What are your views on Fiberglass bows?

[Christian Soldier]

I've never bought a bow before. I've made more than a dozen self bows of various designs and I love the way a wood bow 'feels', the looks, and the satisfaction I get out of turning a tree into a powerfull weapon.

Recently I've been looking a lot into takedown bows, espcially the Vista/Samick Sage. Its very well priced and recieves great reviews. AFAIK, its probably a good bit faster than the bows I make too.
Biggest advantages are the speed and takedown element.

But...

I feel like I am almost betraying my primitive roots and cheating on my self bows when I consider buying a glass bow. 

 

What are your views on buying glass bows?

 

[adb]

FG bows in general, or the specific bow(s) you mentioned? You might perhaps have better luck discussing specific FG bows on alternate forums, like trad gang. As far as FG bows go, I own several, and like them, but I don't discuss them here. We're all about 'au natural' here on PA!

[Rufledt]

I wouldn't say you're betraying your roots, you just like archery and want more bows.  Who doesn't?  I'm with adb, I have some fb bows (even one of them fancy bows with the aluminum riser and carbon limbs) and they shoot great, i just don't shoot them much.

[Bryce]

FG bows don't have individual personalities like all natural material bow. There just another cookie cut from the same mold. Self bows and natural material backed bows, feel alive. The bond between an archer and a all natural material bow made by that archer is a marriage that was made thousands of years ago, and has some how been written into our genetic code. Have you ever met a person that said bows are dumb? I don't think so.

-Pinecone

[PrimitiveTim]

There's a reason you feel like you're betraying your primitive roots.  Don't do it man! lol 

[Pat B]

I own a few glass bows but never shoot them. I prefer selfbows, even the slow ones.   Speed doesn't matter if you know the trajectory of your arrow.

[Joec123able]

Well the first bow I ever got was a takedown FG recurve the only reason I bought was to help me get into bow building because I was really interested in making my own bows but had never shot a bow before I still have the bow and still plink around with it some times I don't think your are betraying your selfbows just trying something new nothing wrong with that

[Ifrit617]

FG bows don't have individual personalities like all natural material bow. There just another cookie cut from the same mold. Self bows and natural material backed bows, feel alive. The bond between an archer and a all natural material bow made by that archer is a marriage that was made thousands of years ago, and has some how been written into our genetic code. Have you ever met a person that said bows are dumb? I don't think so.

-Pinecone

I have to disagree with this. Granted I love my self bows, but my high end custom glass bow feels just as natural in my hand. All depends on the bowyer though, just like with self bows. Just my opinion.

Jon

[seabass]

i have several glass bows.my first was a bear recurve that i got when i was eight years old.i still bow fish with it.i also have a black widow longbow,but most of my bows are character selfbows.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I love them. Very rarely shoot them though. Each time I grab my Widow or LB and shoot a few arrows I realize just how powerful they are. You forget what kind of punch they pack unitl you veer from it. Its not the speed as much as it is the instant, constant drive they produce. A 55# pound recurve with a 550-600 grain shaft is crazy powerful. I wont say any of my selfbows shoot near it, I would be lying.

[TRACY]

Got several and occasionally purchase one like an old Bear bow for my shooting arsenal. I have no problem with them, i just don't hunt much with them since making all one piece wood bows. i enjoy taking them out and shooting with friends and family.Hunted with one again a couple years ago when I broke my collar bone and had to lower my poundage. Hunt and shoot with whatever type of bow you want as long as you are ENJOYING it.

Tracy

[Christophero]

My standing comment on the two types of bows, primative or fiberglass (compounds don't bow) is that:
Fiberglass is fun but wood is wonderful.

That said I just glued up a fb recurve blank this morning.  I am getting the ich to shave some osage soon, though.

[seabass]

i have seen you fg bows Christopher.that bow your son had was awesome.i also want to say,now that i think of it i have quite a few fg bows.the last one i bought was a big jim thunderchild 54" 54@28.that guy makes an awesome bow.it is beautiful and shoots great.nothing wrong with a few fg bows.that first Bear bow is what sparked my interest in traditional bows and i have never looked back.i love my character bows more than anything,but it don't hurt to have fg bows too.

[Slackbunny]

I am a competitive person, and I am most competitive with myself. My homemade wooden bows are the pinnacle of difficulty  for me. I need to build them well, and then I need to shoot them well.

 I have nothing against fiberglass bows, I just feel like I would be taking a step backwards by focusing my attention on them, because I would be lowering the level of difficulty for myself.

I would definitely never hunt with one just because if I got an animal with it, there's a good chance that I could have got it with one of my bows, and that would irk me. Taking a big game animal with one of my bows is the ultimate goal for me, and to think that I may have missed a chance to do that because I chose to lower the difficulty for myself.... it would bother me. That might sound silly, but I just know that's how I'd feel.

I bet there is quite a few guys here who feel the same. To quote the great and wise Red Green: "Its not smart, or correct, but its one of the things that makes us who we are."

[Bryce]

FG bows don't have individual personalities like all natural material bow. There just another cookie cut from the same mold. Self bows and natural material backed bows, feel alive. The bond between an archer and a all natural material bow made by that archer is a marriage that was made thousands of years ago, and has some how been written into our genetic code. Have you ever met a person that said bows are dumb? I don't think so.

-Pinecone

I have to disagree with this. Granted I love my self bows, but my high end custom glass bow feels just as natural in my hand. All depends on the bowyer though, just like with self bows. Just my opinion.

Jon

Not my point at all. If you grabbed another persons fg bow that was the same model. It would be the same. Unlike natural bows where every single one is different.