Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: ejhorstick on October 26, 2014, 05:44:00 PM
-
Hi Gang,
I have been a long time follower but this is my first posting. Decided it was long overdue to get in the mix and interacting with fellow traditional archers that may be able to help with my bow-coholism. By help I mostly expect conversation and pictures to make the need to order more of the amazing bows that the current bowyers keep us enraptured by.
On that note, recently got a call from kirk lavender that i'm up next for a bigfoot sasquatch LB. I have to say it was an amazing interaction on the phone going over every last detail of the bow. While on the phone Kirk send pictures to show me wood combinations so I could pick and chose exactly what I wanted. His input was amazing and takes custom to a new level. Kirk was extremely patient with all my questions and ideas and here is what I finally settled on. I'll try to keep the pics flowing as the build progresses.
(http://i.imgur.com/iI1k64C.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1NgiHqP.jpg)
-
Very cool. Love Kirks bows.
-
Thats going to be a very nice bow , looking forward to seeing the finished product .
-
Welcome. Kirk of Bigfoot bows is one of the best,if not the best, bowyer in buisness. You made a very wise choice.
-
Originally posted by duncan idaho:
Welcome. Kirk of Bigfoot bows is one of the best,if not the best, bowyer in buisness. You made a very wise choice.
x 1 :thumbsup:
-
Originally posted by Piratkey:
Originally posted by duncan idaho:
Welcome. Kirk of Bigfoot bows is one of the best,if not the best, bowyer in buisness. You made a very wise choice.
x 1 :thumbsup: [/b]
x2
Love the multitude of pics Kirk sends keeping you appraised of the build. The beginning pics look very good, can't wait to see it progress.
-
A few more pics.
(http://i.imgur.com/iDKdE9w.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/7A3M3Po.jpg)
-
This is going to be good! :campfire:
-
A few more pics. This has been one of the best bow build experiences, Kirk has been keeping the pics coming at every step and keeping me informed of whats happening through email. The only negative is watching a beautiful bow like this shape up makes the waiting that much harder, and man oh man is this bow shaping up to be a beaut, in my humble opinion
(http://i.imgur.com/Y6gZZNI.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MaqsHAA.jpg)
-
I need to look into this guy when I can afford a custom bow!
-
Looking good, what woods are those?
-
Riser is Macassar ebony and the I beam is a curly Babinga. Limbs are a nice Babinga to (future pics)
-
Here you go Eric.... sorry it took so long to get the rest of these photos for you....
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/Bows%202014/Eric%20Horstick%20Sas%20LB/IMAG1895.jpg) (http://s171.photobucket.com/user/kirkll/media/Bows%202014/Eric%20Horstick%20Sas%20LB/IMAG1895.jpg.html)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/Bows%202014/Eric%20Horstick%20Sas%20LB/IMAG1894.jpg) (http://s171.photobucket.com/user/kirkll/media/Bows%202014/Eric%20Horstick%20Sas%20LB/IMAG1894.jpg.html)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/Bows%202014/Eric%20Horstick%20Sas%20LB/IMAG1898.jpg) (http://s171.photobucket.com/user/kirkll/media/Bows%202014/Eric%20Horstick%20Sas%20LB/IMAG1898.jpg.html)
(http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u301/kirkll/Bows%202014/Eric%20Horstick%20Sas%20LB/IMAG18961.jpg) (http://s171.photobucket.com/user/kirkll/media/Bows%202014/Eric%20Horstick%20Sas%20LB/IMAG18961.jpg.html)
-
They don't come any better than Kirk when you're talking about bowyers or men in general.
-
Good to see ya posting again Billy! I haven't seen you around much bro....
-
A longbow born from generations of development and master craftsmanship.
-
Welcome aboard! Kirk is a super nice guy and one heck of a bowyer. When he talks bows, it's like an engineer talking his trade. He knows his stuff. I'm sure you are in for a treat.
