good beginning bow for under $150

[Houska]

I have a friend that wants to switch from the compound but doesn't want to spend more than $150 bucks on the bow. What do you guys recommend?

thanks for the help
Matt Houska

[FerretWYO]

It hurts me to say this but the Samick Sage is a pretty good bow.

[pyrannah]

i have just received the sage for christmas this year..  i honestly, do not know anything about trad bows but this one does seem really nice though..

some after research i have done confirms by consensus that "Samick Sage is a pretty good bow"

[-snypershot317-]

umm..i know that the sage is a popular one (its a good bow just not an eye pleaser  :p  ), i know they arent a sponsor here but pse has some bows well below 200 but im not sure how they shoot, and you can also look in your areas classifieds like craigslist or garage sales or hit up the big auction site but on that site buyer beware...another option is to go to local archery shops and see if they have any used trad bows; i know mine here always has a couple used, in fact he recently had one that even included arrows and a quiver for about 180 i think, so i dont think it would to look locally either.

[Echo62]

Samick Sage.

[-snypershot317-]

and if he does go with the sage, ive been shooting one for a while and shoots right there with the best of em...its got fairly decent speed, pretty good accuracy and is fairly quiet once tuned well...only issue for me is the riser is made of dymond wood and i think that wood looks funny so to me its not pleasing to the eye but it works and it works well...again just trying to help ya out.

[Brock]

I will have to disagree with the Samick Sage...yeah it might be decent bow for money but there are better bows for similar costs in my opinion that will hold their value much better in secondary market.

I would recommend he pick up a vintage Bear, Browning, Ben Pearson etc....I prefer Brownings so would look at a Wasp, Nomad or even for a little more money an Explorer.  There is no reason you cannot find him a nice Wasp or Nomad for around $75-125 including shipping...and the bow will be worth about the same amount a year or 5 years from now if he decides to upgrade and not keep it for his "collection"....

I have quite a few near mint bows on my wall for the $200 range...and have bought and sold dozens more for the $75-125 range in weights from 45-55#.

If hesitant to shoot a vintage bow..there are always used Martin or Howatt Hunters, Jeffery, Dan Quillan, PSE (made by Jeffery) recurves on classifieds here, Rocky Mountain Specialty Gear (RMSG) or others that will fit the bill and be a much better built bow...American made...for same or less money.

on there for less than $200, 45-55#
Bear Super Kodiak  
Bear Black Panther
Ben Pearson Hunter II
Bear Grizzly
Wilson bros Black Widow
Bear Bearcat
Browning Wasp


others like Raptor also sell used as well as classifieds here...  hell, that Browning Wasp is one of the best performing bows they made..it was and still is a sleeper and is very fast not to be their top tier model.  55#@28  

Lots of options before going NEW and KOREAN...just my two cents.

Without a doubt, the Samick Sage.

[pukwana]

Samick Sage

[KeganM]

If you get the Sage get a better string. The one that comes on it is pretty much junk compared to a good high-performance material string.

Used bows are another option, as Brock pointed out. They take a little more "looking"  but you can find some really good deals.

Concerning the PSE bows, I'd be a little hesitant. Had a fellow who had four of them break or delaminate on them, all were under 50#, and none of them had been abused. I had one of their older recurves, and it was over priced for what you were getting, IMO.

[Blackhawk]

It seems the Sage is favored here, but I'm with Brock on this.  There are hundreds of older quality bows out there in your price range and their value will stay constant or even rise.  I tend to favor Bear and think a 40-45# Grizzly would fit the need easily for $100-150.  Even the newer Howatt X-200 is a great deal too.

[Lone Ranger]

Browning Medalion~

[Houska]

Thanks for the help, when I first started shooting trad, I bought a Samick in July and killed an antelope in August with it.

[SlowBowinMO]

A nice used 70's Bear, Browning, Pearson or Shakespeare would be my first suggestion.

One of my sons has a Sage also and it is a nice bow and a good value no doubt.

[ron w]

Find a good used mid 70's Bear Grizzly.......one of the best!

[JoeArizona]

I bought a Sage when I got back into Trad about 4 years ago.  Then got a mid-70's Kodiak Hunter...the green bow...from my wife for Christmas.
Loved the Sage until I got the Kodiak Hunter.  Now I seldom shoot the Sage.
Kodiak Hunters are great bows, often overlooked, and can be found on the big auction site within the stated budget.
Hope this helps.  Good luck.

[jhk1]

Agree 100% on the Kodiak Hunter.  The grip is very high-wrist, but if you can accommodate that, it's a great bow for the money.  Can often be had in the same price range as a similar-vintage Grizzly, which is also a great choice.  I like the 2 inches of extra length on the KH.

I've got a '69 Kodiak Hunter (brown wood riser-- just prior to the green futurewood) that I refinished and am contemplating taking a rasp and sandpaper to to reshape the grip to more of a mid-wrist type, but I don't know if I want to take that leap.  Would probably kill the resale value, although it's not that big a deal since it's probably a $150-$175 bow at best.

[jhk1]

Another great old one is a Howatt Hunter.  I've got one of these in 62" length 50#-- love this bow.  Harder to find than the Kodiak Hunter, but has a real nice lower-wrist grip and is a heck of a shooter-- fast and quiet.  If you keep looking, you may be able to get one of these for $150 or less.

[ishoot4thrills]

Hard to beat an old Browning Wasp. I have one and I use it as a backup to my Kanati and as a bowfishing bow too. It is a great performer and shoots great as well. They can be found at a good price for less than $150.

[Grey Taylor]

I'm going to agree with many here recommending an older classic. However...
If the buyer is new to traditional gear or runs into a poor seller, it's really easy to get hosed on an older bow. I can't see it happening with a bow purchased here but if the auction site is used I'd be pretty leary about spending money on something that can be twisted, delammed, or otherwise messed up. You don't have a lot of recourse on that site and you could be stuck with something unusable or just not that good.
On the other hand, purchasing a new Samick from a reputable dealer gives you all kinds of protection if things go south.

Just another viewpoint...

Guy