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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: mikecc on October 08, 2006, 11:33:00 PM
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I've shot, bought and made my share of bows and I have a serious question I need everyones help with. What is the overall best t/d recurve out there right now(currently being made)? I've shot alot of the big name bows and there is always a trade off one way or another with each bow. I'm looking for a medium poundage bow (48-53# @28") that can shoot a 550Grn arrow with authority and still be quite without alot of silencers. I've had a Fox breed that was quite and fast but not very forgiving. I've got a Fedora 560 thats fast and really quite but I hate the grip. I had a Pittsley Predator that wasn't fast and was really noisy. About the only bow I've really liked all around was a Schaffer Silvertip but I can't wait a year and spend a $1000 for a bow. Is there any little known boyers out there with a short wait and a great bow at a good price? Thanks Mike
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Everyone has different ideas about what makes the best all around takedown recurve. What constitutes a cruddy grip for you might be heaven on Earth to Joe Schmoe. But after reading your post, the first bowyer that came to mind was Bob Lee. Great bows from a company with a wonderful reputation.
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i say border black douglas! its really the only TD recurve I've shot but it draws as smooth as can be all the way out to my 29.5 inch draw....and its a 60" bow!! it as smooth anything I've ever drawn, and much faster! borderbows.com
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I haven't shot a million bows but I recently shot a foley recurve and found it to be a fantastic shooting bow. I found it smoother and more consistent than my bob lee(which I love) The prices seemed ok for the customization and extras they had. If I were in the market for another bow, I'd consider them very strongly.
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I have owned or shot most of the highend bows and then some. Everyone will give you a different opinion on likes and dislikes. In my opinion these are the top three for shootability, performance and reliability. Schafer Silvertip,Blacktail Elite VL,and Robertson Vision Falcon. Just my opinion but you will not go wrong with any of these three. Yeah, I know you want a cheaper bow, but I do not know of any that will stack up to these. There is an old saying " You get what ya pay for" I firmly belive in it.Not saying there are not some $400 or $500 bows that will do, but I have not found any.
Danny
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Zipper and Bob Lee both fit the bill. Both shoot well and won't break the bank.
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For a best buy look no further than Rivers edge
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Best bow = DAS Kinetics. 3Rivers will be carrying a special model of this bow made just for them for around $800. You just won't find a bow that has "it all" in terms of shooting qualities, speed, silence and stability. Very shortly they will have them and the wait will be about 3 weeks.
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DAS "Dalaa" by 3-Rivers.
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I would also recomend the DAS it has everything you are looking for. It is very quiet and shoots fast and if the grip doesn't fit you you can customize it if you would like.
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I shot the Foley at Denton Hill. Very nice bow. Very smooth on the draw.
However I ended up buying a Ancient Spirits Thunderhawk.
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Mike, is there any reason why you can't customize the grip to get it just right for you on your currunt bows?
I have had a friend customize my grips now and it can take a dog of a bow and make it a diamond...it can take a great bow and make it greater.
I just ordered a bow from Brandon Stahl (Rose Oak bows) and made the effort to go see him so that he would know how I liked my grips.
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DAS Dalla has everything you looking for and will have a very short turn around. Lot's of great bows out there though. Make a list of your favorite qualities and grip style and contact some of the great bowyers who sponsor this site, I am sure you won't have much trouble getting one set-up exactly as you like. But I would take a look at the Dalaa if oure shooting is what you are looking for the most and are less concerned with exotic woods and such.
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Check Rivers Edge Recurves...
I shot one of there test bows over the winter and loved it. The prices are good and Kevin & Sue are nice people to deal with.
If I remember correctly I got around 185-190 fps with a 480 gr arrow.
http://www.riversedgerecurves.com/index.htm
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Brackenburys and Wes Wallace are worth looking at too.
