Need opinions and help on R/D longbows!

[Covey]

I've been back and forth on a recurve or a r/d longbow. I've decided on a longbow.  Not sure who all makes one so I'm gonna go with your input and try to narrow down a bowyer. I don't want to bash, I just need opinion's.

Thanks, Jason

[dnovo]

Too many good ones to list. In a mild r/d longbow there's not many better than a Mohawk.

[njloco]

There are a lot of very good bowyers out there, I would try and find one as local to me as possible, don't remember where Mohawk is made but it is a top of the line R/D LB. I would take into consideration location, wait time, and references from locals, price depends on what you want.

Good luck.

P.S. If you can make it to Kalamazoo the end of January, that is where you can tryout a lot of bows and pick the one you want first hand.

[Bel007]

You're gonna find at least one person here for each bowyer out there that makes R/D Longbows,

Let's face it, they are all probably "pretty good" or they'd be outta business.  That said, blow through the sponsor list, browse their sites, see if anything snags yur fancy, then search for threads about 'em.

Black Widows, Big Jims, Centars, 3 Rivers, Shrews, Black Creek, Caribow, Stalker, Dwyer, Holm Made, St joe River, etc, etc.  all make fine bows.  I've shot at least one bow from of all the above bowyers.  Im sure the ones I have not tried are fine bows too.

You're with in driving distance of kalamazoo.  Try and spend at least one day at the Trad Expo there in Jan.  Shoot most of those listed above at the expo and see for yourself which one(s) tickle your gizzard.  Drive up to 3 rivers and try the Tomahawks.  If you can wait till June and go to Cloverdale and shoot many more.

My favorite may not suit you worth a darn.  But  they are all good bows.

But, to answer your question directly...  my first R/D LB and probably still my favorite (and a great bang for the $) is a Big Jim Buffalo Bow.

Best of luck in the search of your bow.  Finding just the right one and the anticipation of your first shot with that baby is half the fun I get out of archery.

[Butch Speer]

I use a 62" 52@28 Kota Prairie Fire fairly aggressive R/D. While not the fastest bow around, it's the smoothest drawing, quietest one I've seen. Points good, fits the hand & pretty good looking too. I also have a 60" 53@28 Lost Creek Judge. More aggressive than the Kota & is a screamer. Not as quiet or smooth as  the kota but, it's a real shooter. If possible, I would shoot as many different bows as possible. Never thought I could find a bow that compared to the Lost Creek. Then I traded a Wapiti Custom for the Kota. You just never know what works till you try it.

[owlbait]

I like my Stalker. You can get a lot of feedback and opinions on the current Hope and Faith thread.

[TxAg]

Check out the Whip at montanabows.com

[Bladepeek]

What weight bow are you looking for. I just traded away my 48# Lost Creek, but there's a 40# in the classifieds now that I would love to have if I weren't broke. That 48#er was a real hot rod and nearly as quiet as a lot of D type longbows.

[Covey]

I know there will be lots of opinions, but that is what I'm looking for. I would love to go to K-zoo, but wont make it this year. I'm definitely going to Cloverdale. It takes alot for me to make up my mind, so I need all the help I can get.  :D
I don't mind to wait, that will give me time to pay for it    

Thanks Jason

[Covey]

Bladepeek, I'm probably gonna stay in the mid 50's.

Jason

[ishoot4thrills]

J.K. Traditions Kanati. Reasonably priced, fast, smooth drawing, NO handshock, good looking, and he's a sponsor here. What more could you want?

 

[Fletcher]

You have put yourself in a nice position, Jason and you will find many excellent bows in the deflex/reflex category.  Many of us really recommend starting with used bows until you figure out what you like and what works best for you.  There are some Kanati's in the classifieds right now and these are great examples of the more aggressive D/R bows; one of the best values in trad bows.

Within the mild D/R there are many great bows as well.  I'm partial to Great Northern, Robertson and Dwyer, but don't limit yourself; Northern Mist, Mohawk and many others are excellent.

[JamesKerr]

Originally posted by Bel007:
You're gonna find at least one person here for each bowyer out there that makes R/D Longbows,

Let's face it, they are all probably "pretty good" or they'd be outta business.  That said, blow through the sponsor list, browse their sites, see if anything snags yur fancy, then search for threads about 'em.

Black Widows, Big Jims, Centars, 3 Rivers, Shrews, Black Creek, Caribow, Stalker, Dwyer, Holm Made, St joe River, etc, etc.  all make fine bows.  I've shot at least one bow from of all the above bowyers.  Im sure the ones I have not tried are fine bows too.

You're with in driving distance of kalamazoo.  Try and spend at least one day at the Trad Expo there in Jan.  Shoot most of those listed above at the expo and see for yourself which one(s) tickle your gizzard.  Drive up to 3 rivers and try the Tomahawks.  If you can wait till June and go to Cloverdale and shoot many more.

My favorite may not suit you worth a darn.  But  they are all good bows.

But, to answer your question directly...  my first R/D LB and probably still my favorite (and a great bang for the $) is a Big Jim Buffalo Bow.

Best of luck in the search of your bow.  Finding just the right one and the anticipation of your first shot with that baby is half the fun I get out of archery.

X 2 My favorite though is a Tomahawk SS diamond series.

[Pops]

Moab has my vote

[Rob W.]

I own and love a Don Dow stik. I would like to get another bow this year and have narrowed it to either a Two Tracks or a Mohawk.


Rob

[Glunt]

Getting somewhere you can shoot a few is a big help, but if you go used and its not a great fit, you can generally sell it for close to what you paid and try something else.

Rocky Mountain Specialy gear has a bunch to look at online and they are great folks.  Plenty of nice used customs and some very reasonably priced new bows as well.

[HugeBull]

Ditto to Glunt, I live in TN and like dealing with RMS.

Also ditto on used.  I've bought and sold several and had good experience on both ends.  There are excellent bows FS on here and some fine folks to deal with.

Before you buy, if you are new to trad, I recommend you shoot a few bows and consider starting out lighter than you think you can handle.  Being overbowed can lead to a mess of bad habits that are can become very difficult to fix.  It is much easier to move up in weight over time.  Besides, Howard Hill claimed you could kill anything in NA, except maybe polar bears, with a 45# bow.  I am sure that the average bow today is also more efficient than in his day, so 45# outta do all he said and more.  I'm shooting about 51 at my draw length and am considering dropping back to 40 to 45 to help fix some of my bad habits and learn a new style.  JMHO  - Hugh

[30coupe]

Originally posted by ishoot4thrills:
J.K. Traditions Kanati. Reasonably priced, fast, smooth drawing, NO handshock, good looking, and he's a sponsor here. What more could you want?

 

X 2

Kanati @ 25 yards:

 

[Bassfisher]

I am really enjoying my Don Dow stik.  60" 47# at 28".  Shoots great and is very quiet.  Can't beat the price either.

[JV Rooster]

I realy like abbott longbows. Very sweet and great shooters but there is alot of good bows on this site.Have fun trying to make a choice,