Well, I need some toughts from the tribe - After 20+ years with traditional tackle my shoulder have has been getting somewhat painful - doctor said there is some erosion in my joits there..surprise is, that only right side is painful as I am right handed shooter- so I must forget my 55 - 65 lbs recurves and longbows. I have been dreaming about Black widow longbow, but any ideas, if you were looking for the most smooth (long)bow- what would be your choice?
Thank you!
Ahh - sorry for my spelling!!! :o have has...and joits...joints that perhaps should be and shoulder has been getting painful - forget a foreigner his lack with proper English writing !!!
For a longbow I would recommend Firefly longbows from Jim Jones theyre just great shooters :D
ILF longbow I would recommend Dryad!
Margly
Anything highly reflexed/deflexed, long, and made with bamboo limbs! So many good custom bows out there nowadays it would be impossible to cite one brand.
My choice would be a long one :D 64" and above.
X2 what seabound said. Not to mention, the promotion or criticism of a particular bowyer is a loser in public forums IMHO. One thing you might do is contact a particular bowyer who's work you fancy and ask at what draw length do their limb designs begin to stack and what materials they use. Suggest to them that you have joint problems and see how they respond. I found that having good dialogue with my bowyer really increased my satisfaction in a new bow.
~CB
Wow! that's a loaded question for many of us who have shot literally dozens of bows. It would be hard to pick a favorite with so many outstanding choices that shoot similarly.
BTW, one that I choose may not suit you, so look them over and shoot as many as you can. You will find it without problems.
I was faced with the same dilemma about 6 years ago.........I dropped down from 58# recurves to a 49# ACS CX. Smooth, fast and very quiet. It is now all I shoot for hunting and 3 D. I gave up zero performance and never looked back; my son shoots one as well.
I recommend the 64" bow for an average draw.
I think what you want is a fairly long 66" and up, and realy dead in the hand bow. I'm sure you will get a lot of suggestions in the next few days... I Like my Caribow, even at 62", it is realy smooth... That said I,m sure you will be happy with a Black Widow, as long as it is not to heavy in draw weight and over 66" long!
Personally for smoothness of draw I would be looking at a limb with foam cores. Have owned and shot a lot of good wood cored bows but for smoothness the foam core limbed bows all seem to win out.
It may be just personal but there seems to be a lot of support for foam cores in that regard from those that own and shoot both.
I agree with a couple of the others - the longer the smoother. 66" or more.
go with one on the long side 66-68" most of them are smooth...PR
I would suggest a d and r with either foam cores or yew cores. As to the bowyer. I'm partial to me. LOl but as everyone stated there are so many good ones its a matter of quality of workmanship and taste more than how good they shoot. I would reccomend my new limbs on a belly mounted bow if you seriously want a butter smooth pulling and shooting bow .
The bows everyone has mentioned leave nothing on the table. Just pick one you like , talk to the bowyer and get a great bow.
God bless you, Steve.
Toelke D bow, simply the best of both worlds
I'm with Margly on this one with ACS not far behind, but more dead in the hand, especially with the heavier metal riser.
Smoothness of draw, especially in deflex/reflex long bows is not dictated by draw length, the design of the working limbs enables shorter bows to be exceptionally smooth. There are many such bows available today and I have shot a number of them. The one that I have chosen to shoot and have had made for me are Dan Toelke,s Whips. They are superbly smooth-drawing, absolutely stable and QUIET!
I have 2 of them, and love em :coffee:
The smoothest longbow I have ever shot was 62 inches long, and deflex/relex. I have shot many bows of the same make/weight and every once in awhile one will really stand out. I know many archers who will not buy a bow they have not shot first for this reason.
Joshua
62" Great Northern Critter Gitter or Bushbow with bamboo cores. Not the fastest but so smooth and shoots where you look. Oh and they are quiet!
Firefly X3!
I really like a good deflex/reflex bow. Seems to be the smoothest I have shot. The one I'm shooting now is 58" and smooth as butter at 55#. I would tend to lean toward the general consensus here and say longer is better but it also has alot to do with a well designed bow.
Hope you find what your looking for.
Stiks
I have shot heaps ... and there are numerous good options . As has been suggested elsewhere , get to a couple of trad events if possible and shoot as many as possible .
Personally , the Black Widow longbows , Sky Longhorns , Tomahawks are all great shooters . I am a long fulcrum kinda guy and even at my 27" draw prefer longer bows [ 64" min ] and preferably 66" .. smooth and easy to draw .
Look forward to seeing what you end up with .
Hard as maybe to believe..,never stacked a Hill. Love 'em!
