Thinking about Short bows... Picked up a Cascade Nighthawk Magnum

[Bowhunter4life]

I shoot 60" - 62" Longbows for the most part... and I can shoot them in most situations.  But with the advent of some of these great short bows I've been wanting to try something pretty short.  With a draw length of 29" - 30" (depending on the grip) this can get tricky.

I was looking at the Shrew Classic Hunter, the Widow PCH, Big Jim's Thunderchild, and a few others.  But $'s are tight as many of us know, and these are not what you would call cheap... especially with the options I'd want for each.

Low and behold, I found a Cascade Nighthawk Magnum, 52", and 63# @ 29 1/2" (or roughly 65# @ 30" where I draw it to...) in the classifieds.  Made a deal with Ken "Elkken" Gettman and got it to the house.  As you can see it has a Predator Camo Dip that was done by Big Jim, which looks great by the way!  I was very surprised at how smooth this little bow is at my draw!  Only other 52" bow I've ever shot was a Kodiak Mag, and I was not happy with the stack and finger pinch on that one...  This Cascade is fantastic!  I won't need to look for another short bow as this one will fit the bill nicely!  It isn't a speed demon, or as quiet as my longbows... but for its intended purpose it will work perfectly for me.

   
 
 

Thanks again Ken, this little bow is one of the better deals I've made in a long time as it turned out better than I could have thought it would.  Pleasantly surprised by the design of this bow for the longer draw.

Just thought I would throw this out there for anyone else that may be looking to get a short bow for those tight places.

[KHALVERSON]

great lookin bow
i hope to be able to lay my hands on one at k-zoo
or comptons this year

[Bowhunter4life]

I'm so impressed by this particular bow, I'm thinking of ordering another Nighthawk Mag without the camo dip.  With one set of limbs in the 75# @ 30" range and another set in the 55# @ 30" range.  Yew and Osage is what I'm thinking, and with a Selway Sidemount attached it will be a hunting machine!

These short limbs feel like a much longer set, so stable and smooth it is really hard to believe out of such a small package.

Has anyone shot the 48" limbs?

[elkken]

Just what I like ... a happy customer

That bow is a killer too !! It has taken some very nice critters. Just too heavy for me in my old age. Really pleased you like it  

[DannyBows]

Sweet little bow. I've been eyeballin' those Cascades. I love the lines of 3 pc bows built with the limbs recessed in the riser like that, gives them a much sleeker look. My next bow will be either a 2pc Thunder Child, or a 3pc cascade. Good Luck with her!

[Benner]

I've often wondered about these bows. they sound nice.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

i have a 56 inch night hawk it is a great bow!

[2ndxarnd]

Are any of the Cascade bows faster than the others? I like the Night hawk and the golden hawk but concerned that their performance may not be what I want. Thx

[Rod in SC]

I've shot A LOT of bows and my 52" Golden Hawk magnum is just as accurate, if not more, than my 62-66 inch bows and just as smooth to my 29" draw. If I get steady on the spot I'm looking at the arrow goes right in there.  No unexplained fliers are finicky shots from this bow. I picked one up used to try out and I killed a deer with it the next day after I received it!  
 I just ordered a new Black Hawk with yew limbs 2 weeks ago. Because of the size and the innate accuracy this is the best hunting bow I have ever shot since going completely Trad 22 years ago. And for speed, it doesn't look slow to me. I haven't done a chrono comparison but as stated above I have done an accuracy comparison and that's what really counts.  Great bow!

[R. W. Mackey]

I have a 56" Nighthawk, and have a 30" draw as well.  Great Bow.  To the guy that is worried about performance, it's not a compound, if that's what you want, but it will shoot with most of the top line recurves on the market today. I have at least 9 different brands of very well made bows and there is not a few feet per second difference in any of them.  RW

[cch]

I have both a 52" and a 58" and the 58" bow is a little faster. The 58" bow is the Whitetail Super Smooth I think. It is a 56" in riser with longer limbs. Both shoot really good.

Bowhunter, You will not like the 48" model at your draw length. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone over 28".

[Bowhunter4life]

Here is what she looks like now, Selway side-mount, Goldtips, and SBD 10 strand D 10 string...

Those arrows are 31" BOP and reach down to the tip of this bow while in the quiver...




Oh, and thanks for the tip on the 48" limbs, I kinda thought that would be pushing my luck there...  

[cch]

I don't know what kind of string the D10 is but be careful as the Cascade short recurves are not designed for fast flight strings. I have always wanted to try one on mine but have been too scared to. Have you tested for speed with that string yet?
Chris.

[cch]

ttt for bowhunter

[jess stuart]

I just recently acquired a 46" recurve built by Truxturning for a bow swap.  It is a copy of the old Herters recurve, it shoots very well.  I am totally pleased with it.

[Jesse Minish]

It always surprises me when people say the 52" Cascades aren't very fast... I have about a 29.5" draw and have compared my 52" Night Hawk along side of what were mine at the time Robertson, Schafer, Horne, Sapphire, Habu and others. There was almost no difference in the speed.

[Friend]

Those Cascades are a bit enticing.

[Bowhunter4life]

I don't own a chrono, so no I haven't run it through one...  Just an eyeball look at similar grains per pound out of my other bows.  (Shawnee Dakota carbon foams, Cougars, and MOABs).

[cch]

Bowhunter, How is that bow shooting for you?

[Fischman]

Two 56" Nighthawks, one 56" Whitetailhawk, nice quiet great shooting bows for me. IMHO you can't go whttp://s1098.photobucket.com/albums/g363/fischman1/?action=view¤t=1291830585.jpgrong with cascade bows !