Which brand recurve for beginner?

[NA]

#5435

I’ve been hunting my entire life but only with guns. Friends have been telling me I need to get into bow hunting but I never was interested in compounds. I want to get in to bow hunting but want to go the traditional way. I have no clue what the good brands are and was looking for y’all to help me out a little. I’m looking to spend around $250. I know I need to just try them out but need to figure out where to start. The bow shops around here don’t have many if any recurves. I really don’t want to buy used because you can’t ever tell about the other person and how they used/abused their equipment.

[Etter1]

#40811

There are a million good bows out there in that price range, especially the bears like the grizzly and kodiak, but I would really try to get my hands on a Damon Howatt Monterrey, A Howatt Hunter, Or a Martin Hunter. These are all the same bows, but I think are the most forgiving, quietest recurves on the planet.

Several of my friends shot my howatt monterrey this weekend and both were very impressed with it even though one of them shoots a custom bow and the other shoots a bear.

Just my advice, but it’s much easier to learn trad shooting with a very forgiving bow. I really wouldn’t buy shorter than 62″ either.

Good luck and welcome to the fold.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#42025

You might want to give these guys a ring:

https://www.rmsgear.com/store/pc/index_new.asp

Very helpful, and lots of good quality used bows in stock that you wouldn’t be taking a chance on, like something off of an auction site.

[handirifle]

#42152

Here’s my 2cents worth. I’ve been shooting bows since I was about 8 years old, am 59 now. No way am I an expert, but I have hunted with bows, built bows and owned more types and brands than I can remember.

I have also taught a lot of people how to shoot a bow, starting from scratch, and I will tell you the one WORST thing to do is buy a hunting weight bow to learn archery on.

Instead of learning proper form and stance, and release, etc, you’ll be learning to pull and hold the bow, the rest will be secondary.

With that said, if I were starting someone out today, I would say buy something like the Sammick bows I see on Ebay (no affiliation at all) but I say a bow like theirs because you can pick a bow model and size (I agree with the 62″ minimum, by the way) and buy limbs in the 35-40lb range, and later move up to 45-55lb weight to hunt with.

Sure, you buy 2 sets of arrows and 2 sets of limbs, but the end result is you will be a better bow shooter, and a more satisfied one.

I would not plan on hunting this season, since you are totally new to archery, there just isn’t enough time to learn.

For the first set of limbs, I would just get target arrows and not worry about broadheads. That way you focus on one thing, learning to shoot properly and accurately.

How important is form?

As an example, let me talk about the South Koreans, you know those guys that have more gold medals in Olympic Archery, than any other nation? Well they train their archers in form, for YEARS, before they ever get to pick up a bow and shoot it. Form is THAT important, and as such, not being over bowed to start is every bit as important. Target bows are seldom over 40lbs draw weight, most recurve target bows are in the 35lb range. They are also long bows (not a longbow style, but long in length) being at least 66″. The reason is, as mentioned, a longer bow is more forgiving. Keep in mind, they shoot at 90 meters too.

So, I’d say get a takedown bow, in the 35-40lb range, preferably one that has higher pound limbs available, you might buy both at the same time, to make sure you have them later. I would say to go up no more than 10lbs in draw with the hunting limbs.

Get a bow in the 62-66″ length as well.

Good luck and good shooting!

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#42192

Lots of solid advice there. ^

Being over-bowed is definitely one of the most common beginner mistakes, if not the most common.

[Jason Wesbrock]

#42821

Handirifle absolutely nailed it.

[Stumpkiller]

#43287

Pearson, Browning, Bear, Martin/Damon-Howatt. Should be able to get a used one for under $150 that is in excellent shape.

That’s what I shoot.

[Stix]

#44204

You should check out the Samick Stingray from Lancaster Archery. I got one and love it. It has gotten great reviews from the traditional brethren.

[handirifle]

#45550

softpoint wrote: You should check out the Samick Stingray from Lancaster Archery. I got one and love it. It has gotten great reviews from the traditional brethren.

It looks like a nice bow, except for a beginner it’s a bit short. Plus, at least my feelings on it, he’d have to buy two bows. being new to archery entirely, and going right to traditional, I would never recommend a newby buy a hunting weight traditional bow. way too many mistakes in form will be ingrained into them. Once in there, they are very hard to get rid of.

[Stix]

#47463

I believe you are absolutely correct and stand corrected. I automatically think of archery as bowhunting and in this case a hunting bow may not be the correct path for you. I miss-understood the question. I would look at some of the Samick bows and follow the previous postings regarding first time/beginner bows.

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