archery shops and selfbow-whats the deal?

[radius]

at the hunting shop in Victoria, I am friendly with the archery rep.  In the past, she weighed my selfbows and we shot them in their little range.  But not until I showed up with a gorgeous laminated bow did they ask me if i wanted to become a wholesaler.  It's not the store's prejudice, it's their knowledge of what sells.  Remember, they are a business.

[ber643]

With some It is prejudice, with some it is just lack of knowledge, and with others it is too much knowledge - of the wrong kind, IMO. Dano's shop owner had no idea how lucky he was - almost. I was shooting the sweetest ACS (fg lam) in the world when Dano walked up to me at ATAR and handed me the Character Osage bow he built for me ("Sneaky Snake"). I shot it immediatly and fell in love with it as quickly. Two years later all I am shooting is wood bows, and I hunted with ol' "Sneaky Snake" all of last season (that was all I hunted with), and now I have a wood lam bow under my belt, and I've just made "It"(my own self bow, character osage). That "Pro" at Dano's shop just doesn't know what possibilities he missed out on. The guy I used to work part-time for in our local pro shop loved self bows (all wood bows - though he knew his major money came from wheels) and still wishes he could make one himself. I think he will someday. Different strokes for different folks, huh? - 

[Lost Arra]

I guess I'm a little more understanding of the shop owners.
One local shop here carries some trad gear and bows on consignment. The manager shoots 3D and hunts with a compound and a recurve so he is very open-minded about all archery gear.
They had a new osage selfbow for sale by a guy who makes glass bows and bbo's that they carry.  They knew I shot wood bows so they asked me to give it a try and see what I thought.
Drawing the third arrow the bow absolutely exploded in tremendous fashion at the fade of the upper limb.
Somehow I got a smashed thumbnail on my bow hand but not a big deal.
While the shop people were concerned that I was the lawsuit type I assured them I understand wood bows (but I ain't paying for it!)
They were just relieved that if the bow had to break it did it with an understanding wood bow builder and they don't carry selfbows now.

[radius]

lost arra,

was that bow backed?  the one that exploded?

[Lost Arra]

No backing. Just an osage selfbow with somewhat wide limbs.

[radius]

hm...wonder if it would've held if it were backed.

Did you scope it out?  Was there some kind of weak spot that you could see?  I mean, other than pieces everywhere!

[Titan_Bow]

 We build and shoot primitive archery tackle and are suprised that a local archery pro shop (especially ones that sell mostly compounds) doesnt understand?