Deciding on a new recurve..

[DeadeyeDiaz]

I've been shooting on and off for a few years using my fathers Shakespeare Sierra x18 52" 40#. Was the first bow I started teaching myself with and I am realizing, I would like to give my dad back the gift my mom gave him when they were dating, and pick up my own. I'm giving up on the world of cams and strings (as cool as they were) for what feels natural and right. Admittedly the knowledge I have when it comes to selecting bows is not extensive, and that's where you all come in!    

From my criteria I've come up with three bows that have caught my eye. The Martin/Howatt Hunter, Martin Mamba, and the Bear Super Kodiak.

I figured the increased length of the bow would be a bit more forgiving to variations in my form. Again, not sure if that logic is sound at all so please, guidance would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also figuring it wouldn't be a bad choice to go up in weight to around 50 or 55. Practicing recently I was shooting for roughly 4 hours, non stop, and only towards the end did I feel shaky and unable to really handle my bow. Unfortunately there's not to many trad shooters at my range. The few that do, shoot bows that feel as though they draw much lighter than mine so I'm none to sure of what would be appropriate.

Saw a few of these around TradGang and a few other forums but I would love some more info before laying down my hard earned for one..

Care to lend a helping hand?

[cyred4d]

All three that you have listed here are good bows. I would recommend shooting all three if possible and then deciding. As far as going up in weight, 15 lbs is a big jump, 10 lbs would be easier to handle.

[ksbowman]

I have two of the three you mentioned in my stable. I have a 55# Hunter 62" and a 57# Super Kodiak 64" 1968 model. Both are very good shooters and you would be happy with either. The Howatt Hunter would be my choice of the two. They are very quick and can be bought very reasonably. I'd go with the 50# if you are making a jump from the 40# unless you are sure you can handle 55#. The extra weight sure helps keep a nice flat trajectory and gives a little more room for error when judging shooting distances.

[Stumpkiller]

I have a Dream Catcher - similar to the Hunter - abd a Kodiak.  I draw 29-1/2" and the Mamba I tried stopped hard at 29".  Nice bow but an abrupt stack at the end.  

I'd recommend the Howatt Hunter of those three.  It's a well designed bow.

[DeadeyeDiaz]

Seems like everyone I've asked online is saying the hunter is the way to go. Good to know about the stack on the mamba, I draw, from what I've been told, "a bit past 30". I never gave it an honest measure though, definitely seems like a good idea to do. For curiosities sake, what makes the hunter so recommendable?

[CoilSpring]

The hunter is longer (more forgiving and likely smoother than the shorter bow you are using) and is usually faster than the other two, all things being equal, so you may use a slightly lighter draw-wt bow, but get equal speed to a heavier draw-wt bow. Holding too much weight can hurt accuracy.  It and the others are proven designs.

Take a long arrow and measure from the bottom of the arrow nock to the 26" location and mark it with a Sharpie, then measure & mark 27, 28, 29,30, and 31.

Draw the arrow back to full anchor, and have an observer note the inch-mark on the arrow directly above the deepest part of the grip.  Add 1.75" to that inch-mark. (ie. 28.5" to deepest part of grip + 1.75" = 30.25") The total is your AMO draw. It is usually shorter than a compound user's draw because of holding weight being more on a tradbow.  

If you truly draw 30", your 40#@28" bow will be about 44-46# at your 30" draw.  Keep this in mind on a different bow.  A 50#@28" Hunter will hold at about 55# if your draw is 30".

[buckracks7]

With your draw length, I would also say the Hunter. I prefer the Mamba for myself, but I only draw 27".

[OBXarcher]

deadeye, I am not too far away, down in Kitty Hawk.

Shoot me a PM maybe we can hook up and shoot sometime.

Mark

[Whip]

I'm another Damon-Howatt Hunter fan.  Great shooting, and looking, bows.  Personally I like the Super Kodiaks as well, some years better than others.  Many of the SK's were 60", and with your draw a bit longer bow is going to feel better to you and stack less.

I'll send you a PM about a Damon Howatt Hunter that I have that you might be interested in.

[Friend]

Shot a Sierra Shakespeare from the early 70’s thru the mid 70’s.
Can’t comment on your choices for there are much more reliable sources that have already provided you knowledgeable feedback.

If in fact you are drawing 30 and or 30+ inches then likely 62”s would be the minimum for disceranble comfort.  Shooting in comfort will facilitate enhanced focus on shot execution and will definitely improve the over-all trad experience.

Draw wt: Jumping 5#’s is noticeable for most and in some cases possibly quite challenging.

Moving up 10#s is significant and may initially have you compromising your form.

You must elevate your focus on attempting perfect shot execution on each and every shot and put the bow down as soon as you notice shot execution degradation. May take a little time to build up, but keep in mind to listen to your body and form and respond accordingly. The last thing any archer needs is to be over-bowed. Not only will the shooting competency be negatively impacted, but the thrill of the shot and trad experience may wane to the point of no return.

Fifty pounds in conjunction with the correct over-all arrow design will produce an extremely lethal set-up. Your extended draw length, will even further upgrade the lethality potential.

Jumping fifteen pounds may be a recipe for disaster. My decisive suggestion would be that you must definitely own your form and complete shot execution at 50#s, and then decide if you still actually have the need to move to 55#s. If so, then you will be much better prepared and self- informed before foregoing that next challenge which should no longer be the major endurance scaling of a 25,000’ summit.

Best of luck with your final decision!

[legends1]

Shoot all you can then make the choise that best fits your likes.There is no one bow for everyone.WELCOME TO TRADGANG!

[grayfeather]

I shot bears and howatt bows when I first started ,but  now an into the custom bows.I have a Legends recurve and have found it tobe very fast and smooth.The big difference is how smooth it is,and I think one reason  is because of the carbon .There are alot of custom made bows and there is not a big difference in price. good luck!

[DeadeyeDiaz]

Measured my draw length with the wingspan / 2.5 formula, came out to ≈ 29". With regards to my form, I've been working on it and I did realize that after I started to get fatigued my accuracy did suffer. I'll take heed and see if I can find a 45#, if not, would under drawing a 50# or 55# be a viable option? I would assume it would compromise my form and lead to bad times but I'm none too sure.

I'll admit, I've been neglecting my form as of late. I've chiefly been focused on my release. Been using 3 under and right before shooting I pull away my ring finger. Releasing off two seems to have helped greatly, still working on findings something that I can consistently replicate. Generally my shots seem to be aligned in a horizontal stitch with some vertical spread. I just sort of went ahead and assumed my form was OK, though in hindsight, wouldn't be a bad choice to review it a bit.

[DeadeyeDiaz]

So I happened upon a pretty nice deal for what looks like a Hatfield 55# with a quiver and fairly fresh flemish string for $200. Is acetone safe for the finish on the limbs to remove the paint?

[Whip]

Acetone is pretty harsh and could cause problems with your finish.  Safer is finger nail polish remover which is actually just diluted acetone.  It depends on what kind of paint was used, but be prepared to apply plenty of elbow grease as well!
Enjoy your new bow  

[joevan125]

I also have a 30in draw and you can get really fast arrow with your draw length.

I would go with a 45lb bow and work hard on your form because if you have bad form you will NEVER be accurate from one day to the next.

Also the longer bows shoot much better than most of your shorter bows with that kind of draw length.