# Barnsdale custom shop. Show us your bow.



## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

Well, I did not have any luck with my standard versus double recurve question. It made me wonder whether many folks out there have had custom jobs done on their bows. There must be some since there is a one year wait list. I recently saw a Hoyt Protec with Barnsdale limbs.

Anybody out there have Barnsdale custom limb and/or wheel upgrades? What do you have and how do you like it? Got any pictures?


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## TexasGuy (Jan 27, 2005)

Hank,

Yes, I have a custom-bow being built as we speak from Dave Barnsdale. My latest correspondence with Dave indicated another 1-2 months before completion.

Here are components of my custom bow:

1) Mathews Apex riser (long, 42" Apex....not the Apex 7 riser).
2) Barnsdale custom recurve limbs (standard recurve, not double-recurve).
3) Original Redman round-wheels (50% let-off).
4) Original Redman steel-cables and hard-yoke.
5) Custom Stone Mountain "Dakota" bowstring
6) 46" axle-to-axle length
7) 60-61 lb. draw-weight
8) 28 3/4" true-draw (30 1/2" AMO draw)

Dave indicated he has been buried with limb-orders from the bigger manufacturers since Christmas, but said my bow and another guy's bow are next on his "hit-list" to finish-up! :thumbs_up

Back in January, I finally decided that NO bow manufacturer made a bow that had EVERY feature I wanted for shooting fingers with utmost accuracy and comfort, so I decided to go the custom route.....


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## Unclegus (May 27, 2003)

You mean like flame maple limbs????


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## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

Texasguy,

Did you consider the double recurve limbs? If so, how did you decide to go with the single recurve?

Unclegus,

Great looking limbs. Do you have a picture showing the rest of the bow? What did you have done?


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## Unclegus (May 27, 2003)

It's just a plain jane blue Classic X with the flame maple limbs with blue inlay in the limbs.....


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## TexasGuy (Jan 27, 2005)

I asked Dave about when double-recurve limbs would be appropriate....he said it takes a special riser / limb-angle deflection to make use of the double-recurve without making the brace-height too high.....

Dave said the single recurve limbs are preferred in the big majority of cases.....

Also, don't get hung-up on having a strip of carbon laminated into the limbs, either. After extensive testing, Dave said that it only increased speed an average of 1 or 2 fps....not worth the extra $50 in Dave's opinion. I agree with him!

I am SO relieved I decided to have Dave customize my Apex....I ALMOST ordered a new 2010 Hoyt Vantage LTD.....but after reading reports from several long-time finger-shooter's who bought one, shot it for a month or two, then sold it....I am REALLY glad I didn't go down that road!


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## Hank D Thoreau (Dec 9, 2008)

Thanks for the input TexasGuy, that is the first definitive thing I have heard about the double recurve limbs. Did he tell you what advantage you could expect from the double recurve if you do have the right riser? I am curious about what the draw force curve would look like.

It is interesting that carbon works wonders with recurve limbs while it has much less of an impact on compound limbs. Even so, many carbon recurve limbs are still glass powered with a few added strips of carbon. I shoot Border limbs which are full carbon on wood cores. They are the Barnsdale of recurve limbs in many ways -- high end, custom made, small shop, and it takes awhile to get them -- though not as long as the Barnsdale custom shop.


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## TexasGuy (Jan 27, 2005)

Hank D Thoreau said:


> Thanks for the input TexasGuy, that is the first definitive thing I have heard about the double recurve limbs. Did he tell you what advantage you could expect from the double recurve if you do have the right riser? I am curious about what the draw force curve would look like.
> 
> It is interesting that carbon works wonders with recurve limbs while it has much less of an impact on compound limbs. Even so, many carbon recurve limbs are still glass powered with a few added strips of carbon. I shoot Border limbs which are full carbon on wood cores. They are the Barnsdale of recurve limbs in many ways -- high end, custom made, small shop, and it takes awhile to get them -- though not as long as the Barnsdale custom shop.


Yes, I am familiar with Border Bows. A buddy of mine used to be a dealer here in Texas for Border Archery....I have shot several Black Douglas's.....very nice recurves, indeed.....very high-end quality!

Border recurves just had too large of a throat/grip for my tastes.....Mike Palmer Recurves and Shafer Silvertip recurves have always been my favorites.....but Border and Black Widow are also excellent....

My best advice is to simply give Dave Barnsdale a call and ask him your double-recurve limb questions.....great guy to talk with and he'll give you the honest, complete truth!!


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