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thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
10,441
Location
Alaska
Bow is 55# @ 28”. My draw is 26” so it’s probably somewhere right around 50 lbs.

No stacking obviously and no finger pinch, very pleasant bow to shoot

I wish I had the same experience, I’d wanted Fred bear bows for so long. I finally got around to getting back to archery and bought a few and just hated them. Went custom with black widow and bivouac and I’ll never go back.
 
Joined
Oct 27, 2021
Messages
49
I have only been shooting trad for 8 months but am on my 4th bow and have found that it seems what one guy loves another can’t shoot worth a damn. The big complaint with the SK was the high wrist grip but I find it very comfortable. I had a Satori which everyone raves about but I didn’t care for.
 

thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
10,441
Location
Alaska
I have only been shooting trad for 8 months but am on my 4th bow and have found that it seems what one guy loves another can’t shoot worth a damn. The big complaint with the SK was the high wrist grip but I find it very comfortable. I had a Satori which everyone raves about but I didn’t care for.

I’m not a fan of the satori either.
 

Bails-UK

FNG
Joined
Jun 20, 2013
Messages
58
For the money, you won't beat the Bearpaw/Bodnik Slick Stick, just an awesome bow, 58" long, bamboo backed, no stack, smooth draw, 30yr guarantee and shoots a dream. I have a 40lb Slick Stick and 49lb Big Jim Buffalo, and love them both, they're keepers for sure. My Buffalo is personally the best looking bow I've ever seen, definitely worth the ££££ I paid to have made and shipped to UK. Good luck in your search.
 
Joined
Apr 28, 2021
Messages
971
High dollar piece of art big Jim mountain monarch or toelke Chinook . Man those are Purdy(I know you said no custom . Maybe rethink the buy once cry once) . Bang for the buck bearpaw# bodnick. Not sure how far you are from Kalamazoo Michigan or your timing. They usually have a giant rendezvous in January where you could handle or shoot a bow. Some of the custom bows can take 6-12 months to get if not in stock. It would be nice to shoot/handle one before spending the cash. Not sure if any of these bowyers would send you a used "stock" bow with a deposit to trial first? If your ambitious and handy with tools look around you can find a "bow blank " to finish(lots of time). Used, check out RMS, FOOTED SHAFT, big jim, website trad gang . Imported three rivers, kustom king, big box outdoor stores .Lots of otions out there. Good luck
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2013
Messages
6,389
On a lucky whim I bought a Bob Lee Hunter, 60" 57lbs at 28" and it is super quiet, lotsa KE and oh so comfortable. I have an $8K bow from Blacktail that doesn't feel as nice as the BLH.

BL3.JPGBL1.JPGBL2.JPG

Satoris suck, way too heavy.
 

thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
10,441
Location
Alaska
On a lucky whim I bought a Bob Lee Hunter, 60" 57lbs at 28" and it is super quiet, lotsa KE and oh so comfortable. I have an $8K bow from Blacktail that doesn't feel as nice as the BLH.

View attachment 406252View attachment 406253View attachment 406254

Satoris suck, way too heavy.

I like the camo on that bow. I’ve never handled a Bob Lee but I looked at them when I was looking at different custom bows.

The satori bows that I handled were clunky and heavy, just didn’t seem like something I’d want to hunt with but as we all know, that is 100% subjective. I have a bivouac backland set up as a 62” longbow 55lbs at 28” and I pull a bit over 29. That is a good bow, it’s an ilf but it’s a really slimmed down design. That bow is light, quiet enough and it shoots well. I really enjoy it. I think that bivouac makes some great bows, they are priced a bit cheaper than lots of other companies and generally they only have a 4-6 week wait time. If bivouac made what I wanted, I’d not hesitate to buy from them again. My black widow is a great now too, very quiet and accurate with a killer grip (cooling grip) but it was expensive and took around 7 months to get. I believe I paid 1300 dollars for it. The bivouac backland was 850.00.

There’s really only a few bows I’d be interested in right now if I was going to buy another:
-centaur super curve
-toelke whip
-toelke super static
 

thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
10,441
Location
Alaska
On a lucky whim I bought a Bob Lee Hunter, 60" 57lbs at 28" and it is super quiet, lotsa KE and oh so comfortable. I have an $8K bow from Blacktail that doesn't feel as nice as the BLH.

View attachment 406252View attachment 406253View attachment 406254

Satoris suck, way too heavy.

I like the camo on that bow. I’ve never handled a Bob Lee but I looked at them when I was looking at different custom bows.

The satori bows that I handled were clunky and heavy, just didn’t seem like something I’d want to hunt with but as we all know, that is 100% subjective. I have a bivouac backland set up as a 62” longbow 55lbs at 28” and I pull a bit over 29. That is a good bow, it’s an ilf but it’s a really slimmed down design. That bow is light, quiet enough and it shoots well. I really enjoy it. I think that bivouac makes some great bows, they are priced a bit cheaper than lots of other companies and generally they only have a 4-6 week wait time. If bivouac made what I wanted, I’d not hesitate to buy from them again. My black widow is a great now too, very quiet and accurate with a killer grip (cooling grip) but it was expensive and took around 7 months to get. I believe I paid 1300 dollars for it. The bivouac backland was 850.00.

There’s really only a few bows I’d be interested in right now if I was going to buy another:
-centaur super curve
-toelke whip
-toelke super static
 

Kentucky

WKR
Joined
Dec 15, 2019
Messages
607
I just listed a toelke chinook in the classifieds… it’s and awesome bow, but I’m gonna stick with my gen2 DAS…
 

quah

FNG
Joined
Nov 2, 2020
Messages
7
If your not set on a new bow you may consider shopping one of the trad bow sites for a used Morrison, Widow , Bob Lee etc.. you can get a lot of bang for your buck especially this time of year when folks are sellling.
Custom bow at factory price.
 
Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
317
Location
Rockies
"doesn't cost an arm a leg and a head ??" --- this is relative to the observer.

A specific range of prices would help.
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2021
Messages
63
Location
PA
These are all great options everyone is listing. My go to is a BlackWidow PCH and a Bear Takedown. Two of the best hunting bows ever built in my opinion. Toelke makes a excellent bow. I never had the opportunity to shoot a big Jim’s but never heard a bad thing about them. If your looking for a cheaper USA made bow I’d pick up a bear Grizzly or Kodiak hunter. Their price isn’t bad but they have a good resale if you decide to sell.
 
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Messages
743
Location
Idaho Panhandle
These are all great options everyone is listing. My go to is a BlackWidow PCH and a Bear Takedown. Two of the best hunting bows ever built in my opinion. Toelke makes a excellent bow. I never had the opportunity to shoot a big Jim’s but never heard a bad thing about them. If your looking for a cheaper USA made bow I’d pick up a bear Grizzly or Kodiak hunter. Their price isn’t bad but they have a good resale if you decide to sell.
I just bought a Bear takedown, and man, am I impressed with my shooting so far. I still have some kinks in my form to work out with it, but I’m surprised how well I’m shooting.
 
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