I found 3 vintage bows for 50$, should I buy them for training?

[olivestab]

Hello, I am new to the forums and traditional bow shooting.
I recently experienced traditional shooting with a bamboo longbow and recurve hunting bow, and It blows compound bows out of the water.

The feeling of shooting traditional bows is exhilarating, and from that day on I told myself I would buy a traditional bow if I ever took up bow hunting.

Well today is that day.
I decided to save up and maybe buy a new bow 5 months from now when I have the $$, but I stumbled upon a craigslist ad for 3 vintage longbows for 50$ and I want to know if they are worth buying for starters.
The sale only includes the bows, no strings or arrows. They are all around 66"
He said they should be oil treated, and that he has never strung them.
Here are pics:
-The middle is a stemmler bow,
-The black one is a actionbow made by actionrod , 18#.
-The last one is unknown, but made with banana wood and a hand leather grip.
 
 

Should I buy these, fix them up with oil and string and start training?
I know I have a long road ahead of me to learn, but eventually I want to focus on medium game (deer), but still be able to take down a moose "if" it appeared by surprise

[old_goat2]

maybe, maybe not, thing about those old bows is, they might break stringing them up or they might last another 50 years. I personally wouldn't, but that's me not you. For just a little more money you could probably buy a bow on the classifieds that will be a lot less risky!

[olivestab]

classifieds here? have a link?

The problem is that It would take me a while to save up 150-200$ because of financial crap these days.
I didn't expect to see an ad like this, because I can pay that NOW.

I figure they would be good starter bows, but I appreciate your input, and I would value more if others can reply to the thread.

[Sockrsblur]

my brother dan bought a nice looking longbow in the same manner you are considering. it came with 6 arrows he paid about 200 i think. he shot it enough to really like it. it delaminated 30 days before the bow season started. He was out the 200 and still had no bow. My first longbow also blew up after shooting 2mo. or so. I agree... save your money and buy off the classified here. its worth the wait to me knowing what I do now. good luck with your choice!

[Pat B]

Buy them and save them as pieces of archery history.

[olivestab]

A few people told me that stemmlers where the highest grade fiber glass bows and where good shooters.

But that is a generalized fact, not specific for the bow in the craigslist ad because I do not know it's history.

I cannot spend money just to hang these on walls, but if anyone else feels that they are worth the money for performance I would like to get them.

Considering the replys on this forum, I may end up buying a classified one here if it is inexpensive.

[threeunder]

If it were me, I would pass.  Also would start saving my money and watching the classifieds here.

[old_goat2]

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=5

I've known your financial pain, thing is, even with the fiberglass one, till you string it up you won't know if it has twisted limbs etc.. You can buy a brand new Samick Sage from several of the sponsors on here for around 150 bucks, top it off with a fast flight string and you are hunting with a very very nice little bow, highly recommend the fast flight string if you get one though, makes a ton of difference in performance.
Check out  www.rmsgear.com   they are a sponsor on here and have a ton of used bows that you can count on to be fully functional, they also sell the Sage. If I was starting over now and know what I know now, the Samick Sage would be my first bow til I could save up and get a nice custom. Now don't overbow yourself with too high of draw poundage

[old_goat2]

http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=5  

I've known your financial pain, thing is, even with the fiberglass one, till you string it up you won't know if it has twisted limbs etc.. You can buy a brand new Samick Sage from several of the sponsors on here for around 150 bucks, top it off with a fast flight string and you are hunting with a very very nice little bow, highly recommend the fast flight string if you get one though, makes a ton of difference in performance.
Check out  www.rmsgear.com   they are a sponsor on here and have a ton of used bows that you can count on to be fully functional, they also sell the Sage. If I was starting over now and know what I know now, the Samick Sage would be my first bow til I could save up and get a nice custom. Now don't overbow yourself with too high of draw poundage. Get the lowest you can ethically take your intended game with, good thing about the sage is you can get heavier limbs for very resonable later as you grow into it.

[old_goat2]

here's a link to the Samick Sage, and if your going hunting, I wouldn't recommend buying the cheaper Samick Polaris, it's not fast flight capable and doesn't perform near the level of the Sage. They also sell the fast flight strings for less than 20bucks

 https://www.rmsgear.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1532&idcategory=88

[Plumber]

If you had extra money I would buy them.If you don't then pass.then I ask myself is there a such thing as extra money? good luck go to the classfides an get your self something that will serve you well.

[Whip]

As tempting as it is to buy something now so that you can jump right in I would recommend waiting until you can save a little more to get a bow that will have a much better chance of lasting for the long term and meet your needs as a hunting bow.

The classifieds here are a great place to start.  Don't be afraid to put a "Wanted" ad on the classifieds and see what might come up for you.  Lots of people here have way more bows than they need!      

[SELFBOW19953]

Have you been to my house, Whip?  More bows than they need, no such thing!!!

[Mudd]

Here's another suggestion ...it's going to be way different than anything you've read so far.

Give thought to finding a copy of the "Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Volume 1".

Do some reading then build yourself a bow.

I've seen decent, good shooting bows made with nothing more than a hatchet or an old kitchen knife.

God bless,Mudd

PS: Head over to the Bowyer's bench (http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum&f=125&submit=Go) and you'll get more help than you can shake a stick at...lol

[John Scifres]

I would almost have to go look at the bows and see if they are safe to shoot.  For $50, if any of them is 40# or more and safe to shoot, you have something.

Find a local club and talk to folks in your area.

[2nocks]

I would keep looking, a nice bow can be found around that price range. It may take some time but if you're patient you can find a bow that will work for you.

[Moots]

I would pass.  I think you will find a bow on TradGang that will be a good deal, and that you will be happier with.

[doug g]

I bought two bow just like that when I first started  out. Both blew up on me. If you want them buy them as wall hangers, for a bit more you will find a good bow on here and have much better luck.