Hello everybody.
Frist, I have to do a presentation of myself. My name is Aurélien, 19 years old, I'm a French guy.
I do my studies in the law, to be public notary.

I have a question, and I know that Samick bow are a little used by US Bowhunters.
I want to have a new bow, a recurve bow. Now, I have a Howard Hill WS 60#@28". It's a very good bow, but a little hard for me. I can choose a Volcano (a one piece bow) or a Stingray. And I want it in 50#, which is better for me, I think.
In France, we have little deers (very little) and hogs.
Do you think that 50# is enough to hunt this type of animals ? Because in France, a lot of people think that 60# is necessary to hunt ! But it's not my opinion.
And secondly, do you think that this 2 bows are good ?

Thank's a lot, and sorry if there are some mistakes in my message, it's not very easy !

Yes, 50# is more than enough.
I sold the Volcano for a few years whn I was a dealer. They are fine bows.
I have no experience with the Sringray but Samick builds quality products and I would not be afraid of either.
Good Luck.

Please take my opinion with a grain of salt as I am new to the archery game. First 50 is more than enough for hunting deer. There are guys here that have killed black bears with 50# bows no sweat. Second is that samick bows have a good rep. A solid bow a first time shooter can get into without a ton of money. You should try out both if you can and choose the one which feels best too you.

The Samick Sage, while obviously not a custom bow, shoots far better than it's low price suggests, and for the $150 range, you won't find a better takedown if you want a new bow as opposed to a used bow.
Other than dangerous game, 45lbs will kill any black bear, deer, elk, stag, moose, caribou, african antelope, etc, on the planet.

Maybe it was just bad luck but three people in my archery club had their Samick bows crack in the riser section. I don't know the models though and it was all around the same time so maybe they had a bad batch of riser wood.

A well 50# and 60# bow are both adequate provided that the arrow flight is well tuned, BH's are sharp, over-all arrow design is appropriate and the shot placement finds the vitals.

Bottom line –  arrow tuning, over-all arrow design, sharp BH'S and arrow placement are the primary variables.

Okay thank you very much for all the answers. It's a good idea, to try every bow. I'm gonna find a dealer who sells both, and after, I will do my choice.

Thank you very much for all !

Just read the Compton "Archives" today.  Jake Powell took down a record Alaska Brown Bear with a 60# homemade bow, and Tommy Robinson took down a record Alaska Moose with a 60# homemade bow.  For record White Tail deer, the bow weights, from the bottom up are 40, 42, 47, 47, 50, 50, 50, 51, ..... Sever of twenty-one deer were from 50# or less.  

I was amazed that the largest animals are being shot with 60# bows, but not really surprised with all the record deer being shot with 50# or less.  

One would also imagine that personal preference in bow weight is as much a factor as trying to calculate what bow weight would be necessary to do the job.  Still, those numbers should give a person a pretty good idea on the subject.

With arrows of sufficient weight, properly tuned and hitting straight, 50#s is plenty...as long as you stick them in the vitals.

My first traditional kill(large whitetail doe) three years ago was with a 45# Samick bow.  I think 45-50# is plenty for deer.

Aurelien, I'm Portuguese so I know exactly what type of animals you hunt. Besides, I also own a Samick Stingray. For Roe deer, fallow deer and red deer you're ok with 50. For "sanglier" also but you need a well tuned and heavy arrow with a good FOC. Of course the most important thing is shot placement.
European boar is very tuff and resistant animal with thick skin, shields and fur.
Are you left handed? My Stingray is for sale, just so you know.

With 50#, a proper arrow and a good shot placement you can take all "gibier" in France.

Hello Aurelien. I also think the 50# bow will be quite adequate. Although I normally do shoot heavier bows, there is absolutely no need to feel pressured to do so. As so many have stated, you should shoot a bow that is very comfortable and well tuned. Combine that with a sharp broadhead, and you are good to go. Be sure to post some pics of your hunt.

Where in France do you live? I studied at the University of Dijon during the summer of 1969 - such a long time ago.

50# is plenty. Proper placement, a good arrow setup and a sharp broadhed will get the job done.

Okay, I think now that 50# is enough. In France, this is not the idea of everybody...

Well, no, I'm right handed, but thank you for the proposition !

I live at one hundred kilometers from Lyon ! Dijon is a very nice city !

Good luck with your bow choice and I'm sure you will do well. Let us know how things turn out.

A word of advice. In order to prevent an eventual crack, as some as stated above, use Dacron strings, despite the brand says those bows are FF prepared.

I have a buddy that saw his Stingray crack in the riser and he was using FF string. I only use Dacron obg my Stingray and I have it for 3years no with no problem. It will take a bit of speed off but it will be quieter on the other hand.

Good luck.

Sammick bows are an excellent value for the money they cost. I've only had one to break out of dozens of them sold. It was promptly replaced by Lancaster and the customer was very happy. They are in a price range that a beginner can afford. They also shoot right there with a lot of more expensive bows.

Years ago, an acquaintance of mine got really ill with his wheely bow equipment (because of mechanical problems) and wanted a recurve. The bow that he purchased was a 40# Bear recurve. He harvested 5 deer with that bow during the rest of the season. I didn't see him harvest these deer but have no reason to doubt him.

Yes, a good shooting 40# recurve, with properly tuned arrows, and a well placed shot, is lethal.

I owned a Samick Stingray and really liked it. It was easy to shoot,pretty fast, and quiet. The only reason I sold it was because it was a 58" bow and I feel more comfortable with a 60" bow.
Charlie