Fooled around with it a bit years ago but never could get very good at it and never got away from the compound. I'll be 50 in a couple months and would really like to get a buck with a recurve. As luck would have it, I got my old bear grizzly out the other day to find it was broken. I also found that my arrow fleachings have been eaten by a mouse or moths or something.. So, I guess I'm starting from scratch. I need a new bow but don't have several hundreds to spend. I'm thinking about a light weight bow this time; with hopes that I may learn to shoot better. Maybe 35 to 40 pounds. My question is, how do these cheap new bows that I see compare to expensive bows? Can I learn to shoot well with a new cheap bow or should I find a higher end bow that is used? BTW, I've searched the used bows on this site and there seems to be a lot of very old adds. I've reached out to a couple of folks about their bows but not heard back. Does anyone manage this or pull the old adds? I'd like a longer recurve with a radioused shelf in the 35 to 40 lb range. Does anyone have recommendations for a cheap new bow or a good used one. Sorry for the wordy post.

Essentially they cost more. First, how much do you want to spend?

Decide that, and the rest is pretty easy. There are a ton of good used bows, that will shoot as well as most any custom, out there for less than $200.00.

Buy a Samick Sage new for 105 dollars to 120 dollars on ebay.It is all the bow you will ever need. The bow shoots great with plenty of accessories.Buy 20 to 40 lb. lb.spine Predator arrows at Lancaster.Five dollars an arrow.Thirty five to 40 lbs. is were you would want to start. When you get your form down you can buy a heavier set of limbs for 68 dollars and you are good to go. I swear by that bow, and so do many others.I have 24 vintage recurves all makes and brands, and this bow will not take a back seat to any of them.IMHO

Samick Sage

Mandarin Duck or Black Hunter, same manufacture. Twig Archery carries the Black Hunter.

I see the minimum draw weight is 40# in Ohio.

You might want to take that into consideration. Good luck in your search.

Where do you live in Ohio? We have LW members pretty much all over that state.

Thanks guys. That's interesting about Samick. I thought about them. Saw them in 3 rivers catalog but figured because of price, they were junk. I'm in Cincinnati George. And no, I won't hunt until I can shoot a 50 lb bow very well at 15 yards. Just want to start out right.

Bassman, Is the "edge" recurve the same as the sage?

You are very smart to stay in the 40# range and a longer recurve. The Samick is a good bow, all you need to learn and hunt very effectively. The real nitty-gritty is selecting and fine tuning arrows to your bow.

I get what you're saying Rymancat. But I did that a lot with my boys when they were young and it never got me anywhere. Shot a lot of 3D targets in the leg and neck. Don't what to do that to a critter. Gonna switch things up a bit and try to learn something.

Thanks Al. Yeah I know that can be tricky and don't really know anyone that shoots trad equipment but I have tuned arrows to compounds. I reckon it's similar.

Frank can not answer that for sure,but if it looks the same it is more than likely made by the same people.

Frank if you have a reason to come to Portsmouth for anything? pm me I got a sage and others to try out...ron

Frank,

Sent you a pm regarding the Black Hunter. I just bought one for my 15 year old and am very pleased.

Glue trap, I may be heading that way in a couple of weeks to take some hogs to butcher. I’ll PM you if it happens. Thanks for the offer. I do agree blackstck, that it’s a fairly ugly bow but, it would just be to learn on.

Having said that, I find 1 piece bow to be much prettier than 3 piece bows in general.

I saw that the sage also comes in a one piece. It’s a little more expensive but looks nice. Is there any reason to think it wouldn’t shoot as well as a 3 piece?

Frank, a 40# recurve shooting a 400 gr. Arrow is good enough for hunting. Accuracy is way more important than poundage. The only advantage of a three piece bow is you can buy different limbs.

Hey Frank, I am new to trad life as well. I started shooting back in June. I've been a compound hunter for 23 years so not new to archery..I bought a Samick Sage and love it. As most have said, to get in the game and for cheap, its a great shooter! You can start off with 35/40 lb limbs and order a heavier set when you're ready!