Bama Bows are pretty darn smooth.....just got one and it impresses the heck out of me. Shoot ACSs too....and the Bama makes me say HMMM!? in regards to performance and the fact that I could by 2 for the price of 1 ACS. And you cant beat a lifetime warranty either on the Bama!
Another vote for Cari-Bow,kinda hard to buy a bad bow these days with so many quality bowyers building
I think carbon makes bows smooth, I have 3 carbon bows ACS 64" is the smoothest and fastest.
Can't go wrong with a.BW, but maybe try a Lost Creek.
My 3pcs 54# Tree Stik is mighty smooth compared to all my other longbows of similar weight, and those would be ....
Centaur, ASC, Black Widow, Berry, Kanati, Big Jim Buff, Moab
My 56" 49# Big Jim Thunder Child is a bit lighter but very smooth and fun to shoot too. Great little bow
Really like the way Allen Boice's Contender shoots. The one I have has yew core. Dan Toelke's Whips are great shooters also.
Man - the tribe is there for you ! :notworthy:
Thank you all for your kind replys - I have received lots of good hints - I chek all the suggestions and try to create a opinion - I think now, that the bow should be long (66") and not too heavy (around45#) I can hunt only small game here in Finland , so there is no reason to stress these old joints too much...
look at northern mist steve makes a good bow
JD Berry. Trapezoid limbs.
Wheez ! So many suggestions, that it makes my head spin going thru all these web pages ...so many beautiful bows !!! what a way to spend a day off! Thanks to all !
I have a Centaur double carbon. It is 60", 45# @28". I am drawing 31" and it is very smooth. It seems pretty fast too even shooting it with 11 gpi. arrows.
Kabekona River sold by Greg at G&M archery in MN are one of the smoothest bows i've shot. Made by Tim at Kota Bows for Greg. Very quick also.
St. Joe River is the best I've shot
I shot an Acadian Woods Cajun Hunter when I went to pick up my Tree Stick and all I could say was WOW!!! Tim's Cajun Hunter will be the next bow in my stable next year!! I shot a 66" bow and with the reverse forward grip there was virtually no hand shock to speak of!! Check them out!!
http://www.acadianwoods.com/longbows.htm
I m a recurve shooter but won a Stalker Tracker a while back. It is only 58" but is every bit as smooth and fast as my recurves. I suspect in a longer model it would be even smoother...and it is gorgeous.
One thing to consider with a shoulder wear situation is range of motion and if there are any particular motions that are harmful or painful. I have seen a variety of shoulder problems that restrict draw motion in certain styles and not so much in other styles. Another case where a fellow was forced to go to a swing draw with a low wrist trad bow because he could no longer draw his compound. I would experiment with something much lighter to see if there is a drawing motion, draw length and anchor that feels better for the shoulder.
I'm a big fan of my 64" Toelke Whip. It's silky smooth and quiet.
Firefly's by Jim Jones with bamboo limb cores are the smoothest I have shot. There is so many well made bows out there though, im sure alot of others will chime in and give ya some ideas too.
70 inch 21st Century Longbow. Very smooth draw force curve.
the Anneewakee addiction longbow is the smoothest, best efficiency longbow combination ive ever loosed an arrow from. theyve got a feel like nothing else. plus theyre a great looking bow. :archer:
I would say any long limb bow with Boo. I'm a fan of the Hill Wesley at 70 inches. Smooooooth!
My old Wilderness bow was very smooth no longer made. The Kota longbow is also smooth but the D bow by Dan Toelke "Montana bows" is a great bow. I have shot his D bow twice before and have one coming next week. He is a incredible man as well. A real class act. Bama bows by Nate are also a very smooth bow and he is a good guy got one of his about 2-3 years ago. I would not hesitate to suggest Dan Toelke for a bow.
Tomahawks!!
www.bigfootbows.com. (http://www.bigfootbows.com.) Kirk is a sponsor.
Well - it was perhaps bad idea to ask advice from the tribe - but only because of all the good hints here makes you want not only one, but several new bows ... and again - thank you !
:biglaugh:
I have shot and owned a pile. Firefly is great. BW pL is very smooth to draw, but not all that quick or dead in the hand. If you want smooth, quiet, dead in hand, fast, and a little mass, I would say ACS 3PC. My wildcat is also very good, but not as fast as the ACS. Both are very easy on the draw and no shock on the joints.
If you can order your bow with an option to have Foam Cores in the limbs it will produce a smoother drawing bow - been my experience anyway.
Hard to beat a split bamboo. The very definition of smooth.
A&H acs, that was easy.
I think a lot of this is personal preference but since you asked I will give my two cents worth.
Sarrels Blueridge (long riser) takedown longbow. It does not get any smoother than that (IMHO)!
Bisch
Are you looking for a one piece or a 3 piece bow?
