I have a Cabela's Internature 68" 55# at 28" longbow. My draw length is 30.5" and would like something around 50-55# at full draw. Have considered black widow but it's 10-12 months wait. Any better brands that would be available sooner or off the shelf? Saw the 3rivers Mesa 64", wondering if that would be fine for my draw length? Any other opinions??

Best,

Zac

Toelke can build you a bow much sooner, be pretty hard pressed to find a better longbow (or recurve) in my opinion.

Brian Wessel makes stellar bows as well, not sure about the wait time

You would be hard pressed to find a finer bow like you describe than a 60" Whistler or a 64" Whip by Dan Toelke!

Plenty of great longbows and hybrid longbows to choose from.  Many bowyers have a limited stock of bows available for immediate purchase.

rms gear and big Jim have huge inventory's of used bows,,,,,, if not your in WV,,, Id strongly suggest holding out till July and going to denton hill where you can spend all day trying different bows and you will find the right one.

X3 on Toelke's longbows and turnaround time. Dan also has a steady list of inventory bows on his website. Unless you're left handed, then you'll have to order one ... speaking from experience.

x4 on Toelke.  Like Maclean said, they usually have a decent selection of bows in stock and custom turn-around is quick.  On top of that, Toelke bows are awesome to shoot - fast, quiet, stable, forgiving.

If you're interested in Black Widow, you might want to check back with them.  I just received an order from BW in a little less than 4 months, about the same lead time as Toelke.  Both Toelke and Black Widow are great to deal with.

With spring just around the corner there will be Trad archery shoots with vendors like the Tenn. Classic and the Howard Hill and others. There will be lots of bows to try out, some used, some new.

You may not be picky about design particulars, and would probably be a better man for it!  I, however bought a custom bow once and had a hard time with it.  It was an awesome bow, but not for beginners, as I remember reading, but bought anyway (Sovereign Ballistik). After having the benefit of forums and YT videos, I wish I'd have held on to it.

That being said, I do not regret playing with price point ILF gear to figure out what grip angle and riser lengths I like.  I can also play with limb length, and see on the draw board, what my string/tip angle is, and tweak the tiller and weights if needed to work better with the arrows I shoot.

When all said and done, I probably would have been happy right off the get-go with a Bear T/D B riser and short limbs in 42 to 43#.

A better longbow? Maybe you should look to be in a better shot. I'm sorry for being brutal. Everybody's looking for something to fix their own problems. Learn how to shoot. Sorry for being abrupt. So many people are looking for a crutch.It drives me nuts.

Way to jump all over the new guy Terry...

OP never said anything about struggling to shoot or blaming shooting ability on the bow. He simply asked about a better bow, whether that be in regards to construction, shootability, smoothness, etc. Given Cabelas trad bow offerings, I think most bows would be considered a "better bow" in almost every category aside from maybe price.

As a lot of people have mentioned, test drive a few if you get the chance. Theres a ton of different longbow options, and you might find you like a longer bow, a shorter bow, a deflex/reflex design or a traditional D shaped bow better. It's tough to say what the better bow would be for you, but you can't go wrong with any of the suggestions already made.

Quote from: Terry Green on Today at 12:08:34 PMA better longbow? Maybe you should look to be in a better shot. I'm sorry for being brutal. Everybody's looking for something to fix their own problems. Learn how to shoot. Sorry for being abrupt. So many people are looking for a crutch.It drives me nuts.

Hi Terry!

I have been shooting this longbow for 20 years. I have taken around a dozen deer, multiple squirrels, and few grouse on the wing with my custom fluflus. I am not new to this game. I gave up my training-wheel bows years ago. I am looking for an investment not advise on how to shoot  .

Best!

Zac

Also to the others; I appreciate the advice. I am looking into the suggestions. I just don't really want to wait a year on a custom made bow. I have $ to spend but want it to be well spent. My draw length is quite long and want something that will accommodate that (30.5-31") Again thanks to everyone for their comments but Terry.

Zac

Quote from: Zacpierre on Today at 02:25:07 PM...

I have been shooting this longbow for 20 years. I have taken around a dozen deer, multiple squirrels, and few grouse on the wing with my custom fluflus. I am not new to this game. I gave up my training-wheel bows years ago. I am looking for an investment not advise on how to shoot  .
....


Zac

Welcome to Trad Gang. 

Your opening post came off more like a newbie than a "seasoned pro".  If you've been in the trad bow game for decades, have killed plenty of game, I'd hafta question why you'd be asking about what bow to buy.  The opinions and advice of others are just that - what other people think. Plenty of fine bows out there that'll get the job done for you no matter what their price tag sez. 

The bottom line, if you didn't know by now, though you should, is YOU, not the bow.  Between you and the bow is the arrow, far more important than the bow and a bit lesser important than the shooter.  You can easily get the scoop on really good bows checking out the bowyers who support Trad Gang on the sponsor spin menu.  Why not just start there, talk to bowyers and vendors, and see where it all takes you?

Best of luck.

Y'all are cra-cra     Maybe his bow is slow, or has hand shock, or not fast-flight compatible, or have a leather grip?  Better is subjective.

It was my understanding that the purpose of this forum was to inform about traditional archery. I simply asked a question about custom bow makers and was lambasted by an "admin" on my shooting form etc. I am simply trying to get a gauge on who makes reliable trusted custom bows and where one may find them, possibly with firsthand user reviews. I can use google as well as the next but sought out this specific forum because of the information and knowledge the users here possess. If I am in the wrong please let me know how to correct my action.

Try Ole' Battle, or Diruzza's.  Both make longbows and have great YT reviews.  They might only have FB pages.  Another guy in Florida, Bushmen Bows, Cody D'acquisto from LWCG has reviews also.

Quote from: BAbassangler on Today at 03:19:11 PMY'all are cra-cra    Maybe his bow is slow, or has hand shock, or not fast-flight compatible, or have a leather grip?  Better is subjective.

Absolutely right on. 

Quote from: Zacpierre on Today at 03:20:50 PMIt was my understanding that the purpose of this forum was to inform about traditional archery. I simply asked a question about custom bow makers and was lambasted by an "admin" on my shooting form etc. I am simply trying to get a gauge on who makes reliable trusted custom bows and where one may find them, possibly with firsthand user reviews. I can use google as well as the next but sought out this specific forum because of the information and knowledge the users here possess. If I am in the wrong please let me know how to correct my action.

Yer in the right place, but yer question about what bow to get is quite broad and encompasses hundreds of different brand and model bows, and look at all the answers you've gotten already in such a short period of time.  Better you go out on yer own, as most do, and select some that tickle yer fancy, then if need be come back, list 'em out, and see what others say.  Their advice may be far more helpful about the time factor and overall bow quality.  As mentioned before, in the short run it's really not about the bow, so literally ANY bow might bond well with you and make meat (as yer current longbow has done for you, for decades).  Enjoy the bow buying journey!     

Never had the opportunity to shoot another trad bow other than board bows I made 10 years ago. Any WV trad groups you all know of? Or shoots? Would love to try something else out before I blindly buy a new bow. Current bow hasn't let me down but it's a 200$ Cabela's special...nothing wrong with that would just like a more high performance bow.