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Black Widows
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DAS Kinetic fits my needs. Additional limbs will not break the bank. I'm impressed with the efficency of the design. I get 180 fps with a 660 grain arrow out of 58# at 29". Tuning is easy and it's built tough. Rod
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Thanks for the replies. Does anyone have a contact # or website for the Foley bows. I've thought about tearing into my Fedora and thinning out the grip but that does kill resale value. I have a 60# bow from Brandon Stahl (Rose Oak Bows) and it's great for hunting but a bit heavy for shooting everyday. I have a 53# bow on order from him thats due the end of the month. It's his new t/d and I'm excited to see how it turns out. The DAS bows are interesting but being a cabinetmaker by trade I love fancy wood bows. There has to be a recurve out there that is the equivalent of the adcock acs as far as it's fast, quite and really shootable. I'm not afraid to spend more than $500 I just think $1000+ is to much for an everyday shooter that gets hunted with alot. Does anyone know how long the wait is on a Border bow? Thanks for the help. Mike
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on the Border bow, its something like 10 weeks. it is very close in speed to the ACS CX, and I prefer it strongly to my ACS (pre-CX)...you won't be sorry.....thing is, they honestly are over $1000 with the HEX4 limbs...but worth every penny!
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There has to be a recurve out there that is the equivalent of the adcock acs as far as it's fast, quite and really shootable.
There are several. But when you add your other qualifications, it narrows the field to about three: Checkmate, Bob Lee, River's Edge.
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Find yourself a used Palmer Single/double Carbon. That is the closest wood bow to the ACS-CX thats a recurve IMO and I've shot a few different bows myself.
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I've shot and owned a lot of T/D recurves, imho, the Great Plains SR Swift is the best all around recurve bow made :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ......Mike
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I went to Compton planning on buying a certain bow. I shot a bunch of bows including the one I had my heart set on. Then I met Ron Foley & his wife. When I shot one of his recurves I was very impressed. I couldn't put it down so it came home with me. I think Ron's still working on his site. http://www.foleycustombows.com/
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I love my Blacktail. Draws smooth, shoots straight, is fast enough for me, and it is a work of art. I get to support an in-state guy who built it too.
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The first bow that popped into my head after reading the first post was the DAS.If your lookin to save money maybe a warf type would fit the bill.What about used,ya said ya like the silvertip.I think we all have our own idea of best so maybe just get 1 of each LOL good luck
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There are about as many opinions as there are members on this site. All are the correct choice for that particular guy. My choice is a 60" Black Widow PSAIII 55#@28" it has an Asbell grip and bamboo core limbs.
Not a little known bowyer BUT you can get your bow in 6-7 weeks.
Bill
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Mike, sent you a e-mail on my thoughts.
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Horne bows are well worth a close look,as well.I really like my combo hunter.
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My Morrison Shawnee / Arapaho is fast, stable and Quiet !!
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Crooked Stic Recurve are reasonably priced and super quiet, fast and forgiving, I love mine:-)
I have a wes wallace that is great but does cost more.
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Send in that Fedora and have the grip custom
fit to YOUR hand! Problem solved, I had a fedora
carved on once them risers are for giant hands.
Any good bowyer can do it and it will look
like it came that way.Good luck!
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depending on how much you want to spend. if I had a mere 775 to 1000 buckaroos i would go on Robertsons site if you can't find a bow out of his inventory there's something wrong!! If you can't spend that much like abel said bob lee 3 to4 weeks and the bows start out inexpensive and go up to big money depending on what you want. check-mate is hard to beat check G+M's inventory also. They have a great selection of different bows in stock.I love that robertson site though Man if I didn't have 3 kids in college.Widow too!!
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I hve a Schafer Silvertip recurve, and I bought a longbow from Ron Foley at Denton Hill two years ago. Both shoot great, and I've never dealt with nicer people than the Windauers and Foleys. You can't go wrong with either in my opinion!
Lee
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I've owned silvertip, habu, marriah, martin hatfield, and hoyt gamemaster.
From a consistency standpoint, the gamemaster has been the best with the habu second.
