Used trad bow advice wanted

[tshark]

Ok, Christmas is coming up and I'd like to start trying my hand at trad gear. My budget is limited to about $175. I know this is low, but I just don't have a lot of extra funds and don't need a really nice custom bow (even though they are very nice) for my first one. I want a used one that won't mind being handled by a novice. ;D

On ebay, there are a lot of old bear bows, mostly grizzly and Kodiak. There are also some pearsons and numerous other custom nicer bows.

What should I be looking for? I know I want to hunt with it eventually so at least 40# according to local law, but I think I'd like somewhere in the 50-60# range. Are older Bears good bows? From what I've seen they go for around $150 depending on the condition of the bow. Just a general idea of what I should be looking for would be greatly appreciated!

I know I can get some of the best advice from the trad group here.

[Coca Cola]

I think that you are going to want to go alittle lower weight then that when starting off. I dont shoot much traditional archery but I have read alot on it. From what I have read its a good idea to start off at 40-45 pounds maybe even lower. 45 is enough to take down deer sized game. I dont know how long you have been shooting or how strong you are, some people can get away with shooting 60#'s right off the bat maybe you are one of those people?

I am would be willing to bet that you could get a quinn stallion used in your price range. I have read great things about them. One problem could be if you are left handed or hate metal riser recurves.
The bear bows I have shot have been nice but all of them are from the late 60's so I dont know how much they have changed since then.
Im sure smj or Bt can weigh in on this. Their opinion is better then mine seeing as how I shoot a longbow once a week just messing around

[BT]

Shakspear is a cheap ebay bow and a good bow to learn on.
There are many different models and I would suggest throwing the link up here to each one you are looking at.

You can get them for 50. - 75. regularly

Start with 45# MAX. and learn to shoot first....then buy a hunting bow.
Trust me on this one.....you will be better in the end.....trust me

[smj]

Hey tshark - BT has some worthwhile points listed above... If you have never shot trad before, you will find yourself confronted with a few more, and new, challenges! For example - No letoff. Zip. Every inch you draw the bow the harder it is to hold at draw. Release is very important, until you have your release smooth you will find it hard to shoot a stable arrow. Now, if you struggle to hold the bow at full draw, I think you can see how some of these basics might be more difficult to achieve.

We have talked about what weight bow a person should start with before, and I think I will modify my advise a bit.

Your first bow is just that, your first bow. Trad bows are very different from compound bows. Yet like compounds, one size does not serve all! Depending on your form, or the habits you develop, you may have trouble shooting one bow while another will seem effortless by comparison. This will have to do with hand shock, center shot, draw weight, arrow setup (spine and tip weight), tip to tip length (stacking issues maybe!), release and follow through, how stable you are, form in general. Then you have the question of longbow or recurve??? Some have said that longbows shoot easier than recurves - I've shot both and think this really depends on the bow/shooter match up. I have a pal who makes really high tech longbows - he has won flight tests with them. Another who makes recurves that are amazingly smooth with speeds well over 200 fps for heavy arrows... Both shoot just great for me... (I think I'll make each of them a boo-backed bow of mine and see if they will do the same for me!!! )

Anyway, this is where I think you should go, and why - first. Unless you are monster strong, starting with a 50 to 55 pound draw bow is probably going to lengthen your time to come up to speed with it. I am talking 50 to 55 pounds at your draw length. Most bows are rated at a 28 inch draw length. If you draw further, you will find a couple pounds per inch increase over and above the rated draw weight. Also of note, some of those older bows are set for 28 inch draws, over drawing may lead to stack which will hurt your accuracy and possibly damage the bow, or lead to early failure, depending on how much you draw past 28 inches. With older bows, I would not shoot really light arrows, ever! It puts a lot more shock in to the bow and this could bring about an early failure as well. Also, in general, trad bows tend to be more efficient with a heavier arrow, less shock and less noise. So how does one go about determining all of this??