-
Here are a few more pics of the finished bow. Now that I had some time to sling some arrows from my first bigfoot sasquatch I feel like I can make a few comments on performance. Basically, I have been completely blown away, this bow excels in every aspect that I take into consideration when measuring up a bow: speed, draw, detectable finger pinch, grip, arrow cast, etc. The sasquatch delivers with stars. I thought about going into some detail or maybe spend some time shooting and doing a side by side longbow comparison but decided against it. In todays market any individual willing to accept the challenge as a professional bowyer makes an excellent product with each individual having stand out features. So instead I want to reflect on the big picture experience from ordering a custom bow from Kirk. From the time my name came up on the list, Kirk was sending pictures and spending time on the phone patiently talking about varying options prior to the build itself, then during the build there was constant communication and photo updates along the way, to finally a finished functional piece of art that could go head to head with any bow on the market...Kirk is simply taking custom bow building to a new level, and I personally like the direction its going.
Sorry all about the ramble, but I just wanted to get my two cents out about a bow and a bow building experience that I found fun.
(http://i.imgur.com/lW1lc4y.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/hSeVHrY.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Cm77RPI.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/TwASwzN.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/hZYUmY2.jpg)
-
Originally posted by shag08:
Welcome aboard! Kirk is a super nice guy and one heck of a bowyer. When he talks bows, it's like an engineer talking his trade. He knows his stuff. I'm sure you are in for a treat.
That is for sure. Kirk's knowledge is impressive to say the least. Talking to him is a real treat for anyone with an appreciation for the details that make our stickbows work. I'm waiting for a book release called something like "the science of the ultimate bow".
-
Wowser, that is really nice, enjoy.
-
My Sasquatch sends a very long heavy arrow, where I am looking with exceptional speed. It does this whisper quiet. Kirk knows his trade well. A gentleman to do business with.
-
Thanks a bunch for the kudos Eric... She looks pretty good in your hand there bro....Hopefully you still have some hunting time left and can make some meat with her.... :thumbsup:
-
great looking bow, sure to make many fine memories. The pictures made me feel a lot better, I mean, wow, I thought my shop was messy ;)
-
Wow, good looking bow...how does it shoot? What is the poundage?
-
Sexy!
Welcome to the gang.
-
Originally posted by The Ole' Bowhunter:
Wow, good looking bow...how does it shoot? What is the poundage?
The bow is 51@29, but I have to tell ya...you would think its lighter. I have bows set at 43lbs @ 28in that don't handle the way this sasquatch does in terms of smoothness. I'm thinking a bit of pixie dust or something similar thats put into these bows that Kirk isn't telling anyboedy
-
Eric,
I recently had one of Kirk's potential customers call and ask if they could drive down to shoot my bow before they plunked down an order. I was delighted.
The current bowyer shall remain nameless, but once this chap had mine dialed in with my arrows, and shooting his well with his arrows, I suggested he stay at the shooting line at my yard and I pulled his arrows...then told him to use the exact same sight picture and shoot HIS arrows out of my Sassy Lady...
He's already commented as you have that even though my bow was very close in draw weight, mine was much smoother.
When he shot HIS arrows out of my Sasquatch, his eyes popped...using the same sight picture as with his, his own arrows printed tightly, BUT...BUT...a full 6" higher than with his bow of the same draw.
How Kirk milks all that energy out of his limb design, I do not know nor care! I don't give a flip about speed, but speed is a reflection of stored energy and stored energy is something I am focused on as I dropped bow weight.
I ended up having to go UP in spine from .400 (shooting 3 other bows in the same draw weight as my Sas) and to harness Kirk's extra energy, I had to go .340 spine on the Sas... amazing. Deadly. Quiet and with a long history of grip issues on many bows/bowyers, Kirk nailed it...
I'm a happy, happy boy! :thumbsup: Welcome t o the club, Eric!
-
My story is the same. Same weight, same draw length. I had to go from 55/75's to. 75/95's when I got my Sasquatch. It hits hard , pulls easy.
-
Ha! So, Jim, how's come you said what i said but did it in a couple words?
