olddogrib

After 30 years of shooting compound, I am finally going to do something I've always wanted to try, buying a second-hand recurve and learning to shoot instinctive. I think I want a 45-50#, 58-60" model, but was a little overwhelmed by the offerings on Ebay. I know there were many good bows from Wing, Shakespeare, Bear, and Pearson, but having shot none of them, what is the concensus best for a beginner? I'd like to keep it under $150 and I'll probably shoot off the shelf. Also, any tips on what to steer clear of would be appreciated.

Richard McCullough

Hello, I bought a Bear recurve off E-Bay last year to use for bowfishing, The bow is in good shape, but the upper limb was twisted, a little twisting in the oposite direction fixed that, and that comes from standing them in the corner of the closet, and not hanging them up. Anyone of the brands you listed are great bows, and your poundage you suggested is perfect. don't try to overbow yourself at the beginning and that is easy to do with trad bows. Ask the seller if the limbs are twisted, I notice allot of folks on there didn't know what they are talking about, or what they had. Enjoy. If you have an idea I what you want on e-bay, let us look at it to. I be we can help you out there. Good luck, and welcome to trad archery.

BobCo19-65

I would also agree that you could get a decent bear recurve for about $100. You may want to look around though at various meets and shops and make sure everything is OK. A lot of people like e-bay, but whenever I buy something there, I am always in the "hope" mode until it gets to me.

Let me also suggest getting a decent book on traditional shooting. One of my favorites is by Byran Ferguson:

http://www.byronferguson.com/gear_book.htm

Arthur P

If I had my choice, I'd give Wing a slight edge over a Bear. Bear over a Pearson. Pearson over a Shakespeare. But I wouldn't turn my nose up at any of those brands. You should be able to get a better deal on a Wing Red Wing Hunter than you can on a Bear Kodiak because there is less collector interest in Wing.

Lilhunter

go up to 200 and the Martin Hunter or Mamba are great begginer bows. They do however frequently go from 170-200 bucks.

There is another great site for used bows. One being here, from time to time there are a few decent deals. Or you can go to http://www.women-outdoors.com/traditional There is a super list of classifieds there including most if not all the other big classifieds sites in her list.