TD Recurve Bow, an objective view?

[UncasUK]

If you had to make a choice which would you prefer.
1 Bruin Huntsman express
2 Black Widow PMA-X- exotic
3 Bear Kodiak
As above an objective view please.

[hawkeye n pa]

I'm partial to the Bear Kodiak T/D as been shooting one for almost 40 years now.  And I do take it down for traveling and have different weight limbs.  It has the simplest method for detaching limbs. Shoot with some guys that are dedicated Black Widow shooters and of course that's the best bow for them.   But it's really it going to come down to a personal preference.  Best of luck with your choice.

[woodchucker]

I'm a Kodiak T/D Guy....
I just think the smooth lines, and transition of limb to riser, are just more eye appealing. (to me anyway)

I don't travel, and rarely if ever, "take down" my bow. My appeal of a take down is the ability to change limbs.
The original limbs were 52# but I'm getting older, and ordered a pair of 42# limbs last year.

BUT... If I DID travel? The Bear Kodiak is a "no tools" take down!! 

[Orion]

All good bows.  I'm partial to the Bear Kodiak TDs as well.  One advantage it has over the others is the large array of used and new limbs available.  Only an ILF offers more options. In the last 10 years or so, I've been turning over my limbs about every 5 years as I drop down in weight as I age. 

[kopfjaeger]

Bear Kodiak Takedown here also. I love them. 

[ed lash]

PMA is my go to bow. The old "nail driver" is an excellent choice.

[Bamboozle]

BW.

[Terry Lightle]

Widow,always seem easy to  shoot for me

[Ray Lyon]

I have a Bear Take-down Aluminum handle.  Great bow and I love the adjustable arrow plate which makes fine tuning an arrow to the bow so easy.  I had a beautiful high end Blacktail Recurve.  I was no more accurate nor could I see a perceptible speed difference.  Taking down and changing limbs was certainly not as easy and the side mount quiver bushings on Bear versus under limb bolts on Blacktail was no contest. Finally, limbs on Bear are interchangeable and readily available versus 12 month wait and having to send original riser back on Blacktail. 
My only suggestion is if you choose to go with Bear Take-down, try the different model handles A versus B for sight picture and grip size and contour between the different models (grips on various wood handles have different thickness and contour so you would want to see what feels best).  I know Blacktail was not on your list but I believe the concept is similar. 

[Jim Jackson]

I'd take the widow.

[The Whittler]

I have 2 Widows and 2 Bears. Either shoot good but I do like my Widows.

[electricstart]

Black Widow

[McDave]

Black Widow for me too.  For me, the only hard choice would be between a Black Widow and a Bob Lee.

[KentuckyWolf]

Not even a question…get the widow.

I’d go PSA over PMA, but that’s me.

Widows are almost bomb proof. See the video by Toby from black widow….abusing the hell of a bow…it holds up and still shoots fine after; or you could check my post on here “kudos to black widow”…they saved my PSA from being just a wall decoration. There bows are top notch and so is their customer service.

Bear has history, Fred is a legend, but the company and quality suffered for years after his death. Bear has had its ups and downs. They seem to have gotten their act back together again and making a fine product. However, if you put nostalgia aside the widow is the way to go.


Might be an unpopular opinion, but black widows are second to none in quality, craftsmanship, durability, and performance.

[elkken]

PMA is my favorite BW bow .... I have owned a LOT of bows over the years and have owned a few Bear Kodiaks but liked the PMA better. Bows are a very personal thing and all have just a bit of a different feel and performance. Good luck with your quest. I use to buy most of my bows used from the classifieds here on TG, it saves you considerable $$$ and I never had a bad experience with a scammer.

[M60gunner]

First off I would get my hands on the bows you mentioned. Because if your hand doesn’t slide into the grip and be comfortable to you it an’it gonna be “your” bow. I have two Bear TD’s, one wood, one metal. I shoot the metal riser the most. It has a small grip which I prefer and it’s fairly lite in the hand. I had an older BW MA and while that bow was a great shooter it never “felt” right. This was before the grip options offered these days. I actually sold that bow to finance the Bear wood riser bow. If I was in the market today I would look serious at Black Widow. They have more options than they ever offered before and the workmanship is outstanding. Ya, you gonna spend more but IMO it’s worth it

[UncasUK]

First thank you all for your excellent advice, in particular Ray Lyon.
Unfortunately I have to contend with import tax&vat of 33%  so that makes
Bruin and BW unexceptable.
The Bear is available over here, so I think that will be my best choice
at a cost of 800 pounds, which is not to bad these days.
Thank's again regards to all.

[Tajue17]

If I could only have one of them based on my experience alone with a black widow I owned would force me to choose the widow,,,  they are so physically tough I think its impossible to not only twist a limb but break a limb and I mean drive over with a truck a few times while strung its still fine.. 

not saying the others cant do that but I seen a widow do that,, now if I was buying a recurve for finesse and grace (if I can put it like that) Id get the Bear without hesitation plus B-50 bears are so easy to tune..   

the bruin,,  he's been around a very long time and that usually means no worries with them bows...

now lastly my experience with different recurves is if you could shoot all 3 its which one has that grip that feels perfect the first time you hold it,,,  2nd which one is less sensitive to shoot, and 3rd which one is quietest....   that's my criteria for recurves..   good morning everyone our power just got back on so  thanks for letting me rant   

[Steelhead]

Sounds like you are going with the Bear T.D.

You cant go wrong with that choice IMO.Its a very versatable bow with all the limb options.The A or B riser with 1,2 or 3 limbs makes them very utilitarian.The T.D system is unbeatable.

They are a very nice shooting bow that shoot very quietly,accurratly and with no handshock.Just a good all around design!

If you can find one of the new MAG risers over thier you could save yourself a few hundred dollors.400$ vs 630$ for the wood or wood phenolic risers.

Best of luck to you !!!

[Bowwild]

The Widow would be an easy choice for me.  I like the smooth draw of Widows. I would prefer a 1-piece though.