While doing some traveling the other day, I stopped a Gander Mountain in College Station. They had 2 traditional bows, 1 recurve and one Bear Montana. They would not allow them to be strung. Anyway an customer would had come in to use the range just happened to own a Montana 50# and offered to let me test drive it. Wow, the bow shot very smooth and I was more accurate with it than I expected, about 8" @ 20 yards. Really didn't expect to be able to stay inside 2 feet. I am now looking at maybe testing a Martin Savannah if I can locate one. Unfortunately they is not any place around Waco, TX that has Traditional bows. Even the places that have contacted around Galveston and south of Houston deal with compounds. Any other bows that should be keeping an eye out for?
i have owned both and both were very good bows. but i traded one off and sold the other. sometimes i wish that i had kept them both. you cant go wrong with either one. but the savannah was a faster bow, but i dont care about speed. just hitting the target
A Montana is a solidly built bow. I have a 55# that I use for bowfishing and it works great. I can't believe the "pros" at gander mountain wouldn't let you string up a bow to test it.
Why not contact Ron Foley? He's right outside of Waco and makes a great bow.
If you're interested in a Savannah, I may have one up for sale pretty soon. RH 45#.
i just picked up a 50# montana last year and just finnally got around to making a new string and trying some newly fletched arrows and was excited that it and myself shot well together and was quiet without any aids and felt good glad i bought it
I love the Montana it was THE bow that peaked my interest in traditional but longbows specifically. I prefer pre-2011 models though cause the older ones had more of a straight grip. The new ones have a much more pronounced locator grip
It's hard to find trad bows in Texas. I always scratch my head when people suggest trying a bunch of bows before you buy. That sounds great but if you are lucky you might find one. If it was me I would be watching the classifieds here. It won't take long to find a lightly used longbow for a great price.
Texas has plenty of bowyers and some pretty good ones in my opinion. They all have good sales from time to time, Sarrels Archery is having a 30% off sale next weekend on adult bows. I would rather buy a new bow on sale than a used for around the same price. I have not had the best of luck with used bows.
The Montana is a good bow, I have one that I started with that my son shoots now. They are very well built and they just shoot good. I modified the rest and grip, then stippled the grip and added a Rick Barbee string and that rascal is a shooter.
Sarrels makes a great bow you can't go wrong with one of his.
I to have the Montana in a 45# weight and it's a hard hitter. Picked up the Bear Bruin ( lesser version of the Montana) for my son for $35.00 and it to is a hard hitter.(I know I stole the Bruin)
I have the older model Montana for sale in the classifieds.Straighter grip but still very good shooter.Excellent shape.If you're near Sweetwater,you're welcome to come shoot it.
Mike
Tom deputy out of abilene makes a great hybrid smooth fast everything you would want.
Well, a friend of mine and I just decided to drive up to Cabelas Ft Worth tomorrow. I'll get a chance to look at a couple of bows. Last time I was there they had a couple of traditional bows in the Bargain Cave they might be worth looking at if I can test shoot them. At present a custom bow is out of my range. Maybe after I get more confident and really sure of what I want in a bow I'll take the plunge.
Sounds like the guys @ Gander were either 1. lazy or 2. afraid, because they probably knew nothing about it. I used to work for Gander(Sherman store) part time and unless they've had a dramatic change in policy they were feeding you a line. That's part of the reason I quit, (while I'm far from an expert) they thought they could plug any warm body into any slot in the store and make it work. Anyway, that's another rant for another day. Good luck with your search and if this is your first longbow, lighter is probably better. Everyone is different, but you'll find that even 5 lbs can make a huge difference in how many times you can shoot / how well you control the bow/ and your overall enjoyment.
I shot Montana once, not to bad, I always thought if ya picked one up a tad hvy and slimed down the tips and reworked the grip thay would make a good bow....
As far as Bowyers in Tx's, I thought there was a bunch of them....
Try David Oaks around San Antone....
Went up to Cabelas Ft Worth today. they had several longbows to look at and I tried a Montana 50# for the second time. Really liked the bow. They a employee there by the name of Ron who is a traditional bow shooter. He worked with me to get the bow set-up and man this thing is smooth. At their range (13 yards) I was able to maintain a tight group of about 3". So I am now the owner of a Bear Montana and a dozen Cabelas Stalker extreme arrows with feathers that have been cut to my draw length. I have to brag on Ron and Cabelas. This was by far one of the most pleasant and enjoyable experiences I have ever had while shopping.