question on bows

[grimwulf]

well to be more exact i have a question on makers of bows. i am looking at the stick and string ranger bow and was wondering if anyone has one or has used one and can let me know if they are a good purchase. here is the link
http://www.stickandstring.com/copy-of-o ... ian-bow-1/

thank you for any help

[Rifter]

Looks like a lot of places are getting into selling 'ranger bows'.

[grimwulf]

i like the simple style of the bow and the ends were the string sits just catch me eye, i really wanna get this but also a lil trigger shy from past purchases were i haven't known much about the company.

[Manveruon]

I've seen their stuff around the web, and I LOVE how it looks, but I'm afraid I don't know anyone who actually owns one of their bows. Like you, I am very, very wary of making a bow purchase from any seller with whom I am not very familiar. But then, I have a bad track record, heh.

[Mirimaran]

I am in the market for a new bow myself, and like the look of that one too. Hopefully we can get a review from someone soon. You would think there would be a bowyer somewhere who would want the MERF seal of approval lol

Ken

[bjaurelio]

After having lack of success with purchasing selfbow style bows, my last bow purchase was an Omega longbow. It is a fiberglass backed bow with a hybrid design that makes it less authentic. However, the quality and price are excellent. If there's one part of my gear that I want to be reliable, it's my bow. The low performing you-finish self bow that now has a pretty significant twist in the limbs that my wife and I finished together can always be brought back out for costume show.

I know some others may desire to stick to all wood bows, but I found it to be a great purchase.

[grimwulf]

if i get brave i may just pull the trigger and get one , decisions ...

[Manveruon]

Fiberglass-backed bows can be really nice, no doubt. I wish there was a larger selection of fiberglass-backed traditional bows (as in, period-style, without a shelf, etc). Unfortunately fiberglass seems to mostly be reserved for modern bow designs, which is a shame, because if done right it could add a lot of durability to a period style bow without appearing glaringly modern to the casual observer.

As for me, my current bow of choice is a hickory-backed ipe bow made by a very skilled bowyer I found through Etsy, but it seems that he has sadly closed his shop there. The bow's all-wood construction looks very period authentic, but the lamination makes it snappy and durable.

The bows on the abovementioned site definitely look serviceable, but I have personally had a lot of bad luck with self-bows, especially of the hickory variety. I know other people who swear by them, but I have a bad track record, heh. I'm guessing these bows are probably just fine, for the most part (just from the pictures I can tell the bowyer making them probably takes a good deal of pride in his craft, since they appear well-finished), but they probably aren't quite as snappy as a laminate bow of a similar design would be. That's just the nature of a self-bow. I'd love to see someone take the leap and try one, because it might be nice to have one of their ranger bows as sort of a "functional costume item," for when I don't want to take my expensive one trekking, etc.

[bjaurelio]

I'm jealous of your backed ipe bow. Before settling on my current bow I tried getting a bamboo backed ipe from someone who I thought was fairly reputable. Unfortunately the first bow arrived with a draw weight of about 20-25 pounds. I sent it back, and the next bow exploded before I reached full draw. Thankfully, he was willing to do a refund.

[Rifter]

It sure is a nice looking bow, crowshead I think also sells a ranger bow

[Raziel Alastor]

If I may ask a question if any of y'all would know. What is your view on this bow?
http://www.lancasterarchery.com/samick- ... escription

My papa's bow broke the other day when I finally got all my stuff in. I put everything on and went out to shoot, got about half draw and the bottom limb snapped off the riser. I plan to get it fixed but don't trust the integrity because part of the fiberglass of the bow was broken, not just where the limb fit in with the riser. With that said I did some math and research. The bow was made in 1970 or 1971 (Ben Pearson Raider production was only during those two years) so the bow is 44, almost 45 years old. I need another recurve that's 58" and that I can get in 45# because I bought all new gear that fits that criteria. Seeing as I am still pretty much a beginner, I didn't want to go for a bow that would be hard for me to get used to seeing as I am used to the Ben Pearson. I read the reviews on this SHB and some say that it's good for beginner to intermediate and I like how it looks and how the handle fits in a hand (I watched video reviews on it as well). If anyone knows a bit about Samik, I would really appreciate your opinion on them.

[Peter Remling]

I've owned only one Samick bow and it was a takedown. They make decent bows but the price point seems a little high for Samick. Shop around I think you can do better on the price.

[Raziel Alastor]

Thanks Peter, I'll keep looking.

[Kortoso]

Rudder Bows has a "Ranger Bow" but it doesn't say that it can be safely drawn to more than 28". I envision a true longbow for a Ranger...

[Rifter]

I think everyone has their own styles. I prefer a longbow but want a smaller one such as Aragorn carried as I use the sword more. Some like recurve bows too.