Where to start

[bambeklr]

I am thinking about getting a traditional bow for corn pile shooting at 15yds. I want to know what I should start with. I can hold any poundage you put in front of me, but I realize for my first it might not be a good idea to go for a 70# recurve or long bow. I have shot bows without sights before so I am thinking that I might be ok at this. I can hit a basketball rolled across the yard around 20yds with my compound without using the sights. This kind of shooting reallt is interesting to me. I am a instinctive shooter when bird hunting. I never use my sight. I know you guys are the ones to ask.

[FlyinCedar]

Your best bet is to go to a shop that sells trad bows and try a few out. As far as the poundage goes, just understand that even though you may shoot a 60 or 70 pound compound, you are not holding nearly all that weight. With trad bow, you will be holding every bit of whatever the weight is at your draw legth. I would say start with a bow around 50# to start off with, and recurves are generally easier to master than a longbow.... If ya dont have a local shop to try out a bow, ya really can't go wrong with the Martin X-200 as a starter bow. If you dont wanna go with a brand new bow, check out the classifieds at www.tradgang.com

The guys over there have tons of bows for sale, and I have never personally had a bad dealing with any of them. If ya dont find one there ya like, or is in your price range, lemme know...I've got one sittin here that doesn't get shot much, maybe we can work something out.

By the way...dont be surprised if ya end up wanting to do more big game hunting with it than corn pile shooting once ya get started...the trad bug is easy to catch!!!

[BT]

The rule of thumb that I use is 15 - 20# below what you shoot now on the compound.
Thats a good place to begin

Keep in mind that a hunting weight bow is not what you want to start with ideally
Ideally you should have a bow that you can firmly anchor for 30 seconds and that means no shake
With such a bow you will be able to perfect your form which is the most important aspect in traditional archery .

The best thing would be to get a T/D so that you would only need to swap limbs and if you want to start cheap , PSE makes some pretty good bows for a budget minded shooter and they also have limb weights up and down the poundage scale.

Of course....there are others out there as well.
This site would be a good place to give it a go because you are going to get alot of good input to help you advance quickly

Keep in mind that I was a super Tech head 4-5years ago and now I really only pick up a compound if it's to test or the meat just wont come close enough toward the end of the year

[bambeklr]

cool so you think I should start out with 50# or so. I shoot around 83lbs with my compound. I was really thinking of trying somthing pretty old school. I am leaning towards a bow without detachable limbs or a long bow. I guess I should start with a recurve huh. I am not a small man at all so what length bow should I go with or does this not matter. Another question for you guys. What kind of arrows should I use. Is it better to go with a heavy arrow since I wont be shooting far? I really want to do this. My average bow shot is around 15yds. I killed 12 deer with my compound this past year and I would love to try and get a deer with a traditional setup.

[BT]

You got a pretty good recommendation as to trying as many as you can first but I realize that there may be few to no dealers around you who handle recurves (god know why )

But I am going to say that if you are 6' then you should shoot for a bow that is 66" in a recurve.
Ideally I like to see the limb tip touch the underside of the chin when the opposite end is touching the ground.
Of course....this is not always possible.

Look for long with a good brace height of 7 1/2 to 8" in a recurve.

I would say to go with a 50# bow but keep in mind that recurves are scaled at 28"
Therefore if you have a 50# recurve it is going to be 54-55# at 29" and so on.
If you are a 30" draw you should look into a 40# bow.

Of course , ideally the best idea would be to end up with a recurve that is weighted for your draw length to avoid stack

[bambeklr]

I think I am starting to figure out what you are saying here. I am 6'4" and I do shoot a 30 inch draw. So the longer the draw the heavier the draw weight will be in these type of bows correct.
And you are right. There is nobody around here that sells traditional equipment. I might know someone but it is a far cry. I dont want to sound like I am not listening to all the advise but it looks like I will have to end up ordering a bow before trying it. I am just trying to know as much as possable before doing so. I am sure you understand.

[Coca Cola]

Take a look at the Quinn line of bows. On the leatherwall they get a really good rep! Plus I believe you can buy new limbs for it if you want more #

[smj]

Don't go to short on tip to tip length. I am 6'4" and have long arms, too. I need a 31 to 32 inch draw length. If you buy a new bow, ask the bowyer, or maker, at what draw length it begins to stack. A bow that stacks is not as efficient as it should be. I've picked up longbows that were 66 inch and had real stack issues. The ones I make are 66 to 68 inches for myself, and tillered with care. Also watch out on recurves. Not just for stack either. Up in Fort Collins at Arrow Dynamics, a great shop, they say that some recurves are made to shoot at a 28 inch draw - if you over-draw them to shoot at over 30 inches the limb life can be greatly reduced. A combination of increased draw weight and stress of over drawing. Hence, when you are ready to buy one, ask about stack and draw length. Make sure you can send the bow back without restocking fees if it does not perform as advertised. Folks who shoot more normal draw lengths don't have to worry about these issues. You and I do.

As to draw weight, a 55 pound bow at 28 inches will keep you happy, I think! Probably be close to 60 pounds at your draw length.

You might consider carbon arrows. They are tough and will last you for about as long as you can find them... (Which is easier to do when you hit what shoot at!)

Sounds like you are a traditional shooter just looking for the way in! Welcome to the ranks!

[Greg Krause]

Start light! I shoot an 80# compound and can easily shoot a 90#er but feel slightly overbowed at 55#'s with my recurve. My 49# longbow was about perfect. with a 30" draw, unless you are going to get a custon 50#'s at 30", I would get a 40#@28". That shouldn't overbow you to start and is PLENTY to take a deer with.

[smj]

I don't mean to load you up with to much bow... I keep thinking longbows rather than recurves. I find that a properly fit longbow of 50 pounds seems to draw more smoothly than a 50 pound recurve. It may be all in my mind, maybe I just have a bias towards longbows... (Please - to those of you who prefer a recurve, no hate mail!) However, I think it has to do more with string angle and finger pinch. A short bow with a long draw can really pinch the pinkies! (The string has to wrap around the fingers which are pinched up against the arrow.) I find most recurves harder to shoot if for no reason other than finger pinch. It is simply not comfy. This is not typically a problem with a longbow! One notable exception on recurves: My pal Kevins Keith Chastain Wapiti bow. That bow is fun to shoot! Anyway, the long and short of it is that I tend to shoot longbows a couple pounds heavier than recurves. With your draw length, watch those short recurves. You can end up with finger damage - I know a bit about that one... And a well fit bow will just be more fun to shoot than one that hurts you every time you shoot it!