guru's please guide me

[ks_kiwi]

Greetings - I'm a long time compound shooter, starting to return to my roots. Have been shooting a fishing recurve (PSE Kingfisher TD 50lb) for several months and am ready to get a little more serious about the trad thing.
I figure my bow budget is up to around $300 and have been scanning classifieds for options.
The only two things I know for sure are that I'll want lower poundage (40-45) and I like a smaller grip so it doesn't feel like a 2x4 in my hand.

Looking for maximum 'forgiveness' and a simple learning curve, these are my questions:

1. For my situation is a one-piece or a TD a better choice?

2. Given my budget, is a used bow like a Bear or Hoyt a better choice than a new Samick or similar?

3. Finally, I'm finding myself drawn to (pun intended    ) the Samick bows as 'new' choices and have read some generally positive reviews. Specifically, I was looking at the Stingray and the Squall or Devastator TDs - any feedback on these?

Many thanks for your time in helping a newby out...

[Whip]

One piece or T/D is mostly a matter of personal preference.  The additional physical weight of a T/D riser can make them a bit more stable in the hand, plus someday maybe you will want to travel, and in that case the T/D can't be beat.

In my experience longer bows tend to be more forgiving to shoot.  I can still miss with them, but when have bad form it seems that my misses aren't quite as bad as they are with a short bow.

I don't have any experience with the bows you are considering, but I'm sure some that do will be along shortly.

Oh, and welcome to a great addiction!  Enjoy the journey!

[ishiwannabe]

If I were you, I would get together with as many trad guys as you can and try as many bows as possible.
TD or one piece...do you travel a lot? If not, it shouldnt be a big deal either way.
Otherwise, the weight seems good for learning, and is sufficient to hunt with.
The rest is all personal preference, thus the above advice.
Samicks are good bows for the buck.

Good luck.

[Bill Carlsen]

ks......Welcome. My first thought in regards to your questions is that one peice or take down will not show much if any differece in perfromance. Take downs have inherent advantages but if you are going for a starter bow you already have the PSE...not a bad bow and a good one to learn trad form. If you are looking for a new bow then I would recommend a Quinn or Martin. Lots of used  bows in the Trading Blanket on this site, as well.

Personally, I have no experience with Samicks but others will surely chime in and let you know about their experiences. Good luck in your search.

[PAPA BEAR]

300 should buy you a pretty nice used bow,imho,a mohawk one piece would be good,thin handle like ya want,very forgiving and great speed.they are very inexspensive brand new and a great buy for the buck.i myself rank them right up at the top with all the high end bows.this is my opinion of samick having shot a couple...you can do way better than that for 300.

[trad_bowhunter1965]

I shoot the Hoyt Dorado I have two sets of limbs 40# and 50# one thing you will need to know is that Hoyt Limbs run a little heavy, what I mean is that 45# limbs are 48# to 50#, it is a great bow. I know there are a lot of great Custom made bows out there and I know in time that I will own several of them. This is the best site to get help and information from the Guy's Gal's are great. Blake

[Apex Predator]

Many start up bowyers will build you a basic custom bow, built just for you, for close to that.

[mwmwmb]

Maddog bows get great reviews. I personally havent shot one. But I hope to. he is a sponsor and his bows are $295

[Paul/KS]

Greetings and welcome,    
If you are in North East Kansas get ahold of Mike Horton at The Nocking Point up near Winchester.
He's a sponser here and has a Trad only shop that would have anything you need. And some stuff that you didn't know you needed but had to have once ya saw it...    
A real nice guy and he'll steer ya straight.

Mad Dog bows are great. Well made and a HECK of a good deal. Another nice guy,also named Mike,to deal with...

[SCATTERSHOT]

I had a Stingray, and it was a fine bow for the money. I ordered 45#, and it was 45# on the nose. I'm primarily a longbow shooter, though, and the grip was a little higher wrist than I like.

May I also suggest that you look at Quinn bows. They are very reasonable, and some of the smoothest recurves around. Metal riser T/D, small grip, great stuff.

