Bear montana, martin savannah, martin stick, checkmate crusader all can be had for under 300 used and great bows to learn on. Longbows are more forgiving. Not all, but some recurves can be tougher to master and tune. Don't ever buy one new starting out until you know what you want. You lost 40% right off the bat. My first one was a martin savannah, and I have been thru a dozen or so since then and still have the martin.