# question for traditional shooters



## bgtymrs (Nov 18, 2009)

How many of yall shoot traditional and where do you buy your wooden arrows from?


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

I shoot traditional, both longbow and recurve. My longbow is a Marriah Chinook that I ordered for Ric Anderson years ago. He has a website - http://www.marriahcustombows.com/index.html I've just started shooting a recurve again and I picked up a cheap Takedown to use as a backup bow but I've really started to like shooting it more and more. It is a Samick Sage and 3 Rivers Archery has the best price on them. 3 Rivers Archery also has a wide range of longbows and recurves. There are also many other custom bows out there if you do some searches you will find them. Bob Lee bows are very highly regarded by a lot of traditional shooters.

Hope this helps.
Derek


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## Night Wing (Jun 23, 2004)

I shoot traditional bows. I have two recurves and one hybrid longbow. I don't shoot wooden arrows though. I shoot aluminum arrows and I get my aluminum arrow shafts and fletching, so I can make my own arrows, from Bowhunters Superstore.

http://www.bowhunterssuperstore.com./


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## llsurf (Jul 10, 2008)

I have 4 Bob Lee bows and the quality and service is outstanding.As far as wooden arrows they tend to warp after a few shots.


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## bgtymrs (Nov 18, 2009)

I shoot a blacktail recurve and i will be ordering another one here soon i just love the way it shoots so i will be ordering another one. i shoot wooden arrows spruce actually and the same four have survived the year with no problems they are actually sturdier than you would think. i am looking to buy more and was wondering if anyone else shot wooden arrows and where you get them from if you do.


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

Sorry I miss read your first post. I shoot a combination of wood and carbon, depending on what I'm doing. I make all the arrows I shoot and just recently built a set of laminated birch that are really tough and have the weight for great penetration. They do have one problem, the weather does affect them more then the cedar I normally shoot. Here are a few pictures of the laminated birch arrows.


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## The Last Mango (Jan 31, 2010)

llsurf said:


> I have 4 Bob Lee bows and the quality and service is outstanding.As far as wooden arrows they tend to warp after a few shots.


Yeah.............but did your uncle charge you for them? LOL, must be nice!


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## bgtymrs (Nov 18, 2009)

those are nice bounty i was thinking of ordering some douglas fir but not sure about them. my spruce have held up really nice but finding a good batch probably will be hard to do but i am going to do what you have done and shoot a combination of carbon and wooden just want to get a good wooden arrow


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## Category6 (Nov 21, 2007)

I shoot a Bob Lee Classic TD, 64" and 59# @ 29.5". I have a close friend who shoots a 62" Bighorn which he loves, and I've known a few Black Widow die-hards, but I promise you will never regret buying a Bob Lee bow...AND they are made by hand, one at a time, by the man himself (and his son) at his shop behind his home in Jacksonville, TEXAS. It ain't cheap to shoot good custom traditional, but it's worth every penny to not have half your draw weight loaded up in the last 2 inches of draw. The good ones more or less build their total draw weight linearly across the entire draw, not exponentially at the end like the off-the-shelf production bows. I can shoot 100 arrows a day with no soreness and no anchor creep.

I drove to Bob Lee's house 15 years ago when I bought it and talked with the whole family about which bow, length, weight, etc. for around 2 hrs while I watched them building bows, then I shot some of Mr. Lee's personal bows and had him measure my draw and grip, paid him 50%, and picked out some wood for the riser before I left. Had my bow and extra limbs in around 4 months and never been happier with anything I've purchased in my life.

If you insist on wood arrows I hope it's because you have a deep interest in making your own from ground up and maintaining a true traditional stance...not just for appearances! Reason? They shoot like sh#t!!!! If you make 10, then get them perfectly spined and straightened after hours of frustration and then go shoot for a while, half of your 10 will be slightly crooked and your POI will change. SAVE YOURSELK THE FRUSTRATION and buy some properly sized carbon shafts that are designed for traditionals. Go to 3RiversArchery...they have everything you need regardless whether you want the cedar shafts or you choose carbon.

http://www.3riversarchery.com/Arrow...ssic++Arrow_c58_s158_p210_i6770X_product.html

FYI - I shoot 5" shield-cut RW trueflite natural barred feathers, 4-fletch at 90 degrees helical, off the shelf and they fly straight enough that I have had then "robin hood" one inside the other at 20 yds.

