Long/recurve Bow

[Swift]

Have some extra Xmas $$ and a head full of ideas.
Toying around with starting traditional archery and wondering which Company makes a decent inexpensive bow to start with. I shot an old Bear recurve of my fathers when I was a kid and even hunted with it a couple times.
I guess I could borrow his have it check for soundness and start with that one.
But which manufacturer do ya'll recommend?

[don in socal]

:huh: :huh: :huh:

i would sugggest a good "production" traditional bow to start with. Bear and martin offer excellent "assembly line" bows.

i've owned numerous custom & "production" bows over the years including black widow, great plains, chastain, martin and bear and i like them all.

i feel the greatest difference in the custom and the "production" bows is the actual finish and the "gingerbread" features.

i don't believe there's credible evidence to support the cost of custom bows vs. "production" bows, in terms of performace, to warrant the prices commanded by bowyers. again, it's mostly the "gingerbread" that adds to the price.

that is to say you can pay $1000 for a custom bow that will not shoot any better than a $400 "production" bow thru the portals of a chronograph.

martin will custom fit a handle for your order of a traditional bow if you ask (and pay) for it, too.

i'm not putting down custom bow makers by any means as i truly do like my great plains and bob lee bows, what i suggest is: shop around.

mahaska offers a nice custom recurve at almost $400 wherein a new martin hunter or bear kodiak recurve is the same price.

among my personal favorites are: great plains bamboo longbow, bob lee takedown recurve .

take your pick, but most of all enjoy and beware: traditional archery can very easily become addictive!

[Myk]

I got a PSE Talon takedown recurve for something like $150-$175 on clearance. I don't see anything wrong with it yet. It's taken a few rabbits and will put an arrow deep into my shed if I happen to miss the target, not that I ever miss :)

I shoot off the shelf and don't know if it would be a good one for anything but a glue on flipper because it is a pretty hefty riser.