[American Flatbow] Recommend a 'starter' AFB?

Jimbo

New member
Following on from this thread, I was hoping somebody would like to recommend a AFB for me. I currently shoot a Ragim Victory Recurve at 34lb but want to try a more traditional style.

I don't think I've got the where-with-all to go for a longbow at the moment (as I'm a lazy-chuffer with limited resources) I think I fancy going for an AFB. I've seen the one's that are available through Quicks and KG Archery (although there's no prices on KG), are there any others available and are there any that people would recommend?

The bow would be used in Field Archery using wooden arrows.

Cheers
 

Jimbo

New member
Just been thinking about this post and realised that I may have implied that I think that AFB's are somehow inferior or second-best to ELB's.

That is definitely not my intention or my feelings.
 

robtattoo

New member
You could give either the Internature or Samick a try, both around £100 from Bowsports. One thing worth mentioning is draw weight, you'll probably want to be looking at a much higher poundage than the 34# you're pulling now. Probably somewhere in the 40-50# range. Bear in mind that you won't be holding at anchour for as long, it's not that much of a jump & the benefeits of higher poundage are tremendous. You could always try & get hold of a second hand bow, there's stacks to be had on EBay (mainly from the US, do an International search for Longbow) & you can pick up some real bargains from US traditional forums.
 

Jimbo

New member
You could give either the Internature or Samick a try, both around ?100 from Bowsports. One thing worth mentioning is draw weight, you'll probably want to be looking at a much higher poundage than the 34# you're pulling now. Probably somewhere in the 40-50# range. Bear in mind that you won't be holding at anchour for as long, it's not that much of a jump & the benefeits of higher poundage are tremendous. You could always try & get hold of a second hand bow, there's stacks to be had on EBay (mainly from the US, do an International search for Longbow) & you can pick up some real bargains from US traditional forums.
Cheers. I like the look of the Internature, I'll have to see if I can get along to Bowsports and try some in the flesh.

It's interesting what you say about poundage, I tried a 35# Samick at the weekend and that felt harder than my recurve. I did only put 6 arrows through it though, so not enough to get used to the pull.
 

robtattoo

New member
Cheers. I like the look of the Internature, I'll have to see if I can get along to Bowsports and try some in the flesh.

It's interesting what you say about poundage, I tried a 35# Samick at the weekend and that felt harder than my recurve. I did only put 6 arrows through it though, so not enough to get used to the pull.
I would heartily recommend the Internature over the Samick. Both of these bows, being at the cheaper end of the scale, do have a tendency to stack if drawn past 28" Although the Internature is far better & is a lot more forgiving. One thing to remember is that you won't have the same amount of cast with a flatbow, that you do with the recurve, hence the need for heavier poundage to get the same trajectory.
It's also worth a look on www.flybowshop.com an Irish archery supplier who does dome excellent bows at really good prices. Take a look at the Bearpaw bows, excellent value bows. Your best bet, really, would be to pop along to an NFAS shoot & have a look at some of the bows people are using. Most folks won't mind you having a feel & shoot & there's so many different makes/styles of AFB around, you'll get a better idea of what's available.
It's also quite easy to train yourself up to higher poundages, myself I shoot a 38# recurve, but all my field bows (flatbows & bare recurves) are around 60-70# All I did was buy a higher poundage bow & every day draw & let down the heavier bow 5 times, morning & evening, for about a fortnight. You'll tend to find, though, that shooting barebow requires a different anchor point to target recurve. You generally anchor to the corner of your mouth & this can shorten your draw-length by an inch or so, making the whole aim-draw-loose cycle a lot more fluid, with far less time spent at anchor. As an axample, after 5doz arrows from my target bow, I'm really starting to feel it in my back/shoulders, due to the length of time I'm holding at anchor. Conversely, I can shoot a 70# flatbow all day long, 12 or 13 dozen arrows, & still feel fresh, simply because I don't need to spend as much time fully drawn, to get my sight picture.
 

