Custom bow ??????

[Chain2]

I am thinking of a custom bow. It would be my first. I am currently shooting a Great Nirthern Bushbow. Which I love, #55 @ 30". The only person I have talked to is Zac Ferguson. What is the process? Zac mentioned fitting the grip to my hand, which sounds good. Do you normally try one out of that makers before buying? I have almost a 32" draw, big hands and I shoot 3 under. Looking for a long bow. Everything I know about longbow shooting has came from here. Thank you

[VictoryHunter]

Stalker Stickbows!

[FerretWYO]

Look at Stalker you wont go wrong with one. He even has a test drive plan where you can try out a bow.

[Bow man]

I see you are here in Michigan. If you can wait a couple of months to order come to the Kalamazoo Trad expo and you can shoot a bunch of bows. This way you know you are getting the best bow for you. Or at least do a test drive from the bowyers you are considering. A bow that shoots great and a guy loves won't shoot or feel good to another.

[D.J. Carr]

I'm in the same situation.  I keep looking at custom bows, but just don't really know the process.  I would like to shoot something before I buy, but I am on the opposite side of the country as several of the bowyers that I would want to look at.

[Zradix]

Originally posted by Bow man:
I see you are here in Michigan. If you can wait a couple of months to order come to the Kalamazoo Trad expo and you can shoot a bunch of bows. This way you know you are getting the best bow for you. Or at least do a test drive from the bowyers you are considering. A bow that shoots great and a guy loves won't shoot or feel good to another.

Really is a GREAT idea.

[nineworlds9]

Originally posted by Zradix:
 

Originally posted by Bow man:
I see you are here in Michigan. If you can wait a couple of months to order come to the Kalamazoo Trad expo and you can shoot a bunch of bows. This way you know you are getting the best bow for you. Or at least do a test drive from the bowyers you are considering. A bow that shoots great and a guy loves won't shoot or feel good to another.

Really is a GREAT idea. [/b]

+1!!!

Here in Florida I have to buy and sell bows to try stuff from different makers...we don't have big trad shows like up there.  You're really lucky.  I'd listen to St. Joe River bows and wait til the show.  Or try some used bows.

If you can't wait, SJR makes a great bow, also in Michigan is River Raisin bows, also lovely and shoot well.  Stalker are great.  Also strongly consider Big Jim.  His Buffalo and Thunderchild are superb.  Toelke is a great choice.  My personal go-to bowyer is Leon Stewart.  He's the man.  Really the sky's the limit.  All depends how you want your bow to look, what you wanna spend and how long you wanna wait.  Not sure about SJR, but Stalker and Toelke both have short waits, like 2 months.  Others may take half a year or more.  

Go to the show!

[legends1]

Yes, the grip is very important but you can also have the weight you want made at your 30".I also have a long draw and that will mean a lot to you as far as smoothness.

[Chain2]

I have never shot a bow around anyone who knows alot. I traded a gun for a Wesley Special, I shot this Bushbow and liked it. I bought it and sold the Hill. I killed an elk with the Bushbow, but I am pretty green about all of it. I would like to get a bow perfectly fit to me. I also need guidance on shooting and arrow, size and weight for that bow. My arrows fly OK but it really is all I know. Maybe with a different bow/arrow combo flight would be better. Thanks Guys. Kalamazoo is a good idea. I should show up there with my glove and some arrows.

[LongStick64]

Fyi

Great Northern is considered a Custom bow by the way. And Jerry might be one of the best in the business. His bows may not be the prettiest but they are great bows. Bottom line is there are many great bows out there and many custom options. I say stay with what you have and the suggestion of the Kal show is a hands down solid bet. I wish I had a show like that near me, would of kept me from buying selling trading over 50 bows before I settled on what I prefer now.

[DennyK]

X2 for Jerry, If I was to get a longbow it would be one of Jerry's Bushbows.

