NEW BOW!!!!!!

[Silent footed]

I disappeared for a little while. Not much to do in Jan/Feb except work and recover from 4 months of hunting season and 8 months of practice.

Anyway, I just got a new BOW!!!!!! It has not arrived yet.

Martin Mountaineer ML-14 from ebay. Decent price ($177).
68" amo, 75# at 28", Backset.

My draw length is 24 3/4" and I am figuring on 3 pounds per inch of weight loss (on the bow ) to get to my 65# ballpark draw weight.

I normally prefer a 64" bow, but 68" is acceptable for me. I am slightly worried, though, that these longer limbs will yield only a 2# per inch of weight loss (longer bows tend to stack less, right)? But not a big deal. At this price, For $177, I accepted the risk and settled on the bow.


Anyways, have you guys owned one of the mountaineers, or know about them? I see that Martin no longer makes them. Just wondering a little about their history, or even just a little history of Martin in general and other bows they've made. I'd like to learn all I can.

Oh, also, does anyone know what this bow's brace height was (manufacturer recommendation)? That would be extremely useful.

Any positives or negatives to say about Martin (past or present)?

[Orion]

At that draw weight and that particular bow's tendency to stack, you'll lose more than 2# per inch of draw below 28 inches, probably closer to 3-4# per inch of draw.

For that length bow, I'd recommend a 6 1/4-inch brace height.  Some go lower than that, but it's a good place to start.

[stevem]

I had a ML-14 years ago.  Up to that time I had read about hand shock but didn't have a clue what it was or felt like.  I was quickly introduced to hand shock, and between the hand shock and fillings in my teeth rattling, I was given a mighty introduction.  Good luck!

[Silent footed]

Orion, That's great news about how the bow's tendency to stack is. Anyway, hopefully I'll know soon enough. It's due to arrive today! I'm even staying up extra late this morning waiting for it to come (I work 3rds).

Stevem, I've been a longbow shooter for a loooong time and I am not expecting any surprises from this bow in terms of having more handshock than others (not that I've noticed any). Maybe I'm just more tolerant. But, hey, Martin did discontinue this bow, so who's to say there wasn't a design flaw in terms of string-to-limb angle or being a purely backset bow that caused an inordinate amount of handshock in this particular model (I hope not  ).

[Wudstix]

Adam:
I had one back in the dark ages.  It was my first longbow and had a bit of thump to it, but performed well.  65# @28' so I was probably pulling 63-64 of that.  Eventually traded to my brother for a Bear Whitetail Hunter compound which was the first bow I had on my trip through my crazy years.(3)  As I recall it outperformed the compound.  He probably pulls @70# from that bow, haven't talked to him in years about it.  As I recall mine was 66" AMO.  Good solid bow.
                                        

[Silent footed]

Well, the bow is here, but it will be a week or so before I actually shoot it. I do see that potential for thump/handshock you guys were talking about: I can tell by comparing this bow to my second-hand custom, which has no handshock at all:

The Martin is 4" longer, with a thicker riser, stiffer limbs, and also larger hand grip than my custom; but surprisingly it is much lighter in weight. So I suspect there is not enough mass in the riser in these martins to absorb excess energy from the limbs.

Just a case of custom bows vs production bows: putting cheaper wood into the riser and hoping the consumer won't notice cuts quite a bit of cost at the factory in the production of 10,000 bows, (this bow was #7321).

[Silent footed]

Anyway, so far I am pleased with the bow. Final draw weight for me is 63.5# at 25"; and I won't complain one bit even if the bow jumps out of my hands. This bow was only meant to be valuable tool for still-hunting black bears down here in the Catskills. I have been wanting to step up to a higher draw weight for the past two seasons, but was held back by finances.

[Wudstix]

60# and up will give you enough zip on your arrows.  I'm tempted to come join you in the mountains for bear, it has been too long since I roamed central PA.
            

[BearBandit]

Couldn't you just shoot a heavier arrow to use up that "excess" energy?  Or is hand shock a result of poor design?

[Silent footed]

Well you are welcome up here any time Wud. Even if I'm not able to join you, I can show you where to go on the map. I'm not worried about someone killing all my bears with a bow, hell, I can't even kill one myself.    We do have a lot of them though.

Yes, absolutely, bandit. Heavier shafts. That's my plan (for more than one reason).