Expensive bows

[Alexander Traditional]

I know when I was younger and didn't have much money I had a bow that was cheaper,it wasn't ugly but it wasn't a custom either. I do like the better looking bows if they shoot good. I catch myself looking at my bow or my arrows waiting for something to come by.

[Burnsie]

Obviously fancy figured veneers and exotic woods are not going to make a bow shoot better.  Pick one of the top custom bowyers,  have him build a bow with all the bells and whistles and one plain Jane out of actionwood, black glass...etc  and they're gonna shoot the same.  It's the design of the bow not the window dressing.  So why by custom? Cause people like nice stuff. If everything were just about functionality and getting the job done, you could argue about the purpose of buying anything nice.  Heck a table made out of a sheet of plywood and four 2x4 legs will serve the purpose,  why go buy a nice looking dining room table.

[bowhuntingrn]

As OBX said above... I've always heard archery has less to do with the bow, than the Indian behind it...but as soon as I figure out a way to afford it / convince my other half I need it, I'm gonna buy a purty one (bow that is)  

[Gil Verwey]

I tested many bows over the last few years (between 300 and 400). I found a bow to be a very subjective individual thing.

As far as performance goes most bows today all perform close to each other. Some stand out from a performance perspective, but in my opinion not enough to be the determining factor as to what bow a person likes.

I bought a new, in the box, old Wing takedown recurve for $3 at a flea market. It was as fast as most other high end bows we tested.

Find one you like and want to shoot and stick with it. If you like it you will shoot it alot, whether it costs $1800 or $18.

I also collect longbows because some I do feel are works of art. Some guys collect stamps or coins, I collect longbows. It is all good.

I have been shooting for 54 years and one thing I know is that today is the hayday for Traditional archery. We have many great bowyers, sites like this for information, the internet to find the answer to everything. It is good to be us these days.

Gil

[Submarinokotbw]

My hangup is this... My sister is the artist and I am the mechanic in the family. I never stare at my tools because they are beautiful. I appreciate art and music and that kind of sutff. Its just i dont yet understand pretty tools. When im with my dad and he talks about nice sports cars, I am thinking "what a waste of money." I bought my toyota tacoma because it is bomb proof and i can put deer, dogs, and luggage in the back. Im just worried if i got a nice bow that id always be worried about scratching it. I use my stuff hard. Its not that i am against custom bows, i am against delicate things that pretend to be tools. Maybe i just need to age a bit...

[njloco]

Please, don't take this the wrong way. I had a Bear Montana, and that is why I bought a custom bow. I'm not saying I needed to buy a custom bow but the hand shock I got from the Bear was adversely effecting my shooting. My other Bear bows did not give me any hand shock.

Now that was me, my friend who bought the bow from me, doesn't seem to mind the hand shock and he likes the bow, but he also has custom bows that he can also shoot if he wants.

There are a few bows that I shoot better than others, and one of those is a Bear kodiak.

[JamesKerr]

I like Custom bows because typically they are pure art and you can have them made to your specs. That said I still shoot my old Bear Montana as well it's a great longbow at an even better price.

[ISP 5353]

I think the money I have spent on custom bows was well spent.  I shoot a lot.  I shoot 3D, field, or whatever.  I just love to shoot my bows.  That said, I also love to hunt.  I do not have any really "works of art" type bows.  They may be pretty, but they are hunters.  The extra money I spend on a custom is to have a bow built to my specs that I will love to shoot and hunt with.  I never have the prettiest bow in the woods, but I hit what I aim at.

The secret is to find one that feels like it belongs in your hand and is just an extension of yourself.  You can shoot a lot of bows and shoot them well, but maybe only one of them feels "right".

[moththerlode]

You know when I was a kid I had a pair of bino's from a department store. They were awsome, brought things in close to see and I thought they were the cats meow.
That is until I looked through what was considered at that time a medocore pair of glasses for that time. Bought em and never considered useing those cheap glasses again.
Sure alot of things will work. But in the end use what you enjoy useing.

