Recurve or Compound

[Jiff]

Evening gents.

With some advice from our members i picked up a Samick Sage and it's indeed a nice bow for the price.

Lol its only been a week. and now i want a new toy.


I scouted around Boorman's this weekend and while buying a Chekmate Longbow for my brother, bumped into some competition bows and risers for recurves.

Compounds are neat and all with the fancy gadgets/sights.
But i like the "traditional" style of bow, not that i wouldn't get myself a nice dual cam compound. (this is where i get stumped)

After Boorman's we went downstairs to the shooting range to try out the chekmate, and some dude walked in with 2 bows all gadgeted up 1 hoyt td recurve and a compound which looked like a trykon,,, altho i could be mistaken with my awesome knowledge of bows... :) (he was shooting better with the recurve it seems)

I tried searching the forums on peoples takes for Competition bows but didn't seem to find much information. So i must ask, should i get a compound or recurve? I've shot some cheap compound rentals, but that is not much help as they were a cheezy 20pounds bare finger.

I've seen some incredible shots with compounds but to me it seems that once you have tuned it for specific yardages all u need to do is sight and release. (again.. my awesome knowledge)

So i guess my main question is.. which is more FUN? and yet accurate at the same time. hehe

It may seem that i'm biased towards Recurves but thats not the case at all, i just need some help in making a decision, so please... assume that i have no knowledge of either competition recurves or compounds. What i need is everyones biased opinions of their own gear and i'll do the judging ^^ (althought it seems compounds are favoured by the members hehe).



Thanks.

-jiff-

[TheProvider]

For which is more fun? I've owned a crossbow, a few compunds and recurve. By a far margin I love shooting the recurve. I can shoot it all day and still not be bored. Ive gotten rid of the crossbow and compunds. Alhough its nice to have the extra range with the compound. You can become very accurate with a recurve or longbow. Try and get your hands on a nice compound so you can try it and see what you think. I myself love the simple design, lightweight and fun of traditional bows. But to each their own

[Bowzone_Mikey]

if you have Olympic aspirations ... go Recurve as Compounds are not in Olympic target archery ....

If you are will ing to go south of the 49th and make money ... there is more money in Compunds on the NFAA, ASA, and IBO circuts.

If you have no aspirations on making a living at it or or standing on the world podium ... then go with you think is more fun

[Jiff]

Thank you Provider and Bowzone for ur replies :)

The reason i'm into "competition" bows are more for aesthetics. The camo is nice and all but the sporty colors are much more to my liking.

I'm not much of a hunter, never have like eating something i've killed thus i sport fish~ and during salmon season give the fish away to friends and family.

Well it's been more than 10 years since shooting bows and i'm getting back into the sport. But hopefully once i get a bit more consistant, i'd prob try out some competitions.

Win&win is out of my league for price range so was thinking of starting out with the Hoyt Excel line. (if i were to stick with recurve). Any thots on the excel?

Or are there other bows that look and feel good.

[Bow Walker]

Recurves and longbows are the "funnest" to shoot. For serious accuracy (but as much fun) compounds are the way to go. Your comment about I've seen some incredible shots with compounds but to me it seems that once you have tuned it for specific yardages all u need to do is sight and release. (again.. my awesome knowledge) isn't true at all.

Sure, the bow has been sighted in for specific yardages, but it's still a human shooting it. Human error is an insidious thing, it will rear up and bite you in the butt at the most unexpected times. Making compound shooting something that requires a high degree of skill - as does all archery.

Do a bit of research and look up a few companies to see what they have to offer. Try to visit stores and handle as many different bows as you can. It's really the only way.

Asking which bows are best to shoot will get you different answers from everyone who replies. It's a very personal thing. "One man's garbage is another man's gold".

[Jiff]

Hmm good points u have there bow_walker.

I guess whats confusing me from compound is the cam system, and pricing.

Is dual cam the most beneficial? then why do some bows with single cams cost more than duallies.. u see the dilema. hehe

I've been trying to research but haven't been able to find direct comparisons to single cam/ cam and a half/ dual cam.

I suppose each bow has its own unique feel/reaction. thats why i'm asking for biased responses. see what people think of their own gear. ^^

[cainer]

Hey Jiff, I've got both, and I really like the compound I picked up this year. Once set up, I can hit the bullseye pretty regularly. The learning curve was nothing compared to my recurve. SHot my recurve for years and years, and I got pretty good, but nowhere near as accurate as with my compound which I just started shooting this year. I have the PSE Vendetta xs and it is extremely easy to shoot.
The one problem I forsee is trying to tune the damn thing if it goes out of whack...they're fairly complicated compared to the old recurves but tonnes of fun if you've got the time!

[Bow Walker]

Hmm good points u have there bow_walker.

I guess whats confusing me from compound is the cam system, and pricing.

Is dual cam the most beneficial? then why do some bows with single cams cost more than duallies.. u see the dilema. hehe

I've been trying to research but haven't been able to find direct comparisons to single cam/ cam and a half/ dual cam.

I suppose each bow has its own unique feel/reaction. thats why i'm asking for biased responses. see what people think of their own gear. ^^

Dual or single cams? Cam-and-a-half? Split limbs or solid limbs? Aggressive/fast cam(s) or softer, easier-to-draw cams(s)?

Tons of questions/options for you to consider. Dual cams used to be very hard to keep "in tune with each other". I'm talking twin-cam bows that are more than 5 or 6 years old. Not so anymore.

My Hoyt target bow is a dual cam bow (with split limbs) that is easy to draw and to shoot - especially all day long at 3D events. My hunting bow is a single cam bow with solid limbs. Very easy to draw and shoot. I often use it at 3Ds.

No particular reason for either bow being split or solid limb bows - or for them being dual or single cam bows either. It's just that they are different brands.

Granted, single cam bows are slightly easier to keep in tune than dual cam bows, but it's almost a toss-up, because both are easy to tune.

Bow prices are often unrealistic. Expect to pay $1,000.00 for a bow from one of the top three companys....and that's just for the bare bow. Then you gotta add a sight, a rest, a stabilizer, and so on.

Personally speaking (or typing) when I went for a brand new bow I chose a bow from one of the top three companies - but I chose their "cheaper" line of bows. Mathews makes a less expensive line called Mission. Bow Tech makes a second line called Diamond.

I bought a Diamond Liberty in 2006. It's a solid limb bow with a single cam, and it is still my "go to" bow. I love it. I also love the fact that it wasn't "first-line-priced" either.

Hope this will help you in your decision making process.:mrgreen::confused::mrgreen:

[Jiff]

Lol bow_walker it actually did help me. alot infact.


i really just need to set my price range. find the bow the "Feels" right.



i really appreciate the help guys.