Chad - I don't know how many I've owned ......... I had 17 at one time once and realized I had a problem at that point
I know within a dozen shots if the bow I'm shooting is one I'd like to keep. I have small girly hands - and its not unlike a glove when I pick a bow up, draw it and shoot it. Sure, you can fine tune the bow, shoot different arrows etc etc, but a bow to me has a "feel" and some just "feel" better than others and it don't take hardly anytime at all for me to "feel" a bow out.
Example recently I bought a 3 piece Adcock off a guy, 58# bow. Mine is 52# and I was giddy to get this 58# one. Got it in, strung it and first shot I knew that bow wasn't for me. Why ? Same boywer as my 52# bow, same poundage as my Shawnee, same length as my 52# ......... but it "felt" so much differnt. I hated it to be honest. The guy I sold it to ? LOVES it. Go figure.
I just bought a Bill Stewart 1993 model Multi-Cam recurve, 2 sets of limbs. I've never shot one of those bows and decided I wanted to. I don't think I'll lose money on it. Its a 64" bow with 55# and 59# limbs. Will it "fit" me ? Who knows - I won't know until I get it in my hand.