I'm a nerd.  I can't help it, I like to tweak and break things that have no business being broken.  

In my researching and looking, I've found bows like the Dalaa and the Titan.  I believe the Dalaa is not ILF, but the Titan is.  Both are aluminum risers with full adjustments.  Both are 17 or 19", so by my figuring a 56-62" bow depending on the limbs, right?  When I look at the target recurve risers, they're all 23-25".  Why the huge jump in size?

So then I start looking at the ILF limbs, which offer a huge selection of materials, modulous, etc.  I think I'm reading myself into craziness.

Maybe I should just stick with wood for a bit.

I've got a Dalaa and a DAS hunter on the way. They are awesome bows. are they Trad?? I say yes, just as traditional as the fibergass that's in the limbs of almost all custom bows out there, just as trad as carbon arrows. Do I care if someone thinks it's trad or not?? NO! I love shooting my metal risers, and I'm gonna keep
'em, even if they don't meet someone's requirements of being "trad".    :cool:  

 

I shoot a titan riser with a bunch of diffrent limbs, I shoot better then ever.  Is it trad of course!  Metal risers have been around longer then me lol

This topic never gets anywhere other than hurt feelings every time it comes up.  They may be trad and maybe not, just how you want to look at it.  Metal risers have been around before the advent of training wheels, that just fact.  Shoot whatever flips your switch!!      

Not only are they "trad" but they are as simple or as complicated as you want them to be.

They needn't be any more complicated than any other t/d riser out there.

Lenny

They're welcome in my camp, are traditional, but if I won one I would sell it without even bothering to shoot it. I just love the beauty of natural wood and craftsmanship which are an important part of "traditional archery" for me!  I don't doubt for a minute that they are fine shooters. To each his own.

There is someone out there that has a signature line, "as trad as I wanna' be".  That pretty much sums it up.  Everyone is as trad, or primitive as the case may be, as they feel led. You can tell anyone anything, but people generally do what they have made up their mind to do.  As such, to each his own.  Dalaa, ILF, DAS are all as trad as you need them to be.  

Shoot straight, follow the rules, be ethical and it should be good to go!

Good Hunting,
Charlie

One could argue that anything other than a self bow and a string is not trad, but that would eliminate most of us from this website. I don't have an ILF bow yet, but ask me again in six months. Bob Morrison makes ILF bows and is currently shooting one as his main bow. I don't think anyone is going to accuse Bob of not being trad -- at least not to his face!! :-) The bows you are suggesting are very nice and do not have wheels, cams, or multiple cables attached. They are trad in my book. Not that I have anything against hunting and shooting weapons that are not trad, like compounds, crossbows, rifles, pistols, shotguns, etc. When it comes to archery though, I like the simplicity of a recurve or longbow. Like Fred Eichler says on Masters of the Barebow Vol. 2, we should not hunt with trad bows because they are more challenging, we should hunt with them because in many situations they are more efficient (as compared to compounds). I agree with him. By the way, although Fred is a very accomplished trad archer and has taken every species of animal in North America with a trad bow, he also shoots compounds in some situations. Those of us who are outdoorsmen and love the shooting sports should always support our brothers and sisters who share our interests, regardless of the weapons they choose. I also prefer flyfishing, but I have bait casting and spinning gear too. So-called "purists" in any pursuit are usually among the best, but they really need to avoid becoming elitist. I have found the people on TradGang to be among the best and most supportive people out there, as evidenced by the comments in this thread. Way to go TradGang!

Allan

What is trad???

good question pseman!!!!! That one none of us has an answer for.

I really appreciate the responses.  I certainly don't want to start any fights or arguments as to whether a non traditional recurve or metal riser is a "traditional" item.  I was interested to see how people viewed the risers, and the overwhelming response seems quite positive.  

Like I said, I'm a tinkerer.  I look at the level of adjustability on the DAS and the Titan and the gears just start turning.  Then I look at bows like the Widows and the Dryads, Bob Lees, and Morrisons and fall into the romance of the older times.

I really like the analogy to the fly fishing.  I own a top of the line carbon Orvis, and an old Eagle bamboo rod, not to mention a few in between.

I love all of them, and use them when I can.  I think I'll move that idea to my "traditional" bows.

Last week I received my first ILF bow from Tradtech - A Pinnacle 2 with some deflex reflex wood core limbs .Have shot most of the last 10 months with a one piece static recurve . The previous 14 years I have been immersed with Primitive/natural bows and arrows

Which traditional equipment has given me the greatest satisfaction and sence of acheivment out hunting or on the 3d range in my over 30 years in archery - Primitive .

Which traditional equipment  have I come to appreciate in the last year as more accurate and user friendly - Ilf and the like .

The RER Arroyo I bought last october and this ILF bow are an absolute joy to shoot - I am acheiving far superior accuracy and consistency shot to shot than I have acheived with my selfbows shooting the same arrows .  

As for defining Traditional - simple - handing down knowledge from one generation to another . This may be prevailing belief or accepted knowledge . This means that Tradition is not static but changes as each generation adds its advances in knowledge .

In traditional archery's case the use of modern materials and idea's are challenging peoples accepted veiws on what was / is to be traditional for the next generation which can be hard to accept when your comfortable in your veiws .


Regards Jacko

Wihill
I've sold all my bows except my ILF bows.I have 2 Dalaa's,a 17" and a 21".I have a DAS Elite target bow and Warf.

The adjustibility you mention is more so that someone can fit a bow and set of limbs to their draw length and hunting situation requirements than anything else.After that you have a small range that will help you tune borderline arrows.

The biggest selling point for me is the ability to get great limbs at good prices without waiting 6 months on a custom bowyer.

Adjustability does have it's advantages.I once owned a very expensive custom that I couldn't shoot very well.After I sold it I found out it was tillered backwards from other bows.With my ILF bows I can adjust tillet to suit me and I've played with tiller enough to know that for me it does make a difference.

As for being traditional,that's for each person to decide ON THEIR OWN.

Well I have a titan,gamemaster and two Das bows.I also shoot wood and selfbows.I notice no difference in how "trad" I feel when I set one down and pick up another.I say we are ok with the whole trad thing.  

If there are no training wheels on it, it is trad.
ChuckC

Yes. It's just another way of attaching limbs to a bow.

I miss with metal risers just as well as I miss with wood. "Trad" ain't in the riser it's in your blood.

Traditional just means no compounds.

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