I've been back and forth on a recurve or a r/d longbow. I've decided on a longbow. Not sure who all makes one so I'm gonna go with your input and try to narrow down a bowyer. I don't want to bash, I just need opinion's.
Thanks, Jason
Too many good ones to list. In a mild r/d longbow there's not many better than a Mohawk.
There are a lot of very good bowyers out there, I would try and find one as local to me as possible, don't remember where Mohawk is made but it is a top of the line R/D LB. I would take into consideration location, wait time, and references from locals, price depends on what you want.
Good luck.
P.S. If you can make it to Kalamazoo the end of January, that is where you can tryout a lot of bows and pick the one you want first hand.
You're gonna find at least one person here for each bowyer out there that makes R/D Longbows,
Let's face it, they are all probably "pretty good" or they'd be outta business. That said, blow through the sponsor list, browse their sites, see if anything snags yur fancy, then search for threads about 'em.
Black Widows, Big Jims, Centars, 3 Rivers, Shrews, Black Creek, Caribow, Stalker, Dwyer, Holm Made, St joe River, etc, etc. all make fine bows. I've shot at least one bow from of all the above bowyers. Im sure the ones I have not tried are fine bows too.
You're with in driving distance of kalamazoo. Try and spend at least one day at the Trad Expo there in Jan. Shoot most of those listed above at the expo and see for yourself which one(s) tickle your gizzard. Drive up to 3 rivers and try the Tomahawks. If you can wait till June and go to Cloverdale and shoot many more.
My favorite may not suit you worth a darn. But they are all good bows.
But, to answer your question directly... my first R/D LB and probably still my favorite (and a great bang for the $) is a Big Jim Buffalo Bow.
Best of luck in the search of your bow. Finding just the right one and the anticipation of your first shot with that baby is half the fun I get out of archery.
I use a 62" 52@28 Kota Prairie Fire fairly aggressive R/D. While not the fastest bow around, it's the smoothest drawing, quietest one I've seen. Points good, fits the hand & pretty good looking too. I also have a 60" 53@28 Lost Creek Judge. More aggressive than the Kota & is a screamer. Not as quiet or smooth as the kota but, it's a real shooter. If possible, I would shoot as many different bows as possible. Never thought I could find a bow that compared to the Lost Creek. Then I traded a Wapiti Custom for the Kota. You just never know what works till you try it.
I like my Stalker. You can get a lot of feedback and opinions on the current Hope and Faith thread.
Check out the Whip at montanabows.com
What weight bow are you looking for. I just traded away my 48# Lost Creek, but there's a 40# in the classifieds now that I would love to have if I weren't broke. That 48#er was a real hot rod and nearly as quiet as a lot of D type longbows.
I know there will be lots of opinions, but that is what I'm looking for. I would love to go to K-zoo, but wont make it this year. I'm definitely going to Cloverdale. It takes alot for me to make up my mind, so I need all the help I can get. :D
I don't mind to wait, that will give me time to pay for it :thumbsup:
Thanks Jason
Bladepeek, I'm probably gonna stay in the mid 50's.
Jason
J.K. Traditions Kanati. Reasonably priced, fast, smooth drawing, NO handshock, good looking, and he's a sponsor here. What more could you want?
(http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh472/ishoot4thrills/Kanati20Bow20057.jpg)
You have put yourself in a nice position, Jason and you will find many excellent bows in the deflex/reflex category. Many of us really recommend starting with used bows until you figure out what you like and what works best for you. There are some Kanati's in the classifieds right now and these are great examples of the more aggressive D/R bows; one of the best values in trad bows.
Within the mild D/R there are many great bows as well. I'm partial to Great Northern, Robertson and Dwyer, but don't limit yourself; Northern Mist, Mohawk and many others are excellent.
QuoteOriginally posted by Bel007:
You're gonna find at least one person here for each bowyer out there that makes R/D Longbows,
Let's face it, they are all probably "pretty good" or they'd be outta business. That said, blow through the sponsor list, browse their sites, see if anything snags yur fancy, then search for threads about 'em.
Black Widows, Big Jims, Centars, 3 Rivers, Shrews, Black Creek, Caribow, Stalker, Dwyer, Holm Made, St joe River, etc, etc. all make fine bows. I've shot at least one bow from of all the above bowyers. Im sure the ones I have not tried are fine bows too.
You're with in driving distance of kalamazoo. Try and spend at least one day at the Trad Expo there in Jan. Shoot most of those listed above at the expo and see for yourself which one(s) tickle your gizzard. Drive up to 3 rivers and try the Tomahawks. If you can wait till June and go to Cloverdale and shoot many more.
My favorite may not suit you worth a darn. But they are all good bows.
But, to answer your question directly... my first R/D LB and probably still my favorite (and a great bang for the $) is a Big Jim Buffalo Bow.
Best of luck in the search of your bow. Finding just the right one and the anticipation of your first shot with that baby is half the fun I get out of archery.
X 2 My favorite though is a Tomahawk SS diamond series.
