My teenage son and daughter are really into competitive shooting. Archery is now the cool thing which is great. I am looking at getting a new long bow for myself and two recurves for them. I have an older Bear but it is too old to keep shooting. What is a good quality you would get for kids? Recommendations also for long bow?

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Really want to learn more about long bows. I am dabble some with carving decoys and want to do something different. Looking at getting the steaming equipment and everything to make long bows and fly rods. I have a lot to learn.

I know squat about traditional bows, but I have built a number of fly, and spin rods. It’s extremely rewarding to catch fish on your own rod, however, it can be a frustrating endeavor, as well. It takes some skill, and know how, but mainly, it takes time. Buy good components, and blanks, and you can make high quality stuff. BUT, Saltwater fish break fly rods, as do we, as anglers. I’ve (and buddies) have closed car doors on them, but I’ve also seen several bust in two when fighting tarpon, and permit. A friend even snapped a 9 weight, on a false albie, off Harkers. Premium rods cost close to $1000, or more, but most come with a lifetime warranty. Break a rod you built, and it’s not just the snap that hurts, it’s the time invested. And now, you have to start over. I quit making my own (and for friends) years ago, for that reason. A particularly clumsy friend, kept me busy building, and fixing his rods for a couple years, until I just got tired of it. Had I charged him what it was worth, maybe I wouldn’t have felt that way, but it was a hobby, not a business. I still tie all my flies, so that is rewarding, but I do miss the feeling of hooking up with one of my own rods.

You go to Harkers Island often? Family has had a place there for generations and I have a home on the East side of Island. Here now fishing a tournament that starts tomorrow.

Unfortunately, no. Been there only a couple times. When I was a kid we vacationed at Emerald Island, but now I’m more likely to hit Hatteras, got a trip planned in October. A buddy has a home in Nags Head, and he’s got a friend there that guides. He takes him to Harkers for the albie run in the fall. I’ve never done it, but would like to someday.

Captain, I really enjoyed the Fred Bear Montana longbow I had some years back. Hunted with it, but never had a shot. Talk about pure simplicity -- and what a wand.
Paleo Planet is a good place for information and tutorials on making traditional bows.

If the "Tradgang" sight is still up, there is a wealth of info there.

It is:

https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php

Sorry didn't see this earlier.

Samick has good quality, relatively inexpensive recurves. This is what we recommend for folks starting out and what we mostly use for classes at our archery club. I think they're great. I have one, and it's very well-made. Samick Sage is a good model. There're replacement limbs, too, so you can swap them out as you get stronger/taller. Start with lighter limbs than you think. Don't try to match your compound. 30 or 35lbs max I'd say for starting. 15 lbs might be right.

If you're doing Olympic style competition, that's a whole different ball game. Hoyt is a good bet there.

Either way, I'd call to Lancaster Archery. Good prices, smart folks who can help (no affiliation).

On longbows, I'd call Lancaster and ask or maybe call 3Rivers archery. I have an old Bear that was my Grandpa's and a Viper (Korean bow) that's no longer made. Most of the folks I shoot with that have longbows had a custom made. The nicest is a Hummingbird, but the maker has passed, so they're no longer made.

HTH,
Steve

LOng time back in my bow hunting days I used a long bow of unknown make the ends were the tips of deer horn was my guess...Pretty bow but pulled 70 lbs and took me several years to conquer that as I grew..only kill was a retarded coyote at 15 feet with a target arrow,,It was a fun time..some time later I got into the recurve and it was snappy and fast and deadly at 25 or so yards and I took a couple of mule deer with it..but eventually went with the rifle just as the indian did, definatly more effective~!!

Ray, good luck with that 70 lb bow now! :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Biebs:
Ray, good luck with that 70 lb bow now! :-)

I shoot a 150lb bow now.

But use a crank to cock it.

I have been shooting archery gear since the 1950s, ran through all on styles and makes of bows. Must have built 2 dozen tradtional bows from yew staves ..hell I even produced an archery show for tv for a couple years.
Buying good dried yew staves for the longbow is getting to be an issue an Port Oxford cedar shafts are costly these days too. I suggest building a form and making a laminate recurve bow 58-62" there are several books on the subject but I warn you it is a long process to do it properly. What I do not suggest is buying a used recurve of any make off the internet. Maybe a buddy if you know him well and he took care not to let the limbs take a set from non use,etc.

