Hey guys,
This is my new 62" Hunter model longbow from Protege Longbows.I requested red elm that had as much flat grain as possible for the limbs for cosmetic preference as I know Lee uses edge grain in his limb.The riser is cocobollo with two 1/8" micarta strips surrounding a bocote accent stripe.The tip overlays are deer antler that I sent to Lee from a deer that I had killed.The bow is now in route & I should receive it Wednesday.The photos look fantastic I think.
Great job my friend.Thanks.
John
(http://www.protegelongbows.com/JohnsProtegeLongbow.jpg)
(http://www.protegelongbows.com/JohnsProtegeLongbowpic2.jpg)
Been waiting to see one of these bad boys outside of their website. Congratulations, that is one good looking stick! Look forward to a shooting report. :thumbsup: :clapper:
Sweet bow,I like the looks and design of his bows!
The taper on his riser fades are nice.
Excellent choice John. Specs please. I think highly of Lee & his bows. How's she shoot?
I thank I am in love !!!
very, very nice!!
I love 'D'.
John,
It was a pleasure making your bow...and I know it will mean something to you being it has antler on it from a deer you personally harvested. I hope you find it to be all you desired and I hope it gets YEARS of use. Be sure to send me some photos of some game you get with it.
Straitera,
It is 44#@28."
Chubby,
Thanks for noticing my fade outs, as there is a lot time put into producing them. I despise a "door wedge" type fadeout that ends abruptly. A long fadeout is however more difficult to make as one has to balance it carefully. I actually have 24 micrometer measurements just in the riser fadeouts in effort to produce perfect balance. It pays off though by creating perfect balance which prevents handshock, vibration, noise and also to maintain a forgiving stable arrow flight...as well as improved efficiency.
Friend,
My goal was to produce a R/D longbow with a longer riser for improved efficiency and feel when shooting the bow, but when the bow was strung I wanted that to be somewhat hidden at first glance. My goal was to produce a "semi-D" type bow that maintained a traditional appeal to it as well as maintained the stability, durability, and quietness of the traditional "D" longbow...but for me to be happy I had to get rid of the thump and the inefficiency of the traditional D bow.
For those waiting for their "TGS" Protege Longbows,
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT. Two more bows should go out to Tradgang members this week, and another one next week. Again, thanks.
Nice bow. Good job Lee that looks great.
God Bless you all, Steve
Pretty wood combo, well done
That is a beautiful bow right there. Congrats Coltar and Lee. Well Done! :clapper:
Thanks. I wish I would have gotten some better pictures of the riser. I shipped it out before I checked the photos...and while the riser isn't a high gloss, the riser section is obviously reflecting the flash making it look somewhat frosty in those photos above.
Nice looking bow.Love the tips and the bow has some of the nicest fadeouts around.I really love the long graceful fadeouts on Lees riser.I think your gonna like it.Thier smooth shooters!
very nice!
Nice !
That's a looker there, nice! Eric.
very nice is right.
Thanks for posting great photos. I love that riser and the locator grip. Hope we can get a report on how accurate it shoots and handles.
The photo shows the strung bow brace height looks high. Is it? Great looking bow that looks like the only bow you would ever need? Ken
Brace height on my bows should be 7" plus or minus a bit for personal adjustments (it isn't going to hurt anything if someone was to drop it or raise it a 1/4" or so). I shoot mine at 7" and measure my brace height from the belly side of the arrow rest rather than the throat of the grip because grip size and shape will create variation...while the belly side of the arrow rest is very consistent. You probably know this already, but in case someone doesn't...generally, a lower brace height will provide a smoother draw and an increase in speed due to a longer power stroke, while a higher brace height will be more forgiving to form errors or arrow spine tolerances.
In the photo, it has a new string and is braced at 7 & 1/8"- 7 & 1/4" to allow for the string to settle in. That bow is only 62" NTN so it probably gives an illusion of being strung higher than it actually is.
Hopefully John (Coltar) will find the bow to shoot well as I find it to...but I will await his report after he gets it (which should be tomorrow) and has the opportunity to shoot enough to make a proper assessment.
Wow...sharp looking bow! Nothing beats the look of a well made D shaped longbow.
im thinking a 28 inch draw with a62 inch bow spells finger pinch for me in that design imho
QuoteOriginally posted by arrow flynn:
im thinking a 28 inch draw with a62 inch bow spells finger pinch for me in that design imho
I completely understand your concern and personally am not a big fan of short "longbows."
That said, I have a 28" bow and personally shoot a 64" bow, but I have shot the 62" bow without noticing any problems or discomfort. I was pleasently surprised. Now, I realize I am the bowyer so that may mean little to some, but it is my personal opinion. I realize finger pinch and smoothness of draw are not one and the same, but according to the bow scale the bow itself was still smooth out to a 28" draw. Using only a 0.001" core taper ensures that the bow works throughout the entire limb, including the fadeouts, which prevents the bow from being "whippy tipped" during draw (and helps reduce string angle).
