Can you feel the difference?

[nek4me]

There is a definite difference in smoothness of draw and overall feel of the shot between my Chekmate Attila -which is no way near a high end custom - and 40 year old Black Bear at 4 inches longer, 8lbs less weight, and more mass but was more of an entry level bow in it's time. Your Thunderbird is much better in design, materials, and mass than the Bear and for a first recurve you are in a pretty good position to start.

[FlintNSteel]

Wing bows (think BOB LEE) were some of the best available.  Bob Lee still makes exceptional bows and of all bows I've owned over nearly 50 years of shooting, my Bob Lee and/or Wings have been my all around favorites.  So net, what you have is, in my opinion, among the top of the production bows.

Just like there are differences in production bows, there are differences in semi-custom and custom bows.  I've shot some customs that were not as good as top-end production bows and perhaps not even as good as mid-level normal production bows, especially considering the price tag difference.  In general top-end customs are probably "better" than production bows...certainly in beauty and hopefully in performance as well.

Bows are personal.  What I like and works for me could be quite different than someone else.  If possible, when you are ready, get your hands on something made by the bowyer you consider and find out for yourself.

[LBR]

Lots of variables.  My bet is the Samick you shot had the string that came with it, which is lousy.  Something as simple as a good string can change the way a bow feels a LOT.  Also, as mentioned, tuning makes a big difference, as does arrow weight, nock fit, your release, etc. etc. etc.

With some custom bows, you can feel a difference, with others, not so much.  I've shot some very expensive custom bows that were pretty bad.  The worst handshock I've ever experienced was from a "custom" recurve.  The uber-cheap Samick Journey I have, with a good string, shoots as well or better than many custom bows I've shot over the past 20+ years.

I think you have the right idea.  You said you haven't developed your taste in a bow yet.  That takes time, and even then your taste is liable to change as you progress.  There will be another shoot at Tannehill in June, the Howard Hill.  Come back and check out more bows, take your time, do your homework.

Chad

[IndaTimber]

Originally posted by 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

Went to highscool in Brandon, graduated and went to college in Alabama and haven't been back to MS since. Sure loved it down there!!

Oh yeah, Welcome and shoot what ya got, learn and have a blast!!!

[Etter]

Ive always wondered why people speak highly of the samick sage.

[Zwickey-Fever]

I'm not going to mention any names or company names. But I ordered a custom bow from a very well known bowyer with a great reputation. Took a little over 9 months to receive the bow. I set it up to the bowyers suggestion. I started grouping but the bow was the least forgiving bow that I ever shot. Every detail in my release and grip had to be just right for me to hit where I was aiming. I tried carbons, aluminum and wood arrows, different feathers, different weighted heads as well as different lengths of arrows. I wounded and loss 2 nice bucks the first year. I also founded out that the bow was actually 51#@28in. not the 55#@28in. like I ordered and the bow was marked by the bowyer 55#@@*in.. Come the second year, the upper limb cracked when drawling back on a another nice buck. So I sent it back with a money for another set of limbs. When I received my boy back, my grouping was worse. Come the third year while on my way to my stand a 150 inch class buck busted from the hedge row chasing a doe directly to me! He stopped broadside at 18 yards. The arrow fish tailed like no other arrow I have ever seen launched of a bow. My arrow hit the buck to only bounce out!! It only went in as deep as the broadhead with no blood on the shaft. I sat there with my jaw dropped. When I called the bowyer up to get his input, he asked if it was on video? I just laughed and said no and that there was something definitely wrong with his bow. His response was, "Let me shoot you with that bow and I will show you penetration". I said conversation was over at that point. The very next day, I took my old Martin Hunter bow into the stand and killed a 141 inch 8 pointer! I spent $1550.00 on that bow, 2 limbs. In good conscience, I could not bring myself to sell the bow so I just gave it away for free. The guy called me about 2 weeks later wanted to know what was wrong with the bow? I said if I knew, I would still have it. The bowyer did call back and apologized after he heard that I gave the bow away for free.
 My point is this, you do not have to spend a ton of money to be accurate, harvest animals or have fun. Find a bow that fits you and meets your needs. And by all means, I'm not trying to offend any bowyers, just sharing my experiences. My father who has been bow hunting since the 50's has killed a ton of whitetails with his old Shakespeare. Like I said, find a bow that fits you and that you feel comfortable to you. That bow for me is a Martin.

[ksbowman]

I have 3 Wing Thunderbirds and they are great bows. They are a lot better than most bows out there. I have and have owned several custom bows and my go to bows for the most part are Wing tbirds and Bear mag td's ( I have the wood riser Bears too). I have been shooting for over 45 years and have had as many as 35 bows at one time and the Wings keep being at the top of the pack to go hunt and shoot. Fast, quiet and dependable.

