undecided

I am in the market for my first recurve. I have killed several deer with my compounds, and would now like the challenge of doing it traditionaly. Anyways, can you please advise a decent bow for whitetails, I would like to spend no more than absolutely needed, I dont have to have the best or anything, so whats the cheapest recurve I can get into thats capable? I also like my compounds short, as I mostly hunt from a treestand. Any help would be greatly appreciated. give me some brands and the costs (new and used in good shape) and what length and poundage. Thanks Bill

kevin1

One piece or take down ?
You'll have to go to a shop that has a good selection , or several shops , and try them all . All trad bows are different , it's part of their charm . I'm also new to recurves , I practiced with a 40# one piece , then recently bought a 50# take down . I have been comfortable with both from the start .

arrowsmit

You might find a good buy on a used bow on eBay, but you risk getting a clunker as well. If you go that route be sure & email lots of questions to the seller & check his eBay history.

Ultimately I'd suggest a Chekmate Falcon priced at somewhere between $200-$300 *NEW*. Awesome bows at a fantastic price. Get ahold of Chad at: www.recurves.com . He is a Chekmate dealer & is a very honest, knowledgeable, & helpful guy. Chad usually has a good selection of bows in stock & I bet he'd be happy to help you out.

Good luck & welcome to the pack!

Arthur P

Even though traditional shooting is growing by leaps and bounds, it's getting darn difficult to find a dealer that knows diddly poop about traditional bows, much less one that actually stocks any. You'd be well served if you can locate an all-traditional shoot in your neck of the woods and go have a look-see. That's a quick way to see a whole mess of different bows. There's always somebody got a bow or two for sale at a trad shoot.

You wouldn't believe the variety of different style bows out there; recurves, longbows, hybrids, one piece and takedown, in all kinds of lengths.... in all kinds of price ranges too. There is something for everyone.

I gotta throw in a ditto on recurves.com and Chek-Mate.

3dchamp

If you our looking for a good recurve that wont break you .I would look at Martins line of trad bows ,yes they do make compounds , but they also have been makeing trad bows for ever . Also pse offers a low dollar bow to start out with . But if you can spare 500.00 or so go on ebay and get your self a Black Widow , it well save you alot of time and money in long run, they our the best . I have shoot them for years, and when I started , I wish I would have spent a fue extry dollors to get one . Iam shooting a Hoyt Avlon now for RU class but I think there is not much diff. in speed or smoothness. good luck
Bill

LBR

Thanks for the good word men--I try!

Undecided, can you tell us more about yourself? What poundage you are comfortable with, what your approximate draw length is, etc.? Your draw length will have a big effect--you don't want to go too long as you will loose performance without gaining much if anything, but you don't want to go too short as the bow may stack and be picky. What is short and what is long can vary with different styles of bows.

E-bay or classifieds can be a good place to find a good used bow if you know enough to ask the right questions. You still stand a chance of getting a dud, but you can greatly reduce those chances. If you use e-bay, check the seller's profile. Some folks pretty much make a business of selling there, and some may specialize in bows. Others may not have a clue, just selling something they found at a yard sale.

Black Widow makes a dang good recurve, but I couldn't say that it would be "the" one for you, no more than I could say my favorite (Chek-Mate) would. For some folks they are the best, and some folks don't care for them at all. I'd try a few, along with some other bows, before taking that step. Even if you do like them, you won't know yet what style, length, poundage, etc. is best for you.

Martin probably makes the best over the counter bow on the market, but their prices are as much or more than some custom bows, and in my experience they don't take too well to a longer than average draw length.


There is a lot to consider, and a lot of opinions to wade through. If you can, attend some shoots and try out some bows to get a better idea. If you have a shop that caters to trad shooters, that much better. It will be trial and error for a while, but that's just part of the fun!

Chad