Is Metal taking over

[PrimitivePete]

I admit this will likely cause some to stir but is traditional archery getting more like technical traditional archery. I don't mean this as a negative in any way. We all have our shooting choices and no matter what they are, it's all good. But it seems that more shoots I go to, the more likely I'll see more ILF/Metal riser bows and more advanced shooting methods than I have seen in previous years. I agree we all look for that edge, whether it's a new performance enhanced bow or carbon arrows or whatever we think is going to make us more successful. And I guess my point is are we losing our passion for the simpler bow, the wood arrows and the acceptance of our limitations of our equipment. I'll say it again more power to you if you are using every available advantage to make you better either on the line or in a tree. But for me as I sit and look over a classic bow of mine that is not made anymore and I wonder, will a day come where the simple pleasure of traditional archery will be lost. I certainly hope not. And yes I realize that everyone has their own definition of what that means. I guess I'm getting old.   

[JR Belk]

For every shooter that goes the metal route, we gain at least one into the more traditional side. If you need to see it for yourself, you should come to the Tennessee Classic.

[Bchunter1]

I shoot both but my wood has soul


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[Flingblade]

Nope.  You really need to look no further than this site.  The "HH Bug Got Me-Part Two" thread is up to 254 pages now and this is part two.  The first HH thread was archived as it was too big.  I shoot a league occasionally and don't think I've seen a metal ILF rig there yet. In regards to those bows though I will quote a Seinfeld line, "not that there's anything wrong with that".  Different strokes for different folks.  I may even own one someday.   

[BAK]

I really don't think it is so much what the riser is made of as it is that we're still pulling one string and holding full weight.

[The Whittler]

Metal risers have been around for a long time and ILF has also, its just another bow. Look at the string materials we have and let's not forget carbon arrows. They all have their place it's just more to enjoy.

[Roy from Pa]

I think my old metal riser compound warfed into an ILF is pretty sexy:)



But I make BBO bows and have a bunch of wood riser bows.

And this old wooden bear TD is a favorite..

[Pinecone]

I have and love an old Bear mag riser TD.  It isn’t wood, but the utter nostalgia of holding it in my hand makes me feel a connection to our history that is utterly romantic.  While I am not personally a fan of the new generation of metal risers, if folks like them, I see no harm in them. 
For me, wood bows have heart.  They come from living trees, they are meticulously crafted by real artisans, and they are as gorgeous as they are lethal.
While there will always be those who experiment with or prefer the newest bow material out there, I believe that there will also be many who choose the allure of a gorgeous wood bow.  Either way, I think traditional archery will remain alive and well.

Claudia

[McDave]

The other way to look at it is as a challenge.  Learn to beat more hi-tech bows with your wood bow.  There's really no downside.  Everybody expects the more hi-tech bow to beat you anyway; if that happens, nobody notices.  If you beat them, people notice!  Rick Welch used to do this regularly when he would enter competitions with his wood recurve against compounds and win. I doubt that I could do it, but as I say, there's really no downside....

[Terry Green]

Nah..... I don't recall anyone having a  Metal riser in the camps I've been in the last 20 years.

[Sam McMichael]

Aesthetically, I don't like the metal riser bows as much as I do the "more traditional" bows, but other than that, they are just fine. I know that some of the guys I see at shoots do very well with them. I don't know if there is a technical advantage, or if these guys just do their work as archers. Shoot 'em if you like 'em, I won't complain.

[Gdpolk]

Taking over? ...definately not.  Taking a share of the trad world?...absolutely. 

The metal risers and modern materials are technologically superior to the older ways/materials.  This will serve to give options to the techy oriented people and gearheads who have an interest in traditional archery as well as provide a natural and comfortable transition away from the compound world.  Also, ILF rigs make a TON of sense practically speaking for those who want multiple limb weights for various uses or those who are trying to grow into a heavier weight bow.  They have their place and I feel in all honesty it's a good thing to have these options available and it can only help broaden our sport that we love so much.

However, common aspects of traditional archery that most people involved in the sport like is the nostalgia, simpler ways of doing things, the break from technology, the intrinsic beauty of pretty woods, the graceful forms of various bows and the craftsmanship displayed by bowyers, and handcrafted arrows/quivers.  Mass produced, metal ILF risers just aren't going to ever appeal to this side of the sport and it certainly isn't going to satisfy those of us who want to make their own equipment. 

I don't think anything is getting lost from the sport as a result of technological improvements.  The trad archery world is just expanding a bit and therefore we see more "new" technology but it isn't actually squeezing out the old in my opinion.

[Ray Lyon]

It all just goes in cycles.  When I first started bow hunting around 1975 I was using a garage sale Darton Magnesium handle recurve. Two years later I was shooting a Howard Hill Shedua handle bamboo limb long bow.  There were several magnesium handle recurve hunting bows from Bear, Groves, Etc. back then.  The eighties and early nineties were held by a thread with the Robertson/Asbell/Great Northern/Bear/Martin wood handle bows along with a few smaller dealers.  We then came back around with the WARFED compound handles and then the machined aluminum handles with ILF fittings.  I’m pretty sure it’ll cycle again, so hang onto those wood handles 😆.

[pdk25]

I don't know what answer is best.  When I had a takedown bow build for my water buffalo hunt, the Bowyer didn't  feel comfortable with wood for the weight, and the first phenolic riser that he built broke when he strung the bow.  We both felt more comfortable with a bulletproof aluminum riser.  I have acquired one more aluminum ilf riser, and just picked up a set of recurve limbs for it and a special adapter for a hog light for hunting hogs at night.  Honestly,  I think it is the best setup I have seen, with the exception that longbow limbs would be more quiet.  I probably wouldn't use this bow other than for the purpose of hog hunting at night, but who knows.  I sure like handling and looking at my pretty wood bows more, but for me I don't feel that I have to be limited to one or the other.  They had metal riser trad bows before I was born.

[ron w]

I have a selection of both, all shoot well and I enjoy my metal risers as much as my Hills......it's all good.

[GCook]

Aesthetically, I don't like the metal riser bows as much as I do the "more traditional" bows, but other than that, they are just fine. I know that some of the guys I see at shoots do very well with them. I don't know if there is a technical advantage, or if these guys just do their work as archers. Shoot 'em if you like 'em, I won't complain.

This.

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[SteveB]

It's all good - and all traditional.

[hvyhitter]

It all goes in cycles and locations. Over the years Ive seen short bows hot for a while, ILFs have been for a few years now for those that like to constantly play with limbs weight/length/brands/cores. Widows,Palmers,ACSs etc, will get popular in an area if one person gets one and shoots well, others follow. You will have one group that leans vintage Bear,Pearson, whatever. The self bow guys. Old English or horsebow group. And some like me that find bows we like and shoot well and keep for 10 yrs or more. Its all good...…………...

[stagetek]

I have one metal bow. It's a Bear T/D Mag built in the early 70's. Everything else I own is, and always will be wood.

[smokin joe]

The Bear magnesium TD risers are pretty traditional. I have 2 and I like them. But, if I were buying something new I would probably stick to wood.