Some bows seem 'finicky' or highly sensitive to minor variations in form. While others seem to shoot consistent and 'overlook' flaws. What bows have you shot/owned that are highly forgiving? And a follow up - WHY do you think it was forgiving (design, wt, grip, etc)
mg
I have a early 90s BW MA11. I can pick it up after not shooting it for months or a year and 1 or 2 arrows I'm spot on. That bow shoots so good for me.
Every Bob Lee I have ever shot.
My Longwalker has grip that I can't seem to grip wrong.
My Longwalker, Zipper(s), and Stalker Hybrid with Static Limbs. Grips, smoothness of draw.
a little samick horse bow of 50" long when strung smooth to draw and Quick as possum crap of glass
My Shrew Hill with slight string follow seems to get the arrow where it is supposed to go even when I mess up. It is real forgiving, real quiet and real deadly.
Bob.
None. All mine are like wild stallions and I must constantly grapple with them and convince them I am the Alpha Male to force them to my will.
Except the Bear Kodiak Hunter. That's a pussycat. I have enough time to walk up and correct arrow flight after release on the way to the target and that makes it a bit more forgiving.
I have a B.W. MAIII,that I shoot the lights out with.on the other hand I have a B.W.longbow I struggle with.
Stewarts slammers just shoot for me-
Border Black Douglas. I knew when I'd screwed up but the arrows would just keep going where I wanted them.
JW
A Fazio Ballistik I owned years ago. My form was still weak, but that bow let me get away with all kinds of crap.
Kinda glad I got rid of it at the time, I really had to learn the basics.
RER XR seems to be the most forgiving for me...not sure why, but I think it may be in the forward design and the stable limb design.
bw pma2 62 inch...and a 62in.jefferys royal hunter
Bob Lee: Weight of the bow.
Robertson: Stability and grip.
The EagleWing Talon 11 is the most forgiving bow I have ever shot.
God bless you all, Steve
my most forgiving bow is a 21 century. That bow shoots a wide range of arrows and is just plan easy to tune and shoot..
60" Abbott Recurve, it has a lower brace than normal for a recurve and has a longbow grip. I'm a longbow guy so in my hands this bow shoots beautifully. I believe it has to do with a very nicely designed limb and reinforcement of the tips. It just tracks and shoots a wide variety of spines and weights equally well.
For me, it's the Dwyer Defiant longbow. Describing why a bow shoots more forgiving than others is a little subjective. I would guess that the most forgiving bows are the longest bows. My bow shoots field tips, broad heads and bare shafts equally well and just feels right when I shoot it.
Compared to other bows I've owned my crooked stic just seems right for me, no explanation just agrees with me, as to where arrow should go, a little better than most that I have bought, sold,and traded.
I Have a mid sixty's Fred Bear Made from zebra wood I believe it's a 58 inch... Dead quiet ,Dead in the hand,and deadly accurate!
Stewart Slammer
I am quite pleased with my martin dream catcher as a forgiving bow. From what I understand though, a great deal of forgiveness in a bow can be built into the setup.
1. Brace Height - longer brace height is assumed to provide a more tolerant shot
2. heavier arrow weight
3. correct stance and grip can also help
Black Widow PMA 60" I believe it is the combination of weight and grip that makes this bow shoot well for me. It has an Asbell grip.
Hey Jeff B! :wavey: THAT is Mighty Fast!! :biglaugh:
QuoteOriginally posted by ChrisM:
Every Bob Lee I have ever shot.
X2 :thumbsup:
All Bob Lees,Foley 1pc longbow,all 3 of my Dryad Orions and Acadian woods 3pc Classic real smooth and forgiving.
Interesting that there are almost as many differences here as there are bowhunters.
My short riser Bob Lee wth some 50lb.longbow limbs truly hits where I look.I just don't always look where I should.Kip
My definition of "forgiving" is good arrow flight with less than perfect form (grip, release, etc).
I would say a longbow with a forward grip would be the most forgiving design. The thicker limbs add stability and a forward handle reduces the affects of torque.
I have shot several different models of this style bow and had good results with them.
For me personally, a hybrid longbow with a contoured grip (not recurve riser w/longbow limbs) suits me the best. I have a Thunderhorn 62" longbow that I can get real sloppy with and still have great arrow flight. My buddy has a Big Jim Thunderchild and shoots it better than anything else. Both of these bows are examples of what I consider a forgiving bow design.
A couple that are no longer being made: Groves Spitfre and Rocky Miller Predator.
More recently, my DAS riser fitted with Winex limbs and I am waiting on a pair of Bob Morrison's MAX Iimbs of which i have a loaner pair on my DAS. I believe the R&D of the Korean limbs just make them about as stable as you can get. Bob's limbs are faster, smoother, as quiet and seem to offset any shooting errors I make. Arrows are always down the middle. I believe it is a combination of his extreme recurve design along with the carbon/foam limbs.
I am still searching. Cant say that i have had one yet but my blacktail recurve was probably the closest i have got. Love my Thunderstick but she is finnicky! Hoping my Thunderhorn 3piece i am having built next month will be "THE ONE"! No pressure Duane;-)
I have a 66 in Blacktail that is very forgiving. The 64 in ones I owned were also forgiving but not quite to the same level. Sometimes it seems that these bows shoot so well that it just isn't fair... I am not saying I shoot well just that the bows make my shooting a lot better.