Regardless of this, my recommendations are typically as listed below.
62" bow
24" riser is best for 24" to 27" draw (28" is doable)
22" riser is best for 26" to 28" draw
20" riser is best for 27" to 29" draw
64" bow
24" riser is best for 26" to 29" draw
22" riser is best for 27" to 30" draw
20" riser is best for 28" to 31" draw
66" bow
24" riser is best for 27" to 30" draw
22" riser is best for 28" to 31" draw
20" riser is best for 29" to 32" draw
I CAN stretch this about an inch when I use a slightly wider limb (1 & 1/4" wide) with less core for people that desire the shortest bow or longest riser possible for their draw length (typically for hunters), as less core with a wider limbs helps maintain a smooth draw. My typical bow is 1 & 3/16" wide. For people with short draws I may use more core and keep the limb 1 & 1/8" wide to maintain stability within a short/snappy powerstroke.
John went with the 62" bow because he is used to shooting a bow that is nearly 20# heavier in draw weight and because he will be using the bow for hunting. To fit him into a 28" bow, I only used 0.280" total limb depth (including the glass) to prevent stack. I am personally familiar with John's needs and experience, and I believe the bow is what he wants. The goal of a custom bowyer should be to provide the best bow possible for a person's given situation and needs.
Arrow flynn,I draw a full 28"& used to shoot a 60" longbow with no pinch,but my fingers are not large so that may be why I have not had a problem with a "short" bow.The Canebrake I had to give up due to shoulder problems was 62" & no problem there either with finger pinch.
John
nice bow, can't wait to get mine.
Thanks for all the comments guys,I should have the bow Wednesday or Thursday & will post more when I actually get my hands on it.Lee does a great job & during the process of having this bow built,his customer service was second to none.I say this not because he & I are friends but because it is true.He was in contact with me with any questions or concerns that he had & to just let me know the progress.
John
Sweet!
:clapper:
Beautiful bow! Lee seems like a GREAT guy to deal with.
:clapper:
Lee,
Do we get to know the lucky bows being shipped? :bigsmyl:
QuoteOriginally posted by ny state land:
Lee,
Do we get to know the lucky bows being shipped? :bigsmyl:
Of the "TGS" bows...
1. Eric S. has his.
2. John A. should have his tomorrow.
3. Mike C's bow (bow is already glued up) will be sent out this weekend or this coming Monday.
4. Dave H's will go out next week (riser glued up, but not shaped yet),
5. Kasper B's (bow is already glued up) will be sent out this weekend or this coming Monday
Non-TGS bow interruption - I have to work on Gary Sentman's new 66" bow and my wife's bow next week, which I will be finishing up while finishing Dave H's bow.
I will be out of town for one weekend this month.
6. Stacy S. (you) & 7. Edgar W. have the last two "TGS" bows, which should be finished BEFORE the end of the month. Stacy, I haven't forgotten you...but it will probably be 2-3 weeks or so before I am done with yours...but I should be done with both of yours and Edgars this month. Both of your risers are glued up, but they are not shaped yet.
At the beginning of next month (if not before then), I am going to make myself another personal bow while I work on a custom order for Eldon B.
Once that is done, my current obligations I will get back to work on my daughter's recurve (which I call "the contradiction"...hahaha). I am only half way done with the form as we speak. My daughter likes the curvey look of recurves and convinced me into making her one...but fortunately for me once I made her longbow and she shot it (and made the video with the pumpkin) her longbow is now her favorite bow 8^) (even outranking her current great plains youth recurve which is a beautiful bocote bow).
This is of course assuming I hit weight on all of them. If I miss pull weight on one, add a week for such.
I have been admiring these bows from the pics I have seen. Great looking stick for sure. Can't wait for more pics and a field report when you get it.
Nalajr
No worries Lee thats still very fast production!
I know Time will come when I regret not being on the TG build list.
Great web sight and very informative.
I love the strung and unstrung profiles of the Protege Longbow. Lee's detailed description of his design and desire to build a bow with top shelf performance are what enticed me to order one. I have TGS #4 ordered and Lee has been great with communication and suggestions to make the right bow for me. Looks like it won't be long now!!
QuoteOriginally posted by ny state land:
No worries Lee thats still very fast production!
Thanks...but I wish. I believe it takes me about 25-30 hours (depending upon the model) per bow from start to finish. I am getting more efficient though. Needless to say, I stay busy on the weekends, popping into Tradgang when I am at a stopping point or ready for a break. Remember, I do not get to work on bows everyday, as I make my full time living in education. I wouldn't be able to work so much overtime (in the bowshop) except for the fact that I enjoy working with my hands. As a teacher, it is sometimes difficult to step back and see the results of my labor. That is one benefit of being a bowyer. It is nice to see one's work. I have always admired people that work with their hands for that reason.