1st Trad Bow ... advise please

[eugeneb]

Hi,

I am looking to purchase my 1st trad bow in 2011, but have no idea.

I would appreciate any advise, I currently shoot 70# wheelies @ 32" draw lenght.  I draw the 70# very comfortable.

I am looking at a TD curve bow ... based on my limited knowledge/research I am looking at a new Bob Lee 64" around 50# to start off with.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Many thanks & regards.

[legends1]

I think your smart about having a recurve made at 50#.You want to enjoy shooting all day at 3D ect.50# is a good weight for about anything you would ever want to take with it.I also have a long draw like yours.I shoot 51# at 31" 64".My arrows are 510grns.Ive taken game as large as elk with this combo with no problem.Good luck,and welcome to Tradgang and traditional archery.

[mmisciag]

Eugene,

I think asking such and open ended question is trouble from this crowd. Everyone has an opinion! ((:

45# to 50# is a good starting weight. Your draw with the recurve may be a bit shorter then with a wheel bow and that will not hurt. To get an accurate length have it mesured by a friend and or a professional.

A couple of thoughts:

Be comfortable with the weight. Pick a weight that is easy to pull and hold for a few seconds.

Form is everything. It will allow you to repeat a good shot time after time. You can always buy another bow that is heavier.

The arrow is more important then the bow. Tune your arrow. Find a friend who knows how to do this. Find out what your bow likes. It may be much different than you think. I am shooting GT 75/95 from my new Leon Stewart bow. It is 55@28 and I have a 28" draw length.

Form is the most important thing after tuning.

There is much more to know. I know because, I don't know much.

Go out and have fun!!!! Stump shoot.

Merry Christmas

Martin

[jrstegner]

That sounds like a good bow choice to me. I bet your draw length will be about 30.5". I think a 62" bow would be fine also if you want something a little handier. I suggest buying The Traditional Bowhunters Handbook, by T.J. Conrads. There is a lot of good information and advice for a begining archer in that book.

I agree with everything said so far.  Many years ago I made the switch from the wheelie bow back to my traditional roots and had a 64" Bighorn recurve made.  For many years I shot recurves only and found that a 62" suited me better - same as jrstenger above commented.  50# is a great all-around weight that will kill anything (within reason) and will not kill you if you shoot alot.

Now I am a dihard longbow fan.  

Good luck!  I'm sure you will have many years of fun in the trad world.

Tony

[Matt Green]

~99% of bows are rated for poundage at 28inches - therefore just be sure your 50# is at your draw wt - otherwise you'll pick up about 3# per inch - and could be drawing high fifties if you are much over 28. Folks at Bob Lee can make it 50 @ xx (what ever your draw is). Those are nice bows too. I agree witht he other post - draw the bow and hold for a count of several seconds - very differnt than holding a compund. other advice above is very good too - grip is imp and also be sure to get 'dialed in' - tuned.
best of luck
mgreen

[lpcjon2]

I think you will be surprised that a trad bow has no let off and you wont  pull and hold 70# without some work on drawing form. I would suggest a lighter bow in the 50's as mentioned above and concentrate on your form,its a little different than the form for the wheels.Buy a cheep bow like a PSE Viper,sierra, or a Bear savanna long bow. all are around the $200.00 mark and will be great bows(will kill anything in NA if your accurate with it) for the money.Don't dump a lot of money into your first bow. If you need any form help let me know.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by eugeneb:
Hi,

I am looking to purchase my 1st trad bow in 2011, but have no idea.

...

welcome to trad - click on the 'new to trad archery?' link in my sig line.

[straitera]

Welcome Aussie newbe. You're at the right place. Best of luck.

[Red4arm]

Depends on your budget,buy cheap bow and you like trad means buying another bow soon. I have learned from experience, don't buy beginner stuff. You will end up upgrading and spend more money in the long run. Buy a good used bow out of the classifieds instead of a new cheap bow or buy a good new bow you will stay satisfied with. My 2 cents.

[Cootling]

I think a 64" Bob Lee TD at 50# sounds GREAT if you mean 50# at your draw length, not 50# at 28".

I agree with Red4arm and not with those who suggest starting with a cheap bow.  If you buy a great bow and take pride in ownership, you'll have a lot more fun than if you struggle with a clunker.  If your tastes change or trad isn't for you, you should be able to get a good chunk of change back (see the classifieds for a general idea).

[Jason in Bama]

Your equipment choice has alot to do with your success in mastering traditional archery. I use the term mastering loosely as even the most experianced on this site continue to tinker and try  new things all the time trying to get closer to mastering it. It sounds like you have figured out that part. This is something that you will work at for a lifetime, it won't come overnight.
All that being said once you have got the equipment down, find a mentor close by. You will pick up alot of advise and tips from a someone who has been doing it longer than you and you can shoot with on a regular basis. They can help with the technical aspects of tuning as well and mental and form aspects of shooting. This will greatly reduce the learning curve for you. If you don't have a mentor close by, this site is the next best thing. Feel free to post any questions there is always someone here willing to help.

