As i look thru the classifieds, its apparent many people share my quest. I have been a trad shooter for 25yrs, and i have had many bows, many very nice bows, and built some selfbows. All the bows and all the yrs, it seems like i am always buying and selling looking for the One bow.Well in the last 3yrs i think i have found my ultimate stable of bows, not that i need them all, but now i have the ones that it would take alot for me to sell any of them, except the 3 my wife has, and maybe a couple of the old recurves i have (Howatt Hunter,and Hi-Speed)these would be the only two, but i doubt i ever will.This is my ultimate stable. Habu Vyperkahn, Habu Bushmaster, Blacktail Snakebit(2set of limbs), A 91 Howatt Hunter, and a refinished 63 Howatt Hi_Speed, what else would a fella need except maybe a one piece Wes Wallace Mentor?
I could not call my stable full without my Journeyman Recurve. Out of my trading, selling, giving, well you know, the Journeyman will have a forever home :)
The quality workmanship and overall performance rates at the top of the list with me. These bows are really nice to shoot and look at. :bigsmyl:
I went thru all of that and spent a ton of money doing it. It was fun buying selling and changing bows all of the time but it never helped me shoot any better.
For the past few years I have stuck with 2 bows, both inexpensive ones. I used some of the money I would have spent on more bows and spent it for Rod Jenkin's shooting clinic and have experienced a dramatic improvement in my shooting. Doing as Rod's instructed and sticking with one bow was the answer for me to shoot better.
I think I've found it with the bows I own
I bought and sold a lot of bows. It was fun shooting lots of different bows, and building up a full bow rack.
I now shoot one Black Widow, and the rest are Schafers. The grips are very similar and it is much easier to be consistent with basically one grip and the same side plate distance from center.
I have a number of bows that I would never want to part with and only have one more "got to have" bow in mind. I hope I never find the perfect bow, because that would take away the joy of the search.
I was buying a bow (or more) a year till 2009 when I got my Sarrels Blueridge longbow. I have only bought one bow since then, and it was more for sentimental reasons.
Bisch
There was a time when I thought I had to have every Bear bow I found for sale at a reasonable price. I ended up buying eleven in about a years time. Then I came across a predator and have since sold off most of my Bear's, except two, and used the money to order a widow. My shooting has improved only shooting the few bows I have, instead of constantly cycling between them all.
I like being a one bow man. I do wish though that my Sarrels Sierra would break down into two pieces for traveling when space is limited.
I am on the search for that perfect 2-piece that shoots just like my Sierra longbow but breaks down nice and tight for car trips. When I find it, it'll be a keeper for sure but until then I am basically a one bow man. I keep my Sierra and the rest come and go within a couple dozen shots most of the time.
My view on this is that the quest to find that one perfect bow is wishful thinking. The perfect bow is an illusion, archers skills and good form have more to do with the way we shoot. Never the less we are so fortunate in North-America to have so many good bowyers who craft outstanding traditional bows that are often real work of art.
If we all had that one perfect bow that would satisfy us, the lack of demand for traditional bows in general would suffer so most of these fine bowyers would stop to make them.
So the quest must go on.
Been through several in the past 4 years. Enjoyed but then sold most of them even though all but one were terrific bows.
I like that Habu is on your list -- that's a good one! The Blacktail Snakebit is another great bow. I wish I had ordered mine in a satin finish -- I would still have it. The gloss was just too beautiful...
My list wouldn't be complete without a Schafer Recurve.
My next bow will be a 1-piece Rose Oak Creations Ultra Delight Special Edition. I'm hoping in February or March.
I also agree though that the perfect bow is in the eye (and bowhand)of the beholder. Most bows I can deduce from a picture or description that they won't suit me. Others I have too shoot and often own for a few weeks or months.
The temporary ownership is an expensive proposition these days when used bow buyers like to get em discounted 50-75%. I noticed in 2010 and 2011 the resale market wasn't too bad but these days I'm hanging on to bows that I know I'll never shoot much because I don't enjoy a $$ beat'n.
Like others have said no bow will make up for shooter flaws or poor shooting decisions.
My "perfect" bow (s?) might be unsightly and unshootable for some archers. Bows that some folks rave about I wouldn't keep if they were given too me.
I think the perfect bow for me is the one (eventually) that I will hunt with every year. Frankly, I doubt I will ever settle on such a bow.I am hopeful though that a 1-piece that I've yet to acquire will become my "local" hunting bow and a TD, that I already own will be my traveler.
Using my aesthetic criteria I have been able to eliminate an entire bow design.
I have found my perfect arrow though and that's certainly a critical part of the search.