Just curious, if you were going to order a new lighter weight(that's mass weight) 50's style recurve bow whose would it be and why?

I've always had a liking for Great Northern Ghosts.

Kohanna. Shoots as well as any for ne and affordably priced.

Already been through this exercise years ago and I chose a 59 Kodiak reintroduction from Bear. Why? Definitely some nostalgia but I have a 1960 Kodiak that is a fantastic bow to shoot. The 59 is even better. Light in the hand, points well and performs great.

Dan and Jared Toelke's Chinook. Their bows are second to none and you won't find finer folks to deal with.

Their limb profiles are very slender and by design they are quick, quiet, and dead in the hand. Depending on riser material you can have one built very little mass weight.

As a bonus i believe the have one of the fastest turnaround times in the industry. Yep--- Toelke would be my choice.

I also like the Great Northern Ghost.

Chad Holms River Runner with static limbs. Very smooth, quick and very quiet.. Like it better than the 60" Chinook i had.

There is a nice looking Great Northern Ghost I saw on the Bay the other day.

Found it...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/313050229410

Have had a bunch and liked the Fox Archery- Breed the best- by a good amount

Toelke

Black widow

Kota Killum!

Frankly, I would try to find a real 57 Kodiak, or a used model of an older custom like Kohannah, but probably would opt for a vintage bow. I can't afford a custom bow that won't do anything an old one will anyway. Eight hundred bows aren't in my pay grade.. ;)

Talltines Stickflinger

Easy to draw, super fast and it fits me so well.

Great Northern

The Great Northern Ghost with the leather covered locator grip was very close in feel and shooting qualities to my 57 Kodiaks... perhaps nicer.

I really like my Rustic Archer Yeti. Though I still won't be able to shoot for probably 2 more months. It's a sweet, light weight, quite and quick, what more can you ask for.

Mach Howard or a Black Widow. Both as long as I could get.

RonL

I've owned a lot of high end bows. I shoot Widows better than the rest. They are not the fastest or the prettiest but the most forgiving.

Rustic Archer Yeti or Great Northern Ghost. Too bad Rose Oak Ace is no longer an option.

Sorry forgot the and why part...Ghost is a lot like a 57 Kodiak or St Charles TBird, same for Rustic Archer Yeti. Rustic Archer learned from making Saxons and has the Saxon forms if I remember correctly. That slim, almost longbow style riser in a recurve bow appeals to me.

Kota Killum. Used to have one, will have another

Man that yeti looks sweet. Those who have one what do you think?

I got mine a couple years ago. A Vintage Works 1962 repro. I like it’s light weight and it’s looks. I didn’t pay that much more than the Bear 59 repro.

McCullough 59er. Great bows if you can find one. There's a reason they don't come up for sale very often.

I third the Kota Killum! Man I wish I still had mine ! :(

I'm with Phil regarding the Bear 1950 reintro. Excellent bow.

Kohanna Kurve nuff said!!

Dan Toelke Chinook, everybody tells me it's the best bow he builds so I'm likely to find out, probably get a Whip at the same time cause I shoot mostly longbow now. Should be a good pair.

Chad Holme’s River Runner is a great choice.

Fox Archery out of Wallowa, OR. Ron King's 50's style recurve is called The Breed and it is beautiful, very beautiful and snappy.

Kohannah any weight

I would buy the Wes Wallace Mentor in the classifieds. They are fine bows

Well, if money wasn't an option I'd try a Bushmen and Toelke first. Never had a custom before but still looking for that perfect one. I love the old ones. Y'all stay healthy and shoot often.

Black Widow for me

Toelke Chinook!

A Saluki Longbow.

Bob's Kohanna Kurve - just looks, feels, and shoots like a man's bow! Kinda like my Ford F-350 4x4 truck!

I have to go with the Widow stuff. They are well made and fit my shooting style.

JMHO

Black Widow...I have 3 and could always use another one !!!!

omega longbows nice stuff real good bows

It's not rocket science. I know nothing about bows but shoot a bow I made in 92 as good as any. Pick one and get good with it. They all shoot good.

Probably another Kohannah Kurve in a lighter draw weight. Great shooting bow. Black Widow PSR sure looks nice though.

Leon Stewart and Toelke. Love the grips! Beautiful bows and smooth shooters.

Fox archery =Breed

If I would go back to a recurve, there are 3 on my list I would have to check out. They would be the Holm-Made River Runner, Kota Killum, and one of the repro's by our own Nemah. Chad, Tim and Richard all make beautiful bows, so maybe I better save enough for 3 bows?? Maybe I better stick with my ASL's?

