From: crookedstix
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Just thought I'd share this recent acquisition with folks, since many may not have seen, or even heard of, a SABO bow. This one showed up in the used bow listings at Raptor Archery about a month ago, at a really great price, so I took the plunge.
The center images show the bow as it came; the flanking images are how it looks after stripping it to bare wood, re-shaping the grip a bit, and then progressively sanding it down to 400-grit followed by 0000 steel wool, and then applying a tung oil finish. Not sure about the wood...shedua maybe? But it has a nice ribbon figure to the grain.
The specs are 54# @ 28" on a 62" bow; serial number 70032...which makes me think it may be a 1970 year of manufacture. Lyle Shannon was the bowyer behind SABO, and he made a nice quick bow. This one has a power lam/ riser shim that extends the effective riser length to about 29". There's a fair amount of deflex to the limbs, which make it very well-behaved at release.
Again, this post is just to keep Shannon and his SABO's in our collective archive. His bows are worth hanging on to!
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From: Randog
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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She's a beauty and nice job on the refinish.
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From: Flinger1
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Gorgeous!
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From: mangonboat
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Nicely done. Mr. Rasp was in fine form.
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From: Pdiddly
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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That looks just great!
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From: JHPope
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Good looking bow. Nicely done.
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From: Buzz
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Nice.
Enjoy your new/old bow.
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Congratulations Kerry, I've never seen a slow bow Lyle built. PS I had to change my handle because I was having trouble logging in. Steve
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From: Jon Stewart
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Picked one up many years ago at a yard sale here in Michigan for $10.00. It has print on it, TFS, 64" 50 @ 28", 87027.
Never shot it as it is too heavy for me. It is mine because it was only $10.00. I will dump it one day when I thin the herd.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Steve, what was your previous handle? Are you the guy who has the Shannon Striker that's such a fast bow, from his days at Black Eagle Archery? Someone should re-make that particular model, one of these days.
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From: Jon Stewart
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Sorry, to add it has SABO printed on it also.
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From: beemann
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Sweet love the look of that grip.....
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From: Tim Finley
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Nice looking handle and it is Shedua .
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From: Loubeck
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Kerry, I was Ibex and Iwander in the past, but changed computers and lost my login ability with those handles. Yes, I still have access to 3 Strikers, and have been around more in the past because Lyle was a local bowyer in Westminster, CA. He built his own Black Arrow model and also built a model for my hunting partner's shop back in the 60s I believe. Many of the guys I shot with had them. They are mostly gone now. I have all the specs and they are indeed fast. I have a form, have built 2 which were equally fast, but highly stressed at the wedge. That has always been a downside of his bows. The upside is they used to outshoot anything out there and as far as I can tell, will still outshoot anything I know of with a Dacron string and 10 plus GPP arrow. Steve
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From: Loubeck
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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P.S Kerry, This is another login I borrow at times on my son's computer. Upcanyon is my phone. It's confusing and seems deceptive, but when guys ask me if I know a Loubeck, I say no, which is true, but it is a handle I've used. Steve
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From: Loubeck
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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The have been known to blow at the wedge!
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From: M60gunner
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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One of the guys in our club had a Sabo “pack bow” he used for bowfishing. Did it have the folding limbs? Maybe I am confusing the name with another maker?
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Yes, M60, I think the Pac-Bo was a SABO offering.
Steve, that Striker limb profile is very reminiscent of the Martin Saber of Larry Hatfield design, which is also a really fast bow. It's also interesting that he used the 29" riser shim on both of our bows. That's really a great speed for a maple and fiberglass limb with a 10 gpp arrow.
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From: Shakey Jake
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Very nice. Nice refinishing job
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From: CLAYBORN
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Lyle made the Sabo Pac-King. 60" AMO, 50# at 28. The limbs are on the belly of the riser like the Widow. Very nice bow. I know because I have one.
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From: Bootaka
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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I have a Pac-King around here somewhere?
Nice bow Stix!
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From: Ugly Coyote
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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Here's the Pac-King. I bought it new in 1975.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 25-Jul-21 |
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And here again I will note that those specs from Steve reveal that the tips on the Striker are a full 5-1/4" ahead of the throat of the grip...which is usually an indicator of a fast bow.
I neglected to mention that my SABO Hunter has three maple lams for its limb cores-- one tapered, and two parallel; same arrangement as Shannon used in the Striker. But the frame on the Striker was 64", whereas the Hunter is 62".
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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I just learned a bit more about the SABO's pedigree, from a 2009 post on another forum by someone who had been the "shop boy" at the Black Arrow Sport Shop. It seems that the record-setting flight shooter Don Brown was the owner, and the poster related that Don Brown and Lyle Shannon collaborated on the SABO line. He also mentioned that Don had been a sort of protege of Howard Hill's. Those are names that I recognize!
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From: tinecounter
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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Well done! Beautiful refinishing.