Hush yerself, Kirk! :saywhat:
-
Thanks doc for the welcome to the Sasquatch club!! I have to admit when talking about an awesome bow, which this one definitely fits that category, I find myself getting wordy, difficult to NOT carry on.
Also I know what you guys are talking about how Kirk's design really kicks out an arrow. Already starting to think I may have to get some heavier shafts to accommodate. I don't know the connection yet, but it seems every new bow only leads to two things....me needing more arrows and especially "needing" more bows!
-
Eric, LOL...on that point about leading to more bows and more stuff...
When I finally got a bow in my hands, after all these years, other customs, trades, tries and failures, and shot one that was designed for the way I draw and shoot and my wrist mechanics, I know I'll only ever own a Bigfoot again.
There is a good tuning guide on Tuff Head site IF you happen to buy into the EFOC concept... but we'll not belabor that here.
I tried it and quickly learned my .400 shafts were too limp... same draw, same draw weight, but too much energy transferred to the arrow instead of the shooter...
It was an investment well worth the money to buy a few more arrows and harness all that stored energy... especially since I'm shooting only 47#. Made me feel more relaxed....envy those chaps still shooting the high 50's and 60# range bows for what it can do! My Sassy Lady filled the niche nicely...
Enjoy the addiction... you'll never regret the investment!
-
If you feel the Sasquatch hybrid is smooth and quick, which it is, you need to give Kirk's SS a try. :goldtooth:
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=140042#000000
-
It might not be all that long before a SS transfers from the want to need list. Actually been very curious about the static, don't have any static recurves in the stable and I couldn't imagine a better place to start then with one of Kirk's. Of course, I've been finding my eye drift to the flatliner a bit lately to. I'm typically drawn to the lines of r/d longbows, but something about the riser design of the flatliner is appealing. I'm starting to think this thread isn't going to be helping my bow-coholism.
-
That's easy Doc, I only know a few words.
-
Eric, if you like a AML style riser Kirk makes the Stealth with the flatliner limb profile, R/D, with a more traditional riser design. A buddy has borrowed mine and has a hog and deer so far this year. I may not get it back.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=137936#000000
As you can tell I like Kirk's bows and bocote. The addiction is marvellous. You have one gorgeous bow there.
-
Originally posted by Chain2:
That's easy Doc, I only know a few words.
Yeah, right, brother... I think there is more to it than that... but you really hit the nail on the head... lots of people make great claims, but those Bigfoot bows just quietly produce results!
Katman,
Nice friend to have that you loan a bow and expect not to get it back...where do you live? I might have to drop by and visit some... :rolleyes:
-
Just found this thread and wanted to chime in. I was the guy DocNoc was referring to. Kirk had given me his name as someone who was close to me that had one of his longbows. Doc was kind enough to extend an invitation and I gladly accepted.
The first thing I noticed in handling Doc's bow was how thin in cross section the limbs were. They were literally half the thickness of my bow and mine is 3 lbs. heavier at the same draw length. The bow I was comparing it to is a fairly radical R/D longbow made by a well know bowyer who's been making bows as long as I've been alive so it's no tool shed creation. Kirk's grip was great and very comfortable and I found it near impossible to grip it differently each time. My hand just slid into the sweet spot every time which not every bow can duplicate. Now it was time to shoot. Doc handed me his arrows and we started at around 15 yards. It drew extremely smoothly and put 'em right where I was looking. We moved back to 20 and I was really enjoying how the bow handled but to be perfectly honest, wasn't blown away by the trajectory. It was no dog, don't get me wrong, but after everything I had read I was expecting near wheelie bow like speed. (That may be a stretch but the performance of Kirk's bows is kind of legendary on this site.) I mentioned this to Doc and he suggested I shoot his arrows with my bow. Doc wasn't exactly correct when he said they were hitting 6" lower out of my bow, it was closer to 8" or 9"! I don't know how stinkin' heavy Doc's arrows are but they had the rainbow arc coming out of my bow. Now I'm just depressed! I thought I had a decent performing bow in my stable and it just got blown away! Picked up Doc's bow again and those logs he shoots flew just as flat as can be. Keep in mind the Sasquatch is 3lb lighter at 28" than mine. I was impressed to say the least.