Have Fun!


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## BEER4BAIT (Jun 24, 2005)

I am about to carve a new self bow out of bodark {east TX speliin} I will post a day by day pic and progress of it. I have some split spruce that I have rouned off with cabinet scraper and going to napp some flint points. I will use this bow for a spring turkey this year and will post the pics of the hunt. I may do this bow out of stone tools and finish the arrows as primative as I can. Whisker bizkits and training wheels are for wusses


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## BEER4BAIT (Jun 24, 2005)

I used to buy material for my arrows at the Footed Shaft, and I make my own. I use a Jojan 6 arrow left helical fletcher and Dread head or Grizzly 125 grain, with a Nirk. I have a 5 inch left feather chopper. In the Spring time go to the shoot in Chester TX and you can find stuff fron venders there.


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## Category6 (Nov 21, 2007)

I just saw that your post wasn't asking for much of the wordy reply I offered...BUT, I nevertheless felt obliged to say one more thing about Bob Lee Bows (I am no relation, just passionate about his bows and supporting Texas artisans).

Bob Lee Archery as a company was born of Wing Archery, of which Bob Lee was the president and decision maker until it's run ended (in the late 70's I think). Bill Stewart was the Wing product designer / bowyer, and he and Mr. Lee worked closely to develop the 1st takedown recurve and the 1st center-shot recurve ever produced in the Wing Slimline Competition, introduced around 1970. So when Bob Lee Archery claims to be the innovators responsible for takedown hunting bows, zero-torque at handle, and center shot sight windows - he ain't BS'ing, just the name of the company has changed. I think if more people from Texas learned the Bob Lee story and shot his bows, there would be A LOT less other maker's bows purchased around here. The day is coming when he stops building bows, and it'll be too late then to ever get one made by "the man" just for you with his signature on the riser, and it'll be a d^mned sad day too. 'stepping down from soap box now'


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

bgtymrs said:


> those are nice bounty i was thinking of ordering some douglas fir but not sure about them. my spruce have held up really nice but finding a good batch probably will be hard to do but i am going to do what you have done and shoot a combination of carbon and wooden just want to get a good wooden arrow


Over the years I've tried a lot of different woods for my arrows but always go back to Port Orford Cedar. They aren't the toughest shafts but the are a lot easier to keep straight and to tweek while in the field. Sure you are going to break some, I do all the time and it is always my favorite arrow. There always seems to be one arrow in a set that flys right all the time so you use it more than the others, and of course it gets broke.

When I'm making myself a set of arrows I generally buy a lot of 50 or so shafts. Then I go through them one by one and sort them for straightness. Next I weigh each of the straightest ones and get those that weigh as close to the same as possible. Then comes the spline testing and after all of that, there may be 6 to 10 shafts that will make really good arrows. It is a real game when messing with wood shafts. I guess that's why I always carry a set of carbons with me when I go hunting and only use carbons when shooting 3-D matches unless they require my class to shoot wood shafts.


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## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

I have shot lots of wood arrows in the past, I am shooting mostly carbon now because I go through them so fast (4 this last week).

There are a number of places to order shafting, Three Rivers as mentioned, Kustom King, and others. You can pick up a copy of Traditional Bowhunter Mag and check the classifieds.

Good luck.


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## bgtymrs (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks guys for all your comments, just a little background of me i have been shooting since i was 7 im 31 now so bows are not new to me but i can tell yall this shooting traditional is it is very new to me and i enjoy it more and more each day. i will be going to the shoot in chester and i want to compete in the traditional class but i need some wooden arrows. i appreciate all of your input and hope that yall can help me in the future.


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## Chunky (Oct 15, 2006)

Another option is buying them already made...as opposed to components and putting them together yourself. There is a guy over on TBH trad page....Rubydog (Terry), he makes some beautiful arrows. Bountyhunter as well as you have already seen.


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## bountyhunter (Jul 6, 2005)

bgtymrs, 3 Rivers does carry Sitka Spruce and most of the components they sell are top notch. I get a lot of my shafts from them and so far they have all been really good. They stand behind thier products 100%. 

I've found over the years that shooting is just as much mental as it skill and practice. If you have something you are confident in using, stick with it. Spruce is tough and if you are good at straigthing it should not be an issue to use them.

I'm considering going to the shoot in chester and shooting in the Longbow traditional class with my birch arrows. So I might see you up there.


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