BCD
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Jack Kempf Kwyk Styk, these bows shoot with the best of them and a basic one is around $500 and some change. Static tips are the way to go also, no horn overlays on tips as this reduces speed. Shawn
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Centaur!oh you did say recurve right?Morrison works for me.
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all of the above, and more, and more,... and more, and....OOOOPS, let's not forget the $29.99 Ebay recurve and the $200.00 Martin from Cabelas or the $1500 brand new custom made recurve.
Bows are like cars. They ALL will take you from point A to point Z. question is: How comfortable and easy you want it to be?????
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Short answer is there ain't no magic bow. What one guy loves, you may hate, and vice-versa. As Ken Beck stated to me in a phone conversation earlier this year, "There's not a nickle's difference in the better bows on the market these days". I agree with that statement 100%. You can find bows that are faster, bows that are fancier, bows that are easier to quieten, bows that feel a bit different to draw, bows that are more forgiving of a particular form error, more forgiving of arrow spine, etc. etc. etc. and even the perception of these can vary depending on the shooter. I've shot bows that to me were pretty finicky, but another guy considered it to be forgiving. Neither of us were wrong, it was just a different perception.
It's no secret I am a dealer for Chek-Mate, and I really like their bows and their service. It may not be in the best interests of my business, but I'd never say that any of their bows (or anyone else's) is THE BEST, PERIOD. There simply is no such bow--if there was, one bowyer or company would have the market cornered and be swamped, plus everyone else would be copying that exact design. You would see everyone shooting that bow, or a copy of it.
To the contrary, I don't recall ever seeing any of the top shooters (the few top IBO shooters I know, plus the guys that regularly win/place in some of the bigger tournaments I go to) shooting the same bow. If there was one bow that was head-and-shoulders above every other, then it only stands to reason that at least the top shooters would all have that same bow.
Of course everyone that answers is going to reply that the bow they like best is the best--and that is obviously true for them--but it's not a one-size fits all deal.
Opinions can help, as long as they are kept in prospective. One guy may rate speed as his #1 priority, another a smooth draw, another how quiet his bow is, another how pretty it is, for another it's the latest addition to their arsenal, and maybe another on how much he paid. To each one, they have the best bow--but that is for them, not everyone.
The only way to find "the" bow for you is to try out different ones. Even that can be a never-ending quest, as it takes time to get familiar with a bow--just shooting a few dozen arrows through 100 different bows won't make you an expert. Then consider just how many different bows there are on the market, with more being added all the time.....it's overwhelming.
Hopefully I haven't offended or confused anyone--it's just not a simple question. Good luck in your search!
Chad
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Kempf Kwyk Styk, Border Black Douglas with HexIV limbs, Dale Stahl, all T/D recurves. I just traded a like new Kwyk Styk to Shawn Leonard so I could sell his BW SA II and be able to pay off the 3 Rivers Dalaa I have on order.
The Kwyk Styk is a very smooth, very quiet, and for a 48#@28" bow it shot a 525 gr arrow with surprising speed and authority.
The Border bow is the fastest, smoothest and most forgiving bow I've ever owned/shot.
The Stahl recurves are just plain great shooting bows. They shoot where you are looking. Mr. Stahl is a cabinet maker by trade and he puts some gorgeous woods in his bows.
Bill
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I shot 50# Rick Welch recurve that pulls so sweet and hits like 56# - plus bow, talk about sweet shooter...I just found my next bow! :D :thumbsup:
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I think Alex Bugnon said it best. There are SO MANY good bows out there, that a guy can get pretty confused pretty easy in no time flat. In the last year I have owned a few of the better known bows, Black Widow, Centaur, Toelke, Fedora, Morrison (recurve and longbow), Horne, Great Plains, Chek-Mate, Thunderhorn, Rivers Edge, Big East, Martin, Sley, Crow Creek, Marriah, Montana Boworks, Dwyer, and maybe a couple others that I can't recall right know. What it all boils down to, for me, is how comfortable it feels in my hand, and the mass weight of the bow is important too. Try as many as you possibly can. To me, the grip is of high importance, that might be different for you, therefore the reason to try as many as you can. Good luck with your search.
