Dean Hogue and The Super Cobra Jet Recurve
I was looking for a new recurve but did not want to break the bank, and that bank is limited more and more these days (Two daughters). [tongue] I saw these bows on Rocky Mountain Speciality Gear for sale by Dean Hogue. I found out more thru looking online and asking about the bows. I was able to get his number and gave him a call. In talking with Dean about bow building, immediately I was struck by his practical nature about building bows. Dean builds a blue collar recurve for the bowhunter. Dean built me a take down recurve with one of his metal handles.
The recurve has the limbs mounted on the belly like a Black Widow. Dean builds many different models of bows from wood and metal. Dean actually forged the handles himself in his shop. Dean is an old "paint and body" man for many years. He is now just building bows full time. Dean did tell me that living in Nixa, Missouri he has over the many years, "picked the brains" of those Black Widow boys just a bit. [wink]
The riser is deflexed. The limbs are comprised of black glass limbs and laminate bamboo core, glass overlays on the tips for fast flight bowstring. The bowstring delivered with the bow was 14 strand Fast Flight. I did reserve the bowstring for a better fit to my Beiter nocks, and put a set of cat whiskers on the bowstring.
The bow is very quiet. My hunting partner Tim Williams brought over his ILF metal handle recurve and we shot them side to side. He just kept commenting about how quiet the bow is. The riser is Eastern Texas Camo! I told Dean to make it look like the East Texas Forest, and it really does. Dean lived just up the road in Longview, Texas many years ago. The fit and finish of the bow I would rate as good.
The handles are cut VERY far past center shot on the metal riser. The most past center I have seen. No big issue, just build out to where you like it. Gives you lots of room for clearance of vanes or feathers. The recurve limbs are quite stable. The limbs curve reminds me of the Damon Howatt Super Diablo. Not radical and unstable, but enough for some punch. I have found the bow to be forgiving of shooting errors. I need all the forgiveness I can get these days!
The grip is higher wrist and is quite wide at the base, but I have had no problems. The throat is meduim, not narrow, but not big like my Damon Howatt Hunter was. I shoot with a loose grip and just push into the grip and drape two fingers down and touch with minor pressure.
The arrow rest I enclosed under leather with Barge cement to prevent moisture from causing the rest to come loose and for the QUIET factor. The arrow rest is a modified NAP center rest (belt sander makes that short work, LOL). The arrow rest is built out to center shot with pieces of leather laminated together with Barge cement. I then contoured the laminated pieces of leather with a belt sander. I wanted one contact point right above the deepest portion of the grip.
In tuning the bow, I have become quite fond of heavy arrows for hunting. I am also fond of vanes in the last few years as weather conditions with wet can happen well, anytime in the woods. I tried several different arrows, carbons, and aluminum.
I had my buddy Tim confirm my draw length with a marked arrow and I am drawing this bow 28.25" amo. I am shooting 52 pounds at that draw length. Arrows are 2115 XX75 arrows, 28.75" long BOP, Beiter nocks that push directly into back of shaft, glue on 50 grain adapter (tapered like a wood arrow), glue on 175 grain point (100 grain Field point added to 75 grain woody weight). For vanes, I am shooting 4 fletch, 75x105 Flex-Fletch 4.70" or Marco High profile 5". The arrows are weighing in at 612-615 grains (may contribute to the quietness of the set up). I am partial to the Marco vanes as they are very soft, but sadly they are out of business now.
I was able to bare shaft test the bow. I like to shoot and arrow with the fletching cut off only leaving the "quill" with the fletched arrows to compare. I like the "bare shaft" to impact slightly below and slightly to the right for right handed, or at the 5 o'clock position in relation to the fletched arrows. This usually leads to broadheads shooting PRIMO GOOD!
This is at 25 yards...
Another view...
If you are looking for a good recurve, at a great price, a workingman's bow-hunters bow, then the Super Cobra Jet just may fit the ticket...
Dean Hogue can be reached by phone, he is many times working in the shop so just leave a message...