I know with joint problems you will be more sensitive to handshock than most folks and precieve vibration in your bow more accutly that registers as pain or discomfort.
If your looking for a one piece bow you might consider a 2 piece instead with a metal sleeve to add a little massweight and further dampen any vibration.
I think a Whippenstick by Ken Rohloff with his metal sleeve TD would be very good and still have the traditional longbow appeal and not be a 3 piece.His bows are fast and smooth to draw and shoot and with the 2 piece option your gonna get very little residual vibration at the end of the shot do to the added weight.Diamondwood may be a good choice for the riser for density and add a bowquiver if you want it to be even more dead in the hand.His 66 inch model is a very smooth shooting bow all around.
Thiers alot of other great bows ofcourse.Just another one to consider in your quest.
My 66" Black Widow is really nice and smooth out to my 31". I'm a recurve-to-longbow convert, and don't feel ANY handshock in the BW longbow.
I dropped weight myself, went to 48# Treadway, RD longbow with bamboo core. All of the Treaways have bamboo cores, are short and draw smoothly with no stack, whisper quiet with decent speed.
Try a 7Lakes, anything Mike makes is very smooth! You could go 62"s even and get a very quick, very quiet, great, smooth shooting bow from Mike! Shawn
My dad hasn't shot bows in years due to an old wrestling injury really making his shoulders sore. When he was out here recently I let him shoot my mohawk (48# and 64") and he had no shoulder pain at all. It was awesome seeing him do something he loves so much again. It has slight reflex/deflex so I think that helps.
Hope that helps...
Centaur or ACS. Both are very smooth.
I dont understand :confused:
order a big river. They are a shock free bow, but smooth? I dont know what that means unsless you are talking about stack?
MOAB for me i don't think their is a smoother bow built.
Gonna have to second that, for the MOAB !!
Of the bows i have, and have shot my 3pc acs is the smoothest draw, but my habu isnt far off...
Good luck!
JP
Gotta go bamboo for the material. And I like Bama. Smoothest draw I have yet to experience.
My new favorite is from Brian Wessel - a Tall Tines 3pc TD.
I was completely convinced bamboo cores had the smoothest draw until i started using foam cores.
Then i built a few of these things with yew cores and have to admit that stuff makes and incredible difference.
I don't think the yew is as silky smooth as foam, but it's really close. but the sound the bow makes is completely different. for what it's worth....
Comparing one bow to the next for smoothness depends mostly on design characteristics i would say. kirk
Well - more options to consider, seems that acs is mentioned most often in this case.
Cyclic-Rivers, yes I probaply am talking about stacking too - perhaps any bow feels smooth, if it is tillered to shooters draw lenght so that the sweet spot comes when you reach your anchor ???
Thanks
QuoteOriginally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
I dont understand :confused:
order a big river. They are a shock free bow, but smooth? I dont know what that means unsless you are talking about stack?
Yes...order a Big River.... I will put my BR's up against any bow out there, to me, no comparison...John makes a mighty fine bow!
I'm a little surprised that there is little mention of the Mohawk bows by Vince. A couple of years ago, I had the plesure of hanging out with "bentpole" and he was kind enough to let me shot his one of his Mohawk's. I was sold immediately!
Vince makes one heck of a bow with bamboo cores. I'm not bashing anyone else's bow choice, but IMHO, for the money, you can't beat a Mohawk.
The best thing you could do, is meet up at a trad shoot and try some different ones out. Nothing will help you more than hands on experience.
Acs with a 14" metal riser and 64" bow is the smoothest bow I have shot. they are alot of good ones out there. I like my Centaur it is smooth shooting also.
Mohawk :deadhorse: 62"'er all bamboo smooth as a babies behind. 2- 64"'ers actionboo cores. I can only imagine a 66"'er with all tonkin cane dirty boo veneers.
My 2 cents goes to Tomahawk by 3Rivers. 58" 50#@28". I have shot different longbows including BWs and I can honestly say the T-hawk is the one I'd reach for time after time :thumbsup: smooth, quite, fast,.. did I mention smooth,quite and fast :campfire:
7 Lakes, Mike Ballenger makes a very smooth mild R/D longbow. Shawn
I have 2 bamboo limb R/D Longbows from a great bowyer, but my shoulder was shot... I had my shoulder operated on, and now I am back at it. It took 8 months, but it was worth it for me.
Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge...
Whippenstick!...I've shot a bunch and the only ones I consider in the same ballpark is an original OL Adcock and a LoneTree.
The 68" ACS CX, 68" Dryridge Take down and 68" Fox Triple Crown are all very smooth with edge going to the Triple Crown, the 66" Martin Venom is not far behind.