48" Bear Supermag

[ChadF]

I'm thinking of buying a short recurve. The only one I have been seeing is the bear supermag. Have any of you guys shot one of the newer ones? I was wondering how well they shot.If they shoot hard or are they slow? Any input would help. Also any other suggestions on short bows would be good also. Thanks ChadF

[bmfer]

I just bought a new one yesterday, but the wind was blowing 25+ mph today, then I had to fix the screen door, cause it almost blew off, so I didn't get to shoot it outdoors. But in the basement, it shoots nice. It seems to be pretty fast, and didn't take much to quiet down when shooting over 10 grn per inch.

[trashwood]

Chad - I have one (45#@28") and a 48" golden Hawk Magnum (62#@27") I got a couple of 52" bows too.  I use a tab with them that is a two under tab.  it has a AL bar that the leather bits are hooked to.  index finger goes  around top of bar, little finger goes around bottom if bar.  middle finger and ring finger draw the bow.  finger around bar aid in drawing.

I use the short bows for hunting close in mostly in pig tunnels where a longer bow will not go.  The last pig I shot with the 48" Bear was a 50#er at about 15' (that is feet not yds    ).  The shots are often quick shoots.  I used the top brass attachment boss to put a DAS SRF sight on it.  the sight allows very very quick visual pick up of target.

In short I use the bows just like one would use a 10mm semi-automatic glock.  very short range and quick shots.  

i also use it for small game hunting, swamp rabbits and squirrels.  I don't think I'll be at the 3D shoot, elk hunting, or indoor league with the short bows.  In the right place (for me) they are real good. the short bows take a lot of practice and some adjustment in shooting form.  when I was younger I took some big pigs with Golden Hawk at crazy short ranges.  Older now and smarter  

rusty

[trashwood]

btw my favorite all time short recurve is a 52" Shrew Stalker 55#@27".  Not sure Ron sales the bow any longer.  very light physical weight.  shoots an AD nitro lite yellow with 200grs up front like a ray gun.  I nicknamed the Shrew Stalker "Nomercy".  surenuff hunting bow.    

But to the point a 60" hot recurve makes a much better elk/deer/3D bow     for my 28" draw

rusty

[artifaker1]

I have a "76" supermag and I can shoot it well at the same distance that I shoot my other bows. You have to keep the brace height at 9 1/4 or more or the bow will throb when you shoot it. There great little bows but they do have some finger pinch, I call mine pinchy.

[Soilarch]

What drawlengths are you guys pulling.  I like the idea of a shorter bow for "specialty" purposes, but I draw about 29".  I can't see that working out with anything less than 58".  But the only bow I have is 68" so I'm not even close to finding "my" limit.

[Pope Co.]

I have a Bear Kodiak Magnum Recurve. 52 inches. The draw weight is 50 lbs at 28 inches. It is two years old, fairly new. Shoots hard enough to achieve complete pass through on a small doe. On a three and a half year old buck the broad head almost stuck out the opposite side. It penetrated the flesh but did not penetrate the skin. I would recommend it to any one that wants an affordable recurve. As far as the "pinchy" part, I can't say. I don't have a history with long bows so I don't recognize a problem.

[trapperDave]

I hunt with a 48 inch Pearson Ambusher, and a 52 inch Pearson Hawk. Love those short bows! I draw 27 on em though.

[Deff]

My son and I each have  60#, 48 Mags.  We both draw around 29" and that’s  just about the place where the stacking  starts to get abrupt.  Before we managed to shoot  the chrony to pieces, it indicated that they were shooting 465 grain arrows at about 205 fps.  The bows came with low stretch strings.  

Both bows blew up, delaminating about in the center of the sight window.  Escalade Sports replaced both promptly and we have shot them for two years now with no problems.  I switched to a dacron string and 700 grain arrows but my son is still shooting a 465 grain arrow with a fast flight string.

There is definitely a finger pinch issue but we both drop a finger off the string just before anchoring to compensate.  The bows point well and tend to shoot where you are looking.  

Short bows can be forgiving to shoot and have high performance.   If you decide to buy a Bear, be sure to hang on to your proof of purchase and warranty card.

[joekeith]

I've gotta 46" Stalker by Rodney Wright.  Great little bow, as long as your draw is not over 28".  After that it hits a wall, no stacking.  I draw 27" and no problem.  It's a fun bow to shoot, and shoots where your looking.  I really like it.

[ChadF]

ttt

[Don Batten]

Here's a shot clip of John Dill shooting a super48 in my shop.John draws an honest 29 1/2 inches.(the arrows are uncut 33 1/2 cx100's) We found that under 20yds we could group almost as good as with our other bows. Over 20 and they get a little finiky . Just our observation. I use one for turkeys out of a blind.don
   

[Steve O]

Don,

Is that a Kantai quiver in that Super?  I draw 29 1/2 and am looking for a extremely short recurve so I can use the little Double Bull on turkeys this year.  That looks doable!

[Bird Dog]

The Sheepeater is a great short recurve.

[Don Batten]

steve, yes a Kanati angle. I think this was the very first angle quiver . John was experimenting with the design at that time. This on screws into the inserts in the riser. Great setup for a short bow. Don

[Yellow Dog]

Had one that I sold awhile back that was a Gainesville bow. 45@28. Fun to shoot and used it as a carp bow. I draw 30" on the nose and I thought it was a smooth little shooter. I have to admit I closed my eyes everytime I came to full draw with it waiting for it to blow up!! Didn't think the little bugger could take bending that much.

[Mo. Huntin]

I have a supermag 48 45#@28".  When I shot the bow I was amazed at how well I shot with it this was when I had not been shooting very long. I shoot 27" draw length and don't shoot past 20 yards yet. I do notice the finger pinch a little but it shoots great for me.

[ChadF]

This is great info guys. Thanks a lot. How about how hard do the bears shoot compared to to other bows. Can I see 170 or so out of 9 or 10 gr. per pound arrows. The reason I ask is because these bows are fairly inexpensive. I looked at the other bows that some of you spoke of and they look very nice but I already have a few higher end "custom" bows. They are all 60" inches long so I am kind of interested in a short bow for not a whole lot of money. As long as they shoot O.K. My draw length is 28 1/2" heard that the short bows stack a lot and are not fun to shoot at longer draws.

[artifaker1]

I draw my 76" supermag up to 30". It is 52# at 28 inches. It doesn't seem to stack to much but the weight does go up quicker than it would on a longer bow, heck it has to. I had a Ben Pearson Equalizer for a while and it was a good bow too and stood up to the longer draw. I did have an older supermag break in half on me once, then I glued it back together and promptly broke it again, both times drawing blood. .

[BHTGdogs]

It was my dream bow when I first started and now that I got it would not sell it for anything. Mine is 55lbs@28 And once past 29 Is where I notice stack. But for hunting its great.