i was lookin into gettin a bw longbow and i was wandering if you guys or gals could give me your honest advice about them, thank you
I had the LAG longbow from Widow for many years and appreciated it's grip, quietness, accuracy, and lack of handshock. I got rid of it when they came out with the newly designed PL a few years ago, and sorry I did.
The PL is quicker, but I prefer all the attributes of my long-gone LAG. Many folks prefer the updated version, and the Widow folks can be trusted to do the right thing.
(http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d108/lwscott/lon_scottP.jpg)
I have the PLGA model and it is a great bow.
Light weight, quick, quiet and no hand shock at all.
John
Nice antelope Lon.
John
I had the LAG and loved it, regret ever getting rid of it. I haven't tried the new one but wouldn't be afraid to.
Nice bows if you can afford them. A lot of other bows are as good(IMO), at a more moderate price :wavey: :campfire: :coffee:
GREAT !!!!! But I'm a little partial :goldtooth:
I had a PLV longbow,great shooting bow.Quiet,no handshock and quick shooting.For me I prefer the PL grip over the old LAG,grips are a personal preference.
I had one a few years ago. A very good longbow and I would buy another if I were after one of this design. I had a slight problem with it when I first got it and they gave me another with no question and even asked if I needed a loner to shoot while my new bow was being built.You can`t beat that.RC
I tried one a couple years ago and liked it. Give one a try, I am sure you won't be disappointed.
Had a LAG and sold it. Test drove a PL and had a PLX Osage made with a LAg grip. One of the best shooting bows I have ever owned. It is the one I usually grab when going to the stand.
Really liked th PL I had until I got a couple of Big Jim's, a Thunderchild and a Buffalo. Nothing wrong with the Widow, but I love my Big Jim's bows.
I've had 5 PL's.
I currently have a PLX Osage takedown.
They are prolly the easiest to tune longbow that I've owned.
Not the fastest but plenty fast.
Low to no handshock.
Tougher than nails.
I don't like them less than 64" long - I pull abut 28".
Funny thing is all the PL's I've owned had a different feel to the grip. I like the grip on the take down the best.
I have always been a recurve shooter, and found the Black Widow PMA recurve (longer riser) to be my recurve of choice. About 3 years ago I was at the Black Widow shop in Missouri, and tried a few longbows. I just hated them... couldn't deal with a straight LB grip. I wrote off longbows and continued endearing myself to my recurves. Then a year later I went through Nixa again, stopped in to the shop, and they showed me a longbow their "Toby Grip". I shot it a bit and found it to be a world different than the straight grip. Then I test-drove one for a little while, which led to me ordering one.
I now spend the vast majority of my time shooting the LB, and find it to be much more enjoyable and satisfying to shoot. I couldn't recommend it more. It did cost a pretty penny, but unless I find myself in financial hard times, I don't ever plan to get rid of it. It's fast, quiet, very attractive to look at, and has zero hand-shock.
I would recommend their test drive program...!
My opinion of the PL is the same as all Black Widows, 100% performance!
Suits me to a tee-I have 4 of them.--Bone
The PL is my favorite hunting bow. I prefer the T/D model. I've owned two of them. For me they are very accurate, forgiving, and quiet.
You can order the PL with a Lag grip.
QuoteOriginally posted by ranger 3:
You can order the PL with a Lag grip.
I have a PLGA and ordered it with a LAG grip. I really like that grip. As far as the company goes, you cannot find a company with better customer service and history than Black Widow in my opinion. I have owned quite a few Black Widows over the years and the PL is my favorite! Great performer, beautiful to look at and a pleasure to shoot!
They are great bows! And the people are top notch to deal with.
One of my friends runs an Archery Shop...Compounds but...he has a Lag Longbow or sale. it's his personal bow that he hardly ever shot and sits in his home. Not sure of price or bow specs....anyone interested...PM me back.
I have a PLV 66" takedown longbow 60#@30".
Very sweet, quiet, and forgiving bow.
A little faster than my other 60# bows.
Its one of my top 3 favorites next to my Miller Hill Bow and my Kota Prairie Nomad.
They are good shooting bows ( I shot T.J.'s BW longbow while in Idaho last fall), but - and I'm not trying to pee in anyone's Cheerios here - I shot a brand new one head to head against a Big Jim Buffalo Bow of identical specs; 64", 50#@28". The Buffalo Bow was hands down the better shooting of the two. The owner of the BW agreed, then asked me, "How much was that Buffalo Bow again?"
The reason I shot them head to head? I was thinking of selling the Big Jim to buy a matching longbow to my PSAV recurve. I'm keeping the Big Jim.
Jerry Gowins
I have a PLV TD and love it. I shoot it, my HH, and SAV.
Beutiful. well made bows with a well known name, but I don't find them to shoot any better than many other top crafted bows. Just my opinion!
I've only shot a couple but thought they were overated. Doggy when compared to others and high priced, an example, shot side by side with a Holm Made Ospery, BW was 61# Ospery 49#, Ospery visibly faster and quieter, better cast, overall better performer at 1/2 the price. That said I like BW recurves a lot.
Agree with mnbwhter 100%! I have owned quite a few and they don't hold a candle to the osprey or centaur's! They are not bad shooters but you can get alot better bow for less money with the osprey!
Not worth the money! I have shot a few of them and was not impressed there are many great longbows that out perform it at half the cost OR get an A & H and never look back.
They're great longbows - zero hand shock, fast, pretty, and quiet. The test drive is really easy if you are buying from widow (as opposed to a used one) - just be careful with posts like this - guys always want to say how much better their brand of bow is than a widow, makes it hard to decide so always shoot one first if you can.
I agree with Ulysses... the weird thing about discussing Widows here is that guys generally want to either pump them up... or pull them down. There is a lot of both positive and negative bias, with little middle ground. You would be best off by test-driving one, and deciding for yourself. And talk to the guys that make them about what kind of performance you can expect out of them.
Not trying to pull down or lift up, but although they have a following, there are still a lot of bows out there that are just as good, at half the price. $1000.00 verses $500.00 :campfire:
I don't own one but have shot them a fair bit. In my opinion they are among the very best out there.
I had several PLX one piece and takedown bows. I thought they were very nice. I shot a freind's PLV and it was very nice also.
I would look to purchase used first, before you go for a new one. They hold their value used, so if you don't like it you should be able to sell it quickly without loosing money, if you buy it at a reasonable price.
This is the time of year when there are many traditional shoots. You may want to attend some and see if there are any you can try first before you buy used or new.
Good luck
Gil
I bought an LAG in 1993 and shot it for 13 years. Always hung it by the string, on a set of moose antlers. The antlers fell off the wall, and the brow tine hit the lower limb. The belly lamination peeled off the next time I shot it. Found a PLX osage used, and bought it the next week, and have shot it since. I like the grip on the PLX better than the LAG. The PLX is 66", the LAG was 64". The LAG was faster thru the chronograph, but I shoot the PLX more accurate. The PLX was made in 2004, and had the hole in top limb for a string keeper. The glass near the hole appears to be seperating. I put supper glue in the hole to try and make it last, but if it blows, I'll buy another, I love the way they shoot! My brother also shoots an LAG, 68" that he bought in 1994.