[Bow man]

Originally posted by nineworlds9:
 

Originally posted by Zradix:
 

Originally posted by Bow man:
I see you are here in Michigan. If you can wait a couple of months to order come to the Kalamazoo Trad expo and you can shoot a bunch of bows. This way you know you are getting the best bow for you. Or at least do a test drive from the bowyers you are considering. A bow that shoots great and a guy loves won't shoot or feel good to another.

Really is a GREAT idea. [/b]

+1!!!


Here in Florida I have to buy and sell bows to try stuff from different makers...we don't have big trad shows like up there.  You're really lucky.  I'd listen to St. Joe River bows and wait til the show.  Or try some used bows.

If you can't wait, SJR makes a great bow, also in Michigan is River Raisin bows, also lovely and shoot well.  Stalker are great.  Also strongly consider Big Jim.  His Buffalo and Thunderchild are superb.  Toelke is a great choice.  My personal go-to bowyer is Leon Stewart.  He's the man.  Really the sky's the limit.  All depends how you want your bow to look, what you wanna spend and how long you wanna wait.  Not sure about SJR, but Stalker and Toelke both have short waits, like 2 months.  Others may take half a year or more.  

Go to the show! [/b]

We have a 60 to 90 day wait on a custom depending on the time of the year Deer season and late winter order rush slow it down

[Chain2]

I do plan on going to the Kalamazoo show. I appreciate all the advice.. Looking forward to meeting some of you guys there. Thank you

[Bladepeek]

I have bought and sold so many bows over the last few years, if I didn't keep a record (and I do), I couldn't begin to tell you how many.

My purpose was to try everything that appealed to me or seemed to be "THE" hot bow. I kind of have that out of my system now and am pretty happy with what I have.

I will sell 2, or probably 3, of my current bows once I get my new RER LXR in January 2014 and concentrate on shooting what I then have as well as possible. I will have 1 or 2 "D" type longbows, my Lost Creek r/d right-hander, a recurve and an aggressive r/d longbow. I don't know which will be my "go to" hunting bow, but I'm sure one will rise to the top for me. Sure had a great time trying all the "new to me" bows off the classifieds  

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I sincerely hope i can make K-Zoo this year. that's one i haven't taken in yet.

[Easykeeper]

There's two sides to the fact that there are lots of really well made and good shooting bows available.  

One side is that it is tough to go wrong as long as you buy from one of the established and well respected bowyers.  Do your homework by reading as much as possible, looking at photos, talking to the bowyer, ect.  I have custom recurves from several bowyers and while I have my favorites I could happily live with any of them.  

On the other hand, every bow is different and with the prices most custom bows go for, to say nothing about the waiting period, I would be very cautious about ordering a new custom without spending some quality time with a similar bow first.  I mean more than a few shots, I mean tuning it up and going through the process of really getting to know the bow...first impressions can change as you find the right arrow setup, brace height, and just get used to it.  Ideally, the best way to go about it is to start buying and selling used customs to see what you like.  It will take some time but since used bows hold their value well you won't loose much in the process, and gain a ton of knowledge.  Besides, you might find the bow you love used and save a bunch of money and not have to put up with the waiting period.

I've had lots of bows over the years and I can't any of them were not well made and good shooting bows.  I can say I didn't really care for all of them though; even though they were well made and nice looking they were just not my cup of tea for various reasons.  I now have a couple bows I ordered custom made, another custom on the way, but they are versions of bows I have hanging on the wall that I bought used.  Aside from aesthetic choices I know exactly what to expect when I open the box.  I also have a few gems I found used in the classifieds that aren't going anywhere...      

Another thought, I know you are looking for a longbow...have you spent any time with a nice recurve?  I'm not saying one is better than the other but they are definitely different and most of us gravitate toward one or the other.  I would never know that I prefer recurves if I hadn't had a couple nice longbows along the way.  Just another variable to consider and another reason that the classifieds can save you a lot of money in the long run.  

Good luck in your search!

[Bow man]

Originally posted by Chain2:
I do plan on going to the Kalamazoo show. I appreciate all the advice.. Looking forward to meeting some of you guys there. Thank you

Hope to meet you there