How old is too old to shoot your Bear recurve? I have a Bear Kodiak and a Bear Grizzly made in the late 50's-early 60's, both in excellent shape, and my sons have shot them. Both are 55#. One key is proper storage; another key is no structural damage to the limbs; and, another is making sure that you have a fairly new string. There are companies out there that custom make strings for your recurves and long bows.

I won $10. pulling 108 LB BOW at the old Blue lakes sporting goods, the arrow broke a cinder block and went inside the store, upset some folks and scared me and the owner..It was definitely more bow than I could hunt with..I recall Howard HIll killing elepant with a 102 lb. long bow.. I recall I pointed the bow straight up and pulled it on the way down..had to use fingers, the trigger would not pull it.urt the finger on release..fun day..Watching Floyd the owner explaining to his few customers it was an accident, was a hoot..

The arrow head broke the shaft bent an it hit the back of the counter so just made a noise and most thought a gun had gone off..

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
How old is too old to shoot your Bear recurve? I have a Bear Kodiak and a Bear Grizzly made in the late 50's-early 60's, both in excellent shape, and my sons have shot them. Both are 55#. One key is proper storage; another key is no structural damage to the limbs; and, another is making sure that you have a fairly new string. There are companies out there that custom make strings for your recurves and long bows.

Bows from when Jesus walked as a mortal have been restrung and shot. Your Bear bows can be strung...check for limb twist ( the string must lay back into the groove at limb tip when relaxed slowly, not falling to one side or another). Purchase a new string any bow shop will have them, Bear puts string length on handle or back of riser. Flex limbs slowly when putting string on...use a bow stringer

I still have my Bear Polar 38# , that my history teacher in junior high got for me ..

I shot my first deer with that bow , with a cedar arrow and a bear broadhead..I was 16 years old in 1967..

I took 3rd place in a NYS indoor archery tournament in my class ..shooting instinctive,
Finger release ... long time ago ..

I'm still tempted to get back into shooting a recurve. I shot so much in my teens that I was pretty effective instinctive-shooting squirrels and birds. It's scary how accurate you can get if you shoot 2 hours a day! Ahh, to be young again :-)

quote:

I shot so much in my teens that I was pretty effective instinctive

Me too. Shooting daily in the backyard was just something that I enjoyed doing, as well as hunting ground hogs, squirrels, birds (flu flu arrows, etc) Never used a sight, just shot instinctively. My dad and all of his relatives also shot instinctively and I thought that there was really no other way.

my first bow sight was a 6" piece of wood foot rule taped to the riser with a hat pin stuck into it...funny I shot as good with that rig as I do today with a $2500 carbon bow plus sights and releases.

If one is talking about actual longbows, which would be bows where length is the main approach to dealing with the draw length/bow length ratio, then at the cheap end of the spectrum I would recommend the SAS Pioneer on Amazon.

For smaller kids, Black Rhino seems to make good quality bows, though I have not tried them.

Second hand bows are the best source really, but that is a fraught market mostly because a lot of the bows there are high draw weight bows.

If I had the whole trad thing to do over again, which would be to return 50 plus years of experience to the beginning, I would do something that does not greatly appeal to me, and that would be to go through the ILF window. With kids late in life, and interest in ILF hunting bows exploding, I ended up with 3 sets or ILF risers and 5 limbs, all purchased for less than the price of one Black Widow recurve, a lot less. This covers draw weights from 20 to 55 pounds in 5 pound increments.

The biggest problem in even compound archery is that most shooters are overbowed. This is a big problem because normally shooters can't detect it because they can easily draw and hold their bows, they just don't realize the reason they shoot poorly is because they are overbowed. This can be proven through subterfuge, but for the most part shooters are not aware of it. Having all the bow weights in a form where one can easily mix and match them, is the only way I really beat the problem of shooting bows that were a pleasure to shoot, and that I shot well. Even though I had the problem shown to me, it was only when I had the opportunity to play with the gear that I finally realized. And this is the best way for kids to get a start. To be able to use bows that are well within their ability.

Hmmmm, like shooting anything, bow, rifle, pistol, or a slingshot~ included with a difficulty factor or each..

Being traditional archer and accomplished long bow shooter I give people point…it is very difficult and it takes lots practicing all year long and consistently year after year
Hunting success goes way down in comparison to all the advanced technology today but you will find it rewarding personally and proudly display the fact that you use and hunt with weapon that has been in use for tens of thousands of years