Comparing takedown to one piece

[TMS]

#2623

I started out 3 years ago in trad archery shooting a 45# PSE “Stalker” takedown recurve bow. Seemed fine to me (but I didn’t know much then – still don’t know much) and that was the bow I took hunting last season (first time bowhunter). Then I acquired a 50# Bear “Black Bear” one piece recurve over the winter. Both bows are set up similarly in that they have Dacron strings, beaver fur silencers, and bottom tip protectors (rubber on the PSE, leather on the Bear). The PSE also has a pair of calf hair string groove silencers installed to reduce/eliminate what I thought was “string slap” noise.

So I took both out to my little 40 yard backyard range the other day for a comparison shoot. Right away I noticed that the Bear was grouping arrows much closer together. And that it was noticeably quieter (like almost no noise). Finally, I thought the Bear was much lighter and had no hand shock at all (the PSE has a little hand shock).

Then I took them both for a little woods walk and did some stump shooting. Again, I thought the Bear was more accurate, lighter, and quieter. Although both bows gave more than acceptable accuracy when I did my part correctly.

Being new to trad archery (and no wheelie bow background to cloud the issue), I want to know if my experience is similar to others. Is a one piece bow usually lighter, quieter, and more accurate than a takedown? Or is it possible that my Bear is just a particularly good specimen that fits me better? Or am I just missing something really simple?

Any advice/insight/commentary would be most welcome. Thank you.

[Stephen Graf]

#11380

I think you figured it out in your last paragraph. Someone else could just as easily shoot better with the PSE bow.

That’s assuming it’s a fair test in that the arrows you are shooting are correctly tuned to each bow. If the arrows are not tuned correctly to a bow, it will not shoot at it’s best. If you were shooting the same arrows out of both bows for your testing, it might indicate that the arrows were better tuned to the bear bow.

So the best thing to do is to see if you can figure out why you shoot the bear bow better. Is it the grip? Limb length? Tiller?

I don’t think there is anything innately better about a take down or a one piece bow. It’s just what you prefer.

[Doc Nock]

#11406

Steve is a good one to heed carefully what he shares…

Just because two bows of different design are the same draw doesn’t mean they’ll shoot the same spine arrows well… I have all my few bows within a 2-3# range and no two of them shoot the same arrows.

I also would heed his comments on grip. I shot varied bows “OK” but had to really concentrate on how I gripped them. Then I got my Kirk-Bow custom fit to my paw and wow! What a difference a few changes can make!

I’ve seen guys pick up a half dozen bows and shoot them all like they were old friends…low to high wrist grips… but that is NOT me!!!!

Find what works, enjoy it to the max cause if it’s arrows being properly tuned or the grip or whatever, once a bow and you dance well together, like Steve said, try to enjoy but figure out WHY? New arrows might change the dance…or your draw, etc…simple things like the type limb tip protector can change arrow tune enough to see or feel!

Good luck and enjoy the ride!

[TMS]

#13691

Thanks for the comments thus far.

The grip on both feels very similar to me. But the Bear feels more “natural” overall when I draw back to anchor compared to the PSE. I was using the same arrows with both bows (Easton XX75 Camo Hunter 2117). I picked up some arrows at a local sportsman’s show for 50 cents each in various spines (2215, 2216, 2219, 2315, and 2413) to test both bows as well. I’m hoping that will help me decide which arrows each bow really likes but it will probably just cloud the issue even further. 😀

I’m still curious about the relative noise and relative weight differences between the two bows. Is a one piece bow usually lighter than a takedown? Is it possible that the one piece bow is inherently quieter compared to a takedown with separate riser and limb pieces?

[Doc Nock]

#13709

Great questions you have…

I read that many guys like take downs because they can get more mass in the riser using varied woods and wood/composite combinations.

Most suggest that a heavier was weight riser quiets the bow and steadies the shot… Each has to find their own way… no real shortcuts, but the journey should be one of self-exploration with a grin on your chin!:P

I hope you have more than one each of those spines…gets sorta tricky to check spine with ONE shot at a time… but can be done…

Noise is often a result of many factors…pre-load at brace height, vertical and horizontal limb stability such that some designs transfer more of the stored energy into the arrow and some of them, due to design, tend to “rock your world” and cause more vibration/ ergo, noise!

Now to step aside for the real experts…:shock:

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#13967

TMS wrote:

Is a one piece bow usually lighter than a takedown?

Yes, in general. A 3-piece takedown in particular will usually be noticeably heavier than a one-piece equivalent, due to hardware and additional materials involved. It’s part of the trade-off for the added convenience of packability with a takedown. But additional mass isn’t always a bad thing.

TMS wrote: Is it possible that the one piece bow is inherently quieter compared to a takedown with separate riser and limb pieces?

No. Whether a bow is one-piece, two-piece or three-piece has nothing inherently to do with bow noise. I’ve shot two and three-piece bows that were just as quiet as one-piece bows. The number of pieces in a bow, assuming it is a well-designed bow, doesn’t necessarily contribute to bow noise. However, a number of other variables, such as bow design, string material, arrow weight, etc. will all make a difference.

Welcome to the forum!

[TMS]

#14661

Thanks, Smithhammer. I figured that the takedown would be heavier but wasn’t sure if that was true across the board.

I have to say that I like shooting the PSE, especially since it’s what I started out shooting. But I “love” shooting the Bear. It just feels all-around better to me, even though both bows are the same length and there is only 5 pounds difference in listed draw weight. I think I have definitely found a keeper.

I also picked up a Bear “Cub” at a local gun show recently. It definitely needs some TLC. Someone in the past painted the belly in a bad camo pattern and that is peeling. The bow is so dirty that I cannot even read the serial number, AMO length, and the draw weight. If it wasn’t for the Bear coin and the sticker on the upper limb (“Bear : Glass-powered : Cub”) I would have thought it just a no-name recurve. Now I’ve got some research and work to do as I want to restore the bow the right way and I have never done that.

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