Want to try traditional

[finkm1]

I would buy a Grayling made Bear bow, either a Grizzly, or a Kodiak. They can be had for around $150 to $200 dollars. Lots of them were made in the 45# range. If you catch the traditional bug you can always upgrade and get your money back out of the Bear bow or keep it and own a part of archery history. Lots of people on this site will help you out. Back in 2005 I bought a Kodiak Magnum from an auction site just to "play around with", I fell in love with Traditional Archery and the K-mag still hangs on my wall with my other Bears and custom bows. If you get into Trad I strongly suggest you get a copy of The Traditional Bowhunters handbook by T.J. Conrads. Chuck full of useful information.

[TxSportsman]

Originally posted by Mclineman:
I'm shooting a Mathews Drenalin now, my draw length for it is 28.5 with a string loop, 60# draw weight.

First off, welcome to Tradgang... in my opinion you couldn't have found a better place on the internet for good traditional advice and a good community.

With that said, I am coming up on 1 year shooting trad and came from a similar background as you as far as bow weight and draw length in a compound. You will probably shoot close to 28" in draw length with a trad bow.

My first few traditional bows were in the 38# - 45# range. To really work on my form I settled on a 42# Recurve (I can shoot all day without fatigue). FOR ME, this weight was kind of the sweet spot... able to shoot without having to worry about getting tired, but also not so light weight that it wouldn't keep me honest. I found shooting under 40# was just TOO light for me.


I agree with what someone said above - the first thing you need to do is just get some arrows down range. Shoot and have fun with it, if you like it then you can worry about the "rest of the stuff".

I am about to move up in weight but that is after  almost a year of shooting. As said, every person is different... but if you were shooting a 60#compound maxed out or close to it, I have a feeling you would fit into a trad bow about the same as I did. It would be best to go out and try a few first of course.

There will be a ton of advice along the way which is great, but if you have any questions for someone that is only a year into it and learned a few things the "hard way" please feel free to PM me. Good luck and HAVE FUN!

[Michael Arnette]

Don't forget that bow length makes a much bigger difference in shoot-ability. I would stay in the 60 to 62 inch range when you were selecting a bow. Also, everyone here mentions the sage which is an excellent bow to start but don't overlook the classifieds here for a great used bow. If you see one you like, post about it here and people will tell you how they like it.

[Yewbender]

Welcome