your best performer

[n2huntn]

Fishing for ideas so I thought I might survey you all and get the dimensions of you best performer. Length, weight at your draw. type of wood, backed or not, reflex or straight, handle type etc. etc. Also if you were to replicate it would you do anything different?
Thanks ,
Jeff

[Pat B]

  Generally my best performer is the bow I'm shooting at the time. That's how I choose my hunting bow each year. This year and for the last few it has been a 60" osage static recurve that begins to bend through the handle at my full draw of 26". Usually 45# to 55#@26".  Bow width at the fades is about 1 3/8" and depending on the stave out 4" or so before tapering to the static tips.
  My second choice would be a 60" to 64" straight limb osage. Same approximate dimensions as the recurves.
  I usually let the wood tell me what it wants to be instead of going into it with a preconcieved design. I found over the years that my bows are more successful and with fewer struggles when I go with the flow.
   Except for decorative reasons or safety reasons I prefer my bows naked. A pristine osage back is as strong as you will ever need. I do like to heat in some reflex and generally end up with a flat profile or slightly deflexed limbs which makes for a sweet shooting, durable hunting bow.

[half eye]

Hey Jeff,
       My favorite and best bows recently have been close grained hard maple. Like Pat, my draw is a smidge over 26 (maybe 27 if I use an upright english type of stance and verticle bow) and I like the weights from upper 40's to upper 50's for me personaly. For length I like 'em between 50 to 56 inch depending on the style (in all fairness I've got a couple in the 60/61 inch range that are also nice shooters). I prefer a self bow that bends just into the fades at the grip and has stiff ends, but lately I've gone to a thin backer of walnut or hickory mostly because huntin weather this far north is generally deplorable withh low temps, rain/sleet or snow blizzards and the like.
      I really like the Mollegabet design as you know (because of the easy smooth draw excellent cast, and quiet firing cycle). But I will admitt that the shorter static recurves are probably more speedy, one that was given to me by Ken 75 is about as fast a bow as I have ever shot. I like the old designs Molle, NA woodland, etc and simple....as long as they have heavy arrow cast suitable for hunting I choose those types......but like Pat said if ya want the sexy curves and speed to boot in a single package them static recurves are real hard to beat.
rich

       

[n2huntn]

Thanks Pat and Rich.
 This is exactly what I'm looking for. Maybe discover a trend, keep em coming.
Jeff

[Pat B]

I build all my bows to be hunting bows and I want them to cast a heavy broadheaded arrow with authority. All of my hunting arrows made from cane, sourwood shoots or tapered ash and are in the 600gr to 700gr range and I want my bows to push them enough to go where I'm looking out to 20yards or less, no matter if they are 45#, 50# or 55#. And I don't need 180fps to do that either.

[PatM]

I combine the two. A shortish Molle  of HHB or Maple and I splice in small static hooks of Elm on the tips. By adding a tiny bit of angle to the base of the lever you can get a bit of the Kasan/Siyah combination of a composite in a selfbow.

[Del the cat]

Depends how you define 'best performer'
But If I had to stop something, I'd pick up my self Yew English longbow and the longest heaviest meanest arrow I could find.
It's the bow I just know I'll hit the taget with, but I can't shoot it for long periods these days...too heavy at 75# @ 28" (90# @31.5")
Del

[n2huntn]

I would define it pretty much how Pat B desribes, durable bow shoots where you look and has authority.
Thanks for the replies. Mr Del your signature cracks me up.
Jeff

[JW_Halverson]

My best performers lately have been hackberry bows that came in "under weight".  I am sticking with the usual double-the-draw-plus-10% formula, 1 3/4 wide at the fadeouts with slight taper for the first two thirds of the working limb and a faster taper down to 3/8" tips, slightly upturned over the last 5", ten strands of Dacron B50 strings, and backed with hand rubbed oil and fresh air.  

I have two of these that came in at 47 and 48# at 26" draw and both shoot at about 160 fps (405 grain sitka spruce with 1/4 inch high fletching).  Even with these lighter than 10 grains-per-lb arrows there is little handshock.  I can't wait to see what happens to the 47 lb bow when strip the finish off and heat treat the belly and induce a few inches of forward curve to the limbs!!!

[Badger]

   I guess it depends how you define performance, holds up to being strung hour after hour day after day, low handshock, quiet, reasonably fast, 160 at 26 is very good, pretty much as described by jack in the above post. I have a several bows that seem to fit that bill. Yew, maple, hornbeam, hickory, osage, doesn't seem to make that much difference. Steve

[Holten101]

Good topic. My best performer speed wise is shown below (I think a picture of tiller and profile says more than dimentions). I never got around to test it on a crono, but a guestimate will be 170-180 fps with a 500 grs (bow was around 55#@28")....I say WAS because I gave it to a friend of mine;-).





Im pretty sure that either the møllegabet or a more "traditional" pyramid shape with very narrow tips are the fastest straight stave designs.

Cheers

[n2huntn]

I'm looking for a trend as to what works best, wood type, design, profile etc. I have four staves of hackberry, one Osage, some pignut hickory and tons of Ipe boards, plus hard maple and oaks. I live and hunt in the high humidity areas of the midwest and southeast. My handles have gotten smaller, usually 4" and have been making shorter fades. I have made lots of different types but am not as skilled as most of you so my best flatbow may not perform as my best ELB because of me and not the design. I made a heat treated hickory of Comstock design that is very well mannered and durable, not finicky about spine,and SEEMS fast, no chrono but penetrates well into a broadhead target. 64" long ,55# at 27" ,air backed, b50 string. It's what I judge my others against. Holten, is there a link to that bow? Like the lines on that one.
Thanks again.

[Keenan]

 I will have to say it would be the halibut skinned yew that I made this last January. I modled it after the Ambush bow that i have hunted with for yours that was the former best performer.  Both those bows can stay strung all day and lose nothing on performance. Short for the brush and smooth consistent shots.

http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,17062.0.html

[Bullitt]

Ok, definately not being rude, but how about some evidence of your thoughts or feelings on this?

After a year of steady, hard shootin. 3D, stumping, at home backyard shooting, constant stringing, unstringing. Hunting, aniimals taken!

I'm not going to be easy on this one! I've seen alot of great bows on here, pics, full draws, profiles, etc! Far more of you are craftsman than I'll ever be! For sure. But I can bend a stick, make a string, and shoot!

So, what happen to all them beauties? Hope there not collecting dust!

Fire away.

[Little John]

My best performers look just about Holtens. Holmie style 64" long made from a straight unbacked osage stave, 1 7/8 inches wide and paralell for half the limb then taking an iefel tower shape to very narrow tips  with the outer one third of the limb being thick enough to barely bend to let me know I have removed all the mass possible from outer limbs and tips. exelent cast stability and durability with no hand shock. I normally shoot for 64# at 28" but they can go to 29-30 inches. Almost a flight bow but an excellent hunting bow. I have made two bows to this recipe and a couple of simular bows, I like them so well that I cant get intrested in other designs.  Kenneth