My home made selfbows, mostly 66-72 inches long. They are quiet, accurate, and really help minimize shooting errors. I don't understand all the physics, but I know they work really well.
Jim & Buddy 21st Century.
My 66" Mohawk Sparrowhawk is probably my most forgiving bow. It doesn't laugh out loud at me when I screw up. My other bows are faster, but seem to laugh at me when I don't hold up my end of the deal and because they're laughing so hard, they can't get the arrow in the right place.
I have owned a ton of bows and I would say the slower and heavier mass bows are the most forgiving, they help mask your mistakes whereas the smokin fast bows make you pay for that bad release or drop bow arm.
Black Widow MA and a Habu.
My Kempf Stealth and Fedora are forgiving. Bows from the past...and I regret selling them Howard Gamemaster Jet and Rocky Miller Predator T/D.
Thanks all for hte posts. Seems a few consistencies have come up. a) heavier bows, b) longer bows, c) multiple postive votes for Bob Lee and d) multipel positive votes the BW MA
anyone else.
thanks again for the posts.
mgreen
QuoteOriginally posted by Builder:
I have owned a ton of bows and I would say the slower and heavier mass bows are the most forgiving, they help mask your mistakes whereas the smokin fast bows make you pay for that bad release or drop bow arm.
Yup.... this must be the answer, you have time to say prayers before the arrow hits anything... :biglaugh:
Seriously.... the forgiveness of a bow is how well the bow fits your natural hand position giving you a repeatable grip location. if you have a tendency to grip your bow. a long bow cut less than center with properly tuned spine is going to be more forgiving than a riser cut past center with stiffer shafts.
I'd have to say tuning arrows to the bow has more effect on forgiveness than the bow itself in many respects. but forward placed grips are more forgiving to slight hand torque.
Stewart Slammer
My Appalachian Flatbow. It's the plainest one on the rack, but shoots better than any bow I have tried.
Quinn Stallion. Good grip, nice weight, smooth draw, easy to tune, shoots where you look.
I can't believe ILFs have not come up. To me nothing can match the forgiveness of a good ILF, tuned for shooter, grip, weight, plunger tension, etc.
Granted, I've never sot a high end bow, but I think my Bear Grizzly is pretty forgiving, compared to my Martin ML-14 Longbow.
My Jack Howard Gamemaster Jet. Best shooting stickbow I have ever shot. ~Steve
Martin/Damon Howatt,Its the grip,dead in the hand,fast,smooth limbs,consistant.My fave,hands down.Some of the old Howatts with the Brazilian rosewood were just stunning and constant performers always.
Most forgiving bow for me is my 60 inch long Stewart Slammer,and its also the quietest bow I personally have ever shot.
That Raisin I'm trying to sell in the classifieds is prolly my most forgiving bow, so I'm kinda silly for selling it, but I've got a few others that aren't bad and I'm trying to get good with a Hill bow right now so I stopped shooting the Raisin with any regularity. It's an r/d, I think what makes it forgiving is the high wrist locator grip, the short riser and long limbs and uniquely for an r/d the limbs strongly resemble the limbs on a Hill, very narrow, but thick. Also the bow isn't blazing, more middle of the road and it likes a high brace height, very high for it's 60" acutally. Great bow. Tom Moran does em right.
My 62" S-Tip, great grip, good weight in the riser, stacks arrows. And the 60" 1pc is not far behind.
My Two Tracks "Longwalker" seems the most forgiving to me.
70" 21st Century longbow for me. Very smooth to draw and shoot.
I have an old Shakespeare necedah that is real forgiving for some reason, it ain't pretty but she'll send an arrow right where I want it to every time. The two best long bows I've ever shot were a black widow 60" 55@28, not sure of the model, and a timber hawk falcon, 55# @28 60", I think this year I might have to buy a falcon if I see Scott at denton hill this year. That falcon shot like the black widow....
My Hoyt Buffalo is heavy, steady and tracks an arrow dead center out to 50-60 yards. My Titan III riser (no plunger) and Samick BF Extreme limbs is the same.
My Habu is very forgiving but the Robertson I have in classifieds is likely the best compromise of forgiving and easy to shoot accurately....it is a sweet bow for sure and if it does not sell it wont hurt my feelings too bad....though the cash would be welcome. LOL
74# Harrison, it just won't miss. Ever
Ones I have owned:
62" AMO Bear Grizzly
1959 Bear Kodiak Specials )66" and 64"
Hill Country Wildcat - 64" forward riser R/D longbow.
I have shot several 64" take down recurves by various bowyers. They were all exceptionally forgiving.
My ACS CX forgives me every time I shoot it! :bigsmyl:
My 64" Robertson Purist (mild R/D) is the best bow I've ever shot BUT for a R/D design I'd have to say either my 62" Treadway or 62" Great Northern Fireball would run a close second...with that said, I've always wanted to shoot a Bob Lee Stick & a Stewart Slammer as well as a Thunderstick 3 to see what the "buzz" is all about...by the way, I have also shot a Kohannah Windwalker & give it an excellent rating for forgiveness as well as being hands down the quietest bow I've ever shot. Hope this helps
Bear polar,Browning backpacker II, and my current bow Preditor.