Macbow

New member
Rob is spot on. I have an Internature as well as some super high end bows and the Viper is a good bow for the price. My advice is change the big fat heavy flemish string for a 14 strand endless fast flite and if you are handy with a rasp take the tips down a bit as they are huge.
Keep an eye on the NFAS small ads - I have picked up a couple of very good bows at less than eBay prices.
For the money I honestly believe the Bowtec AFBs are outstanding value. http://www.bowtecbows.com
The designs, build quality and finish are outstanding and the costs are extremely low for a UK made custom bow. 42-45lbs will be plenty.
 

Haywain

New member
Looks like this thread is following a noce theme for you Jimbo.... I started out with the Internature... Great bow to get used to the style and very forgiving of the minor errors. And at the price that you can get one if you don't get on with the style, you haven't broken the bank.

One thing I will warn you about though. There are a lot of Flat Bows out there which do not conform to the AFB rules for some societies, especially the NFAS, but are still marketed as AFB. Remember the bow MUST form a D shape when strung, even a slight recurve will put you in another class.

I still have my internature. I was going to sell it a while back, but I discovered it's worth keeping for those times when I'm having problems with my shooting.
 

Jimbo

New member
Looks like this thread is following a noce theme for you Jimbo....
Sorry if I'm being dumb/a newb, what is 'noce' (and apologies if it's a typo, I couldn't figure out what it should be). But, yes, there is a definite theme to my posts at the moment. I am at the stage where I try something, decided I like it, try and found out more about it, get more information, which leads to more questions, and onwards :)
I started out with the Internature... Great bow to get used to the style and very forgiving of the minor errors. And at the price that you can get one if you don't get on with the style, you haven't broken the bank.

One thing I will warn you about though. There are a lot of Flat Bows out there which do not conform to the AFB rules for some societies, especially the NFAS, but are still marketed as AFB. Remember the bow MUST form a D shape when strung, even a slight recurve will put you in another class.

I still have my internature. I was going to sell it a while back, but I discovered it's worth keeping for those times when I'm having problems with my shooting.
Cheers. Somebody else has mentioned about the one's with a slight recurve, there's one from Quicks catalogue (the Samick Cobra) that appears to have a slight kick on the ends, but I wasn't sure if that was just from the picture.
 

robtattoo

New member
You'll find a lot of flatbows have a 'kick' at the tips. Sorry if'n I'm preaching to the choir here, but that's called reflex. Reflex helps to speed up the bow, quite a bit, giving better arrow speed & therefore trajectory. Down side is that a reflexed bow will give a lot more handshock than a straight bow & is a lot less forgiving of a bad release. The best allround shape is a Deflex/reflex This curves backwards at the riser & then forwards moving further up the limbs. This gives he speed of a reflexed bow & yet is as forgiving as a straight limb. Most D/R flatbows brace to a 'D' profile. Sorry if this is now getting a little more confusing!
Don't get too hung up about the strung profile. The only thing is, if the strung profile still has a trace of reflex, it just puts you into Hunting Tackle as opposed to AFB at NFAS shoots. Not something I've found to be a major issue :p
As an allround shooter, Macbow's got the right of it. Bowtec bows are excellent quality & frankly £150 ish too cheap for what they are! You certainly won't regret buying one of those lads!
 

joelondon

Member
Fonz Awardee
Just to add my experience of Bowtec, i have just received my first Mistral Bow from Dave at Bowtec this Monday and all I can say is Wow Wow Wow, it is an absolute peach of a bow, I went for 50lb at 66" with carbon added into the limbs, it does feel on the edge of heavy, but nothing a few days shooting it won't sort out and as already mentioned, you will need that extra bit of power above ur recurve weight, i draw about 38lb on my recurve and don't feel the 50lb jump to large.

all the best

Joe
 

Haywain

New member
The only thing is, if the strung profile still has a trace of reflex, it just puts you into Hunting Tackle as opposed to AFB at NFAS shoots.

The rule about forming a D also applies to the EFAA as well. It is something to bear in mind. It would be a shame to turn up for an open shoot registered as AFB and then get disqualified because your bow does not conform.