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Now to get around to the bow I shot the best. A Hoyt Gamemaster, which I sold to buy the 3 Rivers Dalaa. I fully expect the Dalaa to be the best shooting bow I've ever owned.
Bill
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Bill , who is the bowyer of the Dalaa?????marco#78...is that Dale?????????
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Doug thats alot of bows. Sometime you will find good qualities in bows that you want to have. I shoot a morrison shawnee with dakota or arapaho limbs. The thing is that Bob made my grip which is a copy of a Dye. It works for me. Some local shooters that have shot my bow want Bob to make one with the same grip.
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No it is the DAS Kinetic guy from tradtalk.com, when will 3 rivers put that bow up on its site?
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Tim,
Yep, that is alot of bows, and it has been fun trying them all out. I have made a bunch of trades, sometimes I have traded up and sometimes I have traded down. There has not been alot of money exchanged. I figure in the grand scheeme of things it will all work out to about even.
You mentioned Morrison. Absolutely fantastic bows. But for some reason, I couldn't shoot the Shawnee with Dakota limbs to save my life. On the other hand, the Morrison one piece Dakota was probably the best shooting longbow (add, for me) that I had ever shot and I kick myself for trading it. I guess it all goes back to the "feel" of things.
Some people absolutely hate a big grip. I don't. I like Fedora's grip and also the grip by Chek-Mate, and I'm not the biggest guy you've ever seen, but it just works for me.
Personal preferance and try as many as you can is what it all boils down to.
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Originally posted by LazerRay:
No it is the DAS Kinetic guy from tradtalk.com, when will 3 rivers put that bow up on its site?
It is supposed to be the middle to end of October.
Dave Soza is the bowyer.
Bill
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Border Black Douglas Swift, yew limbs, no Hex for me.
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why no HEX4 Curveman? just curious
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David Soza's DAS bow will be very hard to beat..
I've had more than a few and the DAS suits me to a T...
Good luck on your search for the perfect bow!
Pat B.
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If your lookin for an all wood and glass bow the Ancient Spirits Thunderhawk is right at the top of the list.Of the 20 or more custom curves I have had this is about as good as it gets for me.Very Smooooth to draw.Definatly fast and stable shootin.Mines a 1 piece 64 inch and I love it to bits!The base model is reasonably priced at 500$s.I would recommend the antler overlay on the riser as the 1 option to get for sure.Check em out.Would be worth your time and money.Good luck on your quest
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Originally posted by 4fletch:
Send in that Fedora and have the grip custom
fit to YOUR hand!
Mike Fedora will make his grips to fit any archers hand. I had to have him make my grip extra big to fit my(according to him) exceptionally large hands. In fact I'll be talking to him tomorrow about a 560 takedown I have on order now.
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the border's archery recurves are actually the fastest ones...I have a 70#@28 xp30 khan which performs as well as my silvertip (80@28)and which is faster than my 80#@28 TFIII BW...more, sid ball makes now limbs (hex IV and hex V) wich are still more quicker for its black douglas...as a result the new limbs for the DAS will be built by border in a few time...
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Not much doubt in my mind, David Soza's DAS is my favorite. My search for the ultimate bow is over.
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Timberhawk
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DAS or Dalaa from 3 Rivers - both are sponsors here.
Steve
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LBR hit the nail on the head: there is no such thing as "Best Bow." I tried River's Edge cause everyone talked 'em up, but I didn't like the bow at all (however, folks are correct about them being wonderful folks). Didn't like Black Widows either; bought a Morrison that just wasn't quite right for me, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Bob's bows to others. The bows that shoot best for me are Wes Wallace's and Robertsons. However, for your needs (no long wait) I highly recommend Bob Lee. They shoot great, are very arrow tolerant, smooth, and pretty fast. He probably has a bow in stock that would work for you at any given time. Good luck, Paul.
