Thoughts on recurves?

camoman

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My brother is looking into getting a bow to shoot for fun around his yard, a caveat is that his girlfriend would like to shoot as well. I told him the best thing to look into would be a recurve bow if two individuals were going to actively shoot. I know recurve bow draw weight essentially increases with draw length, so I’m curious if anyone would have some thoughts on length of bow, potential make/model, arrows, etc. Basically just a backyard target bow so he’s not looking to spend too much, but he wants something functional. I know very little about recurves, so hoping you guys had some thoughts.
 


Tillerman2095

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Listen to Aron Snyder on Kifaru cast [FONT=Verdana,Arial,Tahoma,Calibri,Geneva,sans-serif]https://kifaru.net/kifarucast/.[/FONT] He's a compound bow hunter converted to a stick bow hunter. He has a lot of guest on there that talk about stick bow's & stick bow hunting. I'm not a stick bow hunter because I don't have the time to practice. It sounds like you need to practice even more with a stick bow. Good luck
 

Allen

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If you look around there are inexpensive recurves that fit the bill. In particular, I'm thinking of the fiberglass variety.

Instinctive shooting is so much more fun than the bestest compound bows.


Something like this will fling an arrow farther than most backyards will allow:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TYD81GJ/?tag=nodakangler10-20
 
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ShootnBlanks

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Try looking up The Footed Shaft. Has everything ya need. Also usually a selection of good quality used bows at a decent price.
 

fly2cast

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Definitely get something with a low draw weight for his girlfriend. I would suggest 15 pounds. Its a lot more fun starting out with something lighter.
 


KDM

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Recurves are NOT a beginners bow IMO. They use instinctive shooting techniques which is difficult for novice shooters to master and there is way more failure when using a recurve than when using a compound bow. If it was I trying to take up archery or getting a newbie into archery, a recurve would NOT be the way I'd go. Most of the recurve shooters I know are vastly experienced archers who feed off the challenge, not off success as most folks do. Failure is the norm for these guys, but that's what drives recurve shooters, as when they are successful, it's OH SO SWEET!!! That said, if they just want to fling arrows and don't much care for killing critters, there are loads of great recurves out there. I would go with a composite material in lieu of wood simply for the ease of maintenance. Cracked limbs on a bow suck. I'd also learn some basic string maintenance techniques and products as the attachment points for the strings on a recurve can get worn or frayed which could lead to injuries if they fail during the draw. Enjoy!!
 

wjschmaltz

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There is no “rule” on draw weight to length. The bowyer can tiller a 55 inch bow to 60lbs at 30 inches, but the finger pinch caused by the string angle associated with a short bow with that much weight is what drives the numbers. As others recommended, start with a very low weight. Get a riser that has ILF specs or something like a Samick Sage that has interchangeable limbs on a single riser. That way you can start low and purchase heavier limbs as you learn. It’s also nice to drop limb weight a year down the road if (and when) you need to work out a form issue.

Almost all traditional archers I know shoot point on. Some are strictly point on, some string walk, and some run a raised knok (modified point on). Some people have a knack for instinctive, but very few shoot instinctive. The Push archery has an EXCELLENT video explaining everything traditional archery including aiming techniques. It even explains why they work, it’s very good.

Tom Clum’s Total archery mechanics online tutorial is well worth the $200. You have access forever, and what you will save in shoulder surgery and PT will pay for it. Don’t do traditional archery unless you understand shooting with back tension and the proper holding position that stacks weight through your bone structure and not with your shoulder muscles.

I got got rid of my compound 5 years ago and it made archery fun again.
 
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