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Beginner bow for my fiancé

jonkytron

jonkytron

Active Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2022
Messages
129
Location
Rhode Island
Hi all,

I took my fiancé to an intro archery class today to see if she’d be interested, hoping that she’d become more understanding of my obsession for sitting in a tree all day. Wouldn’t you know, she absolutely loved it.

Now I want to get her a decent, but inexpensive, trad bow that she can shoot at the range with me.

before I get talked into spending a ton of money at the pro shop, I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for a decent beginner trad bow and arrows I could get for her.

thanks in advance for any help!
 
I recommend an ILF recurve bow, so that you can start with lower draw weights. Then as she gets used to shooting and building good form, the opportunity to increase poundage/draw weight, simply buy purchasing different limbs. 3 Rivers Archery has complete ILF recurve bows for under $300. :cool:
 
Samick Sage or Southwest Archery Spyder, they’re the same thing probably made in the same factory in China. Will cost about $150. If you buy from Southwest Archery just buy the arrows that match the bow weight, they work fine. There isn’t really an issue shooting full length arrows starting out. Start with 20 or 25lb limbs.

 
Not a fan of the Sage personally. But bows like that definitely allow you to grow. Never shot an ilf I have like either. I would go inexpensive one piece bow. Nothing wrong with staying low poundage. Ragim are a line of Italian bows and I have enjoyed shooting them they are sub 300. Used bear grizzly or Montana would likely be my preference. Can’t beat the life time warranty of a slick stick either. IMO good trad bows are not cheap. I also don’t like Chinese made bows out of principal but that’s just me. Think about how much a flagship compound with all the bells and whistles costs. Even beginner compounds are more expensive than many custom bows. If she really likes it, I go something like a maddog bow. That’s a custom bow for less than 400. And a darn good shooting bow to boot.
 
I've got an older Ragim Impala. I've had a tough time finding additional poundage limbs for it. The riser is a chunk of uninteresting hardwood; entirely functional but no 'pizazz'. I think newer production has a little more 'pop'. Not something you notice while shooting at it but your fiancé might appreciate some more visual appeal. That said it's a good, solid bow that shoots better than I can. If I were to do it over again I'd probably go with a Samick, just because it seems to be easier to find accessory limbs for them.
 
To me it’s funny. If you wanted to introduce your kid to Mexican food to see if they liked it you wouldn’t go to Taco Bell. If you wanted to give your kid his first experience on the road you wouldn’t put them in $100 Pinto. Why oh why does everyone who wants to try out a trad bow want to put themselves on the cheapest piece of Chinese made junk? No ire intended at the OP. It boggles my mind you don’t have to buy a thousand dollar bow to get a great one, rent one, talk to some friends in the area to see if they have a bow for you to try and is a good quality. The impalas are definitely uninteresting as are the ragims in general. They are definitely uninteresting but they have it where it counts. If you want a good looking bow that has lights out shooting, pony up for the custom.

when you buy a compound bow everyone is convinced that will buy a lower poundage compound bow to start. And when they’re ready will upgrade them. Why is it everyone wants to buy the last traditional bow they’ll ever buy when they buy their first bow? It took me eight years of dedicated trad shooting and visiting several stores where I got to shoot hundreds of bows to find the one bow that I wanted to buy as the bow I was going to shoot from here on out. In that eight years I bought eight different bows.

all in all depends on what you want to spend. Are we talking 200 bucks? In which case I’d go used. Are we talking 300-400 in which case I’d go bear or slick stick. 400-500 maddog custom. 500 plus Toelke. Also is she right or left handed? Lefthanded shooters have an extreme advantage in this sport towards the end of the year. Shops trying to shed their stock are going super cheap.

does she want to go long bow or recurve? I may have gone on a rant. It just seems that every time this question comes up many recommend a black hunter or a Sage. To me this is definitely the cheapest option but definitely not the best. Sorry for the rant. Rms gear website is good place to start.
 
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Petrichor said:
To me it’s funny. If you wanted to introduce your kid to Mexican food to see if they liked it you wouldn’t go to Taco Bell. If you wanted to give your kid his first experience on the road you wouldn’t put them in $100 Pinto. Why oh why does everyone who wants to try out a trad bow want to put themselves on the cheapest piece of Chinese made junk? No ire intended at the OP. It boggles my mind you don’t have to buy a thousand dollar bow to get a great one, rent one, talk to some friends in the area to see if they have a bow for you to try and is a good quality. The impalas are definitely uninteresting as are the ragims in general. They are definitely uninteresting but they have it where it counts. If you want a good looking bow that has lights out shooting, pony up for the custom.

when you buy a compound bow everyone is convinced that will buy a lower poundage compound bow to start. And when they’re ready will upgrade them. Why is it everyone wants to buy the last traditional bow they’ll ever buy when they buy their first bow? It took me eight years of dedicated trad shooting and visiting several stores where I got to shoot hundreds of bows to find the one bow that I wanted to buy as the bow I was going to shoot from here on out. In that eight years I bought eight different bows.

all in all depends on what you want to spend. Are we talking 200 bucks? In which case I’d go used. Are we talking 300-400 in which case I’d go bear or slick stick. 400-500 maddog custom. 500 plus Toelke. Also is she right or left handed? Lefthanded shooters have an extreme advantage in this sport towards the end of the year. Shops trying to shed their stock are going super cheap.

