Kalamazoo Expo what did you shoot?

[Onions]

I only shot one bow (and that is more then I planned to), that was the St. Joe River Bow. I have been a avid SJRB guy since I first shot one with the orginal owner 15 years ago.
Sat. I had shot a one of the new ones!
The new owners, have made a few changes to the orginal design, and wow!
I could not believe how they took a very smooth bow, and made it smoother!
I woke up this morning, trying to come up with a way to save money to purchase one!

chris <><

[Bow man]

Just wanted to jump in for a second and say Thanks and it was great meeting everyone that stopped by and shot our bows.  

And Chris(Onions) We may just need to set up a payment plan for you  

[Ravenclaw]

I am with hunterken on the poor quality of the shrew bows. I will get beat around for this one but on the shrew I shot the lower limb tip was squared off while the top one was rounded and a different size. Ron also copped an attitude in front of me while he destrung a dwyer bow that my brother was walkin by to shoot and was rippin on it. The dwyer (IMO) actually looked and shot better.

[Todweelz]

Dave, thanks again for letting us shoot your bows! That Green Gobblin of Arwins sure was a good shooter, wish I could have shot that short bow you had, every time I came back someone had already grabbed it, nice looking bow though!

[xtrema312]

I am not trying to defend the shrew bow, but having a squared off bottom limb tip is not unusual.  It is done on purpose.  That is the end the bow stands on when in a rack or just setting against a tree, fence, truck, barn..............  My MOAB is that way, and I have had others like it.  As for the rest, that has nothing to do with the quality of the bow or boyer.  Last year Ron was abrupt with me trying to get me out of his way in the Shrew booth.  I just had knee surgery, and I couldn't move that fast.  He didn't know.  No hard feelings here.

[amar911]

A 56" Shrew Classic Hunter stacks at 26" and has second rate workmanship and finish?    :eek:   Really?       I have a 29 1/2" draw and my 54" Classic Hunters don't stack at all, much less my 56" Classic Hunters. Bob Westfall (BobW) shoots a 56" Classic Hunter and routinely writes that he has no stack at his 32"+ draw length. Here is a recent post by BobW on this same subject.

"Adding a little more information here:

I draw a 56" Classic Hunter past 32".... For the record, IT DOES NOT STACK. The weight gain is a steady 2.5#/in from 27" to 32". Even Gregg was impressed when he did it. Ron and Gregg have teamed up to build one heck of a bow!

BobW"

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=083001;p=1#000011

I don't know of any reputable bow other than a kid's bow that stacks at 26" (that's my daughter's draw length), and the Shrews certainly don't. I wonder if someone with a 26" draw has ever even felt stacking, which may be the reason for the statement about the Classic Hunter purportedly stacking at that draw.

The workmanship and finish of Shrew bows are first class. I have many other great bows besides my Shrews, and I know for a fact that Gregg builds outstanding bows that rank among the best. There is good reason for the "fanaticism they seem to enjoy". I have also heard a couple of people say that Morrison bows are unattractive and poorly made, and I have to laugh when I hear that too.

The bows John McCullough builds are excellent, well made bows, and Ron and Gregg would be the first to say that. Ask John what he thinks of the Shrew bows that Gregg builds, and I am sure he will say that Gregg makes a great bow too. John and Gregg are two first class bowyers.

The bashing of the Shrew bows by a single individual just goes to prove the old maxim that you can't please everyone.

Eric -- Gregg did make some new bows for Kalamazoo, just like he does every year. He is definitely busy, with more than a year's waiting list on the order book, but Ron and Gregg always try to have some bows (mostly new ones) available for people to shoot and buy when those folks take the time and effort to show up at the Shrew booth.

Allan

[Bow man]

Originally posted by Todweelz:
Dave, thanks again for letting us shoot your bows! That Green Gobblin of Arwins sure was a good shooter, wish I could have shot that short bow you had, every time I came back someone had already grabbed it, nice looking bow though!

Sorry you did not get a chance to shoot it Todd. I will have it at the Bunny Stomp.

I have to add Greg and Ron have some great bows I really love Greg's workmanship.

[amar911]

Daryl,

The Classic Hunters are built with a squared off lower limb tip. That has nothing to do with the quality of the bow -- it is the design. Obviously you don't like that design, but it is not unique to the Shrews. Many other top quality bows, like the Moabs, have a similar design on the lower limb tip. If you wanted to order a Shrew with symmetrical limb tips, I'm sure Ron and Gregg would be happy to accommodate your request. Having a problem with something Ron said also has nothing to do with the quality of the Shrew bows. Ron is a great guy who has done as much for traditional archery as any man living, but in an intense environment like Kalamazoo there are bound to be some moments where tensions are created.