Welcome Frank. No mistake about it the Sage is a shooter and also a great utility bow. I do not hunt with mine but I could. It shoots better than I do. A couple of years ago, I had some shoulder issues and bought a 40 lb Sage as a "rehab" bow. I got up to speed and resumed using my regular bow. I decided to try to increase my poundage but before spending a lot of money on limbs for my regular bow, I got higher poundage limbs for my Sage to get comfortable with the higher poundage. I got used limbs for about 40 bucks on ebay. I will never get rid of the Sage. It is great for friends who want to shoot a bow but cannot pull mine. Just pull out the Sage with lighter limbs to let them try it for themselves.

Frank, a Bear Grizzly is a really great bow, so you might look for a used replacement of your broken one. Seen several older ones go as low as $125 at a 3-D shoot to slightly more than your suggested budget of around $200. Many sold to second season hunters so many out there for sale. Shot with a fellow at a shoot in FL a few back who had a tiger wood one from the mid to late sixties which had been refinished and it was fantastic. However, the newer ones are real good too.

If possible, don't be in too big of a hurry and look hard as you have done recently. Took me a year to find an old Bear Kodiak Special at the length and draw weight range I wanted. That bow is now a prize that I'm proud of and could sell later.

Bows are like dogs. Get one you can sit on the porch with, so replacing your Grizzly might be another good choice, so take your time to be sure you found the right one.

Agreed Bob,

As a matter fact. I bought that my grizzly a dozen years ago second hand at the Cloverdale shoot in Indiana. It’s a 1971 model and I bought it for $150. I took a thousand bucks with me to buy a bow. For two days I shot all kinds of new bows there ,that venders had. Beautiful bows like Assenheimer, Black Widow, Bob Lee, and many others. For some reason, I shot that old 50 lb grizzly very well and took it home. I will eventually get another one, but for now I just want something lightweight accurate and forgiving for a budget price. P. S. That grizzly was pretty too. The new grizzlies are not pretty at all.

If I had a $200 budget, I'd look for a used Howatt Hunter, Shakespeare Ocala, Wing Thunderbird, or Browning Explorer in whatever draw weight you want. Those are all 62" bows that look and shoot great...whereas if you get a Sage, you'll have the added expense of buying a case to hide the thing in so as not to have to look at it on your wall. ;-)

I would start with the Sage and 40# limbs. Get accurate with tham, then if you want heavier limbs for all the more the Sage limbs cost then buy a heavier set. 40# bow, 10gr/lb draw weight arrows, and a cut on contact head, you'll blow through any deer you shoot here in Ohio when you hit them in the chest cavity. It truly is all about shot placement, a tuned arrow, and a sharp broadhead. DANNY

Oh yeah, if you get the Sage, the strings that come with them are not worth the time. Soooooo, if you get a Sage, I will give you a High Performance String for free to use on it, you can pick the colors. I would suggest lancasterarchery.com to buy it from, if that is the bow you choose. They have probably the best customer service out there. DANNY

Yes, Crookedstix, That 3 piece sage is ugly for sure, but it still looks nicer than my compound. The one piece sage actually looks pretty nice but to Linecutter’s point...I wouldn’t be able to go up in poundage easily like with the 3 piece.

I actually think the Howatt Hunter is a great bow but the new ones are $600 and the used ones are hard to find especially in 40lbs. The old Howatts are ok but have a think grip and very flat shelf. Not a fan of the big grip flat shelf old bows.

Of course....maybe the flat shelf thing is all in my head. People shot off them for a lot of years without any problems I guess. Just makes sense to me that a rafiussed shelf would shoot cleaner.

I also find I interesting that a cheapbow like Sage is fast flight compatible and so many of the expensive bows are not.

Yes, Crookedstix, That 3 piece sage is ugly for sure, but it still looks nicer than my compound. The one piece sage actually looks pretty nice but to Linecutter’s point...I wouldn’t be able to go up in poundage easily like with the 3 piece.

