Any of you guys own any Tomahawk Longbows? Ive been looking into one but havent had enough deversity recommendations to commit.

The specific bow is the Woodland hunter.

Imput appreciated!

Niccum

I think your Montana is a way better bow then the Tomahawk. I shot a Montana for years, looked into a Woodland hunter, like the looks of them and wanted one real bad....until I shot one. There are much better bows out there for a lot less money. I would buy something used from tradgang before i spent money on a Tomahawk or keep shooting your Montana. Once again, I'm not about hand shock thats why I shoot the bows I do, no hand shock what so ever, none! I shoot my bows pretty much on a daily basis year round, any bow with hand shock, no matter the price, would take the fun out of it! With that said, its up to you and what you like and dislike, try and shoot as many bows as you can for just that reason. I go to shoots and if I see a bow I've never shot, I'll ask if I can shoot it just cuz', 99% of the time folk swill let ya!

I've shot one, but it's been a while. One thing I've learned is there can be a world of difference in a bow that is tuned for you vs. one that isn't.

I've never seen a bow that has zero shock. A lot of it is perception--some folks say a "brand X" bow has no shock to them when the same bow rattles my teeth.


For a bow to truly have no shock, it would have to be 100% efficient at transferring all the limb's energy to the arrow. That bow doesn't exist. Energy that doesn't go into the arrow resonates down the limb to the riser, and that's where hand shock comes from.

Some have much less by design, some mask it well with a heavy riser, etc.

Anyhow...the only way to really know if you'll like the Tomahawk is by giving it a try. I'm not sure if 3 Rivers has a "try before you buy" program--it would be worth a phone call to find out

I agree, a lot of people have never shot a bow with zero hand shock and have no idea what it's like. With that said, John McDonald really knows how to build a bow and I must really be better at tuning them then I thought! LOL...

Its all good, no argument here, shoot what makes you happy, I do. I was just answering the OP's question!

From a purely technical standpoint, nobody has because a 100% efficient bow just doesn't exist. I have shot a few that had very little if any felt shock--no doubt there's a world of difference in those and one that rattles your teeth.


Same here. There are very few answers in this sport that are set in stone--and tons of opinions. The bow one person loves the next may not like at all. The best you can do is garner opinions, then you have to do your own hands-on research.

For instance, I once shot Bob Wesley's personal "Wesley Special". I've shot Rod Jenkin's Apogee riser with Adcock limbs. Neither of them felt that great to me, but the owner's have done some amazing shooting with them. I could never say those aren't great bows, they just aren't great in my hands. My old osage selfbow that a friend made for me has been used to win the Howard Hill--TWICE--but most folks wouldn't care to shoot it. It's relatively slow and has some shock...but it has worked well for me.

Point being, only you can decide what you like. The Tomahawk is well made, backed by 3 Rivers, and has out-lived several other bows. That being said, the one I shot wasn't "the" bow for me...but I didn't think it was bad.

Thanks for the responses, I think ill keep shopping around. I am also not a fan of hand shock I dont feel a trip to the dentist is worth it. Haha

Thanks again

Niccum

pretty pricey... im sure for that price you wont have any trouble finding a great shootin bow

A lot of bows to be had out there,custom or production. Try as many as you can get your hands on. Years ago I was looking at several custom bows. Prices from $400 to over $1000. Being a carpenter, I decided to try building my own. I ordered the plans and material and with a cheap portable band saw and hand tools built several bows that I still have today.
Most custom builders charge what I think is way too much for their products.
I used exotic hardwoods, Actionwood laminations, and fiberglass on my bows and never had more than $75 in material in each bow.

Yeah, handshock is a funny thing. My first Longbow was a Martin Stick. Shot that a number of years, and the whole time I was like, "Handshock? What is this handshock that everyone talks about?" Never noticed anything or gave it any more thought. Then I got a Bill Price R/D longbow. Very nice. And a few after that I got a Bob Lee Bicentennial Elite R/D longbow. Sweet.

So one day, for whatever reason I picked up the Old Martin and its arrows and shot it. Holy Cow! It felt like I had just fired a large caliber hand gun!

Nothing had changed except my perception of (and tolerance for) handshock. Basically those nice R/D bows had spoiled me.

So no, there can be no truly zero handshock bow, but each shooter is different, and a shooter's perceptions may even change over time.