417-827-0078
I was looking for a new recurve but did not want to break the bank, and that bank is limited more and more these days (Two daughters). [tongue] I saw these bows on Rocky Mountain Speciality Gear for sale by Dean Hogue. I found out more thru looking online and asking about the bows. I was able to get his number and gave him a call. In talking with Dean about bow building, immediately I was struck by his practical nature about building bows. Dean builds a blue collar recurve for the bowhunter. Dean built me a take down recurve with one of his metal handles.
The recurve has the limbs mounted on the belly like a Black Widow. Dean builds many different models of bows from wood and metal. Dean actually forged the handles himself in his shop. Dean is an old "paint and body" man for many years. He is now just building bows full time. Dean did tell me that living in Nixa, Missouri he has over the many years, "picked the brains" of those Black Widow boys just a bit. [wink]
The riser is deflexed. The limbs are comprised of black glass limbs and laminate bamboo core, glass overlays on the tips for fast flight bowstring. The bowstring delivered with the bow was 14 strand Fast Flight. I did reserve the bowstring for a better fit to my Beiter nocks, and put a set of cat whiskers on the bowstring.
The bow is very quiet. My hunting partner Tim Williams brought over his ILF metal handle recurve and we shot them side to side. He just kept commenting about how quiet the bow is. The riser is Eastern Texas Camo! I told Dean to make it look like the East Texas Forest, and it really does. Dean lived just up the road in Longview, Texas many years ago. The fit and finish of the bow I would rate as good.
The handles are cut VERY far past center shot on the metal riser. The most past center I have seen. No big issue, just build out to where you like it. Gives you lots of room for clearance of vanes or feathers. The recurve limbs are quite stable. The limbs curve reminds me of the Damon Howatt Super Diablo. Not radical and unstable, but enough for some punch. I have found the bow to be forgiving of shooting errors. I need all the forgiveness I can get these days!
The grip is higher wrist and is quite wide at the base, but I have had no problems. The throat is meduim, not narrow, but not big like my Damon Howatt Hunter was. I shoot with a loose grip and just push into the grip and drape two fingers down and touch with minor pressure.
The arrow rest I enclosed under leather with Barge cement to prevent moisture from causing the rest to come loose and for the QUIET factor. The arrow rest is a modified NAP center rest (belt sander makes that short work, LOL). The arrow rest is built out to center shot with pieces of leather laminated together with Barge cement. I then contoured the laminated pieces of leather with a belt sander. I wanted one contact point right above the deepest portion of the grip.
In tuning the bow, I have become quite fond of heavy arrows for hunting. I am also fond of vanes in the last few years as weather conditions with wet can happen well, anytime in the woods. I tried several different arrows, carbons, and aluminum.
I had my buddy Tim confirm my draw length with a marked arrow and I am drawing this bow 28.25" amo. I am shooting 52 pounds at that draw length. Arrows are 2115 XX75 arrows, 28.75" long BOP, Beiter nocks that push directly into back of shaft, glue on 50 grain adapter (tapered like a wood arrow), glue on 175 grain point (100 grain Field point added to 75 grain woody weight). For vanes, I am shooting 4 fletch, 75x105 Flex-Fletch 4.70" or Marco High profile 5". The arrows are weighing in at 612-615 grains (may contribute to the quietness of the set up). I am partial to the Marco vanes as they are very soft, but sadly they are out of business now.
I was able to bare shaft test the bow. I like to shoot and arrow with the fletching cut off only leaving the "quill" with the fletched arrows to compare. I like the "bare shaft" to impact slightly below and slightly to the right for right handed, or at the 5 o'clock position in relation to the fletched arrows. This usually leads to broadheads shooting PRIMO GOOD!
This is at 25 yards...
Another view...
If you are looking for a good recurve, at a great price, a workingman's bow-hunters bow, then the Super Cobra Jet just may fit the ticket...
Dean Hogue can be reached by phone, he is many times working in the shop so just leave a message...
417-827-0078
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