does she want to go long bow or recurve? I may have gone on a rant. It just seems that every time this question comes up many recommend a black hunter or a Sage. To me this is definitely the cheapest option but definitely not the best. Sorry for the rant. Rms gear website is good place to start.
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He's looking for something for his fiance. I think it is quite smart to get the cheapest piece of chinese junk he can find that works. If he sets the bar at the top now, that brother is screwed for life. ;)
 
I picked up a Samick Sage 35# bow for my daughter a couple of days before the Compton shoot last month. They run a tick over $100 but are a great bow. Not just great for the money but a great bow period. Replacing the Dacron string with Fast Flite really wakes the bow up and rivals any custom bow out there. Replacement limbs are readily available to raise or lower poundage as needed too.

The Samick Sage will get the job done...

2020 Buck.jpg
 
The Black Hunter is not only a good bow, it’s a great bow. Great quality and great shooter. Yea it’s made in China but so was the phone, tablet, pc you are reading this on.
 
Petrichor said:
Not a fan of the Sage personally. But bows like that definitely allow you to grow. Never shot an ilf I have like either. I would go inexpensive one piece bow. Nothing wrong with staying low poundage. Ragim are a line of Italian bows and I have enjoyed shooting them they are sub 300. Used bear grizzly or Montana would likely be my preference. Can’t beat the life time warranty of a slick stick either. IMO good trad bows are not cheap. I also don’t like Chinese made bows out of principal but that’s just me. Think about how much a flagship compound with all the bells and whistles costs. Even beginner compounds are more expensive than many custom bows. If she really likes it, I go something like a maddog bow. That’s a custom bow for less than 400. And a darn good shooting bow to boot.
Click to expand...


Spot on. My girlfriend has really taken the plunge. Her Bear Panda is getting ready to sit the sidelines for something I want her to be proud shooting. The Bear has done it's job and now will be used for light weight practice. She deserves some bling.
 
Petrichor said:
To me it’s funny. If you wanted to introduce your kid to Mexican food to see if they liked it you wouldn’t go to Taco Bell. If you wanted to give your kid his first experience on the road you wouldn’t put them in $100 Pinto. Why oh why does everyone who wants to try out a trad bow want to put themselves on the cheapest piece of Chinese made junk? No ire intended at the OP. It boggles my mind you don’t have to buy a thousand dollar bow to get a great one, rent one, talk to some friends in the area to see if they have a bow for you to try and is a good quality. The impalas are definitely uninteresting as are the ragims in general. They are definitely uninteresting but they have it where it counts. If you want a good looking bow that has lights out shooting, pony up for the custom.

when you buy a compound bow everyone is convinced that will buy a lower poundage compound bow to start. And when they’re ready will upgrade them. Why is it everyone wants to buy the last traditional bow they’ll ever buy when they buy their first bow? It took me eight years of dedicated trad shooting and visiting several stores where I got to shoot hundreds of bows to find the one bow that I wanted to buy as the bow I was going to shoot from here on out. In that eight years I bought eight different bows.

all in all depends on what you want to spend. Are we talking 200 bucks? In which case I’d go used. Are we talking 300-400 in which case I’d go bear or slick stick. 400-500 maddog custom. 500 plus Toelke. Also is she right or left handed? Lefthanded shooters have an extreme advantage in this sport towards the end of the year. Shops trying to shed their stock are going super cheap.

does she want to go long bow or recurve? I may have gone on a rant. It just seems that every time this question comes up many recommend a black hunter or a Sage. To me this is definitely the cheapest option but definitely not the best. Sorry for the rant. Rms gear website is good place to start.
Click to expand...
I feel ya dude, but before I fork over a lot of hard earned money for her bow I want to her to earn her more expensive bow by shooting something more inexpensive for a while. My first compound was a bear RTH I got off Amazon. This year I bought a matthews. It’s good to level up..
 
Where did you order your sage? I think I may be giving this trad thing a try (on the range) this summer but am avoiding ordering from Walmart if possible.
 
jonkytron said:
Got mine on Amazon. Bow shops have them too.
Click to expand...
Ah thanks for the reply, Amazon is slightly better than Walmart... I think.

Did you get the "kit" that comes with some arrows and accessories(that guessing are junk but wanted to verify) or the bare bow?

Aside: As far as I know there's no decent bow shops anywhere close, bass pro is the closest at 30-40 min away, I'm in Maryland just north of DC if anyone wants to prove me wrong and send me to a brick and mortar place I'd love to have an in person resource (sorry to take it off topic)
 
thedutchtouch said:
Ah thanks for the reply, Amazon is slightly better than Walmart... I think.

Did you get the "kit" that comes with some arrows and accessories(that guessing are junk but wanted to verify) or the bare bow?

Aside: As far as I know there's no decent bow shops anywhere close, bass pro is the closest at 30-40 min away, I'm in Maryland just north of DC if anyone wants to prove me wrong and send me to a brick and mortar place I'd love to have an in person resource (sorry to take it off topic)
Click to expand...
I just got the bow I had the bow shop make arrows for me. I’m sure that kit is fine too if you want everything together. But they also sell all the other stuff you need on Amazon as well.
 
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