I had a 60" VL 53# recurve with Birds Eye maple limbs. It was very smooth and a very consistent shooter for me. A beautiful bow to boot.

Thanks
I'll check these out

Never had the pleasure but the craftsmanship is top notch.

I can't speak for the longbow because I've never had one from Norm, but I've had lots of time with a 3 pc Blacktail Elite recurve. Very fine bow, a hunting buddy of mine bought it from me when I was going down in weight and he liked it so much he bought two more new ones. 

curious about the 3pc recurve and longbow..  I have a sitka on order its getting close to the deadline I can change my mind on anything and Im starting to wonder about the 3pc longbow,  should i stick with the recurve or go for the longbow,,,,, has anyone shot one? im wondering if its the same as the other modern 3pc longbows using the same materials.

Comparing a 56" BW pchx 40@27 to my 42@28" 54" PIKA at my 26.5" draw length I was within a few fps of arrow combinations I tried in them---not enough to matter to me.  I'll take the Toelke hands down any day as I much prefer the feel of the PIKA and how smooth it shoots.  Performance is so close that it would not be a factor for me in choosing between the 2, just boils down to what I like the best.  I only whitetail hunt and 3d shoot with these bows and have had no issues getting trajectory I like and penetration has never been an issue ---at my rather short draw length so I don't ever see myself chasing speed.  I gravitate toward bows that I just seem to shoot the best and the Pika is one of them.  If you're looking for a bit more speed in a recurve I will say that the Toelke Chinooks I've had shot faster for me than the above bows.

Quote from: JgRg1215 on January 15, 2026, 09:22:28 PMHow does his longbow shoot and handle and how is the performance on them? He definitely builds a nice looking bow.

The grip is very comfortable. His limb design is one where you don't feel a lot of pre-load as with some other more extreme reflex deflex longbows. I don't have a chronograph, but it casts an arrow quite nicely. I think it's a pretty fast longbow. Others have reported zero hand shock. I'm finding there's a little hand shock with mine. It's far from the worst I've felt. Almost every single black widow PL I've ever tried has had more. It's an accurate bow. Brian cuts the shelf past center. I can also mention that, while I've never shot a stick flinger model, I've been told that this new model is an improvement on the stick flinger. But that's just me repeating what someone else said. Overall, it's a very good bow. Personally, I have a strong preference for my Thunderhorn 3 piece Heartstoppers and this Wessel, as good as it is, hasn't at all swayed me away from my Thunderhorns.

We have done as Ryan suggested but usually throw a bow square in our luggage.  But, simply threading one loop through the other and then pulling down on the end with the loop that you threaded through works.

For trips into the African bush, we also take extra strings that are ready to shoot as well as serving/tying string, nocks, nocking pliers, and even a fletching jig with some fletching.  Im sure that Im forgetting something.

 We manage to keep our duffles under fifty pounds with all of our clothes and gear.   We've never needed to launder any thing while there for a just over a week and that's changing hunting attire daily. 

You won't regret it Stringwacker.   

No they don't always go as planned but that's what makes the good hunts special. Thanks for posting you always share great content.