I really wanted to shoot a Flatliner and Kirk had also provided the name of a fellow in NY that had such a bow. I gave him a call and found that he was about 6 hours from me. Now I love shooting new bows but a 6 hour drive is a bit much for my taste but fortunately he was headed to Denton Hill as was I so we made arrangements to meet. Very different bow style but I found the grip to suit me just as well. The draw was a bit different than the Sasquatch but still very smooth. At about 15 yards, the first three shots were dead center bulls-eye. Just as impressive, the much improved cast of that bow with my arrows was visibly noticeable at just 15 yards. To say I was impressed was an understatement. Like I said, I love shooting all kinds of stick bows and normally find a few at the Denton Hill shoot that catch my eye. And every time I shot them, no matter who made them, I left with a feeling of, "Well it shot nice, but not really any better than mine so why spend the money". Not this time. The week after Denton Hill, I had my order placed with Kirk for a Flatliner. Kirk told me I'm coming up on the list and I may see my bow as soon as mid December. Can't wait!
Anyway, the point to this rambling is I've been shooting traditional equipment for over 20 years now and Kirk's bows have been the only ones I've found that blew me away. I've shot some bows that were very nice, shot well, etc., but was NEVER as impressed as I was with Kirk's. If you're on the fence, find one, shoot one and you'll be buying one.
-
Hey Doc! You better change your profile, you're not from L@ncaster anymore! :goldtooth:
-
Hmmm...
You're younger so your rememberer is likely better than mine...
I thought I pulled your arrows after you shot your bow... and gave you my bow and told you to shoot YOUR arrows...pfftt... Age induced memory loss.
See if my location changed with this post
-
Yup...it did change location. Now I don't have to spell it funny either!
Thanks for the reminder, Keith...
-
Nope, shot your arrows. The arc of your arrows out of my bow is burned vividly into my brain. Makes me that much more anxious for my Flatliner.
You'll need to drive back up here so we can shoot it together! It's only 9 hours...
-
Ha! You need to drive back down here with a plumber friend...I got a major leak in the basement from my master Bath. I can't win! :mad:
My arrows, btw, weigh just around 600 gr. Those were the 7595 with 300 up front... I have and will build the lighter Beman Speed I got the other year, too late for the season, and will work them up for next year here. Pricey buggers, but the lighter GPI will allow me to keep the front weight, but lower my total weight...
-
Hey Keith,
Thanks for the great write up. It won't be too much longer and we'll get started on your "Flatliner"...
Here is something for you Big Foot Bow owners to consider... Every bow is a wee bit different and has the optimum weight arrow it likes.... Arrow speed alone does not dictate the over all performance of your bow. Finding the perfect weight arrow for each bow requires a bit of experimentation....
You ever hear that expression, "The bow seems twitchy." or "This bow requires an absolutely perfect release or i get erratic arrow flight..."
9 times out of 10 you could increase your arrow weight, get the arrows tuned right, and have that bow settle right down and you'll have a quieter set up, that's dead in the hand, & start busting nocks with it.... this premium arrow weight typically runs from 9.5 to 10.5 gpp on my bows.
There are exceptions to this rule for guys shooting competition that use lighter shafts to get a very flat trajectory.... But their form is perfect, and they typically shoot with an open handed grip....But many of these same guys will sacrifice a wee bit of speed to get more forgiveness in their bow..... The key to success is finding a good compromise.....
Thanks agian for the good words guys....Kirk
-
I'm heavier than what Kirk recommends, but that's ok. It works for me and for my purposes. Once I get to bump around some potential hunting grounds here in TN, I'll learn if it's that much different from my past experiences and I have to actually change or tweak my set up!
