I am new to archery and looking to get my first bow. I have always been shooting 22 rifles at small game like birds and squirrels but now i am looking to get into trad bows.

I am going to build my own selfbow sometime but i am looking to get a cheap selfbow so i can learn to shoot and also have a bow to look off of when i build my own selfbow. It is going to be used for small game and target shooting.

I have always liked the shelfless bow, but i am not restricting my self to them. I like the D shaped bows.

I am around a 28 to 29 draw and a 45# to 55#, but not sure if 45# to 55# is too much for small game. I would like it to be like 68 to 71' but again not sure.

I have been looking a rudderbows and they are looking pretty good for the price, also at the 3rivers primitive bows. If you have any suggestions for a bow that i can buy that will shoot good please help.

I'm not sure how much you want spend but look at the Dyrad bow blanks. They are a sponser here and the bamboo backed bows would give you a great bow and the chance to work on a bow. Give them a look see.    ron w

thanks for the suggestion but i am looking for a completed bow so i can start shooting when it gets here. After i feel comfortable with bows I am going to get a blank or a staves and make a bow myself.

I am trying to keep the bow under 200, i know that it will be a hard find because of the price and also it wont be an amazing bow. I am just looking for a bow to shoot and learn from.

take a look here  http://www.oldbow.com/samick_cobra_longbow_ss1.htm  and here  http://tinyurl.com/6y9a89  .

those are the only longbows ~$200 new that I can think of off hand. Gonna be somewhat challenging finding a new bow for that price. You might want to scope the used classifieds to find something better for the same cost.

bear archery  

my opinion. Something cheap.

You are likely to choose a different weight or style bow when you start.

If you did a poll here titled "how many of you picked the right bow to start with?" the results would be very low. Go cheap. Save for something when you know what you want.

My .02. hit up the pawn shops.

i think i am going to get 2 floor tilled hickory staves from rudderbows and  string , I am going to go on a search for tools tomorrow.

I am a relative newbie myself.  My advice is to stick with a bow on the lighter side.  A 45-50# longbow is plenty for small game.  I'm 6'4" and no weakling, but I was very surprised at how heavy a 50# bow seemed.  I used to shoot a 65# compound a long time ago - it's totally different.  Archery uses a lot of muscles not normally built up, so err on the light side at first until you learn proper form and get conditioned to shooting.

I bought an Internature Viper as my first bow.  I paid $175 used and I feel I got one heck of a good bow for the money.  You might have to look around, but if you find one of them they're a great place to start.