting to arrive. Have heard good things about them as well.
There are so many fine bowyers out there, and I suppose that that is a great problem to have.
Best of luck to you!
1.Brackenbury
2. Schafer Silvertip
3. Tall Tines
4. Blacktail
5. Robertson Stykbow
Just my opinion. You will get as many answeres as there are bowyers.
Contact your countryman and my good friend, Feliciano Dazza. He goes by cacciatore on here. He is a wealth of information on bows.
I supposed I'll get a lot of answers... that's what I'm looking for... statistic matters... if anyone of you has a reason for pointing a bowyer as "best" might be great to post it.
Many thanks to who already answerd me tho :)
You can't go wrong with Dale Dye or Blacktail IMO
1) Vermilion River Bows - Not well known, but a sleeping giant. Bill Pfleger's take down recurve is the ultimate package in my opinion. Beautiful work, outstanding performance and whisper quiet.
http://vermilionriverbows.com/
2) Foley Bows - If you like a take down recurve with some mass in the riser this is a great choice. Fast, quiet, beautiful.
http://foleycustombows.com/
3) Fox Archery - Ron's High Sierra TD is outstanding.
http://www.foxarchery.com
4) RER bows - A simple search on Pow Wow says it all.
http://www.rerbows.com/
5) Morrison Archery - Choices, choices, choices. Whatever you want in a fast and deadly package.
http://www.morrisonarchery.com/
Good luck in your search.
Zipper, add it in there somewhere. I won't suggest where to make a substitution, but they are better then some that are listed and equal to most!
RER (River's Edge Recurves)...you will NOT be disappointed...
Zipper!!! :thumbsup:
Bill
Too many good ones to list.
Just look though the sponsors,some of the best bowyers there are.
1.) ROBERTSON
2.)blacktail
3.)schafer
4.)dale dye
5.)bob lee
IMO
I'll add Keith Chastain. I know Keith already sales alot of bow to Italian Archers. Keith makes a great bow. Does get some flak on his finish but he makes them for hunting (low sheen). However, he does spray high gloss on request. Infact one day I was at his place when he was spraying bows with High gloss heading to Italy.
http://www.worldclassbows.com/
http://www.schafersilvertipbows.com/
http://www.blackwidowbows.com/
http://www.zipperbows.com/
Thats what I'd recommend.
If you like the Blacktail,...and don't mind waiting a while go with that...its a great bow.
Otherwise you may consider Wes Wallace, Dick Robertson, Dan Toelke just to name a few that i like personally.
There is no best one only the best one for you. The one that fits you and your shooting style the best is the one for you. When you go to the shoots ask to try other guys bows and try as many as you can to get a idea what you like. The ones listed are all good bows and there are alot more good ones that are not listed. I like Blackwidow takedown recurves because for me they shoot the best and are second to none in customer service and there x model is as beautiful as any. Good luck in your search thats have the fun buying a new bow. Widow
Everyone's gonna suggest their favorite bows.
Here's my 2 cents: I'm lucky enough to be able to try a lot of different bows in the group of guys I shoot with. My favorites are Dan Toelkes Montana Bows & Roy Halls Navajo bows because of smoothness of draw, quietness, complete absence of handshock, stability, workmanship & great customer service
As you can see, there are a wealth of great bows to choose from. We each have our own preferences, so as long you asked, here are mine.
1) RER (I've settled on this as my #1 after trying many of the other bows listed.)
2) Fox Archery - High Sierra
3) Morrison
4) Robertson
5) Dale Dye
Black widow and Bob morrison bows are as good as anyother bow and there customer service is tops.
I would go with a bowyer that has been in business for a while and are easy to talk to.
Both of these companies offer both these services.
Schafer for me with out question.
Neil Jacobson, Bear's Paw Bows. Get carbon limbs and it will outperform bows that are 10 to 15lbs heavier and is quieter. Love mine.
Kempf Kwyk Styk or Kempf Stealth the finest I have seen or shot!! smooth Fast and good looking and easy shooting ,, Built one at a time by a master Bowyer, Jack Kempf, well worth the wait for one!! :thumbsup:
Schafer
Dale Dye
Toss up for me which is first-Guess it depends on the day :)
Just wanted to add that the best custom takedown recurve may be a takedown longbow.
Dan Toelke has built a very strong reputation with his Whip, a deflex/reflex longbow and he has made me a few of them but I also had one of his take-down recurves and they are superb by any measure: smooth, stable, dead in the hand, fast and QUIET plus they have the same medium low wrist locator grip as the Whip. They are beautifully made of beautiful woods and Dan delivers a bow in about 4 weeks,look at some on his website www.montanabows.com (http://www.montanabows.com)
Caribow and Morrison get my vote.
Excellent craftsmanship, easy on the eyes and both shoot like a house on fire...
Black Widow
Schafer
Hummingbird
Zipper
Whisperstick Kajikastick
Really a lot of good bows out there. Can't really go wrong with any of the bows that anybody has listed here. Just have to look at them and get what you like.
Nobody mentions Border.
Border Bows are one of the best!
But ofcourse there are some American bows that perform good too.