[Stumpkiller]

If you buy a great bow and take pride in ownership, you'll have a lot more fun than if you struggle with a clunker.  

I'm going to express a polite contrary opinion.  If you find a 196X BearPearWing for $80 in 50# and struggle with that instead of buying a $800 2011 ShrewLeeWidow (that will be delivered in 14 to 18 months) and struggling with it and decide, after a month, you can easily handle 55# in a hunting bow.  Now what?  With the $80 bow you can sell it for $80 or trade it.  With the $800 bow you will lose $200 and another year of waiting.  So a used bow will save you $600 and two years - and provide a spare when you make a better informed decision as to what you want from traditional archery.

There is also the grip feel.  What a bummer to order a bow that everyone raves about only to find it feels like a handfull of odd rocks to your hand.  Best is being able to try the grip for feel before committing.

Note - if you like the Bob Lee keep an eye out for a used Wing.  Same designer.  The Wing Red Hunter is a cult classic of recurves.

[straitera]

Straight shootin Jason. Search for "Australia" to locate folks in your area. Ben Kleinig will help you I'm sure if nothing other than direction.

[greyghost]

Welcome to the Traditional world.

I would only recommend finding another trad archer in your area, check local archery clubs or there are some folks here also from Australia that may see this and hook you up.

The reason I say this they may have a couple bows for you to shoot and try out. If you could find someone with say a 35-40 pound bow to try that would be better to just work on form, draw lenght etc.

You may find out you can only handle a 45 lber or a 60 lber.

To order a custom bow and fork out the money and then find the weight, lenght, etc does not fit you.

Best to you and some good info from others here I am sure you will enjoy trad archery.

Earl

[coaster500]

Eugene Welcome!! Having done the same thing as you about three years ago I can only make a few suggestions as most things have been cover here.

1... What I thought I wanted in a bow to begin with is not what I ended up with. I started with recurves tried D's and came to find that I like the Hybrid's the best? I made the mistake of having a bow built instead of trying different types first.

2... as many have stated don't over bow at first so you can enjoy the learning process and build up to your comfort weight.

3... one other small thing start out with something center cut or past center. THIS IS JUST ME but I found it made life much less frustrating getting arrows to fly right. The center or past center designs were just more beginner friendly.

Traditional is a great challenge and wonderful journey....

again welcome and enjoy the process  

[chanumpa]

Hello Eugene,If you pull 70#compound,I think you will be best to stick to your plan of50 to 55# in a trad bow.I use to shoot #72 in a compound and now back to trad bows wouldnt like more than #60 in a trad bow and prefer#55.My other opinion is that you cannot go wrong with a Bob Lee bow.They are as good as it gets and very realistically priced.True preformers as well.Best of luck.

[eugeneb]

Thanks for all the information, much appreciated!

[Bowwild]

Eugene,
Before I knew where my correct draw length should be (drawing arm elbow position)my draw length was 27.5".  Once I learned that I was overdrawn with the compound I reduced it to a correct 26" -- jaws of the release at the corner of my mouth.  Now that I've switched to recurve bows (beginning this year)my draw length is the same - -26".  

LIke others have suggested, you will likely find your draw length to actually be less than you are currently shooting as most compound folks are overdrawn. The hand on the release aid is usually drawn well past the mouth towards the ear which puts the drawing arm elbow to far towards your back. Also, most compound shooters when at full draw allow the elbow to be behind a line drawn from the grip, through the anchor and beyond the elbow.  Correct alignment, if you want your back to be involved in executing the shot, is for this elbow to be slightly (1/2-1") in front of this imaginary line.

Sorry for the windy description but it is so critical to shoot from a proper draw length. Underdrawn and your biceps hold the string. Overdrawn and your back is so over-extended you can't use "motion" to execute the shot and then follow-through doesn't occur or it is contrived.

I'd highly recommend you try some bows to see what you like, what feels good, and what you're willing to spend.  I've bought 13 recurve bows this year and although I like em all, I'd rather have bought only 2-3.

The traditional confabs that begin in a month or two are great places to try out lots of bows.

Good luck and welcome to a wonderful journey! FYI, I was shooting 60 pounds with a compound and am comfortably shooting 46-49 pounds with recurves which I've found very sufficient for hunting deer.

[Mudd]

Welcome to tradgang!

You have gotten some very sound advice!

A note from my own personal experience.. my draw length with a compound didn't correlate in any fashion to my draw length with a stick bow.

There is are at least one or more archery site from Aussie with some great folks. Some of these same folks are here quite a bit also.

I look forward to watching your progress.

God bless,Mudd