Chek-Mate is a great value, also.

Good luck!

[koger]

There is a great Quinn Stallion in the classifieds,$190, #48@28, would pull like #45. I have 2 of these, they shoot as good as my BW's, smooth fast, and no hand shock, and they are lighter than a lot of wood bows, alum handle.
Scattershot is right on the money, and these bows are bomb proof from what I have heard from others and my own experience. I have #40 Stingray tha is a shooter too, shoots nearly as fast as my #46 stallion!3 of my buddies like mine so well they have all bought Quinns! Hope this helps.

[ks_kiwi]

I see that Stallion - maybe the Kingfisher has biased me against the metal risers but something about an all-wood bow says "trad" louder than the hybrids.
Thanks all for the responses. Keep 'em coming.

Can anyone tell me the advantage (or not) of having your arrow on one of those little plastic hook-type rests instead of on the shelf?

[rbbhunt]

I'm not a guru, but I prefer shooting off the shelf.  I like the arrow as close to my hand has possible, it seems to "point" better when shooting instinctive.

[shortstroke 91]

I'm by no means a GURU but I second koger, the Quinn bows are fantastic and you can get a Stallion Classic for under $300 just like you want it. I heard Peggy was having some health issues but David may still be building right now.

[MYSTIKBOW]

Of corse this is just my opinion but I would tend to shy away from the Samick line of bows.
 Especially for what you have to spend you could do a whole lot better. On our indoor winter league this year two different  samick bows delaminated on the upper limbs of two different shooters. Both bows were a year old or less. Another shooter that I know that purchased one of the Samick recurves couldn't seem to get tuned properly only to find out that the upper limb had a slight twist in it. It was a brand new bow!
 Now,I know that there are some on here that have purchased a Samick bow and really like them and havent had any problems with them. Thats good,but for my money anyway, I'd look else where.
Again,JMHO

 JOHN

[wollelybugger]

If you dont plan on traveling a one piece is a nice bow. If you plan to hunt in different places than a TD is the bow for you. If money is tight and you are starting out buy used bows. Start out light and see what happens.
  If you cant hit the target at ten yards then there is no use shooting at twenty. Practice short at first and then back up.
  I like the Martin line of bows for the money, the old Super Diablos and the Dreamcatchers, Hunters and Savannahs are all great bows.

[michigan bill]

Wayne, at  www.recurves.com  you could get a 60" Chek-Mate Falcon for $265 and have your choice of riser and limb woods (pick one of the "standard" choices to avoid additional costs).
AT  www.maddogarchery.com  you could get the 60" "Recurve" model for $295.
Of course there are plenty of great used bows in your price range on the Trad Gang site right here!
Bill

[BRONZ]

Nothing wrong with Samick bows.  I shot the Greatree Volcano for about 6 months and sold a Deerslayer about a year ago.

I highly recommend the ChekMate Falcon.  Great bow, low cost, custom options.  Chad is great to work with.  Trouble here is, you'll have to wait...

[chrisg]

Have had a Samick Equus one piece recurve for seven years, only problem has been my poor shooting! It is a dependable, tough bow. Made in Korea before they started manufacturing in China maybe that is why. Take the time to shoot lots of different bows before making a choice  like Ishiwannabe says, in the USA there is plenty of choice.
chrisg

[Plumber]

I shot compound also. here are some good tips most will agree on.I like you do not like the feeling of a hunk of wood in my hand. So I tend to favor a longbow. Longbows are very light. recurves tend to be a littler heavier.This can be a good thing.there are many bowyers that can make the nicest grip you ever laid your hands on .you should find an shoot as many bows as you can.sniff out some trad archers in your area.looks should play a small part in your purchase but dont buy an ulgy bow.I like 1pcs. longbows.there are alot of great deals on our classifide site.but protect yourself check out who you are doing business with.I feel you will get the best bang for your buck buying used.an dont be in too much of a hurry . this bow must feel an shoot good. good luck.an welcome to the greatest form of archery ever!!!!!!!!!!