I have been shooting the Superior for about 4-6 weeks now almost exclusively, and I just dont know if its for me. The bow is comfortable, and shoots amazingly, there is just something about it that is not sitting with me. I dont know if its the weight, length, shelve...... Im just not sure. But im starting to wonder if I should let it go and look for a new bow. Maybe go back to Recurves for now? I really do like the quiteness of the Longbow, compared to the aggressive hybrids and recurves I have shot, but the bow just does not seem to be clicking?
I mean this bow is to my exact specs, that I wanted, from wood to glass, to poundage and length. Its like that girl in highschool you always wanted to date, and then when you did you realized she wasnt all you thought she would be, so you wanna go back to what you are comfortable with? Any thoughts or opinions friends, I really dont want to pay a shrink for this information!!! LOL
When in doubt, move it out! If you are not confident in a bow you will never shoot well with it.
I once ordered a new Blacktail without ever handling one. Waited almost a year to get it when it arrived. It was absolutely beautiful as they all are. As your's it shot great but I knew right off I just didn't care for the limbs being spongy or bouncy and I also didn't care for the long riser. I kept it about 4 months and finally realized it just wasn't for me and sold it. I bought and sold many bows in the classifieds for a few years and have found 5 bows that are just perfect for me.
My advice is don't wait do what you know you will do eventually. Thing is you can always buy another if need be. You hear it all the time but it is very true, go to a big rendezvous where there are many bowyers. Handle and shoot them all. It will quickly let you know what you like and don't like. Although I had a blast buying and selling.
I can relate to what your going through. I love my long bow, it's just to heavy of a draw to have fun with it. Also just not consistant on target to much bow torque.
So with that said, I'm going back to my recurve which is about 10 lb lighter in draw. When I get some extra funds I'm going to order a lighter wheight long bow.
I went through the same thing. If it just doesn't feel right to you, then you are never going to be happy with it. NOthing wrong with the bow. Sometimes it feels right, sometimes it dosn't. Send it down the road.
Guys I went through a ton of bows before I found the trail to "Sherwood".
It doesn't make you less a good person because something just doesn't feel right for you nor does it make the bow that doesn't work for you a bad bow.
It's your choice and you are the only one that has control over what you do or don't do.
I will say it is/was a fun part of my journey getting to own and shoot all of the fantastic bows.
There are a lot of bows that I've owned that were a pure pleasure to shoot and almost always hit exactly where I was looking but they didn't get my heart thumping on the path to "Sherwood".
I now am having a blast with my bows and so what if every shot made isn't perfect...I'm right where I want to be.
God's grace and peace to you all.
I would say, keep it in the flock for now. Go get your next "perfect" bow and a couple of months after you get it reevaluate your decision. If the first bow still doesn't fit - move it out. Many of us are on a constant search for the perfect bow for us. What I have found is that as my form is more and more fine tuned my view of my bows changes. That said, I have had a couple that I felt like you do - they just don't fit - one is already gone and the other is on deck.
As an aside, I love the looks of your Superior - prettiest bow I have seen in quite awhile.
I would move on.
Ascertain what is an optimum fit for you first unless you already have back-ups.
Similar to quitting a job before securing another. The hardest person to employ is an unemployed person.
This thread is for me.I just received this week a B-riser Green stripe Bear takedown.After falling in love with my Bob Lee short and light riser as my go-to bow for the last two years I cannot get use to the wgt. and looks of this bow.The takedown feature is genius but also is bulky and not for me.May have to sell it.Kip
Used bow market is low right now. You may take a big hit on it if you don't keep it for awhile. However, you might find it great trade bait to try something else. It happens all the time, "had the bow a month, just not for me". Time to move and get in the groove, because there are bows out there that will "click" for you. Good luck.
Not long. God bless.
Not long. God bless.
I think a guy can tell in short order if a bow is for him.
It is tough when you have a bow right in your specs and it just does not feel right, but you know. At that point it is up to you whether you want to put it on the rack and never shoot it, or move it on to someone who will find it a fit.
I have bought and sold lots of them...some I wish I would have given more of a chance but I usually knew within a few shots if the bow was for me or not. Like I said there were a few that I wish now I would have given a little more time to, but that's what I get.
I usually wait till the bow is tuned well and I tune an arrow to it before I decide completely, many bows shoot far better/different when tuned properly.