Can't get much more 50's than a St. Charles Thunderbird. Got 2 on my rack. One belongs to a friend and is rh and 63". Mine is 66" dual shelf. Quiet, smooth, quick. Handles like a longbow with curves.

Cari-bow Tuktu..best one I've shot for awhile..although I have a Morrison Cougar that keeps finding its way back..3 times now. I'm also exploring the Selfbow scene....

If I didn't have a Bear LES-3 coming sometime this year it would be a Black Widow PSR, because they are bombproof.

Love my Black Widows.

Caribow Wolverine, Or taiga ex.

Never owned one, but I've shot and have been impressed with a Kota at the Coon Rapids Traditional Shoot. I'd like one someday, problem is the old bow still works fine.

Acadian Woods, Roy Hall bows, Black Widow,

Well, guys the original poster asked for suggestions on 50s style recurves!

Wow! Lots of Toelke recommendations! You really can't go wrong with one of their bows. A lot of thought has gone into their design and they are able to fit the grip to your hand. A year ago i shot a bunch of bows at Kalamazoo ( always hard for me to find a bow to try elsewhere, being left handed). I came home from the show and ordered another Toelke-- i like them that much.

I would go with Holm Made bows. Chad makes super nice bow, also he will make one 64 in and in your choice of wood. If that isnt important to you probably buy the bear reintroduction.

I have owned a Kohannah Kurve, a St. Charles Thunderbird and 2 Robertson Peregrines....I still own the peregrines..they are no longer made but well worth the effort to find one....If I were looking to by another 50's bow currently being made it would be the St. Charles...mine was about 7lbs more than I am currently shooting or I would still have it...smooth and longbow quiet...

If it was possible another Big River. Second a Kota Killum.

The real deal. 1959 Kodiak. Grayling MI. 64” 45#.

T4

One of my 57 Kodak’s , a 54# I have owned for a few decades. Light, fast, and probably one if the most forgiving bows I have owned. Still going strong. Just had to replace the leather grip about 10 years ago.

Javaman Assyrian, I got hooked on forward handle recurves in the early 90's when a friend traded me one for my last compound. I've come to believe (feel) that the deflex handle offers more stability. I'm on my 7th the last 3 of which have been Coffey bows. They just fit me, feel right and work. And Greggs bows are wonderfully engineered works of art. I also have a 60" Shrew long bow from the Coffey era.... It's a beauty.

Another vote for the Kota Killum! Reasonable price and Tim's a great guy! Real smooth, almost with a let-off feel to it when the curves straighten out!

Am on the lookout for a Toelke Chinook. I have his Pika and Troll so I'm assuming the Chinook will shoot just as well. And the craftsmanship is top notch to boot. Combine that with an unbelievable turn around and a very reasonable price for a bow of this quality and you can't go wrong. Looking used but I might have to order new as these don't come up that often in the specs I'm looking for.

Even though I voted for the Killum, Chad Holm's River Runners are supposed to be great bows too! And he's a great guy too! He just never has lefties when I see him! Bruce if you're not too far south in IA come up to the Coon Rapids shoot in June. Tim and Chad are always there. Hell come up anyway. Great shoot and this year will be their 30th Anniversary shoot.

Bear 59 Kodiak remake

Red Dogs, used to live in MN and shot the Coon Rapids shoot since back in '98. Took 2nd place twice. With the bug going around doubt I'd try it this year.

For the last month or so I’ve been thinking about getting a short recurve or longbow. I’ve looked at the Shrew, Omega, Toelke, just to name a few. I thought I had one picked out. Then I saw Rustic Archer mentioned and seen a thread about the Sabertooth bow he makes now I’m not sure what I want. I really like that bow.

Maddog

It may have been suggested and I just missed it, but a Northwinds is a very nice 50's style bow as well. IF this bow had been a little less draw weight I would still be shooting it daily.

-Bones

When I wanted a 50's style and because I have worn out my copy of "Bows on the Little Delta" by Glenn StCharles. I bought a new production Bear 59 Kodiak. I don't shoot it as much as I should but it is a very nice bow. The craftsmanship is good and the bow is light in the hand. Mine has the purple heart I-beam, they didn't offer the maple I-beam initially but I think you can get that now if you like that.

Lots of good bows mentioned here.

This thread makes me want to string up my 59' and shoot it.

