getting a long bow

[deaner]

Hi Ive recently been looking at getting a long bow. Unfortunately I don't know too much about them. What kind of things should I be looking for in a bow as well as tips and suggestions. I have a compound bow already but I am anticipating a long bow being quite different shooting without sites and with no let off. What kind of draw weight should i be looking for? My compound is at 70 lbs right now. Also what length of bow should i get. Thanks

[Knotter]

Originally Posted by deaner

Hi Ive recently been looking at getting a long bow. Unfortunately I don't know too much about them. What kind of things should I be looking for in a bow as well as tips and suggestions. I have a compound bow already but I am anticipating a long bow being quite different shooting without sites and with no let off. What kind of draw weight should i be looking for? My compound is at 70 lbs right now. Also what length of bow should i get. Thanks

What is your draw length? Do you plan to hunt with it?
If yes then over 40# for sure. Longer bows are generally easier to shoot well to start with.

[deaner]

Draw length is 28''. Yes I plan to hunt with it.

[brohymn2]

Msg pete ward. For get his handle on here but he has a website dedicated to trad archery

[Richard B.]

Pete Ward x2

something 60" or longer in the 45-50# draw weight would do

[Mb-MBR]

Depends on what you want to hunt. If elk and moose are on your radar, I suggest a minimum of 50 plus pounds. AT your draw length a 60" bow would suffice, if you could handle 55-62lbs, that would cover everything except grizz.

Jack Kempf from Alberta used to make a decent bow and Abe Penner from Cari-Bow Custom Archery is one of the best.

[RoscoeP]

To much draw weight will just lead to bad form and bad shooting results. On a 70 pound compound with 80% let off you are holding 14 pounds at full draw, with a long bow you are holding the whole weight. Don't be that macho guy and ruin it for yourself.
I just switched to stick bows from compounds and am happy in the mid 40 pound range(I shot 60 lb compounds) so you may be happy with a bit more. See if someone will let you shoot there bow so you don't make an expensive mistake. Good luck, it is the best move I have ever made. Cheers Roscoe

[RoscoeP]

To much draw weight will just lead to bad form and bad shooting results. On a 70 pound compound with 80% let off you are holding 14 pounds at full draw, with a long bow you are holding the whole weight. Don't be that macho guy and ruin it for yourself.
I just switched to stick bows from compounds and am happy in the mid 40 pound range(I shot 60 lb compounds) so you may be happy with a bit more. See if someone will let you shoot there bow so you don't make an expensive mistake. Good luck, it is the best move I have ever made. Cheers Roscoe

[brohymn2]

What roscoe said is good advice

[brendan's dad]

Based on Pete Ward's reviews and recommendations I went to Trophy Book and pulled the trigger on a Bearpaw, 54" longbow ( fairly short) at 45 lbs. I shoot a compound at 62 lbs and found 45 lbs on a long bow my comfortable limit. My experience at Trophy Book was really good. I did my homework first and I knew which bows I wanted to try. Didn't expect to receive expert experience or advice so I didn't come away disappointed.

[Hydro1]

Originally Posted by RoscoeP

To much draw weight will just lead to bad form and bad shooting results. On a 70 pound compound with 80% let off you are holding 14 pounds at full draw, with a long bow you are holding the whole weight. Don't be that macho guy and ruin it for yourself.
I just switched to stick bows from compounds and am happy in the mid 40 pound range(I shot 60 lb compounds) so you may be happy with a bit more.

+1
Anything over 45 pound draw you are good to go. 55 pounds what i shoot.

[petew]

take a look thru my reviews and get some idea on what you will like. www.peteward.com Give me a shout if you wish. Dennis at Git-r-donearchery in Calgary has a great selection of bows in stock to look at.
He will let you test some different draw weights and models, so you don't get a bow you can't shoot or don't like.
The Bearpaw bows are priced good, and have a 100% 30 year warranty that is transferable.
Don't start out with a high dollar custom, wait for that when you know what you like and if you like traditional archery. You don't need heavy draw weight to hunt.

[J D]

Switching from compound to trad you will cut your draw weight a lot.

My compound is set at 70lbs and recurve is 55lbs.

Do your self a favour and go shoot some long bows before buying so you know your comfort level on draw weight. I have a long draw and have found some trad bows stack a lot more than others.

Trad bows are not like compounds I find each 1 is different when it comes to the draw and more than draw weight comes into play. I have had recurves I can comfortably shoot 60lbs and others no more than 50lbs.

Go test shoot some bows and be honest with your self on what it your comfortable draw weight. If it ends up being too low for hunting buy a cheap bow and upgrade when you are ready for higher weight. Or look at a take down so you can swap limbs.

[RoscoeP]

Deleated

[Richard B.]

The Rocky Mountain Longbow Association shoots at Calgary Archery Center every Friday evening.

You could drop buy and look at some longbows and get the benefit of their advice and maybe try a couple.

[Crunch]

Biggest thing is not to have too heavy a DW.
Longer bows are more forgiving.
A lot of folks find the recurve a little easier/more accurate to shoot.

Try a few if possible. Maybe one will grab you. Stickbows are a LOT of fun and somewhat addictive. lol

[deaner]

Thanks everyone. I just picked up a 58'' 45 lb bodnik longbow from dennis today. I'm anticipating it being a lot of fun. Cant wait to get shooting it. I definitely recommend Dennis at GitRDone Archery. Very helpful and takes the time to help you get started.

[petew]

Good choice.