Checkmate Bows

[Stealth]

I can't find a web site for them. Are they still being made and if they are who is selling them on the island? Thanks

[Wild one]

Nice bows but it is a pain to get one straight from checkmate these days

Better off to buy one from a shop that has them or used. I can't remember the store but when I stopped in Courtney well I was on the island a shop there carried checkmate

[Xenomorph]

^x2 on the Courtney store lots to choose from if you're right handed. If you're leftie you're out of luck.

[Fox]

Go to a 3d shoot Mark is usually at them. I think he lives in Port Alberni.

[First Up]

I have prepaid for two bows. I was calling him to find out when they would be finished. He kept telling me he was going to the bus depot to ship them. I still have not received them. I called and he gave me reasons that they were not finished and he kept saying he would ship them soon. Now when I call he will not answer. I have tried e-mailing but he will not answer back. I am extremely frustrated!

[Wild one]

I have prepaid for two bows. I was calling him to find out when they would be finished. He kept telling me he was going to the bus depot to ship them. I still have not received them. I called and he gave me reasons that they were not finished and he kept saying he would ship them soon. Now when I call he will not answer. I have tried e-mailing but he will not answer back. I am extremely frustrated!

I have not met Mark but have heard he is a nice guy and I know he builds a good bow

But the story you just posted I have been hearing a lot since Mark took over ownership of checkmate. I personally went through this my self and in the end of on going due dates changing I cancelled my order. I respect it takes time and should not be rushed but if it is going to take a year or 2+ the customer should be told that. Promising a date and missing it is one thing but falling through on multiple due dates is too much.

If Mark comes on this forum or any of his close friends Mark should know he is getting a bad rep for this issue. Great Canadian bow but this issue has deterred my self and others from ordering a checkmate in the future

[timbermilton]

i don't know how many of you are bowyers but, it in no way take 2 years to make a laminated bow, recurve or longbow. recently a buddy of mine ordered up a r/d longbow form him, paid for it, was told 6 months for delivery(a joke), 18 months later, several emails and phone calls and he was told he had to send another $400 to get the bow finished off. ridiculous. so we sat down, figured out what he wanted and i ordered up the lams, couldn't find any bacote nice enough around here to cut/grind them myself. 1 week for materials to show up, built it and shot it in, finished 6 days later. while working my full time job. i've built over a hundred selfbows, aside from stave dry time, they only take a few weeks to a couple months. laminated bows like chek mate sells don't take long at all. the only way it could possibly take that long, is if he has that many orders to fill, and if so, he should inform the customer how far backordered he is and NOT take deposits/payment until he gets close to a resonable delivery time.

[aggiehunter]

spell check...chekmate...

[greybark]

spell check ... Chek-Mate , or if you can`t spell hyphen ...Chek Mate and while were at it Marc not Mark .
The bad cold I have right now is making me do this !!!!!!!!!!
Cheers

[MRP]

What u looking for. Got a check-mate hunter 52 at 28" I might part with.

[J_T]

What u looking for. Got a check-mate hunter 52 at 28" I might part with.
That's probably a nice bow. I have the 62# take-down Hunter. Great bow. I have a few other Chekmate bows as well. I too have heard the stories of
delivery and committment issues. Its to bad.

[steveo]

How many pounds does the 52 pound stack to at 30 inches? Do a lot of guys shoot graphite arrows out of traditional bows?

[J_T]

How many pounds does the 52 pound stack to at 30 inches? Do a lot of guys shoot graphite arrows out of traditional bows?
A 52 at 28 would likely be about 58# at 30 inch draw. Graphite arrows shoot great out of them.

[steveo]

Sounds like a nice weight to shoot, at least from experience. I kinda thought graphites would work but was curious if many arrow rests were available for traditional bows that would fit graphites smaller diameter shaft. It seems the technology caters compounds but I don't follow traditional that closely either. Thanx for the response.

[greybark]

Hey steveo , If you shoot of the shelf don`t worry about shaft dia . At worst a slight adjustment of your nock point may be required. Your right about tech and modern bows , specificly arrow dia does make a difference going from wood to carbon in the holding (clamp ) bar of arrow quivers .
Just a note on the Chek-Mate recurves , they are known for their toughness and smooth draw with good arow speed . The three TD recurve models have different ease of shoot ability . The original TD 1 `s straight riser is the least forgiving of the three and the fastest , the TD 2 has the greatest amount of what I refer to as an Olympic curve to the riser and the most forgiving to shoot with a slightly slower arrow speed , the latest TD 3 and its riser fits exactly between 1&2 with forgiveness and speed .
Of the three the TD 2 is my favorite .
Cheers

[The Hermit]

About three years ago Marc agreed to let me sell Chek-Mate bows on my website as long as I didn't sell too many as he can't keep up with the orders. He never did send me the price list... ha! I gave up. It seems to me that lots of excellent craftsmen are not so good at basic business skills...

[E.B.]

I have a checkmate take down Firebird, 46# at 28" that I would part with. I'm pulling it 31" at 55# and it is a very quick little bow.