Normally though, the grip, or feel during the shot will make my mind up very soon after shooting a new bow for the first time.
I usually get through one 3D shoot and I know. I can convince myself of a lot of things in the back yard but not at 3D. I don't pay attention to score with a new bow but draw and hand placement reapeatablity.
I don't let many things gather dust. Bows were built to hunt. :archer2:
Rob
Well, I agree with everyone here. I too do not let things collect dust, I am not a collector of anything. If I own it I want to use it.
As far as back ups go, I have two bows I can use for shooting and hunting in the stable aside from the Superior. I have a new NM Huron, with a straight grip which is feeling like a keeper. And I have my old faithfull Herters that always performs. Its only 40lb @28 and I draw 27 so I am leary of hunting with it for anything other than small game.
If I keep the Superior I feel it will do nothing other than gather dust. I think Im going to break up with her. Oh it hurts to do this, but I think Im going to place it for sale or trade. She is pretty, but just not for me i think.
Sometimes I know (or at least think I know)just by looking and sometimes the instant I pick it up. Other bows I might like for days, weeks or months before I "know" this one isn't for me.
There are times a new bow comes along that touches all the right buttons and causes me to rethink what I had previously thought was inviolate. I reckon if you look up the definition of "fickle" you'll see something like I just wrote?
Sometimes you need to hang it up for a couple of weeks and shoot another bow and then come back to it. The new bow syndrome works for a while but will really let you know if its a keeper. Way too many bow out there to try, when in dismay, ship it away....
If it's not right, it won't take long to find out it's not for you. A week maybe, I have had bows that I knew were wrong for me and knew it in an hour! When there is a bow that you just keep going back to, or can't wait to shoot....that's a keeper. I have a couple right now that are just right for me....a couple of Zippers and a couple of Holm-Made by Chad Holm. I just got a Silvertip that seem to fit the bill and a Hill Halfbreed. I need to thin the herd to just my favorites....lol!
Im also kinda thinking, so far everybow I have ever shot, will do its job within 20yards. Even when it doesnt feel "right" Im comfortable at hunting ranges. So this decision is based on the pure joy of shooting the bow. And right now its just not it. Why I can not find joy in stable, quick, quiet, accurate, smooth i'll never know. I must just be silly as a pet coon. I will post it later after the Shriner Circus.
Gene Wensel once told me that a bow is just a tool. If you can look at it like that then the decision will be easier to let it go. Buy a bow as if you were shopping for the right tool. Makes a big difference on how you look at it.
That's what makes archery so much fun for me.
Finding the next right bow :banghead: I can
tell within a few shots if a bow will work for
me. My Zippers and Assenheimers are always right.
I would say give the bow a rest and come back to it in a few weeks then make your choice.
It's fun to try different bows and it doesn't take long for me to know if it's a "keeper" or not. That's why it's nice to buy used until you find one that really works for you. Then order a new one from the same bowyer just the way you want it.
If you know it isn't right, I'd sell it or use it for trade bait. Lots of nice bows around and trying them is a big part of the fun.
Move it on, it's all about comfort and confidence
Ten minutes. Seriously. If you have a bow that is tuned and arrows that match it. You can tell in no time if the bow is going to be for you. If you don't like it right away, the chances of it "growing on you" are pretty slim.
I have shot numerous bows that people ranted and raved about only to discover that I did not like the way they shot. That is why it is so important to try before you buy. Not only that, but try to buy the one you shot well when you were doing the trying!
If they don't have blood on them they are a tool to be traded. Once they have blood on them they are a family member... ;)
I have made a lot of self bows. Honestly, I can tell on the first few shots if a bow is for me or not. Even when I tweak them or try to make them fit, they sometimes just don't. Now the ones I fall in love with on the first shot, and there have been a lot of them, are tough to send on their way.
I have an Ancient Spirits Kadiak that, from the very first shot, was a part of me. I have a lot of other bows that I have gotten in trade that just don't work. And I almost always know right away. I still keep them though. I find it hard to part with bows :)
One hour of shooting....
On a different but similar note - I have found that if you are at a show and find a bow that shoots for you - BUY IT - don't have one built "just like it" or in different limb veneers, riser material, etc. as it never shoots the same.
