PRODUCTION vs. CUSTOM BOWS

[LBR]

Guess I will clarify again on what I posted, about a "true custom".

 

My favorite (custom?) bowyer calls his bows "production bows with options". He says that for a bow to be truly custom, it would have to be designed from the ground up for a specific archer--forms and all. If anyone does that, I don't know about it.

That wasn't my definition, it was the definition of a bowyer who has been building (custom?) bows for well over 20 years and has made over 12,000 bows (by hand).  He offers bow length, draw length, grip, tiller, wood, glass, etc. etc. etc. options.  I call them "custom" myself, but I understand and agree with his definition of "custom", if you want to get right down to it.  I've never heard of any bowyer building a bow to meet his definition of a "true custom" bow for the public.  If there are any, I'd like to know about them.

After some thought, it would seem to me that self made bows are as close to "true custom" as you'll get.

Not that it matters--I made myself a bow (with a lot of adult supervision), and I still prefer a bow that was made for me by someone else.

Chad

[Sixby]

I respectfully disagree with your bowyer. Grin. Merry Christmas

[Michl]

1.My Martin X200 broke after 8 month of shooting.
I wrote 4 e-mails to Martin Archery, but never received an answer.
2.The performance of my 1000$ custom bows is better in every way(speed, smoothness, handshock).

[joe skipp]

Custom means your getting a bow built to your specifications, wood choices, grip, weight etc...Some custom bowyers offer basic bows, with basic woods at fair prices. Exotic woods will cost you more.

Production bows are just that. Doesn't mean they shoot bad or look terrible, you just have to be happy with the standard woods offered. I have been noticing however that some of these "production" bows are getting quite expensive. So...if I'm looking to drop $900 for a Bear T/D, I really would opt for a bow built to my specs for either the same price or even a few dollars cheaper.

[Paul WA]

Love my Pronghorn...PR

[Running Buck]

All things being equal, You get what you pay for

[TheFatboy]

If you have the money and will to spend it on something that will be made just for you, then why not?

[Bowkill7]

You have the right to spend your hard-earned money on whatever you want BUT.  You could cut a decent branch of the tree in your backyard, string it, and everything else being equal (draw length, draw weight, arrow weight, etc…) your stick bow will shoot within about 15 fps of the fastest and most efficient custom recurves made.  As long as you do your part your stick bow is going to fling the arrows the same way every time.  It just depends on what you’re looking for, a deadly weapon for hunting or an expensive beautiful piece of art that you’re hesitant to hunt with.

[RLA]

WOW ! 15 fps, what kinda trees you got growin in your backyard? Carbon? just had to ask!

[raideranch]

My trees are mostly carbon and so are yours!

[lpcjon2]

Imho I feel spending a grand on a bow is like getting married to an ugly girl and spending money to get plastic surgery to make her look good.If it great girl(the bow shoots great) then why spend money on appearance.I found things that cost more to buy also cost more to fix and don't last as long.Sneakers for instance Air Jordens $150.00 Converse $50.00 the airs last a kid 2mo. the cons. a year.

[RLA]

No one set's out to marry an ugly girl though?

[Otto]

and $5000 will fix her right up.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Gotta say my custom bow spends a lot of time off the rack and out doing what it was made to do. Cost me plenty and spent the last two days busting brush and chasing elk all over Washington States foothills in some nasty brush with her.  I am not afraid to nick and dent her in pursuit of animals.  

Just like a fine wine, or a good woman.  Age just make a bow better. A nick or two here or there shows the bow is being used for what she was made for.

[Ragnarok Forge]

Gotta say my custom bow spends a lot of time off the rack and out doing what it was made to do. Cost me plenty and spent the last two days busting brush and chasing elk all over Washington States foothills in some nasty brush with her.  I am not afraid to nick and dent her in pursuit of animals.  

Just like a fine wine, or a good woman.  Age just make a bow better. A nick or two here or there shows the bow is being used for what she was made for.

[wollelybugger]

WOW, I have two Robertsons and just sold a Silvertip, what am I shooting, a Samick Red Stag recurve. A expensive gun, bow , golf clubs, doesn't make the person behind the tools any better unless he practices daily and puts forth a effort to get better.

[TheFatboy]

Originally posted by Bowkill7:
You have the right to spend your hard-earned money on whatever you want BUT.  You could cut a decent branch of the tree in your backyard, string it, and everything else being equal (draw length, draw weight, arrow weight, etc…) your stick bow will shoot within about 15 fps of the fastest and most efficient custom recurves made.  As long as you do your part your stick bow is going to fling the arrows the same way every time.  It just depends on what you’re looking for, a deadly weapon for hunting or an expensive beautiful piece of art that you’re hesitant to hunt with.

Must say I disagree. If you watch alot of archery videos on YouTube, you may know Trophybow1. He shoots a few different bows, including a 105# Kassai Bear horsebow. His other bow, a 66#@28" R/D longbow, outshoots it by a few feet per second. Not sure whether this is due to the Kassai being bad, or the longbow being great, but you get the point... in the end, proper craftsmanship will show its true value.

[Bowkill7]

TheFatboy

Shoot a stick bow and your best recurve through a chrono with equal grains of arrow weight per pound of draw weight and compare the two.

[TheFatboy]

I don't have a stick bow equal to my longbow in poundage. I would gladly do it if I had.

[vtmtnman]

So after seven pages,and reading every comment on this topic up to my post,I think we can deduce two things from this thread-

1-We all love bows
2-Nobody is budging from their position