Moab has my vote
I own and love a Don Dow stik. I would like to get another bow this year and have narrowed it to either a Two Tracks or a Mohawk.
Rob
Getting somewhere you can shoot a few is a big help, but if you go used and its not a great fit, you can generally sell it for close to what you paid and try something else.
Rocky Mountain Specialy gear has a bunch to look at online and they are great folks. Plenty of nice used customs and some very reasonably priced new bows as well.
Ditto to Glunt, I live in TN and like dealing with RMS.
Also ditto on used. I've bought and sold several and had good experience on both ends. There are excellent bows FS on here and some fine folks to deal with.
Before you buy, if you are new to trad, I recommend you shoot a few bows and consider starting out lighter than you think you can handle. Being overbowed can lead to a mess of bad habits that are can become very difficult to fix. It is much easier to move up in weight over time. Besides, Howard Hill claimed you could kill anything in NA, except maybe polar bears, with a 45# bow. I am sure that the average bow today is also more efficient than in his day, so 45# outta do all he said and more. I'm shooting about 51 at my draw length and am considering dropping back to 40 to 45 to help fix some of my bad habits and learn a new style. JMHO - Hugh
QuoteOriginally posted by ishoot4thrills:
J.K. Traditions Kanati. Reasonably priced, fast, smooth drawing, NO handshock, good looking, and he's a sponsor here. What more could you want?
(http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh472/ishoot4thrills/Kanati20Bow20057.jpg)
X 2
Kanati @ 25 yards:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v612/30coupe/Kanati%20Longbow/WOODIES-KANATI25YDS.jpg)
I am really enjoying my Don Dow stik. 60" 47# at 28". Shoots great and is very quiet. Can't beat the price either.
I realy like abbott longbows. Very sweet and great shooters but there is alot of good bows on this site.Have fun trying to make a choice,
Two of my favorites are the Wes Wallace Royal and Allen Boice's Contender.
There are so many good ones out there it would be fun to try them all.
Merry Christmas,
Paul
MOAB.
I almost forgot to mention my TwoTracks Longwalker! :banghead: Superior woods and craftsmanship, top level performance, excellent price and customer service!
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa7/owlbait/IMG_0782.jpg)
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa7/owlbait/IMG_0779.jpg)
(http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa7/owlbait/IMG_0783.jpg)
I really enjoy my mohawk, it is a great bow. That two tracks bow sure looks nice...have always liked the value they seem to have.
Don't forget about Mike Mecredy at Maddog. I absolutely LOVE my MUTT that I got from him. Mike builds a great bow for a great price, and will do what he can to work out any details you want with your bow. I just got off of the phone with him because I had a question on a bow I own of his (I own two right now and hopefully a few more in the future), but he took time out of his busy schedule to personally answer the question for me. Covey you're close enough to me I'd let you shoot this Maddog LB I have if you are interested shoot me a PM and I'll try and get with you.
My experience with R/D longbows hasn't been to stellar which I attribute to having bows which were 62" and shorter. When and if I take them up again I'll try 64" and longer. Maybe I'll consistently be better. Try some used ones first
Rusty
I hope you get to tryout a Leon Stewart!
An R/D longbow is a great choice with lots of bowyers making them. Figure out your budget that should reduce the choices by 50%.
Shoot lots of bows-just because I like a certain bow does not mean you will.
The vast majority of US made bows is outstanding-stay away from bows that cost too much or too little. JMHO.
:archer2:
I hope you get to try a MOAB. Its the bow for me.
I have a Bob Lee Signature and it still serves me well, tough as nails and shoots were you look.
at www.stikbowsbydondow.com (http://www.stikbowsbydondow.com) you will see you can get a new longbow quite quickly for $335. they're real good bows and a great value.
bill
RER Vortex smooth quiet and launches 600 grain arrows
pronghorns for me! I've shot/owned many different recurves and longbows and I'm sold on Herb's 3pc longbows especially like the feel and performance of his Bob limbs (boo/action boo/osage)
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Glenn
Another vote for Thunderstick MOAB. The Mag is nice too.
(http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/mbhensley/Archery%20Stuff/Thunderstick%20Bows/67279cba.jpg)
(http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u31/snag23/edge.jpg)
Allen Boice's "Edge" is a great design! I recently purchased one and can't say enough good things about it. I have shot several other r/d bows...and have sold them. The Edge has a premanent place on my bow rack! If you want contact info. just pm me. Allen is a very knowledgeable bowyer and is a good guy to talk with. Definitely worth investigating further.
Give Jim Belcher a call he has many years of experience and make several different bows and all are super fast.
There are a plethera of bowyers that build a great R/D longbow! Made in USA is still alive and well in bow business thank God! I would try to get to Kazoo to the Trad Expo, shoot as many differant bows as possible! there are a great many that I would like to own if I had a lot of $$$$$ I own a Bama Royal Expedition 62in that I love! Put I have shot Strikers, Holmmade Osprey very nice R/D,Dwyer Dauntless, Don Dow Stik bow,to name a few! Check the sponsers here, there plenty of great bowyers on this site!