QuoteOriginally posted by Rick Wiltshire:
On a different but similar note - I have found that if you are at a show and find a bow that shoots for you - BUY IT - don't have one built "just like it" or in different limb veneers, riser material, etc. as it never shoots the same.
Exactly.
I know from day one most of the time, but some times it takes a couple of weeks for me to be sure.
I am with John, after I shoot a few arrows I know right away whether it is a keeper for me or to move it on.
There are so many great bows and bowyers out there that there are many keepers. I have one bow that is the one for me and wouldn't sell it for any price. But there have been many others close to it.
I collect longbows and have many that I could have been happy with. I have a collection of many because I love the longbow, but there is only one I shoot regularly and hunt with.
After 4 weeks if it still doesn't feel right to you I would say it isn't. I would try to find out what it is that isn't right with you before you move it on.
I also recommend not getting in the mode of looking for the perfect bow. It is fun trying many different bows, but along the way you will find many that could be perfect for you. I searched for the perfect bow and bought, tested, tried and moved on over 300 in 4 or 5 years. That screwed my shooting up and it took a trip to Bob Wesley's place to straighten me out again.
Good luck and have fun in your search. it is all good.
Gil
As others have already said better than I could....not long at all.
If the grip isn't right the very first time I pick it up it either:
1. Goes right back on the rack / table and doesn't get purchased
2. Goes on the shelf until I have the time / opportunity to sell it
Seem to have honed in on a bow or two that fits just right and have accumulated a few of them now.
well,
I think I may have figured it out. I came over from compound to recurve. The grip was very similar, and so I shot the Recurve well. Ive always wanted to try a longbow, and this one came up in every spec that I wanted so i bought it. It has a very slight locator grip to it, which makes me want to grip it like a recurve, and that just does not work with this bow. So I have learned to grip it in the longbow fashion, but its not natural for me. The NM Huron is a straight grip, and holding it like a longbow comes very natural to me and hence i shoot it well and comfortable.
To sum it up, if im going to be shooting a longbow i need a straight grip. Ill leave the pistol and defined grips to the Aggressive Hybrids and Recurves. So now I am on the hunt for a straight grip LB or maybe going back to the Recurve world.
Its official, I have it listed here and another Archery website. No hard feelings. Its a tool that did not suit me. I shot the NM Huron for a bit and realized I have a real shooter and keeper in the Flatbow.
With all due respect to earlier posts, my bows are far more than just tools to me. I've got hammers, saws, jigs, and cut-off saws.
Sometimes I would rather damage one of my appendages than my favorite bow. Such a bow keeps me company in the tree, gets me past a stressful time at work, and provides hours on end of pure pleasurable challenge.
Usually only takes me a few shots or so.
Sometimes as soon as you pick it up....maybe the grip, or the weight of the riser....you just know to put it down!
I had a customer call me two days after he got the bow and said I do not like this bow and want to send it back. I said what is wrong with it? Answer was nothing , I just do not like it and it jars my shoulder.
I said send it back and I will refund your money.
\\
A couple of days later he calls me again and he says , I took this bow to my mentor who I deeply respect and had him shoot it. He says it is the best longbow he has ever shot so I am not going to send it back.
Two years later this gentleman calls me and says I just want you to know that I was wrong and I cannot miss with this bow and it does not hurt my shoulder at all. My arthritis was just acting up that day but I like it better than any bow I have ever owned now.
So I would hesitate to state categoricaly that a very short time with a bow will allow you to get aquanited with it and with how it really shoots. This gentleman was immediately convinced that he did not like this bow. Now he will not ever part with it. The other bow he loved is second place .
Just saying. Not everyone is the same and although some folks may actually be able to tell immediately, others may take a little time to get used to the new grip ect.
Ever notice how many times we read the post, I had this bow or that bow and wish I had never sold it?
God bless you all, Steve
Good example Steve!
I'm hanging on to a bow or two right now that I want badly to really like. I know they are great bows but maybe I'm just not refined enough in my evaluation to appreciate em ...yet!
The hardest thing is to start thinking about letting a bow go that you just got...but first impressions are rarely wrong.
I tried for two years to master a hybrid longbow. The grip never felt comfortable to me. I prefer the pistol type grip of a recurve.
The first shot of the day was always about 5" to the left. Since I didn't have confidence in my ability with this longbow, I sold it to a fellow TG'er.
It's like that girl you always wanted to kiss, then when you did.... well it wasn't right. It doesn't take long to know.
