Starter bow

[edward.penny]

What would be a good starter bow to learn to shoot? I'm thinking about 30lbs and would like a recurve.

[Alexander Traditional]

Everybody talks about Samick.

[Roy from Pa]

Welcome to trad gang, Ed.

30 pounds would be a good weight to start at.

Look around for a used bow.

Are there any trad shops close to you?

They will let you shoot their bows before you buy.

[The Whittler]

Lancaster Archery has a great selection of inexpensive bows. Great place to shop.

[Eric Krewson]

What you should buy would depend on your draw length. Hold a yardstick on your chest and extend your arms without stretching and see where your fingers touch the yardstick. This measurement will give you a ballpark estimate of your draw length.

Bows are marked in poundage for a 28" draw, if you draw more than 28" add 3# per inch to what the bow is listed as, if you draw less subtract 3# per inch. For instance; if you want a 30# bow and draw 26" you need to buy one in the 35# range to have close to 30# at your draw length.

If you have a draw length over 28" you may want to steer away from short bows below 60" in length. These tend to increase in poundage at a rapid rate after you pass a 28" draw, instead of 3#per inch they may start gaining 5 or 6# an inch or more, we call that stacking. Shorter bows are harder to shoot because they aren't "forgiving" of your form errors.

Some of the $75 to $100 chinese bows on the auction site are pretty good bows to start with.

If you find what looks like a good deal on a used bow but the poundage is too high for you to handle you will never be able to shoot that bow well, get one that fits you.

[reddogge]

I'd consider an ILF (International Limb Fitting) rig. The cheapest is around $180 for the riser and $120 for a pair of limbs. You can upgrade or go up in weight with better limbs as you gain experience. A lot cheaper in the long run than buying different one piece bows. They are also available on the used market even cheaper.

[David Mitchell]

I have been shooting a long time and had and still have some nice custom bows on the rack, but a few months back I needed a light draw weight bow to do some work on my form so I ordered a Galaxy Ember take down from Lancaster Archery in Pennsylvania (it can be bought with either longbow or recurve limbs and they both fit the same riser).  Not only did the bow impress me but it is still the bow I usually have in my hand these days as I ordered more limbs to have a variety of weights.  The bow looks great, has a great fitting grip, and has a very smooth draw.  Cost is $200 and extra limbs can be bought for $80.  Up the cost scale a bit is the Galaxy Classic series take down recurves all under $300.  Hard to beat.

[Longtoke]

Lots of good options out there,  look around for vintage bows like a bear grizzly, the black hunter 3 piece bows are also great options and can be had for a song.

[76Aggie]

I always recommend a Sammick Sage when asked this question.  They are takedown bows and you can get limbs in almost any weight.  I bought one a few years ago as an inexpensive 40 lb bow to help rehab my shoulder.  It shoots as good as I can for sure.  I have a few really nice bows.  The more expensive bows just cost more and look prettier but the Sage is a real shooter.  Also, if you decide you want to take a step up just hang on to the Sage to introduce some of your friends into trad archery.

[starshooter]

If your new to this get yourself a PSE Heritage . It’s 3 piece and you can get upgraded limbs - start st 20# go  up to 40# & 5 # increments are available as well.
These are youth bows and come in 62” & 60” lengths. All for pocket change ie
under $100.00. Dicks , BPS and  Cabelas have them .Its an excellent way to learn
basics .I wish the hell they were available back 26 yrs ago. Hold off
on custom for now . Samicks and Galaxys are also excellent choices except not readily available at stores. You have to order.

[Kingstaken]

Black Hunter 3 pc takedown are descent bows that you can buy different interchangeable limbs to shoot either a recurve (I recommend for a beginner only to get alil more oomph for the arrow at low #) or a longbow and buy different weight limbs from 30#-60#. About $100 complete bow online. Add'l limbs about $70. My son still loves his Samick another great bow.

[Krex1010]

30# is a good starting point in most cases....you can look around for a used bow or go new. There’s actually quite a few new bows available now that are just solid shooting bows at very reasonable prices, some have been mentioned already. A longer bow is also easier to learn on so go light and not short.

[Stinger]

As a few others have stated, the Samick Sage is a great starter bow.  I got one for my wife and I love to shoot it when working on form.  I decided to get one for myself and then saw the Old Mountain Edge recurves on the big auction site for $70.  A little reading on the web says some guys that used to work for Samick started the Old Mountain outfit and that the bows were even better.  I was skeptical about a $70 bow, but I figured for $70, how could I go wrong.  I ordered one and have to say it is actually finished nicer than the Samick and shoots just as well.  My wife liked the smaller grip on the Edge better and so I put the heavier limbs from the Edge on the Sage riser and the lighter limbs from the Sage on the Edge riser and we both have bows that fit us perfectly.  Dump the dacron string they come with and put a 10 Ring string on them and they can't be beat for the money.  I have a number of nice custom bows, but these shoot every bit as well.

[SAM E. STEPHENS]

Another vote for the Galaxy Ember bows , think I have 11 of them now. Great shooters and priced right also , have been my go to bows over the last year. I draw 30in and have no issues at all with stacking. Look up all my threads from the last year .....

,,Sam,,

[jimmytidmore]

I’ll plug the Galaxy Ember as well. I’m relatively new to traditional archery, began with a set of 30 pound limbs last year to get started and then purchased a set of 45 pounders when I was ready to hunt. I just put the 30 pound limbs back on this week to tweak some things to do with my form. Nice to have that option and still have less than $300 in the whole setup. Not sure when I’ll “upgrade,” but don’t really feel the need right now.

And you should do a search and take note of all the animals Sam has taken with his. Pretty impressive.


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[edward.penny]

Ordered me a Samick Sage  with a 30# draw. Hopefully I can also get a 50# pair of limbs once I get good with the light limbs.

[Roy from Pa]