Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: moleman on August 17, 2012, 08:35:00 PM
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Some time ago I purchased a Martin ML-14 longbow at a steal price, 77@28 for a workout bow on the way up to my 80 lb goal, but now that im getting comfortable with it, its turning out to be far more than just a workout bow, its for sure gonna see some field action this yr.
This thing hits like a hammer and shoots where Im looking,and for me thats as good as it gets, no matter the price or name.
Any of you ever bought or traded for a bow ( with mixed expectations) that surprised you beyond your expectations?
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I always had problems with a high-wrist grip until I shot a Kodiak Hunter. That thing shot better than me every time. I ended up giving it to a buddy who was about to blow up his Gramp's old bow, he plans on killing a mule deer buck with it this year.
I'll be keeping an eye out for another one...
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The plan was to start loosing arrows out of a bow ten pounds lighter than my hunting weight after turkey season in order to more easily focus on form. My objective here was specifically form focused with a forgiving design and specs as prerequisites. The newly designed Orion riser along with new ACS RC limbs was selected for the task.
Over-all Experience: Was totally taken by surprise…All expectations were either met or exceeded. My previous concerns were with the grip, shootability, and actual speed. The results far exceeded my expectations. This particular bow has actually driven me to revisit and re-evaluate my expectations. The bar has been raised to previously unchartered heights.
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My sunset hill, once I got it from nate and shot it was like WOW!!
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I traded for a Jerry Hill longbow. That bow was a real sweetheart to shoot and had a great feel to it. Like a dummy I sold it because I had to have something I thought was better. I have since dropped in poundage or I would have bought it back! And I did have a chance to get it back......
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I have been shooting a Schafer Silvertip and went out and bought a cheap bow. A ILF Hoyt Excel with TT limbs, the bow is a shooter. I can't believe how well it shoots. For a $324.00 bow it can't be beat.
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1960 Bear Grizzly. What a breath of fresh air compared to some of the noisy modern "high performance" recurves. I'm surprised more folks are copying these designs.
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Bear Tigercat surprized the dickens out of me!
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Glenn
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Agree with JCJ and Igor about old designs tuned an old 60" Ben Pearson colt that was gave to me,rough shape 0000 steel wool, urethane and a new string.I bareshafted it yesterday evening and to my suprise it was about the easiest tuning job I ever done, quiet sweet shooting bow that I'm sure will make one of my kids or someone else a good bow not only as an intro. bow but one to hunt with, as I think it's important to have an easy shooting design to hook em!!!
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A Brown Recluse, It shot smooth, but hard. Much better mannered than I had heard. I think I need to get another. :bigsmyl:
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Every Hill bow I shoot. The way they cast heavy arrows amazes me. To get that kind of performance out of a straight limbed longbow is phenominal.
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I had a Bear T/D Hunter 55#, it was just a plain nice compact, light good shooting bow. I bought it new in 89 and took several deer with it but as happens I got married, started a family and I ended up selling it. Compared to what I shoot now it was nothing fancy but it was just a good practical bow and the funny thing is I haven't seen but a couple for sale since.
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My Bezaleel Cougar TD recurve.
I´ve had 3 recurves, didnt need one more. Bought the Bezaleel bow out of curiosity and recommendation from a dude.
Now that bow is the only one I shoot (except some ILF stuff), cuz it is simply perfect to me.
Its the best bolt down recurve to me.
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I bought a used Fedora 560 Hunter recurve when I saw the shape it was in ( basically brand new) and the price ( incredibly low). After some initial tweaking at Denton Hill this past July, the bow shoots amazingly well! I almost sold it because I didn't use it. I would have regretted that! ~Steve
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The Bear Grizzly is a very underated bow in my opinion. Good grip and solid performer.
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Originally posted by joekeith:
A Brown Recluse,
Same here,but for different reason. My buddy bought one when they first came out. We heard great stuff about them. He bought one first and when I shot it,he said "What do you think?" My answer was, "I'm glad YOU bought it!" All that hype and man was it a let down.He thought the same.
