I have been shooting compounds for a few years and to be hounest Im sick to death of them. I,m thinking of a recurve because they seem alot more simple to setup and tune. I shhot without a site on my compound so will it be difficult to adapt to the recuves characteristics. The bow i have been looking at is a Bear Super Kodiak at 55#. How does this bow rate perfomance and quality wise compared to custom bows, and is it a forgiving bow for a beginner to shoot? Also what sort of accurasy can I expect from my bow?

Hey, Brody, glad you want to venture to the world of traditional archery. It's a lot of fun, and as you said, a lot simpler. Bear bows are generaly a well made bow. I use to have a Kodiak Hunter from '79 that was in great condition. However, 55# could be a lot to start on. If you start with too much, you may not be able to develop proper form and thus won't be able to shoot consistently. From my experiences, and the testimonies of others, I believe accuracy with a stickbow is a byproduct of consistent form. Since you don't use sights and you've been shooting a compound for a while, it'll probably be easier for you to adapt, but it still may not come as quickly as you'd like. If you can, find a bow of lesser poundage to start on; around 40-45#. You can find some relatively cheap on Ebay and other classified sites. With your compound, are you using a release? What's the poundage and your draw? Depending on your set up, your draw is likely to drop an inch or two. A "shelf bow" is generaly a given poundage at 28". Meaning, if it's marked 55#, it means 55#@28", unless otherwise stated. A lot of bows will have the poundage, and at what length of draw that poundage is reached. If your draw is different than the stated draw you'd have to compute the poundage at your draw. A bow could be 55#@28", but it would be 57#@29". A "shelf bow" may not be as nice as a custom because shelf bows are built to suit a wide range of people, however, custom bows are built to suit an individual. Shelf bows can still shoot very nicely though. You can have great accuracy with a traditional bow. As I said earlier, I believe accuracy is a byproduct of consistent form. To be more accurate, acheive a more consistent form. In the end, have fun with whatever bow you end up with. In the simplicity of the bow and arch of the arrow lies the lure of stickbows. It doesn't appear to me as a machine, but as a work of art, and extension of myself. As you get into it more, bring your questions here. There's a lot of guys here that know a lot about traditional archery.

God bless,
Brandan

Welcome Br0dy, good to see you here.

I don't know a thing about the bow you're considering so I won't venture there. I will say, that even though I don't know you and you might well be able to handle the 55# weight, it's more than I'd recommend for a beginner to start with. Plus, if you are drawing over 28" with the bow, you can add another 3# per inch of draw over the 28" and if you're drawing less than the 28" standard, you can subtract 3# per inch of less draw. As far as the bow being forgiving, your personal draw with the bow and the characteristics of the bow will dictate that. I like a longer bow as they tend to be more forgiving.

Since you've been shooting your compound without sights, the transition might be easier than someone who's never shot without them.

My experience with production bows is fairly limited. I started shooting with a 67' Black Widow. Also owned a Bear Griz and still own an old Shakespeare trident target bow and a Martin Hunter. The old widow was the best shooter of the bows. Smooth, fast and accurate for me. The Martin was a distant second. The first custom that I owned is a Chek-Mate Hunter II takedown recurve and it shoots circles around the Widow and all the rest. My wife now shoots the bow as I went to a longbow. However, this is just how it went for me. It's different for everyone as we all have our likes and dislikes in wood bows cause they all shoot different in different hands. I've shot some very pricey customs that didn't hold a candle to the Bear Griz, yet the man shooting the bow was happy as a kid with a big bowl of chocolate pudding.

Again, it's good to have you join us here. Hang out and ask away and don't be shy about offering up some tidbits of wisdom either.


Make them sharp and shoot them straight, or leave them home.

Not much I can add, but I prefer the older Bear bows over the new ones--at least the ones I have seen and shot. They might not accept the newer string materials, but they shoot great, and have character that the new ones seem to lack. If you can find an old Grizzley or Black Bear at a decent price, and it's in good shape, jump on it--excellent shooters (pay no attention to the physical beauty, or lack of it--some of those old bows with the mint green glass are a bit homely). Several of the old Shakespeare and Ben Pearson's as well--there are still quite a few old Pearson Cougars around, and they are great shooters and do not command a collector's price.

Good luck!

Chad

Long Bows Rule!

Thanks alot for the help guys. I really value the info you gave me and it will definatley help me in deciding which bow to shoot. I think you guys are right in saying that its a bit of a heavy pull for a beginner but my draw length is actually about 26 inchs which may make a difference. The fact that I have chosen that bow is because I live in a small country town in Australia, and its basicly he only new bow for miles! plus its at arealy good price. Anyway, thanks for the info and if you want to know anything about hunting in Australia I'll do my best to help you out.

-Brody

I just bought and watched seven of the old Bear Videos of the past. On one of them they take you through a tour of the Grayling Michigan shop where the old Bear Bows where made. It got me thinking how much precision and real quality control was put into making these old bows. If you look at the difference of bows today you can see why archers tend to buy from a craftsman than mass produced by a big company. Fred had people working for him that made the difference and I am sure he kept a close eye on his product. If you want to see this personal tour by Fred himself try and find "Badland Bucks/Arrow For A Grizzly/Rural Route #1 7941-519. The video I think I liked the best was The Restless Spirit 7941-505.

BrOdy, the Super K is indeed a fine choice, but 55lb could be a little on the stout side indeed, at least while you are learning. If you are set on the Super K, perhaps you can look at buying a used bow in the 40#-50# range to develop your form and allow your muscles to adapt to the different shooting characteristics of a recurve (vs. a compound), then purchase the Super K as your hunting bow. You can find good used bows in a number of locations, especially pawn shops, garage sales, etc, usually at very reasonable prices. Also, look at ebay, you can find a plethora of used recurves. When you see something you are interested in, post a thread here asking for advice before buying. The folks here will point you in the right direction!



YBIC,
Dave ><>

Matt 6:33,34/Rev 3:20

Thanks alot blokes

BrOdy the bow your checking out is a fine bow I own 12 recurves and 2 of them are the Bear Super Kodiak's but like a couple of the fellow hunter's here said maybe drop down in lbs for the first time using a recurve it's a whole lot different than pulling a compound.
I think you will enjoy using the recurve less weight less noise and less problem's, other Bear Bow's you might want ot check out are the
Panther it only come's in a 45lbs great starting bow,The bear grizzley it come's in 55lbs and 65lbs also the blackbear it come's in 35lbs 45lbs and 55lbs all great bow's good luck