Do you have a local archery shop with a range? One that sells used or/and new trad bows? If so, I would suggest that you go there and find out what your draw length is, and rent a couple of bows. Ask questions about how to determine what arrow to shoot out of each. See if they have a box of tabs and gloves to try out. Get some basic info under your belt and find out what you are really looking for: draw length, bow length (how short you can go before hitting stack on recurves and longbows), get an idea of how to set the nock point and what arrow to shoot for the weight bow that interests you. So far as draw weight, you will want a bow that you can shoot at least 30 rounds with before feeling tired out, before you start to loose ground with your shooting. If you can do that with a 50 pound draw bow, maybe you'd be OK going to one of that weight for a first bow. MOST CAN NOT DO THIS.

We can tell you anything - but going out and getting a bow in your hand for a half hour somewhere would go a long ways for you. Then come back and ask questions, the answers might make more sense to you. Or, if you have a pal who shoots trad, see if they might help you out. If both of those options fail, we will do what we can to see that you get a bow that will work well for you to start out! For example, if you have a 28 inch draw length, then you can relax a lot about what bow you get. If you are a knuckle dragger like me, then you will need to take care about what bow you buy for reasons of potential stack issues. (Stack happens when the angle between the string and limb approaches 90 degrees. Hence, a long draw length on a short bow seldom works out very well!)

Wow, I promised myself I'd be brief and not get to carried away here... oops. Can't wait to see your response, hope I didn't scare you off! ;D

[BT]

I think I am gonna snag this piece for the tech side forum smj

[tshark]

WOW, lots of great advice. I'm definitely not stuck on the 50 lb. weight, so I'll probably end up getting a 40 or 45. I would like for it to be at least 40 because that is the limit for hunting here.

My draw length is just a tad over 28, so that's good news that I will have more bows available to me.

I did take an archery class in college all we shot were recurves with finger tabs. They were only around 30 lbs. though, and that was quite a few years ago, so I'm by no means an expert.

We do have a couple of bow shops around, but I don't think any of them have any trad equipment, at least not that I've seen, but I will definitely try to find one so I can shoot a little bit.

I knew I would get some awesome advice on here. Any other tips anybody can give me would be much welcome also.

[Greg Krause]

good advice above.

Put it this way I shoot 80#'s or more with no problem on a compound and 55#'s was way too heavy to start with in a recurve.

I would start with a 40#er or so.

[tshark]

Ok, I got to looking on ebay and found some nice bows. I looked specifically at shakespeares just because I hadn't looked at them much before and found this one. It looks pretty nice and is 40#, from what I gathered. What do you think of about it?

cgi.ebay.com/SUPER-SHAKESPEARE-CUSTER-WONDERBOW-X-22-RECURVE-BOW_W0QQitemZ110186222793QQihZ001QQcategoryZ20839QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[BT]

This is what I was talking about
It is a good bow and at the right spec. for a first bow IMO
This is not a great bow for a few reasons but you are not likely to find a great bow for these reasons.
This bow is old and most likely dry.
It is not likely to last more than a year or two if you are really shooting it like you should be as it relates to rounds of arrows per. day.
Never the less.....for $50 - 80.....you cant beat it for a training bow
If you want to get started quick and be able to shoot well fast I will donate a copy of judgment call DVD to you which will show you step by step how to shoot accurately with a few hours.

Once you have the marksman ship down you can shoot all summer long in this manner (with this bow) and build on your own style.
My method allows you to get good fast but most everyone will develop their own style and move away from the original as they grow more comfortable with the bow and their confidence level improves.

I would recommend a glove for this style of shooting if you want to try it.
The good thing about traditional archery is that it is not about the equipment but rather the person wielding it.
Therefore , the skill that is produced is less about the bow and hence the absence of need to continually upgrade equipment as is so common in modern archery.

[tshark]

Ok, I am going to put in a bid on it. What is a good glove to get, and what type of arrows? I have 3 Easton aluminum arrows but I can't remember the model of them (2214 or 2215 comes to mind, but I'm not sure). Also, what about a stringer, do I need one of those?