# Traditional archery shop?



## blackbear (May 10, 2021)

Where do you guys go to handle /try out these traditional bows or do you just buy on line and hope for the best?
Any traditional archery shops around north Ga?
Any idea where to search for used longbows bows?


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## twoheartedale (May 10, 2021)

Big Jims


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## trad bow (May 10, 2021)

Got to the TBG state championship this coming weekend and you will be able to shoot a lot of different bows. You’ll be able to have most of your questions answered


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## splatek (May 10, 2021)

trad bow said:


> Got to the TBG state championship this coming weekend and you will be able to shoot a lot of different bows. You’ll be able to have most of your questions answered



^^ Going to various shoots has been really helpful to me, as well as finding some reputable YOUTUBE reviews. I really like what Clay Hayes does and Kramer Ammons. 
There are others as well, but those two do a lot of review and use and technique stuff, as well as bow building.


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## Todd Cook (May 10, 2021)

trad bow said:


> Got to the TBG state championship this coming weekend and you will be able to shoot a lot of different bows. You’ll be able to have most of your questions answered


Yes you'll see all sorts of different bows and most folks will let you try them.


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## rnfarley (May 10, 2021)

I've often wished there was a legit traditional archery shop in the norther half of the state - the point of even looking at some cheap warehouse space to try to start inventorying some bows and arrow building supplies but man, the stuff available online and the way trad bows hold their value, trading used bows is almost a no-lose game if you're patient and disciplined.


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## Robust Redhorse (May 11, 2021)

I'm in north GA, but would road trip to Big Jim for serious trad bow stuff.


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## Robust Redhorse (May 11, 2021)

I lived in Athens in 1990 - Dan Quillen's was a great resource!


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## devolve (May 11, 2021)

Robust Redhorse said:


> I'm in north GA, but would road trip to Big Jim for serious trad bow stuff.


Does big Jim have an actual store or just online?


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## Robust Redhorse (May 12, 2021)

He has a shop behind his house.

I'd call to make sure they are open first.


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## blackbear (May 14, 2021)

What are some very good brands of Longbows/Recurves that don't stack and have zero hand shock with smooth drawing?
Does the type of woods really matter much like bamboo vs maple vs yew etc. in smooth drawing and speeds?
Where does the new Bear Archery rate compared to other more custom bows,middle or top quality?
The super kodiak always looked like a nice bow and Papa Bear sure could shoot his take downs!


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## rnfarley (May 15, 2021)

Having tried so hard to like some different bear bows, I’d avoid the current ones for the money personally. The old bows have a cool factor, but IMO they just aren’t delivering these days for the money. Big Jim makes a fantastic bow, so does Dan and Jared Toelke, you could get on the phone with RMSGear or Big Jim and they both have tons of gently used bows in stock. Wood core in the limbs does make a diff but if they’re wrapped in fiberglass it’s not going to matter a ton in performance, limb design is a bigger deal, and limb material other than wood (foam, carbon, etc) the difference in all that is negligible if you can’t hit what you’re aiming at though


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## blackbear (May 16, 2021)

Thanks for all the great info.
I did not know about RMSGEAR.


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## rnfarley (May 16, 2021)

Other good resources are Cody Greenwood at The Trad Lab for bow performance/specs/details, the PUSH archery podcast/courses for solid all around info, anything from Tom Clum (he owns RMSGear). Cody and Aron Snyder just did a bow review podcast on the Kifaru podcast a couple weeks back where he gets into a lot of specifics about different bows, materials, pros, cons, etc. (language warning on that one but good info)


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## rnfarley (May 16, 2021)

The leatherwall classifieds on bowsite is another great place to pick up a gently used bow. You could get a nice, high performance, custom bow there for the price of a new bear.


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## Sautee Ridgerunner (May 17, 2021)

I love the history of Bear but even amongst the time I think they are pretty poor in the quality department. Bows made by damon howatt and jack howard were the top of the line back then. 

Today......forget it.


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## strothershwacker (May 17, 2021)

A lot of good bows on the market. It dont matter how expensive your bow is, or how smooth in the hand or how it stacks if you can't hit with it. Practice is something the bowyer doesn't sale. I cut my teeth with a used Bear Grizzly and anybody that says there no good can smoke a dog dropping. I've since gone custom but trad advice is cheap. Don't go buying answers to free questions. Grab a stick, start shooting! Figure out what works for you. Enjoy the process!


