Checkmate bows?

[shortstroke 91]

Any body got an opinion about those bows? I've been thinking about getting one and was wondering about how quiet they are. I'll be shooting either 45# or 50# with a 600 grain carbon. I have small hands and was wondering if they have small grips or are they all about the same?

[styckbow]

Our family has five of these bows 2 falcons (recuves) and 3 Thunderbirds (flatbows) In my opinion these are the best deal for the dollar on the market. Yes there are faster bows out there but you will pay over 3 times the cost for them. My 12 yr old son shoots gold tip 35/55 out of both of his thunderbirds 41# and 46# you may find the grip on a thunderbird a little big but if you want a recurve a falcon works very well. The only way my wife will give up hers is if I buy a new Cari-bow for her. My 56# Thunderbird has a narrower handle than my sons if you are interested one of the sponsers on this site is manyletters and he deals with Chekmate and will be able to set you up with whatever you want. It will astound you as to how many options are avaiable at a reasonable price.  Good luck and have fun

[CMR]

I have a 62" Hunter II, 54#@28".
I went to the K-Zoo traditional expo back in the winter, wanting to try out the various bows that were there. After trying various big name ones, I was extremely impressed with the ChekMate. Very smooth draw, very fast, no stack, hardly any hand shock.
I was sold...so was the bow, took her home that day.

[LBR]

I started shooting them 12 or so years ago,and started selling them 7 or 8 years ago.  I love 'em myself--I know the quality is great (still shooting my first custom longbow).  They stand behind the warranty (on the rare occasion it's needed) and have always been great to deal with.  They have been in business for well over 30 years under the same owners, and when they retire the bowyer is taking over.  Since he's relatively young (38), they should be around for many years to come.

Properly tuned, they are generally very quiet.  With that heavy an arrow, should be even quieter.

The grips on the take-down recurves run on the large side, because even if the bow is made with 40# limbs it's possible someone could put 70# limbs on that same riser.  It's a matter of being safe rather than sorry.  

The grips on the one-piece bows can be made smaller for lighter draw weights, but the smallest on a recurve would be the Atilla.  The longbows and flatbows generally have a smaller grip, and again depending on the draw weight may be made a little smaller.

If you can make it to the Howard Hill shoot in AL, I plan to be there and you are welcome to try out my bow.  I may have one or two extras to bring with me.

Chad

[Kip]

Love the looks and the bow shot fast but I also have small hands had to sell for this reason only.The bows look as good as others costing 2-times more.Kip

[insttech1]

Good, can't-go-wrong types of bows...

Should be plenty quiet with that heavy of an arrow...

Here's the thing--the grip probably WON'T fit you, as they are super-cautious about small grips and fractured risers!!

I took my wife's and narrowed it/lessened it quite a bit, as it was large, even for me, and she's only shooting about 32lbs.  But that's a one-piece...

The H2 that I had was better, but was also a '97 model, and I heard they are even larger now, which was true with her Falcon Special.

I see Chad has already chimed in...so he's the expert, and a great guy to buy one from if you do pursue it!!

Take Care,
Marc

[ishiwannabe]

I have a 60" Special Falcon, 50#. I dont have huge hands by any standards, and the grip is fine for me. Even helps me...wont really let me torque the bow.
As for quiet....buddy of mine was ten feet away when I shot at a rabbit and didnt hear the shot...
I cant wait to get into the deer woods with it.

[momo-t]

gota be the best value for your archery dollar out there.Quality way beyond the price.And awesome service to boot. You might find a little prettier and a little quicker but not without spending a bunch more cash.                                                         Mo

[White Oak]

We have 3 in the family. My wife and I both shoot Hunter IIs. My son prefers 1 piece bows and shoots a Falcon Deluxe.We are sold on them. The quality is excellent. They shoot fast enough and are easily silenced when set up correctly.Yeah the risers are a little beefy but my hands are not large and my wife has smaller hands yet. Personally I like the thicker grips. I have owned bows with with thinner grips that always seemed to wonder around in my hand and thus lacked a consistent grip.We couldn't be happier with these bows.
Take a look at Chads website and you will get a good idea of the many options available.He is a super guy to deal with if you decide to purchase.

Good luck in your search.
                         Ed  

[Gordy]

Still the best bow for the buck out there.  I love the larger grips. H2, Raven and Falcon in this house.

I (still) just wish they made the Hunter 2 in a one piece !  

Ok Chad .....where is it ?   :D

[BMOELLER]

What everyone else says.  They are awesome bows especially for the for the price.

[Jason R. Wesbrock]

I think Chad (LBR) pretty much nailed it.

I've owned a few Chek-Mate recurves over the past few years, but only have one left, a 62" Hunter 2 I bought back in 2002. After that season I retired it and moved on to a different bow, not because I wasn't happy the with Chek-Mate, but because I wanted to try something different.

I hadn't shot that bow much since then until about a week or so ago when I decided to set it up as a backup for this upcoming season. After a little tweaking here and there I had to wonder why I ever stopped shooting it. Speed is good and forgiveness is far better than a lot of other bows I've owned.

The only thing I wish is that they hadn't beefed up the grip area a couple years ago. I like the slimmer grips much better.

[Gitnadoix]

There a 4 Crusaders in this house, and if I could pass the red faced test I would have a few of the other models as well. While I do not have a lot of experience with other bows being made out there. I do know that the quality and value of the Chek-Mate is why I have 4 of em.

[Biblethumpincop]

I owned a hunter 2 about 5 years ago, and sold it to finance my plunge into olympic archery again.  I recently bought a hunter 2 from a member here, and chronographed it.  52#, 31", 8 gpp, 202 fps with string silencers.  Pretty fast to me....

[MadDog]

I own the Hunter I on LBR's website, bolivian rosewood with bocote limbs, I've had it for a couple of years now, the grip works fine for me, and my hands arn't big(I usually buy medium sized gloves) they are great bows for the money and Chad is a great guy to work with.  

[Allan Hundeby]

My Falcon was my first recurve.  I second/third the comments on best bang-for-buck.  And it's SO easy to shoot, too!

[GEREP]

I've owned 6 CM's over the years and my current "go-to" hunting bow is a Hunter II.  I never like to read that the CM line is the "best bang for the buck," or that the CM's are "great bows for the money."  To me, this implies that they are good for what they cost, but are not quite on the same level as some of the higher priced customs.  I don't agree with this at all.  In my opinion, the CM can compete with just about any bow out there if you are comparing quality, fit and finish, and shootability.  

I agree with what some have said about the larger grips on the new models but unfortunately I suspect this is due in large part by our sue happy society.  My H2 has a smaller grip and I love it.

As far as dealing with Chad...well he's about the best out there except for the fact that I think he is a closet yankee hater.  He only attends shoots in the south.  He has all kinds of different excuses but we all know better.

   

KPC

[BobCo 1965]

Below is a pic of my King's Pawn. I like it a lot. Also bought through Chad (LBR):

 

[BobW]

I love my Crusader (longbow), and Chad is top notch to deal with.

[Rob Fin]

Good bows. Great value. I agree with many of the previous comments about the grips on the recurves being a little large. I believe you can custom order a smaller grip though.