Everybody is different though and I'm sure plenty of guys love them.
A good suprise was an old Martin ML-10. I bought it all beat up for around $40 years ago. Heard they were junk,tons of handshock,etc. I messed with the brace height and arrow spines and weights. Dang thing turned out to be a pretty sweet shooter for me.
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Hoyt Buffalo...
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Bought a Titan because it is bulletproof - no exotic woods to mess up hunting. Usually like a big grip and good looking wood bows.
That bow shoots more accurately in my hands than any other bow on the rack. Thanks, Roy
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My new to me Thunderhorn surprised me. To look at a 58" long bow with a tiny little riser your first thought is this thing will draw like a 2x4 and be very unstable. Well that ain't the case! Very smooth, stable and accurate.
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The bow that surprised me the most is the Bamboo Hill kit bow I got from Mike Yancey, the bow may not be the prettiest one I own but for what I paid and the effort I put in making it, she shoots as well as any other bow I have.
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Bear Grizzly. I always thought of it as a "beginners" bow. Boy was I wrong! I have a early 70's version. Looking into a Supper Grizzly.
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My '59 Grizzly and '64 Kodiak.
doug77
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I bought a Greatree Solo Black longbow as a cheap "beater". After a little grip rework it turned into a real nice shooting bow. I have bows worth over five times as much that don't get nearly as much action as my Greatree.
I also love my '72 Grizzly. I searched a long time until I found one with the perfect grip, green/brown riser, and brown glass. I shoot it as good as anything I ever tried.
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I am surprised by how well a red wing hunter shoots for a 58" bow.Kanatis shoot very well also for such a tiny bow.
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I picked up a Sky Trophy Longbow that was made by Jim Belcher for another bow company that has since closed it's doors here in MI...Monster Bows(they made lever bows). Anyways, I think it was a prototype and the first bow Jim made on the Sky forms. I think it ended up being a 63" AMO bow. I sold it to an individual on the *********** who got it for his wife. I've tried twice in the last 18months to buy it back from him but he says his wife LOVES it.
It's truley the only bow I regret selling. It shot right where I looked and actually liked light arrows. It drew 43@28" and threw a ICS 500 with plenty of authority, and I ran its brace high at 8.75". I really miss that bow and hope to someday get her back. The grip on her was very unique and it's hard to explain as well...I also think he used bamboo for the limb laminates as I could see the seams. I may have to email Sky and see if he remembers the specs for that bow.
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Martin/Howatt, That's why I'm shootin them, the two I have shoot great for me. Think I've found the (bow!!!) bow's
Thanks again for the Saber, Rod in SC
...
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A new to me Gordon Morey 3-D lightning LB.
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Tried an ACS longbow at Denton Hill. WOW.
Martin
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Bear Grizzly, have several, but I have a early 70's green and black at 50#. What a smooth shooter. Those maple limbs are not the fastest, but they can shoot an arrow where you look. One lean, mean bunny hunting machine.
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Shot a Dryad Orion at the IBO Worlds. Wow, what a smooth drawing bow. It felt a lot lighter draw than it was. Plenty quick too. I have to be careful thinking about it, as I don't need ANOTHER bow!
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I've owned a lot of recurves during my 48 years of bowunting. But none of them shot like my first 66" Blacktail TD. It was like......WOW.....for me.
I was so impressed with my Blacktail, I bought a second 66' Blacktail TD. These two recurves are the only trad bows I now own.
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Originally posted by moleman:
Some time ago I purchased a Martin ML-14 longbow at a steal price, 77@28 for a workout bow on the way up to my 80 lb goal, but now that im getting comfortable with it, its turning out to be far more than just a workout bow, its for sure gonna see some field action this yr.
This thing hits like a hammer and shoots where Im looking,and for me thats as good as it gets, no matter the price or name.
