I am thinking of getting a Northern Mist Supeior longbow as soon as I sell my compound, and ws wondering how good Bamboo limbs are. I have heard they are the best, that they aren't durable, they are are ugly, they are are pretty, they are fast and smooth, they cause handshock, they get rid of handshock. What is the truth? Think cocobolo would be a good match for a riser? I can get Shedua or Cocobolo. It also comes in 64 and 66". What would be better for a 28" draw( assuming my draw drops a bit, it is 28.75 now with my recurve)?

put a snake skin over them, they wont be so ugly then LOL....I shot one of John Schulz's bow...just wish the guy who had it woulda had it made for a longer draw....I wasnt impressed with the speed but I was impressed with how it shot. I didnt really thump when I shot it but she definatly let you know you where shootin her. Not quite as stable as my crusader then again it was 4&quot;es shorter! my experience is bad but that is from very limited experience with it....I do however have a new bow with bamboo limbs...I'll let ya know what I think tonite after 3d shooting till muscle failure <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>!

Edited by - Lilhunter on 01/21/2002 15:06:26

Talk to the bowyer and see what he thinks. Some bowyers I have talked to and/or researched love it, some say it doesn't make any noticeable difference in their bows, and some just won't use it. I have limited experience shooting longbows with bamboo limbs, and I will (cautiously) say the few I shot were not remarkable in performance, nor could I tell any difference in them over one with wood limbs. If possible, shoot two of the same bow except one with and one without bamboo, and draw your own conclusions and/or talk to as many bowyers as you can and get their opinions.

Chad

Wasn't bamboo Howard Hills favorite limbwood? Heck I ain't arguing w/THAT! But then of course that was before the advent of &quot;actionwood&quot; wasn't it?...Heehee!!<img src=icon_smile_clown.gif border=0 align=middle>

All joking aside, I'm w/LBR - it's according to which bowyer you talk to (& maybe what day). I've also heard a chinese (I think) bamboo called tonkin cane to be superior even to other bamboo limbwoods. Right now I have two longbows w/bamboo limb cores, both supposedly tonkin (who can tell?). There's a slight but not remarkable difference in them & similar bows w/other limbwoods, so The benefits of the lighter mass weight of bamboo coupled w/its supposed better resilience have been nominal in my experiences. Sounds alot like the deal w/carbon limbs doesn't it??



Edited by - Arrowsmit on 01/21/2002 19:31:44

I have tonkin cane limbs - I think they are beautiful. Golden honey color, and very good performance too. I have been told that tonkin cane limbs with carbon back is the top performance bows. If you put anything over the carbon (its black I guess) other than a very clear laminate, like snake skin or another wood veneer, you are hindering the performance somewhat.

I love bamboo, and the bamboo/carbon might very well be my choice if/when I get another set of limbs for my longbow.

[Deleted by Admins]

hey Vic, I wonder if that has to do with it becoming a lamination under glass kinda touching on what stealthy said about putting anything over it reducing its performance. Still didnt hit the range with Plywoods bow but I will definatly post my limited experience with bamboo limbs. That schulz bow I shot was a dog and stacked like crap, then again it was made for a midgit (sorry pard if your watching in the blinds <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>!

My last several bows that I have built have bamboo actionwood cores. I believe that there is a modest increase in performance. Actionboo seems to smooth the draw a bit. I've quit looking for the &quot;Break Through&quot; design for my bows. IMO, materials do matter but not greatly. Design is more important. Dick

My Sley Recurve has bamboo limbs.
I kind of like the way they look.
They look best with a bocote riser, imo.
My Sley shoots 12fps. faster than my Dakota Recurve so I'm pleased with the bamboo limbs so far.


Sag.

Wow Sag, thats a lotta difference! How similar in draw/arrow weights?