[Sean B]

If you're content with a bow that you can shoot well, then stay with it.  That's the beauty of this way of bow hunting, there's something for every one

[Brianlocal3]

My take is this... I too agree with a lot of the sentiments here in that customs just allow you to personalize your stuff more to your liking.  Plus in some situations there are definite performance and aesthetic purposes.  If I was a Recurve shooter I would own a Super Kodiak because I think they are beautiful and yet very good in performance, fit, finish, etc etc. But for the money I spend on my SK I could buy a very nice custom also.  But since I like to shoot American Semi-longbows I have to (not a bad thing at all) go custom.

The Bear Montana was one of my first longbows and I loved it dearly. If I was in a position where I did not have hobby money I could be perfectly content shooting the bear montana the the Beman ICS hunters with Thunderhead BH and be very very deadly with that setup.  Some people spend more on arrows and heads than others can afford to spend on a bow and that is fine.  

For me it is like knives in that I will ONLY carry a Buck knife. They aren't the most expensive and they aren't the cheapest but I feel they are the best. I have a few custom 110s floating around that are nothing but show pieces but could be used if I had to.

Oh and I am hard on equipment

[WESTBROOK]

Find one you like and want to shoot and stick with it. If you like it you will shoot it alot, whether it costs $1800 or $18.

X2

 

Its not that i am against custom bows, i am against delicate things that pretend to be tools.

Make no mistake, under that pretty wood its all bow. If your afraid to scratch it maybe ya better not get one. Not me, I buy them use and they will show it in time.

Eric

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Originally posted by OBXarcher:

That said life is too short to shoot an ugly bow

This is my thinking exactly!  

[BWD]

Bows no longer in vogue still shoot as good as when they were the latest, greatest and are usually a good value.

Depends on your definition of ugly. Seen many a plain bow that looked far better, to me, than one made with a half dozen, or so, different woods.

[gonefishing600]

I have owned the prettiest bow out there, and I have heard many people say the same thing about this particular bowyer that I won’t mention. It was the prettiest bow I have ever owned and the worst performing bow I have ever owned.

Moral of the story, I would rather own the ugliest bow in the world that was a top performer, then have a second or third rate beauty.

Have you ever seen Stevie Ray Vaughn’s guitar?

[Gdpolk]

The best traditional bow is the bow that FITS you and your needs the best.  

If you can find a $5 garage sell special that does that then great.  If you build your own self-bow then great.  If a high end custom does that for you then great.

The VALUE of a custom is that you can more or less have a bow MADE to fit you and your needs perfectly as well as look as plain or fancy as you like.  If you have the funds and enough experience to know what really works best for you then by-all-means custom is the way to go.  If you don't then who cares?  There are hundreds of excellent bows that can be picked up used and sold off until you find something that fits your needs just right.

[S.C. Hunter]

I will agree that a bow by no means needs to be expensive to be a great bow. I have had a few that were bought for half the price of others that I owned and were better shooters. Every now and then I just want something different and that means more expensive sometimes. I just bought a very nice, and expensive Robertson Primal Styk. I could have bought a couple of other bows for the price of this one. But I did not want to wait and I looked at the bow so much I just jumped on it.

[moleman]

Heres my take on this, the bow that you shoot well and are comfortable with is the one for you, custom or not. Its the time and dedication that you put into becoming the best you can be with any bow,....that is what makes the difference.
One of my favorite bows is one that was said by the previous owner to be the worst piece of sh*# he had ever shot. Its not a custom, but after some tuning and matching it to the right arrow, its a doll baby as well as a great performer. Sometimes all that bling, dont mean a thing.

[Bjorn]

To each his own-Hyundai or Mercedes-lots of choices; pick whatever you like and makes you happy.

[Nativestranger]

That's what I thought too. I think looks and customization has a lot to do with it. Of course if you like the bow then you do tend to shoot better with it.

Jimmy Blackmon recently posted a video of a cheap Samick Verna longbow. Its a fast and flat shooter and he has no problem drilling them in the spot arrow after arrow. I think cheap bows can perform well but the durability can be questionable.