[mississippidude]

Thanks for all of the replies guys. I love how active this forum is! Mine is an AMF and I've read up on them but I'm curious as to what year it was made. Is there a list of serial numbers made by year anywhere?

[SteveB]

Samick comes with a pretty poor string. Putting a good one on it really changes the way it shoots.

[Sam McMichael]

I have few custom bows. Often, the only real difference between a stock bow and a custom job is that your name is printed on the custom bow. An individual bow is good or bad (assuming sound construction) simply determined by how it performs in your hands. A well designed bow should be smooth and you should be able to accurately shoot it easily. Sometimes, though, a particular style bow may not fit well into your style of shooting. This does not make it a bad bow, but it simply means that it is not a good fit for you. Most of us shoot non custom bows, and they work just fine. I have had only one Wing bow, a Redwing Hunter. It is a very nice bow. Performance, not cost and glamour, separate good from bad.

[md126]

My only advice is don't ever sell the bow you have now. Sounds like you really like it and you'll regret it. The grass isn't always greener with other bows.

That being said, I always enjoyed buying/selling/trading different bows and I'm sure you will too

[LBR]

I think I should note, although I do enjoy shooting the Samick Journey (I have two of them), I also have owned several custom bows, still have a few, and am down to about 4 months wait on the one I have on order.  Re-read my post and it could be taken that I don't appreciate custom bows--I do, very much so--but some of them aren't all they are cracked up to be on message boards.  Others may be a great bow, but with lousy customer service (as noted earlier).

[mississippidude]

Originally posted by md126:
My only advice is don't ever sell the bow you have now. Sounds like you really like it and you'll regret it. The grass isn't always greener with other bows.

That being said, I always enjoyed buying/selling/trading different bows and I'm sure you will too

That is the same advice I got from the guy who gave it to me. Never let go of your first bow.

[forestdweller]

I've shot a few factory made bows and honestly, the smoothest drawing bow I have shot yet was a selfbow that I made recently even though it was extremely slow (Came out underweight and the limb design was poor).....

I feel as though within 25 yards I could shoot a tree branch that is still green and unseasoned and still kill game with it as long as it had adequate fletching.

That being said my main problem with most of the factory made bows being made is that they are designed for high performance at low poundage which means recurves that are touchy and longbows with lot's of reflex/deflex that feel stacky early on in the draw and are not much of a joy to shoot.

Some mentioned the Samick Sage and samick Journey and I have shot both of these bows with arrows ranging in the 9-10gpp area and they are both extremely slow and are very touchy and like most recurves feel very stacky due to their high preload which has to do with how much energy they store at brace.

They were also both very noisy even with string silencers and dampeners and a high brace height.

The best factory bow I have shot yet has been a Samick Sage Longbow, very forgiving and very fast. Faster than the Journey or Sage Recurve using even heavier arrows with the Sage Longbow.

Just my $0.02

[T4HALO]

While stationed in Yuma AZ from late 97 until mid 2000 I had the opportunity to shoot a lot of 3D matches.  It seemed there was a shoot every weekend if you weren't afraid to drive a few hours.  It always made me chuckle when some guy would wait for the crowd to get big and then pull out his very expensive custom.  The more they spent the more they wanted you to notice.  Some of these guys shot pretty well, others not so much but they talked a big game.  I was shooting a #45 65 Kodiac I picked up years earlier for next to nothing (gave it to my nephew) and had a lot of fun with it.  I always tried to pair up with one of the show off guys, after the first few targets the found something they had to do I didn't see them the rest of the shoot.  

You have a fantatic bow.  It was made by some of the most skilled American craftsman ever.  Guys that took pride in their work.  Never get rid of it.  Finding one better will be tough.

I like old stuff, my go to deer rifle for the Michigan woods is a waffle top Marlin 336 in 35Rem.  Made when men gave a crap about what they were making.  

Done ranting.  Shoot what ever makes you happy.

T4

[LBR]

Not my experience at all with the Sage or Journey.  The Sage stacks a bit at the end of my draw (31"), I don't feel the Journey stack at all.  I'll check on my digital scale when I think of it to be sure.

Haven't checked the speed on a chrony (no idea where mine even is...haven't used it in a long time), but they aren't slow, or unforgiving.  

I haven't shot one with the factory string though.  That could be the difference.  I'm sure it's at least part of it.

[LBR]

T4, I've done that with my Journey.  Shot one tournament with a guy who wasn't trying to be flashy, he's just serious about shooting--he had a high-dollar target rig.  He beat me, but only by a few points.  I've won two long distance novelty shoots at the KY Tradfest with my Journey, killed a deer with it, and killed my biggest stingray to date (approximately 100#) along with lots of other big fish.

[creekwood]

What are the vital numbers on your Thunderbird?

[mississippidude]

This is what it has on the riser:
62"
T-2-539
AMO
45x#

[creekwood]

That should be a pretty sweet shooting bow. Even if and when you might get another bow, hang onto that one.