I know subjective question. I'm going to order an other high end bow soon(Blacktail, Brackenbury or Silvertip) ain't made up my mind yet. All ready have a Blacktail and I'm not sure I really want to spend $1200+ for a Slivertip so it will probably be a Brackenbury or an other Blacktail.

I want a smooth and quite shooting recurve for small game,bow fishing and stumping in the #45-#48 range and have it camo dipped so pretty is not a concern.

All opinions and suggestions welcome.

Wow finally an easy queston to answer.  Quinn Stallion

There are a ton out there, Chek-Mate, Whisperstik,Quinns, tec. but for a real performer go to  www.rerbows.com  they make an Arroyo that is 54"-62"s. They start at $500, but if you are gonna buy high end than they are also the bow. You can buy one of their high end  T/D bows for under $800 decked out and they will outperform the Blacktail and Schafer and will be as good if not better than the Brack. Check my new one out in the thread RER does it again! Shawn

I'll go with the Widow.Bought mine in 1990 for $650. Worth most of that today. Pretty cheap to own.

The Samick Stingray is hard to beat at around $220.00.

I'd go with a RoseOak Tomcat, just under $500.

Gotta say the best I've tried for that amount is the Whisperstik. Fast, very quiet and a heck of a bargain.

put another vote up for Quinn Stallions.
these are awesome bows for the money. heck there awesome bows period. the ones i shot were reallll smooth

i just picked up a kempf qwyk styk used for 550.00 and it is awesome...like it better than my more expensive black widows...

heartshot

There's a ton of good used ones out there for that and a whole lot less. I took an old lemmon wood shakespeare recurve and reworked the tips for the new string material and it shoots lights out. I would put that little 50lber up against anything available today. Ive been shooting that bow for several years now.Probably have about 80 dollars in the bow. Good Luck
SL

another vote for the samick stingray.as good a bow as any custom i've owned.

You can buy two Quinn Stallions!

Quinn, Quinn, and Quinn. And made in the U.S.A.

In the search just type in the words " JD Lund,  or Whisperstik and you'll find a lot of people raving about his bows, they are super quiet, really fast, and a great piece of work here is his web site I think they start out at $475, quiet recurve you ever own.


http://www.whisperstikbows.com

I have two whisperstik's

And they are superior, to those high-priced dollar ones.  Really great bows

Carl

Another vote for the Whisperstik.

I think your own suggestion of a Brackenbury is a great one. They cannot be beat overall, and you can find used ones in very good condition if you are willing to watch the classifieds here on TradGang. I would suggest the Brack Quest, but all the other Bracks are outstanding too. Bill Howland will be glad to make you a new one to your specifications, but you sure can't buy new for $500 and even a used Quest will probably be more than that. A used Brack Drifter will cost the least and is just as good as any other of the original Brack design (the Quest was developed by Bill Howland, not Jim Brackenbury). Bill doesn't make the Drifter anymore because the riser laminations changed from maple to yellow birch and he is concerned that the birch is not as strong as it should be. An older Drifter is superb and should cost you about $400 or perhaps even less. I have several. I love them and do not plan to sell them. I also have other brands of bows that I like a lot too, but none more than the Brackenburys.

Lot's of good bows mentioned...and as already said, when you buy used, your money can often go further.
If you are planning on a new recurve under $500, I'll cast another ballot for the Whisperstik.  It's a dandy!

Claudia

haven't seen them mentioned yet, but I was able to handle the new Dryad Orion at MoJam, and saw a number of guys shooting them...these bows are screamers, and REALLY quiet...
Dryad is based in Weatherford, so they would be a short drive for you to go try them out.  Jason and Wingnut are both super guys, and their customer service is as good as any out there.  I've got one of their All-Natural bows, and the buying process and after-purchase communication has been great.
I know that these guys (and Connie) are on their way to Denton Hill, but I think you'd be doing yourself a favor if you can hold off until they get back to try these bows out...

Horne's Archery is based in Boyd, so you could make it a two-for-one daytrip....

Check out both websites on the sponsor's list    

fatman

quinn stallion

So, Claudia, which bow are you taking to hunt elk at Doug Campbell's place? I assume that would be one of the brands of bows that you would recommend.