Can you feel the difference?

[mississippidude]

Hello all, I'm new to the forum and traditional archery as well. I've been reading a lot on the forum and enjoy the site. So a friend of mine gave me my first recurve. It is a Wing Thunderbird and I absolutely love shooting it. To get to my question, can you really feel the difference in a nice custom made bow and the bow I shoot? I got to shoot a Samick Sage and it had a lot more vibration in the handle. It didn't feel as good. My bow feels great to me. I haven't gotten to shoot, let's say a black widow. What will the difference be? Will it feel better? Shoot better? Thanks for reading.

[hitman]

Hi I am 65 years old and my first real hunting bow was a Wing Thunderbird when I was 13 years old. It is a fine bow, feel free to enjoy it and expect to take some animals with it.

[mississippidude]

Thanks for the reply hitman. My goal this year is to kill a deer with it. I'm motivated for more than one reason but would love to give my friend that gave it to me a call and tell him I killed one with it.

Wing Thunderbirds, Slimline Wings, and many other big company bows are every bit as good as custom bows.

[BOHO]

tons of great bows out there. thats the fun. try to shoot em all. haha  what part of MS you from? I live in Vicksburg

[Pine]

Welcome from Michigan .      
As far as your question , some hi end customs are awsom , but do you really need a Cadillac , when a good midsized will work just fine .

[mississippidude]

Thanks for the replies guys. Hey BOHO, I'm not too far from you. I live in Pearl. I'm not in a hurry to get a new one by any means. I just enjoy looking and seeing what's out there and the different styles. This bow feels really good to me. Besides, I'll be spending all of my extra money on arrows for awhile. I went to a shoot in Tannehill a week ago and lost a few.haha

[Archie]

Stick with the Wing, to start.  The more you become familiar with shooting traditional, the more you will be able to distinguish the subtleties between bows.

[Deno]

Welcome Dude!  Good advice from Archie!
Deno

[newhouse114]

In its day, you could not do better than a Wing! The Samick you shot might not have had the limbs tight in their brackets if you felt vibration.

[Longtoke]

Originally posted by Archie:
Stick with the Wing, to start.  The more you become familiar with shooting traditional, the more you will be able to distinguish the subtleties between bows.

x2

[mississippidude]

Thanks for the advice. I haven't even formed a solid taste in bows if that makes sense. I loved the take downs until I went to Tannehill and then saw all of the different bows and now I like one piece designs.  Anyway, I'm completely content with what I have right now.

[dirtguy]

The better you become the more difference your can discern and the more you know what you like.

[ISP 5353]

First of all, welcome!  The more bows you shoot and the more you shoot traditional bows the more you can feel the differences.  You have a sweet bow.  Enjoy shooting it and try to get to some of the big traditional shoots and then you can try shooting lots of bows!

[cacciatore]

The secret is how good you are to fine tune your rig.
It is incredible how well some fine tuned equipment can shoot

[slowbowjoe]

Had a used Wing Slimline Pro for some years, when I started shooting. Felt like a pretty good bow to me. Was my only recurve, so I can't compare directly to the current custom ones, but I bet yours is a really good bow. Should serve you well, and you'll know if and when it's time to try something else.

[Bowwild]

I remember the Thunderbird hanging in the Mr. Wiggs store (Richmond, IN) when I was 17 or 18 years old (1971-72).  If I recall that bow (all black) was priced closer to $100 than my occasional $20 budget could stretch. I wanted one but couldn't afford it. I think it was $25 more than the Bear Super K, that I also couldn't afford.

I think you have a great bow!  I've owned and liked Widows (3)...great bows.  I wouldn't have any qualms about the Thunderbird though. Its mass weight should feel very nice!

[Etter]

Just depends. I would punch my mother to get back a mass produced damon howatt monterey I let go.   But there are certain "well respected" custom bows that I wouldnt take for free if I wasnt allowed to sell them.

But a really good custom is going to be better for sure. There is a reason people are willing to pay $1300 for a widow recurve.

[mj seratt]

Try to hook up with some of the folks in Southern Traditional Archery club.  A bunch of wonderful people who will enrich your life, and you can learn more than you ever thought possible.  
As for your bow, it is a proven example of a product that has lasted for years at the top of the heap.  A custom bow will not be a magical aid to your archery.  Learn to use what you've got, then you'll know if you want to buy a custom.

[Michael Arnette]

The answer is yes, you will feel the difference