Any of you ever bought or traded for a bow ( with mixed expectations) that surprised you beyond your expectations?
My 35# Darton Recurve really stacked, so when I moved up to my 45# Bear Grizzly I was very surprised at how smooth it draws and no stack.
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My 66" John McDonald static tipped (reverse lam) longbow. Smooth, super quiet, fast, zero handshock, accurate...a pleasure to shoot! New $300, value...priceless!
Kris
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I bought two matching 1961 Howatt recurves at an auction a month or so ago. The owners, who are friends, had feather rests on them and on mine, the 69-inch 40#-er I had to get a new string. Just got a new dacron 63-incher from Stone Mtn. I got my wife's and mine set up and she did great with it right off the bat! First time she ever shot a bow. She hit the 16x16 block target five out of five times from 10 yards. Well... I thought it was PDG anyway. 1 happy hubman.
And on mine I was shocked at how accurate I am with it. It really shoots rainbows out past 30 yards, but inside that, I have to admit I am way more accurate than I am with heavier bows. Probably will never take it hunting because it's white glass and pretty unwieldly at that length, but it's fun to shoot. Might be a bunny in its future, maybe.
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Sheepeater Spirit. It looks and feels like a toy, until you pull it back and let an arrow go. It is truly a unique feeling bow that is the most fun to shoot of any bows I own.
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As far as ease of shooting and accuracy, my old Pearson Pinto and my Browning Nomad Stalker. It goes without saying that my Martin/Howatts shoot like flame throwers, but the other two, they are a big surpise.
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Boy, this is a timely thread for me! My son gave me a '69 Bear Super Kodiak (45#) for Father's Day this year - great gift!
I hadn't shot a Bear bow since I sold my Bear Grizzly in 1970. I sent my "new" bow to John Rafferty at The Bow Hospital to get it refinished.
I just picked it up at the post office two days ago and wow am I pleasantly surprised! I love the grip on the bow and it's absolutely dead in the hand. I love shooting this bow! It's going with me to the deer woods this fall.
Bernie
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About a year ago I was looking for a shorter bow for certain hunting situations. Tried a lot, and ended up with Big Jim's Thunderchild, actually have five 56"ers now and another on order from Jim. Shoots like a much longer bow for me, great manners, quiet, and plenty of performance. The T/D system is the bomb too!
Another that I have been pleasantly surprised with is the Toelke Kestral. That 52" little recurve is awesome! Similar shooting characteristics as the Thunderchild, but in an even smaller package. Probably a little quicker pound for pound also. Mine has the Whip's grip on it rather then the medium recurve grip it usually has... Love it!
Once I get my new MOAB in a few weeks and Thunderchild come November'ish... Next bow I order will be a heavier Kestral w/the Whip grip... Oh, and my draw length is right at 30"... Super smooth bows with no finger pinch for me!
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Two Bows have been so much better than I had expected:
1. Fox Triple Crown Carbon: the finest longbow I have ever shot. Fast, accurate, and craftsmanship that must be seen to beleived.
2. Dryad ASC-RC Legend: Stability and accuracy in the fastest recurve limb on the US market. And the dryad company has customer satisfaction as their number one goal.
Mark
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my old bear kodiak is awsome. Love this bow. I stopped shooting it after I got my longbows but a few months back I picked it up and it just stacked arrows out to 30 yds. stopped shooting it when my titan set up came in, grabbed it yesterday and its still driving tacks. eventually want to pick up a 55# version of it.
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Anyone have experience with any PSE recurves or longbows?
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I bought a near perfect Kodiak 55# on ****, I cannot wait to take this on a hike in October. Must practice more and more.
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Martin Hunter
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My first Hill bow. I wanted one largely because it is so highly regarded as the classic example of a truly "traditional" longbow (whatever that means). However, when I got it I loved it immediately and had no trouble adapting to it. Now I own 5 Hills and seldom shoot anything else.