[greybark]

Hey E.B., years ago the Firebird was Chek-Mates answer to the back mounted limb Black Widows . From a proto type demands instigated CM to building them for several years . Now quite rare the Firebirds are sought after .
A point of interest is that one of the most Prominate and sucessful bowyers in USA bought one of the short Firebirds for his Wife . He was so impressed with the design (in particular the fadeout design and locations) and Marc`s workmanship with the Firebird that readily will admit to basicly copying and very sucessfuly still markets it . He maintains that No-body in North America has built more bows than Marc and is amazed that Marc is still makeing them .
Cheers

[E.B.]

Thanks for the info Greybark, I have always liked this bow although my draw length makes it a little more difficult to be consistent with it. It has taken over 20 whitetail, about 5 moose, 3 coyotes and one muley and average speed with 450 gr carbons is 218 fps.

[Tuffcity]

I have one of the precursors to the firebird, awesome bow and still my favourite. It's 60" so not as "twitchy" as the shorter firebirds, and I draw 30" on it.

RC

[mangerover]

I have a few checkmate bows or should I say markmate. I enjoy them and yes they were like pulling teeth to get I had to spray my own limbs on one back in the day in abby If you can get one go for it

[First Up]

I still keep calling Marc every day for our bows. He doesn't answer. We agreed on a trade for custom knives and bows. He received the knives Jan 15. He told me how much he likes them and how he has used them. When I was able to talk to him he told me the bows were going on the bus and they would be delivered within a few days, nothing happened. He stated 3 times they would be on the bus. No bows yet! My wife and I are extremely disappointed with Marc. My wife was hoping to have her bow for the Traditional Bowhunters of British Columbia shoot coming up in May but it is looking bleak. Again we are very disappointed. I do not recommend ordering a bow from Marc but if you can find a used one they are good shooting bow.

[E.B.]

My 46# Chekmate Firebird is for sale in Quesnel if anyone is interested. Great shape and no issues whatsoever. Comes with Quikee quiver. 400.oo

[mangerover]

sad to know mark has dropped ball but glad I got to know him his bow,s are sweet.The bow I find shooting the most now is my Goshawk made by Bob Zang in Fraser lake better fit and finish than marks

[greybark]

Hi All , just saw two brand new Chek-Mate bows that were the nicest i`ve seen Marc make . They were absolutly stunning, quiet, and fast Raven and Stamp river that have carbon plys in them . Very impressed!
Cheers

[The Hermit]

I'd send him a registered letter to express your feelings and current expectations (which would include a demand for immediate phone call at the least...)

[greybark]

Hi Hermy , all has ended well with the delivery of those two stunning bows and a good frank discussion .
Cheers

[iiijbird]

i picked up a stamp river at Bormans a couple month's ago ! Really happy with it!

[Onesock]

I have 2 checkmate 50lb longbows for sale.

[J_T]

I have 2 checkmate 50lb longbows for sale. hmm, send me an email. I might be interested. Lots of young people in my family attending the TBBC rendezvous this month. What have you got?

[Sheilajeanne]

I have 3 Chekmate bows that have been gathering dust since my husband passed away in 2004. They were made by the original owners of Chekmate Archery, Dorothy, and her husband, whose name I can't remember. (We actually got to meet them when we were on our honeymoon in western Canada, and Dorothy showed us her Olympic medal!)

They are traditional wood laminate longbows, 60, 70 and 80 lb. draw weights. Yeah...guess why I'm having trouble finding anyone who's interested??

Please e-mail me and I will give you more details. These bows were custom made for my husband, I have no use for them (even if I COULD handle the draw weight, I'm a lefty) and I really would like to see them go to a good home!

[Foxtail]

Where are you located? There are quite a few heavy bow guys on this site

Www.tradtalk.com

I could handle the 60# and maybe the 70# but 80# would really be pushing it.

[OutsyderBC]

You could also look at the Tradtalk forum.

There's a "Heavy Bow Society" on there so you might be in luck.

American based forum but a strong USD could maybe see that as a tempting offer for someone stateside

[Sheilajeanne]

I'm in Bradford, Ontario. The bows have travelled a long way from their home in B.C. They are not any particular 'model' as they were custom made for my husband. They are completely straight, with a gradual taper to the midsection. There is no designated hand grip, only an arrow rest on the left side. I think the term traditional archers use for this type of bow is 'broomstick'.

Okay, here's a picture of him pulling the 70-pounder. Hope it doesn't raise too many eyebrows!

The photo editor here is being really really difficult, and won't post either from my files or Photobucket, so I'm giving a direct clickable link.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a344/Sunsilver/70%20bow_zpseqtyandy.jpg

[Monashee]

you have 3 longbows , I would suggest a price of $200 each if in good shape . Suggest you try the USA archery forums as the US dollar is worth more . www.archerytalk.com has a big classified section for Traditional bows , www.stickbow Take some good photos of each bow , the handle ( both sides ) and each of the tips and a full length photo

[Sheilajeanne]

Forgive me if I'm a bit slow responding to people. I run a dog kennel, it's the busy season, and all sorts of problems are coming my way: septic system backed up, phone not working well, neither lawnmower wants to work, etc. etc.!