Take vermonster13 up on his offer. There are very few guys with his knowledge and experience and probably very few that own as many bows as he does. I would do everything I could to make it possible to go and shoot with him. You will probably pick up as much knowledge in a day or two as you would in years of just reading and doing it on your own. You will not get a better offer. Just my 2 cents.
Welcome, you have picked the place to learn and get information from a great group of people.

Wow, thanks for all the awesome advice.  I'll have to work something out to make my way to Rutland then.  

I'm now putting the brakes on buying something real expensive.  My brother has let me use his howatt hunter, until I sort out my bow business.  I prob will just buy that for cheap and learn on it.

Ben, you have received a great offer and some wonderful advice; both are pretty typical for Tradgang. I'll second suggesting a trip to The Eastern Traditional Archery Rendezvous in July, you can camp on location and have a great time and learn a lot.
Welcome aboard, and enjoy the ride.  

You know that you like the Martin Hunter, so that or something similar would be a good bow to start with.  Dropping down in draw weight would help a lot with developing your form, too.  There's a Martin 200 in the TG classifieds.  You could do a lot worse.

Try getting to a Traditional shoot in your area or better yet get to ETAR, (DENTON HILL) in july you will find answers to all your questions and more than enough bows to try out!!

Looks like I may try to make my way to Denton, I mentioned it to some of my fam and there is some interest so we'll see.

Ben: There are very few trad archeres/bowhuners here in NH. i happen to live in Epping and if I am nearby to you you are welcome to come by and I'll share what I have. The twised limb on your bow can be fixed...I've done a few over the years but it has been a while. It may also be that the arrows that you are shooting from the Mamba are not the right ones. On July 9, 10 and 11 there is a great trad archery shoot in Durham, Maine  called the Poke and Hope. It's a shoot that people come to from all corners...as far away as NJ and last year we had a fellow show up from Iowa. I also have a personal friend, Craig Warren,who lives in southern Maine that makes custom bow...very good ones. I'de be happy to  help all I can.

Welcome to TradGang. Sorry for your loss.

Excellent advice here so far and a heck of an offer from Vermonster. TAKE HIM UP ON IT!! I agree with the ones that said to wait on the bow purchase. After shooting several I've found there are just some bows, even with big names, that simply don't fit me. I've made the mistake of thinking a bigger name will make me a better shot. Not so. My Benelli Super Black Eagle II with Comfortec stock doesn't shoot ducks any better than my old beat up Remington 870. I still raise my head and stop my swing. Bad form is bad form no matter what the bow costs.

My advice would be to go to Vermonster's and the other shoots that you can make and shoot as many bows as possible. You will likely find a make/model that really works for you. I would wager to say that you could then buy 2 of them. One a lighter weight for fun shooting and one a little heavier for hunting.

Best of luck on the journey. It's addictive so beware.      

I shot a Mamba for many years and I think it's one of the best production bows you can shoot.
Just shoot the legs off it and hang out with as many Trad shooters as possible. Pratice will make you a better archer not a bow.
So, spend a little on arrows and go shoot!
and everytime your roving think of your dad.
Prarrie Dog

Granitestater,
You have received some terrific and consistent (mostly) advice here. Trying out lots of bows is terrific.  I'm more concerned with you mastering the process of shooting than the equipment you use -- it is a rare bow, in proper condition, that won't shoot just fine. However, the process of shooting is infinitely more important and there aren't 50 best ways of doing it. If you are willing to spend $20 I recommend you go to wwww.archeryintheschools.org and purchase "Beyond NASP" DVD.  This DVD was created for all archers, not just NASP kids, to provide advice on shooting form, coaching, mental aspects, and of course equipment and tuning. The authors are one Olympic Archery coach and terrific recurve hunter, Tim Strickland and the other author on the DVD is our country's youngest archery medalist, Denise Parker. They had ONE reason for making this DVD -- pass on advice for everyone to get the most out of archery. Some fellows who buy the DVD won't even tell their buddies about it because they don't want the "secrets" to get out. Good luck!

Bill: That Maine event is considerably closer to me, it will probably be a for sure thing.  I think my bro/nephew/stepfather are interested in checking it out.  So we'll probably make a day of it.

