What ya shooting????????

[hawgslayer]

[Eric Krewson]

For me the best bow is one that I felled the tree, split out a stave and turned that stave into a bow for myself. I only have one primary bow at any given time and shoot it for as many years as I can. My primary bow now is osage, copperhead backed with windshakes, a plugged rotten knot near one end, one punky, super glued knot on the edge, 64", 58@25, with 3/8" tips.

 A wonderful bow, I could spend thousands on a glass bow and wouldn't like it near as much as I like my osage bow with all it's warts and imperfections.

 Instead of dollars I have invested a bit of my soul as a worker of wood in this bow. It started as an awful, nightmarish stave with perfect rings. Doglegged, propellered and deeply checked I caressed it with my heat gun for weeks to to turn it into a gem. Layout, floor tillering and the progression to it's first arrow all were done with a soft hand.

This in not just a bow now but my hunting and shooting partner for years to come.

[Tim Fishell]

I have shot and owned quite a few bows.  The best in my mind I have found so far are Shrew Bows.  The longbows and recurves Ron has designed are great although I seem to be a little partial to my Shrew Samurai.  The bow is smooth drawing and hard hitting.  All of the Shrews feel great in your hand with the contoured grip.  I am not saying they are the best out there but in my mind they are top of the list.

My bow is 58" 54#@28"

[frassettor]

I tried  shooting but do not own wes walleces, habu, I do have a black widow. I dont have  a ton of experience. But as of right now I favor my Black Widow PMAV recurve. 64 inch 54@28 and is very smooth.. I have ordered a BW plx osage long bow 64 inch 58@28. I would personaly like to stick to a couple of "go to" bows and try to shoot them well./ GREAT THREAD!  

[Benny Nganabbarru]

Nearly every bow out there is a best bow for someone, especially when you make a memory or two with it. I got a heck of an animal with such-and-such a bow, and it is really special to me, and in that moment of connecting with that animal, it was the best bow in the world; if I'd purchased and practiced with and hunted with a different bow, then that one would've been the best one on that occasion. A fellow needs at least a dozen best bows...

[BRONZ]

Originally posted by Ben Kleinig:
Nearly every bow out there is a best bow for someone, especially when you make a memory or two with it. I got a heck of an animal with such-and-such a bow, and it is really special to me, and in that moment of connecting with that animal, it was the best bow in the world; if I'd purchased and practiced with and hunted with a different bow, then that one would've been the best one on that occasion. A fellow needs at least a dozen best bows...

Well said.  That's one of the things I love about this forum compared to some of the others I belong to-- no one judges you based on what you shoot, or for what reason.  There is simply respect for anyone who has, or is developing, a passion for stickbows.      

I'm trying to convince my wife that I need "at least a dozen best bows..."!

[Grant Young]

I agree Ben. I've had a few "best" bows. My current bests-with the exception of a Saxon Kadiak- are all pushing forty years old. My main shooter is a 60" 1969-70 style I Bear B riser TD, 66#@28, around 68-69# at my 29" draw.If I could only keep one bow or choose one to hunt with for the rest of my life, this would be it. This riser has been pretty extensively modified to a lower wrist, virtually no shelf, and isn't really collectible (my others are the same) but the bow will never be for sale in my lifetime anyway. It is not the fastest bow or the best bow for anyone else that I'm aware of but I've been shooting these bows for over thirty years and I kinda like knowing what to expect. Grant

[Guss]

Bought and sold alot of bows, but I keep going back to my Centaur D/C longbows. Light in the hand, no hand shock, quick and nice to look at.         Jr.

[Apex Predator]

Recurve- Great Northern Ghost

Longbow- Hill

All my homemade bows.

[Danny Rowan]

I love my Morrisons and my Brackenbury Quest. They are the bows for me.Course' my Blacktail is right there with them.

Danny

[BobT]

Good post!
 I'm one of the guys who stands to gain a lot from it. I'm currently shooting a Bob Thompson (no relation) Zipper recurve 48#@27" the bow shoots very well for me but it stacks pretty bad at my 29 3/8" draw length (nock valley to back of bow). I'm just getting back into traditional archery and bought the bow used. I'm saving up for a new set of limbs but also thinking I could get another pretty nice bow for what the limbs will cost! I like the looks of a bunch of different bows old and new, production and custom as long as they feel good to me and I can shoot them I'm not too picky.
 I would really like to build myself a bow some day too, just don't have the nerve to jump in yet!

Bob

[straitera]

I wouldn't trade my 68" Howard Hill Big 5 @82#. Not only a mystical connection to the past as well as the exceptional performance & confidence with this bow.

[just a bit outside]

I have two, one 3pc TD longbow and one TD recurve.

The LB is a Jeff Carter Southern Draw, 64" and 46@28. It just plain draw smooth as silk and is fast for a low poundage bow. It is the easist drawing bow I've ever shot and now matter how long I am away from it, when I pick it up... I hit what I'm looking at. On top of all that, it's light and beautiful. Can't beat that.

The Recurve is my Marriah Thermal. It's 58" and 53@28. In the words of my buddy, JL (who I got the bow off of)... this bow is a freak of nature. It is the quietest bow I've ever shot and it is still really fast. The performance I get out of this bow is just leaps and bounds above anything else I've shot. I wouldn't get rid of it even if it meant starving for a week.

My two...

Greg

[Cecil]

I shoot my Hummingbird Kingfisher more than any other I have. it is 41# @28" it is a very smooth bow.

[oberon]

For a longbow I love my Frank SanMarco 69"  80# @ 28".  Still looking for my favorite recurve and Hybrid.
  So the jury is still out on those two, but I lean toward the Blacktail one piece for a recurve.
 Several out there in the Hybrid category.  Will have to ponder a bit more before I speak out on them.
 Oberon

[DeerSpotter]

I haven't had my bows long enough to share the experience with them, having said that, I have had the experience of having bows that were too much poundage for me, overbowing myself, was a real education, I learned more from that in what not to do.

Both of my new custom bows, Bob Lee and Whip, are 43 lbs., from what I do know, they are smooth, quiet, and fast.  Starting out with a bows thae had a lot hand shock gave me the experience and education to know what to look for.  And the best thing you can do for yourself.

is listening to the people on this threads, "they" have educated me, and saved me money.  So I guess the one bit of advice, ask a lot of questions before you take the leap, get a mentor from this site.  There are plenty of wonderful people here.

Thanks everyone

Pastor Carl

[Daddy Bear]

I've lost count the bows I've had over the last three and a half decades, but my two favorites are a Jack Knife Critter Gitter Osage/Cocobola longbow Jerry Brumm made for me over a decade ago, and an osage self bow made from a tree I cut down as long ago. Both are my hunting bows to this day.

Daddy Bear

[The Whittler]

My new and bow-t-ful BW SAX. The reason I love my BW is I have an older one which spoiled me.

Black Widow with out a doubt.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Been shooting a shrew for 3 years now... I just finished a nice 53#@24.5" 70"n2n selfbow.

[scriv]

It's at the bottom.  I need to shoot more recurves though.  Morrison's look interesting.  Love my ACS.