Assenheimer...anybody else agree with me? He's looking for a smooth, fast, no shock bow, can't go wrong with an Assenheimer.
There are so many great ones I've never shot it only confuses me.However take a look at Timberhawk.I plan on shooting some at Cloverdale this year.
The top 5 are what you choose...no one else can tell you what you will like. Now if you want to know what others like that is different. There are a lot of opinions on that! :thumbsup:
Of those that I've shot.
RER TD recurve, Sweet pulling bow and just about everything I can ask for in a bow. Plenty of speed also.
Border Black Douglas TD recurve with Hex 4W limbs. Just traded for this bow, pulls 63#@ my draw and is quite impressive. Normally don't care for carbon limbs, but this bow is different.
RER TD recurve, did I mention that one yet?
Dale Dye, Bob Morrison, etc., etc., etc...... there are a lot of them out there that build bows that are fast, quiet and dead-in-the-hand. And easy on the eyes as well.
With a bit of searching, you can find the gamut of used bows in the classifieds. Once you've had a chance to play with a few, you should have some idea of what you like.......then order one to your specs. And so goes the addiction........
When it comes to recurve bows, I shot someone else's Blacktail and ordered one. I liked my Blacktail so much, I ordered a second Blacktail. It's a long wait for a Blacktail, but it's worth the wait to get one.
There are a lot of good ones out there but if I lived outside the US I would have to consider Black Widow or Border Archery. Black Widow has a national, and I would expect worldwide reputation. Their bows are outstanding, and because of their marketing efforts, they hold their value better than any of the competition. Border builds a great product and are built outside the US. I believe they are built in Scotland, but I will not swear by it. I've owned a BW recurve and I've shot a few Border bows. You cannot go wrong with either. Good luck in your quest.
Hey Mauro,
if it is not to far away for you, come over here to the south of germany and you can try several border bows, a blacktail and a widow. And if you can wait till summer, also a bezaleel cougar.All great bows.
just send me a PM.
kind regards
tj
Ok, I can't help myself....
1) Blacktail
and then there's the others...... :biglaugh:
After trying most of the rest ,would have to go with a Schafer Silvertip!!
The best bow, recurve or longbow...is the one you put in your hands, feels comfortable, draws smooth, pointable....and you shoot it well. :readit:
With that said...Jack Kempf Stealth or Kwyk Styk.. :jumper:
Zipper, Zipper,Zipper,and Zipper.
Black Widow
Assenheimer
Both are excellent shooters and great customer support. Assenheimers are priced low and we all know about the Widows.
morrison
zipper
habu (1800 bucks but the most beautiful bows i've seen)
black widow
in no certain order
I'm with George, to many to list....
I would start with bow companies that let you test drive a bow. That will give you an idea as to what your comfort zone is or what feels right, mass, length, etc.
It all depends on how long you are willing to wait on a new bow, but a good tip is to look in to the classifieds here on tradgang.
Several of the bows listed underneath is from time to time listed on the classifieds
The bows I have tested out/own and would recommend for you is:
Black Widow PMA or PSA
Black Douglas Super Swift
Dale Dye trails end
Hummingbird Kingfisher
Habu recurve
Black Swan
FireFly longbow
These are all smooth, accurate and fast bows.
Another thing that I feel is important is that all the bow companies making these bows have excellent service and will help you out if you need it :thumbsup:
For the 3D range I would suggest that you keep the poundage around 40-45@your draw length.
Margly
Try RER. You will be pleased. Great bows and great people. MAKES THE CHOICE EASIER.
Alot of nice bows out-there to choose from, but do yourself a favor and check out the RER TD before you make a purchase!!
try a Border bow I have shot a Border black douglas hex 4 the last 42 months had strings break nocks blow up it fell off a mountain with me elk hunting in colorado got a few scratches any other bow would have broke ..next bow will be a Border archery product for shure,,,,...you just have to try one you will not look be disapointed..
The only two takedown recurves I have owned were a schafer silvertop and a custom predator. They were both excellent, and you couldn't go wrong with either one. I actually think I shot the predator a little better, because the grip just fit me so well. However, as I'm sure a lot of folks have already said, you have to get somewhere where you can test-drive some bows. There's a lot of great ones out there, but we're all individuals and some bows will just feel better to you [and you'll shoot them better] than others.
Forgive me, but that should have been "silvertip".
I tried a lot of recurves before ordering my Schafer Silvertip 12 years ago, and I have never tried another bow that I like as well. (But I never shot a Blacktail and always wanted to.) If you go to the website and read the stories about Paul Schafer, that's another reason to own a Schafer bow.
Das elite is my most accurate, kinda heavy but less shock than anything else I've tried. 60# with 400gr will do 195fps too.
Old Bear Custom Kodiak,what other else?
Gotta put Zipper in there somewhere.
these type of topics really serve little or no purpose.
there is no such thing as a 'best bow'.
there is such a thing as a 'good bow', one that works well for you, and not me.
you will never know what works for you unless you try. if you can't try before you buy, you are taking a gamble of sorts.
best of luck in your search and journey.