Trad Gang

As most of ya'll already know, Mike (owlbait), Michael (Wapiti792), and myself have been "waiting" quite anxiously on our Stalker bows that we ordered from South Cox back in June. We all had our "first exposure" to South's bows at Compton this year and each of us ordered one as a result of this "exposure".

During the "short wait" of only about 6 weeks or so to have the bows built we were in contact with one-another through PM's here on Trad Gang. It turned out that all of our bows were made in the same batch and we all got them within a day or two of each other this past week.

My bow didn't arrive until late in the day on my only day off this week so I didn't have any time to shoot it until last evening. Here is my "brief report" on my findings and a few pictures so that South's craftsmanship can be admired.

I set the brace height at 7 1/2" and crimped on a brass nockset at about 1/2". I always wrap my string from below both loops up and through them with merino wool yarn, and for this bow I put on some mink fur strips for silencers at 1/3 points on my string. She was ready to do what she was built for and I was anxious to bend her limbs.

My findings are that she prefers my 35/55 GT's at factory length (30 1/2") with 50 grain brass inserts and 125 grain field tips. I also gave my AD Trad Lite Hammerheads a go, they shot pretty well but once again the 35/55's grouped the best for me. I knew the string was going to stretch and settle.....so I kept an eye on the brace height. South recommends something between 7 1/4" to 7 1/2" and it finally settled in at 7 3/8". The nocking point might need to be played with a little bit, but right now it's still 1/2".

My bow arrived with high expectations on my part and it has both met and exceeded them. The grip on these bows just melts around your hand and that makes a consistant grip a reality without any thought to make it happen. The woods that South used for my bow were something that I had been wanting to try for quite some time and he sure picked them and crafted them into something that is very pleasing to the eyes, or at least they are to mine.

The bow is smooth on the draw, and not a bit of handshock when you turn one loose. It points very well and jumps towards the target with ease. It does everything that a well built and designed bow should do when I do my part. I am very pleased with everything from the short "wait time".......all the way up to being exactly the way I wanted it to look and perform. I will be the only weak link in the bow being a killing machine, and can only hope that I can do her justice this fall.

I also want to take this time to publicly thank South Cox for being such a pleasure to work with and talk to. He truly loves what he does and will do his absolute best to give you exactly what you want. There isn't a doubt in my mind that his "wait time" will increase as people get exposed to his bows. The looks and performance is second to none and he will go far as a bowyer.

So............without any further adoooo. Here she is !!!!

Winterhawk1960

Stalker "Striker" Recurve - cocobolo and osage with eastern red cedar laminations.

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060650.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060660.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060661.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060670.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060658.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060669.jpg)

A few more.........of the beautiful eastern red cedar supplied by our very own kennym (thanks Kenny)

Winterhawk1960

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060672.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060662.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060663.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060657.jpg)

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060665.jpg)

Did I say this was NICE osage........

(http://i539.photobucket.com/albums/ff351/Winterhawk1960/P1060659.jpg)

Beautiful bow!  I met South at Denton and he couldn't have been a nicer guy.  His work looks top notch too.

owlbait.......and wapiti792.......feel free to add comments and pictures of YOUR bows.

Winterhawk1960

awesome looking I love that osage

Don, too busy shooting, will add pics later. I rec'd my bow the same day as Don. Well, my neighbor rec'd it as UPS did not ask for a signature. I was able to put my hands on it the following day. The veneers exceeded my expectations, partly because I decided to go with different veneers back to belly. I had never heard of flame madrone before but my research showed it to have a reddish color to it. I have been wanting to have myrtle veneers for a long time. I was very happy with my choices. Like Don said, my SURGE model Stalker nods towards the target on release, grip is ultra repeatable. The string does stretch a bit so I am working to get it tuned in. Pics later.

Cool bow. I thought it was cocobolo and osage until I read your posts. The red cedar looks very nice. Would you consider this bow light (like Blacktails) medium (Predators) or heavy like Schafer Silvertips?
Thanks

SWEET!!  :thumbsup:  

Does it have some carbon in there?

Congrats on the new bow I will be on the order list in a couple of months I did a test drive and I loved it. Enjoy the bow great pictures!    :thumbsup:

Don what a BEAUTY! I will have pictures up when I get home tomorrow. I have been out of town with the family did my last triathlon of the year in Alabama. My Stalker arrived while I was gone, and it has been killing me knowing I am WAAAY down here and it's WAAAY up there. I am so happy for you man! You're right about one thing: I think South's wait times are gonna go up after people see and shoot his bows...also hear he has a longbow in the works. Better start saving  :)

Bowwild,

I haven't owned or shot a Predator nor a Schafer so I have no way of comparing it to either of those.

I have shot both a Hummingbird recurve and a Black Widow recurve which I would consider a "heavy" bow.

I would consider a Blacktail (takedown, not the one-piece) a medium weight bow. The only "light" bow that I have shot and would consider light weight would be a one piece Centaur or a Treadway.

I'd say it comes in as a "medium" weight bow leaning towards the "heavy" end. I prefer, or at least tend to shoot better the heavier bows but this can and will vary depending on your choice of woods in the riser.

It is a very stable bow.......holds nicely and as Mike said above, it "nods" towards the target after release very well. To me, the grip on a bow is the most important part in me being able to shoot it consistantly. I prefer the grips that allow me to not be concerned with how I'm holding it so much, with enough mass weight that it isn't "waving" all over the place while I'm at full draw.

This one fits the bill VERY WELL.

Kenny,

Nope........no carbon at all, just has bamboo cores. To be honest with you I prefer the wood cores and wood laminations over the foam and carbon......but that is just me. I also, have this "weakness" for PRETTY woods that compliment, yet contrast each other well. I think I picked a WINNER here.

Michael,

When you return home and get a chance to "play" with your new acquisition......PLEASE post your opinions here also. I'm betting that your gonna like it !!!

Winterhawk1960

The limbs do have a single laminate of Core Tuff to keep the limbs stable. My pal Tom Cable use to use something similar called e-Glass back in the early 90's for the same purpose. Seems to help performance too.

winterhawk
the wood combos you chose look awesome
i was thinking of cocabola and figured maple
when i get enough funds gathered up to order the striker model
bowwild
i shot owlbaits surge and the mass weight is very close to my predator
when i shot souths bows at compton this year
they quickly moved to the top of my must have list and owlbaits bow shot just like i remembered them
i can see stalker recurves being very busy in the near future
kevin

Pretty nice looking bow you got there sir!   :thumbsup:

I'd like to see a profile of the entire bow. Looks pretty neat so far.God bless, Steve

That bow is dead SEXY!!!!  Congrats!!!   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:    :archer:

quote:

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Originally posted by Horner:
That bow is dead SEXY!!!!  Congrats!!!    :thumbsup:      :thumbsup:      :thumbsup:      :campfire:  

Winterhawk1960