# Recurve Bow



## Hermes (Jun 3, 2009)

I hate to beat the dead horse, but......

I been shooting a Hoyt Compound for a number of years off and on and now have started taking lessons on how to shoot a recurve from a former Olympic athlete. I am looking to buy my own setup so I don't have to continue to use her gear. So anyone got any suggestions?

I asked my compound teacher from years past and he told me to go Hoyt all the way, so I took a look at their bows and here's what I think......comments are always welcome.

I was thinking of getting either the Eclipse with the cheap Stratix limbs (I plan on starting at a light weight and progressively working my way up(better limbs)) or something whithin the same price range. The reason why I am looking at that bow and not the top of the line is because I am new to recurve and it seems to be a good bow from what I have read on here without breaking the bank. I also figure that if I excel with shooting recurve I can always buy a better bow in the future and who knows when that time comes there might be something better. I just don't want to spend an arm and a leg on a bow just yet and I wish I had gone cheaper on my compound when I bought it so I could've bought a better one when I got good, not to say there is anything wrong with my bow currently. Is it a bad idea to learn on something that may be considered more of the bottom end and upgrade accordingly or do you really think that a new recurve shooter will see a night and day difference between say the Eclipse and the GMX?

Lastly, what makes a great archer? is it the equipment he owns? or is it more of the training? could a archer make it to the top with low end equipment? Discuss.


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## Warbow (Apr 18, 2006)

Just look at the Olympics. What do they shoot? Is it all Hoyt? No. Is it all W&W? Nope.



> Lastly, what makes a great archer? is it the equipment he owns? or is it more of the training? could a archer make it to the top with low end equipment?


I think you already know the answer. Owning top equipment will not make you a beter archer. Limbwalker has some great stories about the equipment he used in his early days of FITA recurve. Cheap $12 plunger, home brew, ACE Hardware sight aperatures, etc. Not that equipment can't make a difference, it can, but it won't make **you** a better archer.


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## jmvargas (Oct 21, 2004)

IMHO "hoyt all the way" is definitely NOT the way to go.....although i started that way in 2004 i no longer have ANY hoyt equipment in my regular olympic set-ups.....although hoyt makes very good risers they are now way behind the koreans and borders in the limbs department....suggest you do a bit more research on limbs before choosing any hoyt limbs....


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## rhixonhanson (Oct 8, 2006)

jmvargas said:


> although hoyt makes very good risers they are now way behind the koreans and borders in the limbs department....suggest you do a bit more research on limbs before choosing any hoyt limbs....


The Koreans are definitely making very good high-level equipment, though I think Hoyt is still competitive.

Going back to the original question, it seems that since Hermes considering low to mid range equipment, most of the equipment from the major manufacturers will suit his needs. Considering the fact that 1300+ scores were shot in the era of the Hoyt TD-2 and aluminum arrows, obviously skill level is a lot more important than equipment. 

My recommendation is to spend a little more money on the riser and get cheaper limbs to start. You'll likely want to move up in poundage fairly soon, and will have a better idea of what will be comfortable for you to pull. I would also recommend a good sight (Sure-loc or Shibuya Ultima), and a good plunger (Beiter). If treated right, you'll get a lifetime of usage out of both.

Ultimately, the brand and model of limbs that you buy aren't as important as the length and poundage. There are a few things to consider before buying: Hoyt measures their limb weight a little differently than the Koreans. Generally, Korean limbs are two pounds heavier than their listed weight. In addition, you should know that cheaper limbs (especially wood limbs) tend to stack faster than higher-quality limbs. So, if your draw length is over 28", you should probably get a lighter poundage (or longer length) to account for stacking.

OK. That's my humble opinion. I've gone on for way too long.

--Robert


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## Flint Hills Tex (Nov 3, 2008)

I'd at least opt for an intermediate riser, since you can keep that for years! Or go top of the line on the riser, if you've got the money. The accessories won't change much, either, so it's worth buying better quality.

