I'm too old and weak to shoot my bows..............my current line-up of bows that is!!
Many years ago when I was young and strong my bows ranged from 70#-78# at my draw length. Around 50 years of age I realized that I was struggling with the draw weight and as a result my accuracy was suffering. So I sold and traded my bows for new and used bows in the 60#-67# range, which have worked well for me.
Now, at 63 years of age, I've returned to the same scenario. I'm now struggling to draw my 60# bows to full anchor, hold as long as I want and shoot accurately. It's time to sell my current bows and buy new ones with less draw weight.
I shot several bows at RMSGear and discovered that my sweet spot is now around 51#-53# at my 30" draw length. I decided that I would like to try something new this go around. Currently I have a "go to bow" that I shoot all of the time while my other bows gather dust. This is because it takes me a lot of time to recalibrate my instinctive aiming when I switch bows since their trajectories and points of impact differ. I thought if I could buy 3 bows with similar specifications that shoot the same POI for me that I would enjoy shooting several bows in lieu of just one. I decided to go the custom bow route to more easily make that happen. Also I have specific requirements for limb veneers and wood risers as aesthetics of traditional bows are as important to me as performance and fit. I've shot a LOT of different longbows and recurves the past few years so I've got a good feel for many of the custom bows available and what features I would like in my new bows. See photo below of a violin with stained quilted maple veneer that has influenced me. Would it be possible for a bowyer to match that wood and stain?
After much research I decided to go with 3 models of Stalker Stickbows with similar specs that I hoped would satisfy my needs for performance, fit and aesthetics. South Cox assured me that he could match the violin stain (without the shiny finish of course) on my new bows. The specs of each bow are as follows:
Wolverine FXT, 62", stained quilted maple riser with black phenolic flare, one set of static limbs 52# @ 30" and one set of static limbs 46# @ 30" (for working on technique in the winter), stained quilted maple limb veneers with black phenolic overlays, carbon and bamboo limb cores.
Coyote FXT, 62", same riser, limb veneers and limb cores, one set of static limbs 52# @ 30" and one set of longbow limbs 52# @ 30".
Dingo FXT, 64", same riser, limb veneers and limb cores, 52# @ 30".
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The Dingo (one piece longbow is on the left, Wolverine (3-piece take-down recurve) is in the middle, Coyote (3-piece take-down recurve and hybrid longbow) is on the right.
I received the bows a few weeks ago and have been shooting them daily since. Each of the bows exceed my expectations for performance, fit and aesthetics. All 3 bows with their multiple limb sets shoot my 600 grain Carbon Express Heritage 250's where I look with the same point of impact. All of the bow and limb combinations are buttery smooth to draw with no stacking at my relatively long draw length. I'm impressed with the speed of my heavy arrows from the carbon/bamboo limbs. I'm still curious to see if one bow rises above the others and becomes my "go to bow". One thing that really surprised me after shooting the various bows and limb combinations so far is that I'm enjoying shooting the 46# limbs much more than I anticipated. I thought I would just use them for working on technique but I found that they are really pleasant to shoot and don't fatigue me at all. Also I'm amazed at how fast the lighter limbs are with lighter 530 gr arrows (same 11.5 gpp as my heavier arrows). The transition to the heavier limbs will be easy to do the latter half of this summer as I get ready for elk hunting.
South Cox was excellent to work with throughout this process. I consider his bow creations functional works of art. I smile every time I shoot my new Stalker bows.
Topic: New Stalker Stickbows (Read 2039 times)