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## rnfarley (May 18, 2021)

Yeah - maybe I should clarify my comment - I'm not saying bear bows aren't good or won't get the job done. I learned to shoot on an old grizzly like prob 1/2 the folks here did. Of the 35+ bows I've owned several have been Bears, and I will own more in time I'm sure. I just think you can get a lot more bow for the same money from other places these days, and not have the spotty quality control and delays that we've been getting from bear in recent years. I had a 50th anniversary riser on order for almost a year from them with horrible customer service/info/updates and constantly kicking the can without any straight answers. I had a bear kodiak with what looked like sharpie marks under the clear lacquer finish, the grip from bow to bow of the same model is pretty inconsistent, etc. If you're going to spend $600-$900+ on a new bow, I'd get something else is all.

For the OP, I'd def get something used (even a boring old grizzly  ) and shoot the ever living mess out of it to get started. 

That said, remember, practice doesn't make perfect - Perfect practice makes perfect. The Indian is more important than the bow, any day.  

I got lots of crappy 'burn a hole in it and let it rip' or 'just send it like you would a baseball' type advice early on that left me frustrated for years and made me put the bow down for a long time. A little learning (Rod Jenkins' stuff in the Masters of the BareBow DVD's, Tom Clum SOLID mechanics course, PUSH Archery Podcast, Stickbow Chronicles podcast, JD3' stuff, Jake Kaminski's barebow stuff, etc) have REALLY helped me enjoy shooting a bow again and not just hoping for the best when I shoot, but being confident I can hit what I'm aiming at and knowing how to fix it when I don't. 

That's what I hope for you if you pick up a trad bow. 

People often get hung up on the tool in their hand and forget the one in between their ears. That's more what I was trying to get at in my first comment - the little nuances between woods, bow designs, etc is only going to make a 5-10% difference in the shot that's 90% about the archer, not the bow.


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## splatek (May 18, 2021)

rnfarley said:


> Yeah - maybe I should clarify my comment - I'm not saying bear bows aren't good or won't get the job done. I learned to shoot on an old grizzly like prob 1/2 the folks here did. Of the 35+ bows I've owned several have been Bears, and I will own more in time I'm sure. I just think you can get a lot more bow for the same money from other places these days, and not have the spotty quality control and delays that we've been getting from bear in recent years. I had a 50th anniversary riser on order for almost a year from them with horrible customer service/info/updates and constantly kicking the can without any straight answers. I had a bear kodiak with what looked like sharpie marks under the clear lacquer finish, the grip from bow to bow of the same model is pretty inconsistent, etc. If you're going to spend $600-$900+ on a new bow, I'd get something else is all.
> 
> For the OP, I'd def get something used (even a boring old grizzly  ) and shoot the ever living mess out of it to get started.
> 
> ...



^^This is solid advice. 
I was told to get a samick sage to start and to get good with it; I was also told that if that was the only bow i wanted to buy I could easily hunt with it.


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## Todd Cook (May 18, 2021)

rnfarley said:


> Yeah - maybe I should clarify my comment - I'm not saying bear bows aren't good or won't get the job done. I learned to shoot on an old grizzly like prob 1/2 the folks here did. Of the 35+ bows I've owned several have been Bears, and I will own more in time I'm sure. I just think you can get a lot more bow for the same money from other places these days, and not have the spotty quality control and delays that we've been getting from bear in recent years. I had a 50th anniversary riser on order for almost a year from them with horrible customer service/info/updates and constantly kicking the can without any straight answers. I had a bear kodiak with what looked like sharpie marks under the clear lacquer finish, the grip from bow to bow of the same model is pretty inconsistent, etc. If you're going to spend $600-$900+ on a new bow, I'd get something else is all.
> 
> For the OP, I'd def get something used (even a boring old grizzly  ) and shoot the ever living mess out of it to get started.
> 
> ...



A bow that fits you sure does help, no doubt. I'm sorry you got some crappy advice starting out. Instinctive/ and or snap shooting when done correctly is an incredibly effective way to kill animals. I shoot that way and some of my friends who kill more than their share do too. A lot of people mean well but they don't know enough about shooting to help themselves, much less someone else. Solid form and mechanics are required if you're going to shoot well, period. Gap, instinctive, slow or fast doesn't matter as long as you are in control of the bow and not the other way around.


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## rnfarley (May 18, 2021)

100% agree with all that - doing things the same way every time is the key to a good shot - even if you do it with your foot while in a handstand like that girl all over youtube 

Snap shooting, instinctive, gap, slow/fast or compound or anything else needs good consistent form under it. ie, you can't shoot instinctive if the arrow flies different every time because form isn't consistent.


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