Bill

Check out Canadota Customs. Pat makes some nice bows. He is on facebook I dont think he has a website.

I have a 59 Kodiak re-issue, a Kota Kill-em', and a Fox Breed. The 59 re-issue is beautiful but I can't get good arrow flight to save my life, it's a haunted bow. The Breed is very nice but I can only shoot 3 under, I can't shoot split finger and get good arrow flight. The Kill-em has perfect arrow flight using split-finger. So, of the three, I'd keep/get the Kill-em, since (for me) it shoots the best. To be fair, I got the Breed used and it may be tillered for 3-under, but I don't know for sure - it shoots great using 3-under, but I don't like shooting 3 under.

Actually been speaking with Al Kimery this week. Very interested in what he builds. Pretty bows

Blacktail T2 Sitka. I have no pictures, but it was a gift from my Wife just prior to her passing from cancer at age 52. I had tested a Blacktail, and had fell in love with it, but affording one was a stretch that couldn't be reached for a long time. My beloved wife told me--get it--and challenge yourself always. It is my gift to you as I will be leaving this world. I love my current Blacktail, and will always cherish it. It has special meaning to me. Yes it was expensive, but it shoots like a dream, and every time I shoot it, and hunt with it there is special meaning with this bow.

JD Berry will always go down as one of my favorite bows/builders.

What constitutes 50's style?

I was about to answer with my choice but I read david mitchell remind us that juspassin specified 50's style in his opening post. I don't know what that is.

Typically a 50 style recurve has a smaller narrower riser.The limbs are typically narrower as well and thicker or more deep cored.

I have had a few with very narrow and very deep cored limbs.But they do vary in width and thickness depending on the model or maker.

The risers resemble many longbows.

Overall thier lighter,sleeker and more slender as a general rule.They go well with longbows for the guy who likes to shoot both styles of limbs or just likes variety.

A 60s style recurve typically has a beefier more substantial riser and often comes with medium or higher grips.Many have wide or wider limbs than your 50s style curves.Thier heavier in the hand and the risers are often longer.A few that come to mind are the Wes Wallace,Blacktails,Gamemasters,Damon Howatts and the Schafer one piece recurves.Thier are many other 60s style makers.

Thanks bowhunt - I'm enlightened. So to add my contribution to the mix here is the one I would order (again) - Centaur recurve.

50's? In the same vein I think; maybe not as sleek as some of the gorgeous wooden ones pictured above. Certainly not 50's with his carbon fiber and super-dense fibrous resin construction.

Look at 7 Lakes and Maddog recurves too.

DH

I agree with Roadrunner 7 Lakes and Maddog

Widow or schafer

Fox Breed

I would just buy a new 59 Bear Kodiak. They shoot amazing. Great arrow speed and great grip and light weight. A fantastic performing bow for half the cost of a nice custom. If money is not an issue, I would look into Caribow. Good Luck.

7 Lakes I have a Long Night, great shooter also have a SF Silent Night on order. Mike makes a great bow.

Ed Holcomb builds a superb Drake HunterFlight pattern bow. Great performance and fit/finish is excellent.

Lot's of great recommendations. If you are lucky you might stumble across a Bruce Chandler "Classic". He's been out of the bow- building business for 15 years.

I have both a Fox Breed and a Kota Kill-em, you could not go wrong with either one. I'm going to sell the Breed eventually though, as I really need to shoot it 3-under and I just can't get used to it, I've been shooting split for way too long. And really, my Bear 59 re-issue is pretty slick too.... and that's coming from someone that is not shy about criticizing the products coming out of Gainsville. Lots of good choices out there.... you just need to get one of everything.

Kota Killum I got one about a month ago and wow it’s pretty awesome. I would also like to have one of the new static tip bows from Holm-Made bows.

Mostv guys say fiftys style recurve actually mea 59-61 style. So in 50's style I'd say great northern. 59-61 style by far the Cari Bow Tuktu static.

Black Widow.

Kota Killum

Though he is no longer around, i own/have owned several Saxon Hawks and Saxon Americans made by Randy. I would order several more if he was still alive. I currently shoot one of his two piece americans. 45# @ 30". I got a complete pass through on a buck several years back at 18 yards. Zipped right through him. Very nice bow.

Cascade Nighthawk. Can’t find one and shoot like a myth soon to be a legend!

35 lb vintage Damon Howatt Hunter.

Big Jim. Mountain monarch

Besides some more Bear models I don’t have

I just bought a Whippenstick and now Im going to shoot A Bivouac C’Rado

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