Hello again, im looking to buy a new bow, i cant swing a new custom recurve. Ive been watching the auction site and classifieds here. having a 30+ inch draw i think im gonna go with a 62" the question i have is...do these 3 piece recurves wear out? what do i need to be careful of? do the limbs get out of whack? or the limb bolts strip? just kinda looking for the right questions to ask a potential seller...i have a bunch of regular recurves now and hunt with my 60" kodiak hunter..im looking to retire that and go with a newer bow for hunting.
thanks, Jason
Jason any top quality takedown recurve will last a lifetime just never dry fire!! shoot 10gr lb draw weight . use a bow stringer . don't overtighten limb bolts ! don't take it apart if you don't have to ,, If your shooting it often leave it strung,
takedowns are just as good as any bow as long as you do what was said above,and another good thing about them if you ever want to go heavier or lighter you have the option to.
My first widow was a 1991 MA and it shot like new. I have a hard time shooting one piece bows now they feel to unstable to me I like the weight of the 3 piece bows.
Flexibility is what I like in a three piece bow or a short two piece.
Leave it strung up....but if you are traveling it packs up great. I bike alot and my bow comes with me EVERYWHERE...hard to do that with a fulllength bow.
just my opinion
Jer Bear
Certainly a good 3 piece recurve will last a lifetime, and you really don't have to be as conservative as Gord indicates. Obviously, the more you handle the bow, the more likely it will be that you could have some damage, but I have taken down, reassembled, strung and unstrung my bows more times than I could count without any damage or wear. The processes of handling the bow are dirt simple, you just need to do them properly. Keep the bow dry when you are not hunting. Do not store it in hot environments, especially if it is strung. Keep the bow and the string clean and the limb bolts lightly lubricated. Don't over tighten the bolts. Wax the string often and watch for damage to the string. Replace the string if you notice damage. Use a stringer to string and unstring the bow, and learn how to do it correctly from the start. Put new finish over any areas that get dinged so that moisture will not penetrate the wood. Shoot relatively heavy arrows (like the 10 grains per pound that Gord suggests) to keep the limbs from being overstressed. Use a bow case to transport the bow when you can. It is much harder to damage a 3 piece bow when it is taken down than when it is assembled. Don't ever let anyone dry fire the bow. Perhaps most importantly, don't leave the bow in a hot car in the middle of the summer, especially if it is still strung. That is a recipe for disaster and one that people tend to do when they are not thinking. If you do need to leave your bow in a hot car, unstring it, take it down into the 3 pieces, wrap it or cover it with insulating material (like blankets or a sleeping bag) and try to keep the heat from building up in your car as much as possible (roll down the windows a half inch, park in the shade, use window shades to shield light from entering the car, etc.). Heat is the biggest enemy of your bow. Oh, and don't let your dog or your little kids chew on the bow. :D
Although I may not have made it sound that way, with fairly minor, common sense care, you won't have any problems with a good quality bow. Also, with most 3 piece recurves, you will be better off getting a 64" or 66" bow if you have a 30"+ draw length. There are definitely bows designed to be shorter and still work for you, but most of the ones you will see that are 62" are not designed to work optimally at your draw length.
Allan
I am a world traveller as a hunter and I can't immagine to do that with a one piece bow,first.Second:the convenience to have different wieghts on the same bow.Third:in case of a afilure you have just to replace a set of limbs.Forth:they are much tougher tahn the one piece because the laminations stopin the limbs and not all along the riser where more failures take place.Fifth:More stable because the added mass.Sixth:....Seventh....On the other side less Classic and more rude lines.
A good TD recurve will outlast you, and if you break a limb or want a different weight, most have readily available replacement sets.
You break a limb on a one piece and your only option, which may or may not be possible, is to pay for a complete re-build...
Takedowns will take any weight arrow a one piece will, and will probably outlast you 8^). They are handy on many levels, as you generall get more mass in the riser and that helps with stability. You can buy limbs instead of a whole bow, and you can take it down for travelling. No negatives that I know of and I've been shooting 3 piece takedowns since the early 1970's.
Hi Jason;
I have a Zona custom 3 pc takedown that you might be interested in. It is 47#@28", the AMO is 60" but it draws smooth to 30+. It is like new and I would like $375 for it. I am in the Appleton, Wisconsin area. If you are close, and are interested in it, you are welcome to try it out. Let me know.
Jeff
(http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n395/ibehiking/Zona_1.jpg)
(http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n395/ibehiking/DSCF0702.jpg)
Only other thing I would do for longevity and trouble free performance with a 3 piece is have cork gasket material or rubber gasket material between the riser and where the limbs mount up to the riser.You want to keep water and moisture from getting between those butt joints.
Also if you hunt in the rain I recommend you disassemble the bow and wipe it down good and let it air out overnight and reassemble in the morning.Limb bolt holes and guide pin holes can be sensitive to swelling wood and crack the glass around them if water gets in thier from the wood expansion.The glass wont expand like the wood so it can crack from the pressure.
I've never had a problem with any take down I've owned,but I have had two one piece bows fail on me.
Weather I contributed to the failures or not,I don't know,but it was pretty heart breaking both times.
I do love the looks of a nice one piece recurve,and do intend to buy more of them.
I love my 3 peice bows for all the reasons above. I vote for a three peice. Widow