Powduck: Thanks for the advice, and yeah it's turning pretty addictive already. ^^

Prarrie: I've had problems with my mamba since I got it.  Though it's in retrospect I realize it, because it was my first bow I did'nt know much better with my arrow flying horribly.  I had it strung/nocked with my local pro shop, and it helped a bit..but it went back to shooting horribly.  I'm taking it to the shop I bought it from to see what they can do.  I have been shooting the #60 DH hunter, and it shoots arrows like bolts, very fast and accurate (in my limited experience).  The issue I run into is keeping my form due to fatigue with the #60.

Bowwild: I'll check into that DvD, I purchased Masters of the Barebow set (vol 1-3).  And tried to adapt some of the tips there.

Ya know, Life Just Doesnt Get Much Better Than This!!              

I am currently shooting White Wolf Bows, For the price they are real keepers. I am shooting one of the Legend series longbows and it is a real dream to shoot. For under $300 you cant find a bow that has as much quality as the Legend.I shoot target and 3D competitions and it is going to put me in the winners circle. THe Beowulf recurves are amazing bows and are fast and sweet to shoot.

Thank you once again for all the great advice, I put the brakes on purchasing a custom bow at the moment and have been trying as many bows as I can.  

I had to bring up my Martin Mamba to KTP to have the bow sent to have the limb straightened (only 3 months old :/).  

While up in Kittery I shot a Bear Super Kodiak and found the grip I like, it was a small moment of enlightenment.  Also shot my first takedown bow, and much to my suprise it felt just like any other recurve lol.  The takedown was a martin hatfield and even though the shooting lane is about 10ft it still put arrows on top of eachother, I am starting to like the idea of a takedown as opposed to a one piece.

My latest thoughts are leaning toword a Predator TD, with a Super Kodiak type grip.  (It's neat seeing my tastes change over the short time I've been shooting.  But I'm still not committing to anything yet.

And I should re-name this to 'My bow experience diary' haha

Keep your $ in your pocket! Go to a major shoot..like Compton..Cloverdale or one of the big shoots on the east coast and SHOOT as many of the bowmakers bows that you can get your hands on!!! You will know when you get the right one in your hands!!! This is the only way to find a bow that fits you and your style of shootin!! Good Luck!!!!

It's OK to spend a good chunk on a bow once you have figured out for sure what you like and don't like.  Save some for good arrows, tho.  The arrow is more important to good shooting than the bow is.  

My opinion is to go to a trad event and test out many bows.Your mamba is a fine bow. You have plenty of time to find a new bow. Also, deeply consider the bow weight. I always felt that I needed a heavy weight bow. For me, I have now settled on a mid 40's weight bow. The easier it is to shoot, the more you will want to shoot.There are so many bows to choose from that are good.That might be your hardest part in picking a new bow.

go to a trad event in your area.  If the people are anything like the ones here in Michigan (I'm sure they are), anyone of them will let you shoot their bow.  We are all proud of what we own, and are glad someone has noticed it and want's to sling a few from it.

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Definitely! Doing this on your own is fraught with costly mistakes. I know. LOL.  The guys here had to straighten me out numerous times.

First off, welcome to the gang! I strongly suggest you follow the excellent advice already given, especially about bow weight. I have a little 58" Kanati R/D longbow that is 46# and shoots through deer like paper targets. When I started shooting back in the 60s, a 50 pound bow was considered heavy. Check the auction sites and see how many 50s-70s vintage 45# bows there are. There is a reason for that...that's what most of us shot!

Also, as close as you are to Vermont, you'd better take Vermonster up on his offer! I don't think there is any place you could go and try as many different bow styles. Dave is kind of an eclectic bowahalic.     :rolleyes:  

The advantage of getting a TD bow is that you can add another (heavier) set of limbs later on and still maintain the same feel. A good used bow is a great idea, and you may just find "The One" that way. My Orion was used, and I don't think I'll ever part with it.

Welcome to the fun! Chances are, whatever you buy, it won't be your last, LOL!

A lot of us have that problem.