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P.S.- You mentioned liking Silvertips. There is one on the classifieds right now.
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I'd guess he's already bought something ...
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The best bow is the one you own.
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Keith Khastain makes the Wapiti t.d. recurve smooth and hard hitting. Personal favorite is an Assenheimer, Very smooth.
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My personal favorite is my Black Widow PSA III. I also really like the way the Horne Ridgerunner shoots.
Bill
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It has been a DAS for me too.
It's definitely a personal thing.
Ultimately, it is the archer behind the string that has to hit the bullseye...but some equipment choices can reduce the effects of human error and can make the archer more consistant and accurate overall. In some cases it can be as much as a 2 to 5% increase in scores.
Ray ;)
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The DAS is my bow of choice.You can change anything to fit you,tiller,grip,limb length or weight.If you have a long or short draw you can set the preload to get the best performance from the limbs.You can buy the worlds best limbs and have them in a week.You can shoot off the shelf or use a rest and plunger if you want.The point is the DAS can be whatever you need and can change as you do.
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Best one out there is the one you can shoot the best. For me RERBOWS & A SLEY IF YA CAN FIND ONE OR A DALE STAHL. I have had a shot alotta bows and these are the best for me.<><
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There has been alot of GREAT bows listed and everyone is right but the best for the money is simply made by Bear archery; I may get alot of comments on this one but Bear has been putting out some of the best for many years and they have stood the test of time;
I don't think there is another bow that has taken more game and has been passed down from generation to generation more than the Bear bows;.... :campfire:
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Brackenbury or Wes Wallace. I lean toward Bracks!!!
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Ancient Spirits Thunderhawk
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Arrow for Christ,
I din't like the HEXIV as they didn't come with wood veneers but I believe the HEXV's do but I am not sure it is worth the relatively small performance gain to "trade up."
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yes the new finish of border allows to increase the high hex IV level of performance with the beauty of a wood veneers finish...as he explained to me a few time ago: "we had the beast (hex IV) and the beauty (xp 30), now we have both of them in the same limbs"
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Since starting this post last year I've aquired a few nice bows. I tried a DAS and a warf bow but the grip on the DAS was terrible, although it is a great shooting bow. I've settled on a Wildcat td from Rose Oak bows and a Puma Hunter one piece recurve from the same company. Brandon the owner is great to work with and his bows are perfect to me in every way. There reasonably fast, quite and have a great grip along with outstanding fit and finish. The best part about them though is te fact you can get a fully loaded bow with all the bells and whistles for well under the price of some of the big names. Thanks for all the input. Mike
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Schafer Silvertip here.
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I had the opportunity to shoot a Big River Recurve this summer.
It was 46 Pounds, and was shooting my CX250 like a champ, very comfotable narrow riser, and a great deal.
Definately worth check out. Let me know if you'd like Johns number. $450.00, any wood, venners he has..
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mikecc, you can change out the grip on the DAS :)
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Blacktail Elite hands down.
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my vote is for the Palmer's and Bob Lee's. Everyone should own one of each.
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See, the nice thing is...if there actually WAS one that was THE BEST....everyone else would be out of business.
But there ain't one, and for that we get a thousand different choices.
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Otto just hit it right on the head. What I consider the best shooting recurve may not be to Otto or anybody else for that matter. If it works for you then that is the best shooting recurve made.
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Seeing as how this is purely a personal opinion thing, I'll throw mine in too. For me, its a toss up between the DAS and the BW PSA. Both are great bows IMO, and I shoot either equally well.
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Well I have not read any post on this yet I clicked to the end to give my answer before reading anyone else's.
I have shot thousands of bows. The one that made my jaw drop after shooting it and then go to the bowyer and order one(the only time I have ever done so) is the Morrison ILF recurve. It has got to be if not the, one of the fastest, most accurate, smooth, stable, dead in the hand recurves in the world in history. I've shot warf bows, DAS bows, any famous maker you can name and this bow just kicked all their butts. IMLTHO
Now I'll go read what everyone else said.