Liking the Dwyer bow better is fine. If everyone liked Shrews the best, then the waiting list on orders would be many years long instead of 14 months like it is now, and those of us who like Shrews would have to wait a lot longer to get one built.

David Balowski -- you make some very pretty bows. I especially like the ones with I-Beam risers showing fiddleback wood in the sight windows. I'm sure they shoot very well too. We are fortunate to have many talented bowyers around these days. Keep up the good work.

Allan

[Steel]

Allan,I have locked all my Shrews up so you don't end up buying them    . Ron and Gregg are good people but still people so I am sure they can make mistakes like the rest of us do time to time. Never had any issues with any of their bows one of the best 1 piece longbow designs I have owned myself and I have owned alot of bows. There seems to be alot of good bowyers out there nowadays its seems if you make it in this business very long you better offer a good product

[Wiley Coyote]

I shot Great Northern's Fireball and Bushbow. Fine shooting bows. I will decide by next year which to order!  :confused:        

[Ron LaClair]

Ravenclaw said,
 

Ron also copped an attitude in front of me while he destrung a dwyer bow that my brother was walkin by to shoot and was rippin on it. The dwyer (IMO) actually looked and shot better.  

Ravenclaw, I'm sorry if you got the wrong opinion on my intent but just to set the record straight I wasn't "ripping" on the bow in question. Anyone that knows me can tell you that I don't "rip" on another bowyers bow.  When you fellows were standing in front of my booth I noticed the bow one of you was holding, and thought it was a Shrew. After a closer look I saw that it wasn't and out of curiosity, I ask if I could look at it. Then I ask if I could unstring it to look at the limb design. The fellow that had the bow said, "I don't care it's not my bow" After I unstrung it I commented that it had a good looking limb and that it probably really zipped an arrow. I think I also commented that the design was a lot like our Shrew bows.

One thing that a lot of people maybe don't realize is that most of the bowyers that you saw at the show this weekend are friendly and respectful towards each other. We share information and ideas on how to build a good preforming bow. We look at and sometimes even shoot each others bows and never, I repeat   NEVER bad mouth each others work... especially to someone shopping for a bow. There have been bowyers in the past that have violated that unwritten law but they're not around any longer.

Also we've been squaring off the bottom limb tip on our Shrew bows for about 15 years now. Stop by our booth the next time around and I'll tell you why we do that.      

[amar911]

Cody,

I still have the ONE Shrew I bought from you, and love it. We need to get together so you can shoot my latest Classic Hunter with the foam/carbon/uni-weft limbs. It will definitely make you think of your Morrisons, and with good reason. Bob was a big help to Gregg with the new limb materials. I sure can't blame you for liking your Morrisons so much, because they are incredible bows and I shoot them a lot too. I have nothing but great things to say about Bob and his bows. Call me sometime, and let's go shoot.

Allan

[BowHuntingFool]

Hey Ron, good meeting you at the show! Thanks for letting me shoot a couple of the Shrews, love them, an awesome looking bow and a real sweet shooter. Love the Model T! Thanks buddy!

[Pluck Yew]

:confused:      

Shawn...

[Onions]

And Chris(Onions) We may just need to set up a payment plan for you

Bowman/Dave alreayd working these details out in my head. However, first I have to buy my wife and I a new house (980sq. foot with 2 kids is getting VERY small)
Interested in how your two piece bows will be.
Also interested in how the shorter riser would be on a 62" longbow. Probably very smooth bow.
Good meeting you and I am sure I will see you again.

chris <><

[Arwin]

Glad you like them Chris!
 Short riser on a 62 will give you a bit more working limb and a smoother draw if your a 27 and up.  
 I recommend the longer riser and short limbs for 27 inch draw and under, but everyone has their own preference.     I have a short riser on a 60 inch carbon/boo with a 27 inch draw. Perfect mix of speed and grace.

[patvro]

Between my son and I we shot bows on and off for almost five hours and the one bow that stood out for me was the ACS I shot it was the camo wood riser they had with 62" longbow limbs and it was dead on to the point! My son wants a zipper now so time to start saving . It was a great time we had a lot of fun.

[Ravenclaw]

Sorry Ron I apologize for mis interpreting what happened.

[manyletters]

I shot Bob Morrison's new mini 14  aluminum riser... a sweet shooter for sure...shot a lot of other bows that were excellent shooters too but that one stood out in my mind...ended up taking a Spinrite crester home though!!

[Ron LaClair]

Hey Todd, having had both of my knees totally replaced I know the feeling, I hope yours is doing better....