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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I only know two people that are still living that were actually there during that period. While the stories might vary a little bit I've drawn the conclusion that there was a group of folks that we would now call famous here in Southern California that were pretty tight with each other and we're in constant competition with each other back then both for shooting and bow building. Alton Safford, who has since passed away told me that when Howard Hill would show up at a shoot and see Frank Garski's car, he would leave. As amazing as it sounds, knowing Alton I have to believe it. My hunting partner who actually knew Lyle very well told me that Lyle pushed his design to the point of too many bows busting, and my friend quit selling them in his archery shop for that reason, he is getting sick of replacing them. He still has two that are in perfect shooting condition one of them is the one I tested.
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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He "was" getting sick of replacing them rather
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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Thank you Steve; that's the kind of information that I love to come across--stories that take famous names and turn them into real people.
Todd Scherrinsky (Oldbowyer on here) is always sharing with me his dad's belief that more speed always comes at the expense of something else, and that you'd better be willing to accept the tradeoffs if you want a really fast bow.
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From: Knifeguy
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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That’s a helluva beautiful job on the bow Kerry. But, ain’t it a bit nice for your arsenal? Lance
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From: Ugly Coyote
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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Hugh Rich told me that Lyle Shannon didn't always use the best grade of fiberglass. Fortunately I had no problem with the 35 or 55 pound limbs on mine.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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Ugly, I can believe what Hugh was telling you. The glass on the lower limb of this Hunter definitely has some issues; it's not aging especially well compared to the wood.
Lance--you know me well! But don't worry; I took that shine off it with some steel wool. It's a bit more quiet and dignified now.
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From: Pdiddly
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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Wasn't there a SABO that some pundits nicknamed the Breako??
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From: Pdiddly
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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Here's a picture of the Howatt Saber, beside a Howard Gamemaster, to compare to the SABO.
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From: Oldbowyer
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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LOL, yeah Crooked my Dad always drilled into my head "that everything is a trade off". Longer bows can get away with more than shorter bows.
Riser looks very nice, good job. I've had Shedua in the shop with that type of grain pattern. Think I still might have a piece of it. Shedua will have a slight golden tint to it when finished
Its been alot of fun keeping you in the dark on your new toy. Hope to unveil it soon! LMAO
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From: Pdiddly
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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The Saber and Gamemaster unstrung...
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 26-Jul-21 |
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Jack Howard was another Southern Californian and was part of "the group". I got to talk to Jack quite a bit before he passed away, and he always shared great information.
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From: PhantomWolf
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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Peter, just curious, but to my eyes the Saber lines look very similar to my Ventura. Is this correct? Wolf
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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Peter, it was the Eicholtz "El Gato" with those crazy-big hooks that had the nickname of "El Breako".
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From: Pdiddly
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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Right!! Thanks Kerry!
It was the Eicholtz bow..
Phantomwolf…when Larry designed the Saber he was emulating the lines of the late 50’s and early 60’s Howatt’s. So no surprise that it looks a bit like a Ventura.
The Saber’s overlays on the back of the riser look just like those on the Palomar and Catalina.
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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66-inch recurves , parallel laminations, low deflex..... I just don't know if a bow built today that even resembles those older designs. I guess Jack Howard must have been the last one?
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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I've been building similar design to my garage as a hobby for quite a few years now. Pete Ward did review back in 2004. I'm just under the impression of that design is really even marketable anymore, but it is what I prefer to shoot.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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The good news is that you can still regularly find Browning Medallions on eBay for less than $200. Three parallel lams, 66", tip wedges, low deflex, fast, good-looking, and with that ironclad Browning finish that's still as good as new. There's a lot to be said for living in the past!
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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Sorry I slaughtered that I'm having a hard time using this phone instead of a computer.
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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Duh.... wrong picture
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From: Crow#2
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Date: 27-Jul-21 |
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You done a great job looks like. Beautiful wood.
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From: Pdiddly
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Date: 28-Jul-21 |
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Very nice Steve...like that design.
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From: crookedstix
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Date: 28-Jul-21 |
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Ooops--my mistake; the Medallion is a 64" bow, not a 66". But it's a fine design, and you can find them in a lot of different draw weights as well. There's a nice 1963 Medallion, in zebrawood with red fiberglass and with a 50# draw, up for auction right now.
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 28-Jul-21 |
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I checked that Browning Medallion out. Even at 64" I think I'd still like it. I had this bow for a little while I believe it was built by the Gordon clan but it was basically the same design in 66". It fascinates me that this design is not really being marketed by any bowyers I know of right now. There doesn't seem to be a demand for them.
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From: Downcanyon
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Date: 28-Jul-21 |
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Here's one of my bows that Steve Gardner "Badger" was testing. Steve knows how to wind up on his release and get an extra 10 ft or per second at least out of any bow, so he's a go- to guy when I'm trying to convince myself that one of my bows are better than anybody else's. They absolutely are not though!!
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From: Pdiddly
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Date: 28-Jul-21 |
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That is indeed a Gordon...one of their top of the line. The name eludes me. Royal King...Gordon Deluxe...Gordon Custom?
Mangonboat will know as he has one...
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