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Originally posted by Bernie B.:
Boy, this is a timely thread for me! My son gave me a '69 Bear Super Kodiak (45#) for Father's Day this year - great gift!
I hadn't shot a Bear bow since I sold my Bear Grizzly in 1970. I sent my "new" bow to John Rafferty at The Bow Hospital to get it refinished.
I just picked it up at the post office two days ago and wow am I pleasantly surprised! I love the grip on the bow and it's absolutely dead in the hand. I love shooting this bow! It's going with me to the deer woods this fall.
Bernie
In a recent trade I had the chance to shoot an early 50's 66" dual shelf bear kodiak, a '59 kodiak, and a '69 Super kodiak. I went home with the '69 because of its shoot-ability and looks. BUT that dualshelf was the smoothest bow I have ever shot.
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Green Mountain longbow.....very smooth, plenty quick, extremely quiet, and it shoots very accurately for me.
I am very impressed with this bow and I'm a dyed in the wool recurve shooter.
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My old 45# Super Kodiak. My Dad bought it in the early 70's. Every time I shoot it I wonder why the heck I don't use it more.
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Originally posted by JCJ:
1960 Bear Grizzly. What a breath of fresh air compared to some of the noisy modern "high performance" recurves. I'm surprised more folks are copying these designs.
I agree with you. I've got a B.W. but I can't get over how well my '69 Super K. shoots. It's also whisper quiet even with the old "noisey" spring arm quiver. It's not as fast as some of the new bows out there but, then again niether am I. :biglaugh: I am headed to the woods this year vintage style complete with some original Bear cedar arrows.
Ross
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My Groves Spitfire and new Fedora.
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No surprize with my A&H's they are all what they say they are. My custom Gerlock is right there with them.
:thumbsup:
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Centaur, never shot anything else to compare
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A 64" Ben Pearson Colt that I picked up at a garage sale a few years ago. Only 45# draw and I wasn't expecting much when I first shot it. Well you can certainly say it surprised the dickens out of me!
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I just put my 72# limbs on my Wallace Stealth and it blew me away. I hadn't shot them since I got since I already have a Brack with 72# limbs but this one smokes. I could tell from the first shot I was going to be hunting with it this season. It's a smooth shooting tack driver and its 14fps faster than the Brack at 195fps.
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ive been shootin bows for about 11 years now and have tried almost all top grade bows. I kept reading on here how great of shooters the old super kodiaks are. well i shelled out 400.00 bucks on a 69 and was blown away of not only how well they shoot but how stable and quiet they are. i have to say its one of the best designs of bows ive ever shot.ill be huntin with a 43 year old bow this season and lovin it.
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My 58 inch, 48@28 Howard Hill Badger. Bought this bow on a whim. Shot it was couldn't beleive how well it shot for such a small bow.
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Just received my String Follow, Hill Style longbow from 7 Lakes. A SF Carolina Night I believe it's called. I've never shot a Hill Style bow and was expecting a thumping / slow bow. Man was I surprised. Maybe not quite as fast as my other Reflex/deflex bows but it's much more accurate.
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my two tracks ambush recurve 60lb@28. I haven't shot an enourmous amount of bows but I can't imagine one faster than this!
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I was visiting a friend in SC who owns 2 Hummingbird Recurves. They are heavier bows with one at 68# 30". I'd been shooting 50#. I couldn't believe how smoothly it drew back, and threw a massive 2419 arrow around 700g into the foam target so hard I had to use 2 hands to pull it out! Apparently the bowyer lives an hour from, so it would appear I'll be making a personal visit and shelling out some $$$ in the future!
I am also a big fan of Bamabows. They are light, stable, shoot where I'm looking, and whisper quiet.
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My first surprise was the first time I pulled a static recurve . The second was the first string follow I built/. I expected it to be so so in the performance dept. Instead . well lets say its a lot more bow than I expecterd it to be4.
God bless, Steve