Bighorn Recurve

[BlueGrass Man]

I am looking at getting a used Big Horn recurve, has anyone heard of this one? I would like to hear some opinions, I am a newbie I'm talking brand new into bow hunting and would like to go with a trad bow.

Thanks

[wyomingtrapper]

Their reputation is good. I think Fred Asbell founded the company, but sold it 15 years or so ago. I've shot one only once. It stacked like a mother, but shot okay. The nicest bow I've shot, other than those I've made, was a Great Northern. It was sweeeeet!

[BlueGrass Man]

Thanks for the info, how long have you been making bows? I've looked at some sites that have build alongs, how do you pattern your risers?

[tatonka]

I had one several years back. Mine was a 66" 66# Custom Take Down. I liked it a lot, but over the years arthritis in the shoulders got the best of me and I could no longer shoot it, so I sold it. I took a couple nice bucks with it and shot it a lot. I looked at getting some lighter limbs for it, but the limbs were going to be more than what I paid for the bow when I bought it new. So, now I shoot a 50 lb. Hickory self-bow....nothing fancy, but it serves the purpose.

[JimPic]

I had a 56" t/d recurve,58#@26".Beautiful bow! had osage limbs,was plenty fast and very accurate.had to get rid of it because the weight was a bit much.I'd get another if the right one came along.

[Arthur P]

Bighorns are very popular at our club. There was a running jokethat if you didn't shoot traditional and own at least one Bighorn, you weren't really a true member. [8D]

Mine was a 66" Custom TD. Drew exactly 55 pounds at 32", exactly as ordered. No stack in my bow, at all. In fact, I could easily draw it back behind my ear and not feel any stack. It shot great too. I could just never get comfortable with the grip, so I wound up selling it. Kinda wish I still had it.

[BlueGrass Man]

I have some plans from a different web site that tells how to make a board bow? It involves 1 piece of wood and shaping the bow out of that. No lams or anything else, other than the grip area and the arrow rest.
I read about the "tiller" and what it's suppose to do. What are the dimensions between each step to see if the bow is acting evenly at a draw.
I'm thinking this would fall under a long bow.

[wyomingtrapper]

"how long have you been making bows?"

I made a take down recurve about 18 years ago and a second set of limbs for it 5 or 6 years later. I then built a longbow about 8 years ago (there is a pic of it in the "missed the bull, but..." post. I've got the limbs laid up for a take down longbow, but probably won't get around to finnishing it until next summer.

May bows were made from bingham kits. Maple and glass. The takedown longbow will have zebra wood. These Bingham bows shoot very welland don't stack at all. If you want a good bow, like to build your own equipment, have fundamental wood working skills, or just can't afford a good custom bow, I'd recommend building one. The risers I kind of make up as I go. Just work on them until they both look and feel right.

[BlueGrass Man]

I haven't made my first bow yet, but will buy the supplies on the way home tonight. That's why I'm starting with a simple plan of using just 1 piece of wood. If I succeed in this I'll try and do something a little more difficult, like a recurve.
Can't wait to get started.

[Scoobiedoo]

Back around 1977 Bingham made beautiful semi-finished bow kits. Wish they still had 'em for sale. They were about 80% finished and only required some final sanding and smoothing out with wood files to get burrs off the wood. They were very reasonable and had great looks and style to them. They had vertical laminations and stripes you could get our of purple wood (or not), black glass limbs, etc. I had 2 I made. Wished I still had 'em! They had like 2" wide limbs. Great bows and really quality. Wish they would make them again.