Holy Grail

[Chris Shelton]

dude you would do alot of good from going to a expo like Kalamazoo, so many vendors and bows to shoot, like said above there is nothing that can fix bad habits and shooter error.  With that said, if you are shooting a bow that doesnt "fit", it will more than anything mess with you head, lol.

[centaur]

I have 'the one', but that doesn't stop me from salivating at other bows. Lots of great bows out there, many which are made/sold through vendors on this site. Since you live in the Springs, have you been to Bob's Archery in Castle Rock? He sells a few different nice brands of bows; it might be worth a trip north.
As Terry says, you can't buy competence; that will come with practice. And matched arrows and a tuned bow make a mediocre bow into a good one.

[COLongbow]

Yeah, I've been to Bob's, but he recently closed his shop in CR and relocated to his home in Elizabeth. Nice guy. He had a much smaller selection that was left, but I got to shoot the Chastain Wapitis, a Boss and a couple others.   But RMSGear is the place for trad in the Denver-Colo Spgs area. Worth the drive for me.  Great selection and even better folks. Their website has lots of drool-worthy pics on their inventory page.

[BobCo 1965]

There is no magic bow out there that will make a person with bad form shoot straight. Working on form will make you a better archer then any bow will.

I have had a bunch of bows. Some of the "can't go wrong" bows went wrong for me.

This year, I plan on using my plain Jayne Chek Mate Kings Pawn which will shoot with the best of them for me.


Although not the fastest in the World, I still love the old Ben Pearson Recurves.

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

Originally posted by MJB:
What Terry said..

X2

Also, as many others have said, Go to a shoot or an event where you can try out some different types of bows.  Only you can determine the best bow for you.

[leatherneck]

This question comes up quite a bit on here. The same answer is what you have already heard.Personally, my Morrison is MY go to bow. Yours and thousands of others could be a different one. Sometimes I think life might be simplier if there were no names on any bows and people shot what shoots best for them. I will leave you with this" Shoot a bow, not a name".

BTW- Whatever you find, practice,practice,practice!

[James Wrenn]

Most of us have been or will go through what you are going through now.Do this stuff long enough and you will realize it is YOU that is the "holy grail" not the bow you are shooting.You will also see that no amout of pretty or exotic wood meand Squat once you are at full draw.      

[Flinttim]

There is a saying in the competitive rifle  shooting world. "Beware the man with one gun". We all love our bows and most of us have several, but that can be our downfall when it comes to accurate shooting.We're always looking "the one" when if we just shot and shot one bow we would get much better at it.

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by COLongbow:
Terry, my shooting is progressing. I feel that I have a comfortable draw weight that I can hold at full draw without struggling. I've had Tom at RMSGear look at my form. He changed my anchor and gave me another inch of draw length, as well as helping with my release. I'm trying to be consistent and am shooting no more than 10 yards. That being said, I'm getting groups of 6" with my new CE Rebel 4560's. 31" total weight of 518 gr. I'm pulling 49# at my 29" draw.  Good arrow flight, with the occasional flyer. Like I said, I really like my Spirit. I have shot several other bows, including a BW, and none of them set the sky on fire compared to mine. I guess I need somebody to tell me to stick with what I have and keep me out of rehab.    

Cool!!!....glad to here it...and stay after it!

[Terry Green]

Originally posted by Flinttim:
There is a saying in the competitive rifle  shooting world. "Beware the man with one gun".  

Yep...and they say beware of the man that shoots one bow....but it can also be said 'beware of the man that can shoot any bow....for that man has his form down'.  

That being said....one should start out with one bow and learn to shoot properly...once he does he can pretty much shoot a variety of bows.

Here's a great and inexpensive way to learn what bow might fit you best....Ghost Dog knows his stuff....

 CLICK HERE

[joevan125]

Im not sure where i read this but Howard Hill would grab someones bow out of the crowd and shoot lights out with it.

Find a bow that feels right to you and shoot that sucker a lot.

I have a bow that i paid $1,200 dollars for and i had never shot one of this bowyers bows, big mistake.

[joevan125]

Knowing what i know now if i was going to order just one bow and only one bow, i would call the Widow guys and test drive one of there bows.

They are a fine group of people and they build a great bow that is easy to shoot and the finish they put on those bows is out of this world.

There bows hold there value as good as any bows on the market and i have shot all of them and every one i shot was easy to hit with.

[joevan125]

The guy that won the Tannehill shoot was shooting a 1 piece Widow.

[Roger Moerke]

You remind me of the joke of the young bull and the old bull, I will spare you the details but basically just slow down and exactly as you enjoy the one your with. There is time to try them all!!

[Steve H.]

I suggest you put the most emphasis on "feel" and disgregard the "I want more speed" carryover.

[HATCHCHASER]

There is not a whole lot of speed difference between like bows.  I mean most D-bows are close, most hybrid longbows, and most recurves don't vary much.  There is probably less than 15 fps between the fastest recurve and the slowest longbow.  I'm sure there is a few exceptions.  That being said I have paid top dollar for bows and been disappointed.  I have bought bows on the bottom of the price scale and been well pleased.  If I were you I would keep the bow you have and work on your form.  Every chance you get go to a trad shoot and shoot as many bows as you can.  Find what is comfortable and make a relationship.  Odds are you'll find out the one you have may be "the one".  Good luck and don't give up.  

[COLongbow]

I hear what you're saying, Hatchchaser. Speed is not my number 1 priority, but I chrono'd my bow recently with arrows at 10.5 gpp, and was hitting 160 fps consistently. Nothing to brag on but not terrible with pretty heavy arrows, especially since the penetration will be there for hunting. I also know the story on advertized speed being misleading, but something in the 180's with a good hunting arrow would be nice.

[sou-pawbowhunter]

I hear what you're saying, but isn't it better to watch that slower arrow pierce the 10 ring than to see a faster one that might not stay on course? I guess what I'm trying to say is a forgiving bow might not be a speed demon, but I'll take forgiving and quiet every time.

[Renaissance Man]

there is no Holy grail, the One, what you will find is that there are many ideas put into the form of a bow and many of them are unique. some are just plain beautiful, some are actual works of art. I have owned short recurves, plains indian self bows, english war style bows, flatbows, mid length curves and long curves like my old 66" Drake. reflex deflex, straight, set back, reflexed longbows in dozens of wood and lamination combinations. I have made my own self bows and have owned most of the better known production and semi production recurves in my life.
You know what, I loved them all and I would like to start over again.
I have settled on basically two bows that fit my needs, a 62" good quality recurve for ground blind and most tree stand hunting and a 68" osage or bamboo longbow for my most favorite past time, still hunting for whatever is out there. I have been graced with the ability to go from one bow to the other without any problem and after passing 55 years in life that is where I will be staying from now on.

[gsdmikko]

Robertson makes some beautiful bows and they are GREAT shooters!!! but thats just my opinion..