Hi Guys,

This my first post on these forums and I' m hoping you folks can give me some help.

After a long absense from archery, I bought a Martin compound recently. It' s a great bow and I would like to ask Santa for a recurve to keep it company.

In the late sixties I had a Bear Kodiak Hunter and a beautiful custom recurve made by a man named Fremont Sartain of Bay City Michigan. Both were great bows. it seems the only recurves made by big companies these days are made by Bear and Martin. I guess Martin bought Howatt? So here are my questions:

Does Bear still make a quality bow? I was thinking of the Super Kodiak.

How do Martin' s bows compare? I was thinking of the Hunter in the Martin line.

How about Chek-Mate bows? I' ve visited the Recurve website and they look like beautiful bows. What kind of wait times are involved?

Thank you in advance for your help.

I think Bear still makes a decent enough bow, but I don' t think they' re the equal of what they made in the 60' s and 70' s. Martin recurves are also good. Problem is, when you compare bow for the dollar, both Bear and Martin' s prices are a little too steep, compared to some of the custom bows. On the other hand, you can order one of either and have it within a couple weeks, if you' re not able to buy it straight off the rack.

I' ve been considering a Checkmate myself. Chad tells me the expected wait right now is 4-5 months.

Thanks Martin P. I was afraid the wait for Chek Mate bows would be in the months. The only thing I' ve ever waited 4-5 months for was my wife. Come to think of it, I had to wait 9 months for my kids.

I sure wish there were as many recurve choices around today as there were years ago.

Willie, check out the used bow market. Most of the time you can pick up an excellent bow for a fraction of what it cost when new. Lots of stickbow shooters change bows more often than they change their underwear.[>:][&:]

How does one find the " bow market" ??

Thanks, sse

That' s nice that you are going back to the stick. Just a word about Martin, you can have a dealer order any Martin to your draw length. Martin would be one good first pick. There are a lot of good bowers out there, just take your time and check them out. Two good bowers that I will be selling are Jeff Massey and Roy Hall. Just remember that price is not something that tells someone if that bow will be tops. Some times lower price bows shoot better than those going for $$$$. The market seems to be really going up in price. Just take your time and ask questions.
Good luck