brack non typical

[SL]

I have a question for you brack shooters- How does the non typical compare to the quest recurve?
I have two of Bills quests and love em. They're really the only recurve I shoot anymore. My name is coming up on his list this fall and I've really been struggling with what to order, stick with the quest or try his longbow?
Anybody have both? just looking for how they compare in cast and smoothness. Any feedback is appreciated.
SL

[Danny Rowan]

I own two Quests and have owned a Non-typical. It was not as fast as the Quest,very smooth on the draw and great cast, great bow but I just cannot stay consistant with a longbow. I am on the list for a Peerless.

[joevan125]

Peerless for me also in 9 months.

Joe Van

[SL]

hmmm
I forgot about the peerless.
You're not helping.lol

[amar911]

I have a BUNCH of Brackenburys (around 20), including 7 Quests, 2 Non-Typicals and 1 Peerless. I love all of them, but if you already have a couple of Quests, maybe you ought to try a Non-Typical or a Peerless. The Non-Typical is a fantastic bow that has a grip very similar to a Quest, but has reflex/deflex longbow style limbs. Unlike Danny, I find that I shoot my Non-Typicals very well and love them, but I also have lots of longbows and have never had a problem switching back and forth between them and my recurves. The Non-Typical is one of the smoothest shooting bows ever. The Peerless is a wonderful static tip recurve (some call it a semi-static tip) that is very smooth, quiet and stable, as well as being almost as fast as a Quest. I think the Peerless has a little nicer "manners" than the Quest, but with that comes the little extra care of a static tip recurve with all that torquing that a highly curved tip can create. You really must use a stringer and also make sure that the string loops are equally tensioned on either side of the tips or you may have the limb twist and pop the string off a tip. Once everything is properly positioned, there is not a better shooting bow on the market. And it is soooo smooth and quiet!!!!! If you are looking for something that is significantly different feeling than the Quest but still feels and shoots extremely well, the Non-Typical would be the way to go. If you want sort of a refined-feeling Quest that is a little more sensitive but sporty as it gets (think Porsche versus Mercedes), then go with the Peerless. One idea is to just get on Bill's order book and then come up to Oklahoma City sometime so you can shoot my bows and see what you like best. It will take about 2 years to get the bow built, so you will have plenty of time to get here to shoot my bows.      

Allan

[SL]

I might take you up on that offer Allan. Where in oklahoma are you?
I got on the list a year or so back so I have a while yet, but, its getting closer. I enjoy my longbows but I have always been more confident with the quests. I have an email into Bill as well. I figure since he makes em he might have some insight.
I would love to try one first. I believe anything Bill would put out would be top notch and the quest type riser with the lb limbs might be the perfect bow for me. I just hate giving up any performance though.

[amar911]

Scott,

I'm in Oklahoma City, so a fair distance away from you. At least I am near I-35, so if you are going north, I am probably going to be on your way.

We all hate giving up performance, but the recurve limbs are just going to be a bit faster than the longbow limbs in the Bracks. The Peerless is a tiny bit slower than some of the Quests, but not by so much that you would even really notice.

When I went to one of Rod Jenkins shooting schools, everyone there loved the Non-Typical I brought to shoot (along with a Shrew Classic Hunter). The Non-Typical was the quietest bow out of a couple dozen that everyone was shooting. The problem everyone had with the idea of ordering one was the cost and the delay. Otherwise, I think half the guys there would have placed an order with Bill. A couple guys did end up ordering a Shrew after shooting mine, but at a much lower cost and shorter waiting period than the Non-Typical. Those two bows are in totally different categories, so they really aren't in competition with one another.

Since I have all three Brack models here at my house (and lots of bows in the older Brack designs) you could get a really good feel for what works for you and the performance differences you could expect if you ordered one model versus another. Like I said, I have 7 Quests, but frankly I don't know why you need a third Quest for yourself unless, like me, you just enjoy collecting them in different wood combinations. If I were in your shoes, I would probably be deciding between a Non-Typical and a Peerless, and the model that is less like your Quests is definitely the Non-Typical. However, if you are a recurve connoisseur, you may not be able to pass on a Peerless.

Allan

[Cold Weather]

I have Brack Drifter. a its a good bow but frankly it is slow.  it uses a dacron string.  how do the new designs compare to the older designs.  as well, how do the Bracks compare to Wallace?  thx

[Lost Arra]

Peerless.


I'm still hoping Allan has a senior moment and leaves his Peerless at my house.   :D

[amar911]

Originally posted by Lost Arra:
Peerless.

I'm still hoping Allan has a senior moment and leaves his Peerless at my house.     :D  

Believe me, Bob, it could easily happen! The old brain doesn't work all that well anymore.      

I have several Drifters, and they are great, but they definitely can't accommodate Fast Flight type strings -- at least not for long before the tips start popping off! As a result of their older design and need for Dacron strings, the Drifters are not as fast as some of today's bows, including the more recent Wes Wallace bows. Wes built bows for Jim Brackenbury back in the late 1980's and early 1990's (Jim died in 1991), and Wes used the design of those Bracks (including the Drifter) for his original line of bows. The Wes Wallace "Mentor" is named for Jim Brackenbury. Many of Wes' bows are still pretty much the original Brackenbury design with some updates and Fast Flight compatibility. He has developed several of his own designs also. You can't go wrong with one of Wes' bows.

Bill Howland bought Brackenbury Bows many years ago and has built the original Brack design bows throughout the years. Like Wes, Bill updated the Brack bows to accommodate Fast Flight strings. He also designed some new bows, like the Quest, the Non-Typical, and the Peerless. The Quest is a fantastic bow that is probably the fastest of the group, and likely faster than the Wes Wallace bows, although speed differences are not tremendously large on any of these bows. The Peerless is close in speed to the Quest, and the Non-Typical is not too far behind. The Drifter will lose maybe 10 fps to the Quest, but it is still plenty to drive an arrow clear through a big wild boar in Australia from 35 yards out, as my buddy Doug Burns did last June. I would shoot a Drifter any day!

Hope this helps.

Allan