as all of you know, i was suprised by my wife a few days ago by her giving me lots of money to buy my dream bow in which i thought was going to be a black widow but here is the shocker of the year.... i didn't like the black widow..    ...    

had a chance to shoot some of them and for some odd-ball reason in which i can't figure out, the bow just seems not to fit me; i know that i will be dogged,made fun of,shot-down,laughed at and just plain railroaded, but i can't spend 1100.00 on something that won't make me happy; now let me be very clear on this next statement, nothing wrong with black widow or the people that operate the company; they are top notch in anybodys book but the longbow doesn't fit my hands for some crazy reason;

so with that being said, the good news, i still have the money, my wife stills want me to get a bow, but now i am in the search for a different "dream" bow;

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated; and yes, i am thinking about admitting myself to the funny farm..    

thanks tradgang, i need some help....  

ACS

Don't feel bad....I shot a friends SAG I think it was several times and did not like it. Each to their own....Why not try JD Berry, or Mohawk etc.?
Good luck with the lynching!

IMO,if it don't feel right for ya,it most likely ain't!

Shoot more bows before buying!!

I certainly won't shoot you down for that. I went through several bows before I found the right one. My 52# Kanati fits me perfect and it was a lot less than $1100! If the money is burning a hole in your pocket, you could try a Shrew. They are a lot like the Kanati (from the pictures, I haven't shot one) and they are closer in price to the BW. My cousin had a BW and didn't care for it either. That doesn't make them bad bows; they just aren't for everyone.

Or...you could buy a Kanati, a quiver, a bunch of new arrows, some good broadheads, new hunting duds, and still have some money left to take your wonderful wife out to dinner!  

Good luck and hope you get the right one. I would get two mid priced bows ones or four used ones.

Another option is to have make a custom grip for you. I never got really comfortable with the PL grip, but I really like the old LAG grip. Not sure how close you are to the widow shop, but if you are truly wanting your dream bow you might give them a call. BUT there are a lot of fantastic bows out there. I am really liking the looks of Rose Oak Creations new longbow, the Companion. Big Jim's bows look awfully good too. A guy can spend hours cruising thru the tradgang sponsors links! Lewis Hollow is another! I'd better stop before I start shopping. Good luck! Mike

Firefly. You can buy 2 for the price of one Widow.

Pronghorn or Great Northern Critter Gitter

i feel ya!  i wanted a silvertip longbow so bad for so long.  i found a guy that had a brand new one and shot it.  it shot no better than the one i had--looked better, but it did not make we wanna jump up and spend $1000+ for one.  i was so disappointed.  now--i am having big jim build me one to match my old longbow!  he has great bows and they are very reasonable.  keep looking, you wil find a perfect match soon!

If you post what you don't like about it, or better yet, what you DO like about other bows you've shot I'm sure folks will have more suggestions than you can absorb.  

I could never shoot Black Widows well either.  They aren't for everyone, and you should stay smart and shoot a bunch more before you decide.  Whatever you do, don't buy one because we may tell you it's the best ever made.  You may go to a shoot and find a $150.00 used bow that fits you like a dream.   Anyone who would chastise you isn't very knowledgable about bows...period.

BW longbows never quite felt right to me either. Although I will admit I had a 62" t/d recurve which I wish I had never sold.
I have found that Monarch Imperials seem to fit me like a glove, have 2, one is 66",62#@29 the other 62",80#@29. both shoot like an extension of my mind.
Also have a 66" Wes Wallace "Royal" t/d 57#@29 which also seems to fit me extremely well.
You could almost buy 3 monarchs for the price of the BW you were looking at!  

i have shot the bear montana for years and love the way the bow shoots; it has been responsible for alot of homecooked venison; the bow is 55 lbs@28 inches and i have a 26 in draw; the grip of that bow fits me very well and with my arrow setup, i am very comfortable out to 25 yards{the max distance that i will shoot at an animal};

decisions,decisions,..how i hate trying to make decisions on bows;

thanks tradgang.....  

Treadway!!!
I DO like the Black Widows I've shot,though.
Turkey Creek longbows are hard to beat, too.

I like the Widows for various reasons. I like my Shrew also. 2 diffrent bows for sure. There are many great bows right now. If you want a longbow try to find a Shrew. If you like that style there are many close to it. If you don't there are other ones you may like. Main thing is don't by a bow that everyone else says is great if its not right for you. It will be wasted money. Good luck in your search, you will know its the one at the first shot. Out Door Dan

Amen Brother...
I guess ya got built up instead of shot down, huh?

You did the right thing and went with what felt right or not so right.  Most of us here went ahead and spent the money first then decided we didn't especially like the bow.

It is early in the year.  Take the little lady on a trip to Compton's or Denton Hill and shoot all the bows you can find.....you will fall into something good for you personally.

You can have a trip away and still buy a bow and have a trip for the same money.  For what it is worth, I will be at Compton's Monday thru Sunday with my family and friends and if you need a place to get out of the weather (tent) and good food and cooking we got you covered....
Come and get it!!!

I love their recurves and am trying to find out how much I can get for a kidney so I have money, but their longbows never really impressed me that much.  Nice bow, just not for me at that price.  If you like the Montana, there are a lot of mild R/D bows that fit the bill.  You could go a little more hybrid and find literally dozens of bows that you would like.  Griffin, Dwyer, Shrew, Kanati, MOAB, etc.....

$1100, this is easy.. shoot them all till you find the one you like

Barry if you live anywhere near Little Rock there is an Archery shop that has a BUNCH of (50-70) trad bows. Great shop great people. Archers Advantage 501.663.2445, they have a web site. It would be worth a drive to feel the grips on alot of bows. Its a two hour drive for me, and I go a couple times a year just goofin off!>>>>------>