I know that Kirk shot lighter arrows, both in that 9.5 to 10.5 gpp range and got some eyebrow raising speeds out of my 47# bow! I've got the arrows, that would give me that if I sacrificed some of the front weight and FOC...so till I actually get to check out new hunting grounds, I'm not building those Beman speed shafts into arrows just yet...
So far, my Sassy Lady gives me decent trajectory out to 40 (which I very seldom shoot), excellent penetration and good accuracy... but I may want to tweak it some if the country here turns out to be more open than as thick as I hunted before.
Those who read my review a couple years back, know why I'm tickled and how long I waited to get a bow that performs in all areas of my desired outcomes.
Tip of the hat, Mr. Lavender!
-
Really enjoying the stories and the talk on arrow tuning, it's amazing the difference in performance when you have your arrows properly tuned to the bow. For years I was die hard on only using wood arrows and didn't think much of tuning in regards to the arrow, other than matching spine. At that time I just felt I wanted to keep that traditional angle, and enjoyed making my own arrows. However, I then visited John McCullough to check out some potential bows and he had me test some of his carbons that he had well tuned to his bows. Needless to say that after a little bit of shooting I was home later and buying carbon shafts and accessories. The performance difference is unparalleled, the whole experience at John's was one of those cloud parting and seeing the light events. Needless to say he was very patient with the ignorance of this young guy and was happy to share his knowledge.
I know my story is a bit of a different direction from the current discussion, but it was my first "real" eye opener to arrow tuning and the importance of matching arrows to bow. Now I actually enjoy the process of swapping around arrow parts and finding that sweet spot with a new bow.
On that note I am finding my new sasquatch very forgiving and firing well placed lightning bolts with minimal tinkering. Still finding myself doing alot of "oooohhing and ahhhing" as I shoot. It's amazing just how much of a pleasure it is to shoot a bow that just fits!
-
Originally posted by ejhorstick:
It's amazing just how much of a pleasure it is to shoot a bow that just fits!
Lots of quotable comments in your tale, but that one sentence hit me tween the ole peepers!
You said a real mouthful there. :thumbsup:
-
I have many brothers of the bow to tip my hat to for responding to this post, the first post of mine and hopefully no where near the last. I started this post by saying I have followed for awhile, but my interaction with Kirk on this Sasquatch longbow made me want to start to interact and get sharing some experiences. With no doubt... knowledge, community, and support flows within tradgang.
-
YOu're in good company, Eric!
With a great bow in hand! Many great bows out there and each has to find what works best for them.
I did. Sounds like you did, too!
Congrats and keep strokin that string... it only gets better with time!
-
Kind of resurrecting an older thread here, but why not. So this sunday was an unusually beautiful December day and I took advantage of it to sling some arrows prior to heading into the office. It has been several weeks now since I got my sasquatch and I have to admit she is still getting those "new bow eyes" and it still feels like xmas morning getting her out of the sock and stringing her up. I've had a few other customs show up recently, but I think my sasquatch must be making the others jealous. So it goes.
-
Eric,
Dunno if it's important, but your first post 4 pages ago said you have 56 posts... then all that 1st page was still 56...now it's down to 55 and repeating that number...
You have bows that are jealous? Shame on them! Serves em right not being Bigfoots... bigfoots stomp others... scary, hairy beasts they be! :knothead: :jumper:
-
Don't think I'm too worried about the post number.
But the Bigfoot to the "other bow" ratio is a bit off, in that some more bow real estate may have to be made for bigfoots before long.
The trouble with all that, if trouble it even be, is that in my last communication with Kirk he mentioned his wait may be getting down to about 2 months by the end of the year. Now words like that get me a thinking... and a bow a wanting.
Here then is the problem...when you ask your boss (non-archer) and mention you need a raise to support your dedicated and honorable bow addiction...you get really strange looks...and I personally don't understand why :dunno:
-
Harumph...find another boss!!! Piker! :knothead:
After I commented I see mine isn't changing either... on the post count... as you say, no biggie... just an oddity!