The limbs are a different matter. I'd buy cheap entry level ILF limbs such as KAP T-Rex or Samick Universal to work your way up in draw weight. Once you've reached your goal (for target archery, you'll find that 38 or 40# are enough, IMHO), then you can invest in the expensive carbon-foam limbs. You can get some nice used equipment, too.

I bought my son a used Hoyt GM riser and T-Rex limbs, and he's shooting just fine with that setup. I have a KAP Winstar II riser I'm perfectly happy with, and only recently switched from T-Rex limbs to W&W carbon/woods.

While I personally love Hoyt bows (the new GMX riser and 990TX limb combo got good reviews in the German "Bogensport Magazin"), the Koreans are at least as good, and they are cheaper as far as entry level and intermediate equipment is concerned.

Our club's coach/trainer says archery is 18% talent, 2% equipment, and 80% practice!


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## RunsUpRiver (Jul 22, 2009)

Flint-

So a Hoyt GMX riser mated up just fine with the $80 T-Rex limbs? I'm looking to pick up some ILF limbs for Hoyt risers and am happy to hear this. Any more findings on that subject are appreciated. Were there any shortcomings on the fit?

Also, Korean? What bows are we talking about when we say "Korean"?

Thanks!

Dean


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## Viper1 (Aug 21, 2003)

Hermes - 

You're making good choices based on your research._ "XXXX all the way",_ may not be the "best" way, but more than enough at this stage. The Eclipse riserhas most of the features of the high $$$ risers and the Stratix limbs aren't slouches by any means.

The problem right now is that YOU don't have enough arrows under your belt to know what will work best FOR YOU. Just go with a known quantity and take it from there.

The other option would, of course, be the used route. If you know what to look for there are always deals around.

BTW - we all have our favorites, but Hoyt has stepped up to the plate in recent years, so if you like the Eclipse/Stratix combo, just do it. You won't be sorry. 

A great archer is the guy (or gal) who's learned to make reproducible, accurate shots by doing the least amount of work . The equipment will factor in at some point, and arrows will matter before the bow does. 

Viper1 out.


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## Nick Forster (Feb 11, 2009)

Hoyt all the way, yeah fine you won't go far wrong the eclipse is a reasonable riser once you get everything aligned, Hoyt say that they are perfectly aligned ( by a cross eyed man) the hard loc system is loctited and can be very tight to undo but once undone you can align them with no problems.

Personaly as a good beginner /intermeadiate riser I would op'd for the seb flute pro, it is easy to set up. Because it does not have a tech bar the riser does not feel dead in the hand, and in the UK I have seen several master bowman put in very good scores with this riser.

Limbs:- do not buy T Rex Limbs but I also say this about KAP limbs, Samick Unerversal Glass limbs are very good and shoot far beyond there price, Personaly I am not keen on the cheaper Hoyt Limbs and would go with Samick every time over them. If you want a bargan check out the Border website they have a sell off going on at present and TXB's and TXG's are $200 less than there original price if they have the size you require.
These Limbs are very good value and they are sweeter shooting and faster than any of the Hoyt range upto the 900tx's.

Another manufacturer that I have not seen on this Forum is KG Archery, Keith is England's formost bowyer his bows are works of art, and his ILF limbs are beautiful, he too is having a sell off and his Xtech limbs are around £220 at present, I know this is a bit more than you initialy want to spend but you do get what you pay for.

Sight:- Shibuya dual click no question, quality reasonable price and has always been designed as a Recurve sight.

Hope this helps Nick:darkbeer:


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## random (Aug 17, 2009)

I recently got a Hoyt Eclipse riser with Samick Privilege limbs (med 32#) to start with. Everything fits together nicely, and feels smooth enough for me at 29". I'm very happy with it.

For my 12yo I got a Samick Privilege riser with short 20# limbs, and that too feels smooth to 29", and seems to work very nicely for her (she has much better form than I do ;-) This one seems very good value.


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