I second what over & under says. Wish I would have kept some but can usually tell in short order if they are going to shoot well for how I shoot.
Bows are like women....there are lots of them out there, some curvy, some flat, some heavy, some light, some fast, some slow...you have your expectations on what you think you will like in each one...you get your hands on as many as you can until you find the one that just fits and gives you more pleasure than frustration...then you keep her!
Hahah, well put Dimomdback
I tend to agree with Steve, sometimes you have to give it a fair chance.
Like buying a new pair of boots, they are not as comfy as those old worn out ones but given a chance they will fit like a glove.
I am guilty of selling a few bows probably a little too quick that I wished I had back.
Well I may in the future regret my choice but as of now I am getting THE exact bow that I saw that started my wander lust for a Hill style bow. I have worked out a trade for a Belcher Union Jack and I extremely excited about recieving it. Hopefully it lives up to my expectations, and if not, well I still have the Huron that shoots darts for me. And if I do decide to try another bow, instead of being smart and getting another NM Huron with a straight grip Ill probably end up trying a GN Bushbow and only time will tell. But I do believe I am done for now. I have a good solid shooter that I am very comfortable with and a Hill style on the way to solve my curiosity on Hill style bows.
Took me 3 shots on one recent custom to not like it.
..took 7 days of trying to convince myself that I could like it before I put it up for sale.
The next bow took me about 3 shots to like it a lot and it just keeps getting better...
You either like it or you don't.
...the hard part is when you have to part with one you like to afford the one you THINK you might like more...
About 10 minutes
Anyone that buys a custom EagleWing and doesn't like it can return it within a week for a full refund minus shipping and 100.00.as long as the bow is in the shape you received it. I don't want anyone to have one of my bows that doesn't like it. Thats the confidence I have in my bows. However I also know that there are going to be some folks and bows that just are not going to get along.
An observation I have had over the years is that there is a type of person that starts second guessing their decision and the bow before they ever get it. Those usually get an immediate refund and thanks for their consideration. There is no sense in having a problem when there is not one to begin with.
God bless you all, Steve
Brian, you did good sticking with it for a good while, it was a new style bow for you and you do have to that a little time.
A style of bow you are familiar with you can judge fairly quick but, going to some thing unfamiliar you have to give it some time.
Good choice on the Union Jack!
Eric
Thank you. I am excited to get the Union Jack in my hands.
Most recently....it took me a week.
Sometimes it has taken me a month or so.
Generally my mind is made up quickly, but I try to give the bow the benefit of the doubt.
Bows are kind of like food. You often know immediately if you like it or not, after the first taste.
I bought a K Mag that I knew I didn't like after the first shot. LOL I shot about 10 arrows thru it before boxing it up.
But I bought a Super Kodiak and several Kodiak Specials that I fell in love with after the first shot.
Since returning to trad, I haven't gone through enough bows to have a hard time limit for that question. I DO know what I like and don't like as much about the two bows I have right now, and this influences what I am keeping my eye out for in the future. I don't think I'd look for one to replace a bow that is "comfortable and shoots amazingly" UNTIL I'd been able to put my finger on what didn't suit - but only because I don't have enough $ to try it that way!
I understand the money issue, which is where trading comes into play. And I did figure out that I am not a good enough shooter to shoot a longbow with a locator grip, the straight grip allows me to hold the bow correctly whereas the locator causes me to roll my wrist.
While I agree, I have been known to give a longer trial period depending on what I paid for the bow. I had a custom black widow done and couldn't throw it in the ocean with it, but it got a bit longer trial.....
Great advice on the if ya find a good one buy it not have one just like it made, been burned there before too...
Doesn't take me but a few minutes to decide. That's why I don't buy bows sight, or I should say shot, unseen. If there's a brand/type of bow I'm interested in, I make it a point to shoot it, or one just like it, before I buy.
If I already have or am familiar with a brand and model from a particular bowyer, there's not much risk in ordering/buying another with similar dimensions. But if it's a bow I've never shot before, I make it a point to find someone who has one, and take a few shots with it. Or, I attend the bigger shoots where most of the vendors will let you try their bows and shoot the bow I'm interested in there.
Over time, a bow I like may lose out to others, but it's a relative thing. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I like others better. Then it has to go down the road. Don't do as much of that as I used to though.