I want a good hunting shooter with a good warranty with the quality or damn-near quality of " Black Widow" or " Groves," but for less cost.
Tentative Specs:
1.Takedown with good limb locking system
2. 60" to 62" length
3. 7-1/2" to 8-1/2" brace
4. 45 to 50 lb @28" (I pull a 30.75" shaft)
5. Good " center shot" cut
6. Narrow grip (prefer alum riser)
7. Can use high performance string
8. Prefer interchangable limbs for varied draw-weights
9. Good warranty and service rep
What is a reasonably good recurve (mfg) these days that meets the above specs. What is today' s recommended limb material and design for best longevity and performance?
Several of these questions depends on who you ask, but I' ll give it a shot.
1.Takedown with good limb locking system--Some bowyers prefer to use a two-bolt, I have found no problems with one bolt, even with heavier bows.
2. 60" to 62" length--Not a problem there with most any custom bow, and many production bows.
3. 7-1/2" to 8-1/2" brace --same as above
4. 45 to 50 lb @28" (I pull a 30.75" shaft) --very common weights--what weight are you looking for at your draw? Some bows gain more pounds per inch than others
5. Good " center shot" cut --Most of today' s recurves are cut 3/16-5/16 past center
6. Narrow grip (prefer alum riser)--only aluminum riser I know off off-hand is one of the PSE bows, and I don' t reccomend PSE trad bows to anyone. Narrow grip is easy on a custom.
7. Can use high performance string--cuts down on your choices a bit, but still a lot of bows to choose from.
8. Prefer interchangable limbs for varied draw-weights--should be doable on any take-down.
9. Good warranty and service rep--Black Widow offers 2 years, pro-rated. Most any company will do at least that good, most will beat it.
Over-all, my suggestion for a production bow would be a Martin take-down, for a custom a Chek-Mate Hunter I or II. The Martin might stack a little at the end of your draw, but shouldn' t be much. If you custom ordered a Chek-Mate, there is an expected wait of 4-5 months right now.
Lots of great bows on the market that will meet or exceed your requirements, but these are the two I am more familiar with.
Good luck!
Chad
__________________
"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all."-- Theodore Roosevelt
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Ecclesiasties 10:2
The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican........I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats
First off, I have to tell you--I am a dealer for Chek-Mate, so I could be biased--then again, I know more about them that the average owner. I became a dealer after I had seen and shot some of the bows--I was amazed.
Chek-Mate has been in bussiness going on 31 years, under the same ownership. They don' t advertise, or rely on gimmicks, artwork, etc. to sell their products. Dealers are allowed to advertise, but the company does not (the company does not sell direct either). There are four people at Chek-Mate--Dorthy and Larry (the owners), Marc (the bowyer), and Rose (Marc' s helper). They produce between 500-750 bows a year, with very few problems. In my experience, when there is a problem, it' s taken care of, no questions asked. Being such a small operation, they are not the fastest, but things do get done. I have been shooting their Crusader longbow for several years now and it is, to me, the best I have ever shot. I haven' t shot nearly all of them, but I have owned many, and shot many more--both " cheap" and high-dollar, and none were as nice in my hands. The " official" warranty is 2 years (full, not pro-rated) against any defects in materials or workmanship, but I know of them taking care of bows that were much older.
My Crusader is 66" , and pulls 66 pounds at my 30.5" draw. It gains 2.5 lbs per inch out to my draw, and with arrows that weigh 620-640 grains I get in the mid to high 180' s. I had a 64" that was 5# lighter that gained 2# per inch (no stack at my draw) and seemed to be as fast or very close(I didn' t chrony it) with the same arrows. The recurves are at least as smooth and fast.
You can get bows that are a little faster and fancier (artwork on the limbs, grouse foot inlayed in the riser, etc.), but I don' t think they will shoot any better or last any longer and will cost a whole lot more.
I thought hard about posting this due to the obvious conflict of interests, and I want to make it clear--this isn' t an advertisement, just my honest opinion and answer to a question asked.
Chad
__________________
"We can have no '50-50' allegiance in this country. Either a man is an American and nothing else, or he is not an American at all."-- Theodore Roosevelt
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Ecclesiasties 10:2
The last four letters in American..........I Can
The last four letters in Republican........I Can
The last four letters in Democrats.........Rats
I have 3 CM' s, a Hunter II, a Falcon Special, and an Attila. In my humble opinion, there is not a better bow made today for the money. The quality is as good or better than many bows costing up to twice as much. The finish on all my bows is flawless. As far as the bowyer, I do not know him personally but I have talked to him over email numerous times. Very straight forward honest individual as is Chad. (LBR) I did not buy any of my bows from Chad as I only bought one new and the other two I picked up used. When I ordered my new bow I did not know of Chad but I can say without a doubt, when I get ready to order another, I will order it through him. (makes a heck of a nice flemish string also)
Like I said, I have shot many different brands of bows, but I can honestly say that I have not shot any that I liked better than the Hunter II. I have however shot some that I liked considerably less and the cost was much more.
As far as speed, I would say they are right in the middle of the pack. Some faster, some slower.
If you choose a CM, I am quite sure you will not be disappaointed.
Suggest a recurve mfg/type
) and sweat out the wait. 