I actually think the Howatt Hunter is a great bow but the new ones are $600 and the used ones are hard to find especially in 40lbs. The old Howatts are ok but have a think grip and very flat shelf. Not a fan of the big grip flat shelf old bows.

Of course....maybe the flat shelf thing is all in my head. People shot off them for a lot of years without any problems I guess. Just makes sense to me that a rafiussed shelf would shoot cleaner.

I also find I interesting that a cheapbow like Sage is fast flight compatible and so many of the expensive bows are not.

Frank I got a 40lb. 66" bow not great but shootable, sage with 40 or 45lb. limbs, also a 40lb. carsage (cartel riser with 40lb sage limbs) $75 each if I don't have to ship. got a target in the back yard and arrows to try out. keep me posted when and if you come this way...ron

sorry for my last post..had a senior moment and thought I was pming him :)

Just want to thank everyone for the advice and suggestions. I'm going to order a Sage tomorrow with 35 lb limbs. Also going to try 3 figures under and an aiming method; that was discussed in another post. Hopefully I'll have better luck than I've had in the past with trad archerey. I love the idea of it but get flustered with it and put it away for years at a time. But...I just can't seem to get it out of my mind. Trad archerey I mean.

Can't beat a grizzly...used can be found very cheap! A samick is a good start as well. I've killed my biggest deer with a samick

Farmer Frank this is farmer Bjrogg. I'm not trying to talk you into or out of anything. Believe me I know what it's like not to have a budget for any toys. I just want to throw something out there that you may not have considered. Ever think about making your own selfbow. Neither did I until a almost 3 years ago. I know it's not for everyone. Some people don't have the time or energy to try to make one. Some people don't have the eye to properly tiller one. Some people like myself play around and find out they are totally relaxed and completely rewarded by bringing a piece of wood back to life. Some people find with a little bit of help and encouragement that they have a eye for tiller and a feel for it to. My total budget for my first selfbow was about $12 for a 1/4 lb spool of B-55. I broke my first one and learned a great deal from making it and shooting it a few hundred times before overdrawing it and breaking it in front of a bunch of my old timer farmer buddies. I laughed right along with them but deep down I was heartbroken. The worst thing was I didn't have a bow to shoot. I found a fellow named Marc St Louis on the web. With his patience help and my constant pestering I built another much better selfbow. This time my budget was $0 because I already had the spool of B-55. I was determined to never be without a selfbow again and I joined the Primitive Archery site. I went to the Marshall Michigan PA meet and meet a bunch of really fantastic guys. I kept improving my bows, arrows and shooting. I got a bunch of really good tips on hunting with these bows and how to sit up real close. I to this day have never shoot a compound. That first season after the Primitive Archery meet I took my 3rd selfbow, this one I blew my budget on and had half of a pair of prairie rattle skin snakes on. Most guys use two skins but I cut one in half. That was about $30. Same spool of B-55. I stood on the ground totally invisible as a 4 point buck walked past me at 9 paces. As he was quartering away I drew, released and watched my arrow make its short but deadly flight. It all started out as a whim. Then a challenge to myself. Now a total and completely satisfying addiction. Like I said in the beginning of this long winded reply. I'm not trying to talk you into or out of anything. Just throwing up something a bit out of the box. I hope you find your bow. I hope you find your hunt. Many people I know think they want to go traditional but when hunting season comes they bring out the compound. I'm not saying any of this is easy. What I'm saying is it isn't impossible and it is extremely rewarding.

Sincerely

farmer Bjrogg

Ha! Thanks for the suggestion BJ, but I'm very far away from ever building a bow. I'd be happy just to find one I can shoot decently. I barely have the patience to learn to shoot let alone try to make something myself. Thanks anyway.

I understand Frank, just thought I'd put it out there. Good Luck with your bow and your hunt. Just try to have some fun. Bjrogg

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