High end trad bows

[whitetailtrail]

What is to be expected when switching from say a Bear Kodiak Grizzly, to a Sarrels. Besides them being absolutely beautiful! But what is to be expected? Is it the smoothness, quietness, speed, etc..

I'm just curious as to the advantages that I'm sure are there but i just have no idea about.

Thanks!

[gatorgar]

A bow built for you, not something made on a machine for the masses. And everything else you mentioned

[Centex]

Every bow shoots different for different shooters. How a bow feels can depend on grip style. I thought I liked high grips until I started shooting Bobs bows. Aesthetically custom bows tend to have cleaner lines and nicer tips. Recurve and longbows can have way different feels.

[BowBuddy]

I shot a grizzly and its a nice bow but my Blackwidow is a beast at 10# lighter its faster and shoots similiar arrow weight. my Sarrels shoots sweet as well first shot shot where I looked

[Bisch]

What is to be expected when switching from say a Bear Kodiak Grizzly, to a Sarrels. Besides them being absolutely beautiful! But what is to be expected? Is it the smoothness, quietness, speed, etc..
I'm just curious as to the advantages that I'm sure are there but i just have no idea about.

Thanks!

A bow built for you, not something made on a machine for the masses. And everything else you mentioned

Those two about sum it up! It is like the difference between driving a Cadillac and a Kia. They are both cars that will get you from point A to point B. But the Cadillac is a sooooooo much better ride!

Bisch

[live2hunt65]

they are sweet bows yes fast and smooth .

[whitetailtrail]

Thanks guys. The car comparison really puts it into perspective, thanks Bisch! Can't wait to get my hands on a custom bow.

[Deb]

A mass produced product will never be able to compare with a product hand made by a master craftsman. Put a Sarrels in your hand.

[Ron]

I have shot a lot of both types and I think whichever one that you can shoot accurately is the best.

[splitfinger]

They hit where you look, are smooth as butter to draw, and are eye candy. Plus, what they said above.

[Limbwalker]

In some cases, quite a lot, and in others, not much. In fact, there are so-called "production bows" like the Martin recurves (that are actually still hand-made custom bows in reality) that I'd take over just about any small-time bowyer's products.

99% of the reason to get a custom traditional bow is the warm fuzzy feeling you get holding a bow that someone made just for you.

Aside from that, there are production bows like the higher end Bear recurves, the Martin line, and all the good ILF takedowns these days that will shoot circles around most of the customs out there.

It only stands to reason too. Most small time bowyers just don't have the #'s of bows coming out of their shop to learn enough about building bows - esp. in the performance arena.

From a pure performance standpoint (shooting qualities and speed) you aren't going to really beat a good ILF bow with a premium set of limbs.

This may be hearsay to lots of die-hard traditionalists, but it is what it is. Nothing against custom bowyers at all. I have an original Adcock takedown longbow that O.L. made for me before he came out with the ACS limb that I will never sell. It's a great looking bow and it shoots great too. However, knowing what I know now about bows, I would have had him make something different for me.

You have to ask yourself what's most important to you. Carrying a nice looking bow that you custom ordered and having a personal relationship with the bowyer, or, just getting a great shooting bow. A few good bowyers can provide both, but compared to many of the modern recurve and longbows available now, most small bowyer's (and even some well-known bowyer's) bows are going to fall short.

I won't name names, but there is at least one VERY well known bowyer who has been making traditional bows for over 40 years, who's bows are STILL very slow, have a lot of hand shock, and are very overpriced. I wanted to shoot his bows (owned two of them and shot several others) but just couldn't ignore the fact that nearly ANY ILF takedown flat-out stomps his bows in the shooting arena.

Right now, if I were ordering a custom bow, there are only about 3 people I'd order from. Bob Morrison, Sarrels, and Jim Belcher at SKY.

[Limbwalker]

By the way, "hitting where you look" is as much about knowing how to match arrows to a bow, and tune the combination, as it is about what bow you are shooting.

[Limbwalker]

A mass produced product will never be able to compare with a product hand made by a master craftsman. Put a Sarrels in your hand.

It depends on what you're looking for Deb.

If we're talking about a blindfolded-shooting quality and performance test, then I disagree.

If we're talking about the feeling you get from shooting a bow custom made for you that you love looking at and love knowing the person who built it, then I have to agree with you.

If you can get both, then all the better, but it's very rare.

[Draco]

It depends on what you're looking for Deb.

If we're talking about a blindfolded-shooting quality and performance test, then I disagree.

If we're talking about the feeling you get from shooting a bow custom made for you that you love looking at and love knowing the person who built it, then I have to agree with you.

If you can get both, then all the better, but it's very rare.

Wow, you must be about the smartest man in the world on trad bows.

[jerp]

This conversation can easily turn into a mini version of the compound vs traditional debate which is silly, IMO. As we all know, there is a wide range of trad gear - from selfbows/wood arrows on one end of the spectrum to ILF-type risers/high performance carbon limbs on the other. It's a matter of finding what balance of esthetics and performance make you happy. For example, I don't doubt that a bow made of high tech materials would perform better (at least be faster) but I am willing to give up a few FPS for the looks and feel of a wood riser and limbs from a custom bowyer. That's just me and I would not try to convince anyone my way is best.