All I'm saying is know your bow and the class it will put you in before you buy.

:) :) :)
 

Jimbo

New member
Typo on my part Jimbo....... Should have read as "nice"..... It's my fat fingers that do it :)
Doh! I should have realised (at least after looking at my keyboard) :)

And thanks everybody for the various information. It's certainly given me something to think about.
 

Jimbo

New member
Right then, my list so far comprises of:
  • Internature Flatbow, ?99.99 from Bowsports
  • Samwha Traditional Flat Bow, ?110.00 from Archery World
  • Millenium Metis Field Bow, ?119.99 from Bowsports. Does anybody know anything about these? (Quality, value, etc.)
  • Samick Super Woodsman, ?115.00 from Quicks
  • Ragim Little Hawk, ?153.09 from Merlin. Searching on AIUK these seem to be well regarded, is that a true assessment?
  • Samick Verna Flatbow, ?164.00 from Archery World
  • BowTec Mistral. Somebody mentioned a price if ?150'ish for a BowTec, but these seem to be marked at ?200 (quite a bit above my budget), is this the right bow or is there a cheaper (suitable) one?

My budget is up to ?150, but I'd prefer it if I can keep it around/below the ?125 mark. Are there any other options I should be considering? I'd be reticent to get one off of eBay (or similar) as I don't really know enough about what I'd be getting.
 
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robtattoo

New member
Out of your list, I've only ever had experience with the Internature & Metis. Personally I prefer the looks of the Metis, but the handshock was apalling! The internature is a really nice bow to shoot, bit of handshock but nothing ridiculous, nice & smooth draw to 29", well made & generally excellent value for money. As a first bow to get you going, you'll not go wrong with it!
I've never been a big fan of Ragim bows (although those who use 'em seem to love 'em!) after seeing 2 explode on peole :fight: :thumbsdow
Also, just to forther confuse, have a look at the Samick Super woodsman (?115 from Quicks) It has a really nice hybrid style grip & looks the business! Not seen one in the flesh, but I've heard nothing but good stuff about them (as opposed to absolutely EVERYTHING else made by Samick!!) :cheerful:
 

Jimbo

New member
Out of your list, I've only ever had experience with the Internature & Metis. Personally I prefer the looks of the Metis, but the handshock was apalling! The internature is a really nice bow to shoot, bit of handshock but nothing ridiculous, nice & smooth draw to 29", well made & generally excellent value for money. As a first bow to get you going, you'll not go wrong with it!
I've never been a big fan of Ragim bows (although those who use 'em seem to love 'em!) after seeing 2 explode on peole :fight: :thumbsdow
Also, just to forther confuse, have a look at the Samick Super woodsman (?115 from Quicks) It has a really nice hybrid style grip & looks the business! Not seen one in the flesh, but I've heard nothing but good stuff about them (as opposed to absolutely EVERYTHING else made by Samick!!) :cheerful:
Cheers, for some bizarre reason I'd completely forgotten about Quicks ('Heaven forfend', I hear you cry, 'how could you forget about the force that is Quicks' :)). I'll update my list accordingly.

Question, this seems (to me) to have a slight recurve on the ends, would this be enough to knock it out of the NFAS AFB class?
 

robtattoo

New member
Technically yes, but you can still shoot in Hunting Tackle. The 2 classes are so close, scoring-wise, that it makes little or no difference. I have to shoot HT for the same reason.
 

Macbow

New member
If it's a starter AFB then I'd spend as little as possible - my Internature Viper cost ?50 from an ebay seller. I got rid of the fat, sluggish flemish string and fitted a 14 strand fastflite endless loop string and took a rasp to the oversize limb tips which upped the performance and virtually eliminated the handshock. If you later decide that the AFB is for you then you can splash out on a custom bow. If you were even considering the Samick Verna I'd urge you to work another month and spend a bit more on a Bowtec Mistral as it is such a sweet shooter and finished to an incredibly high standard - and meets every competition limb shape ruling. The ?150 mentioned previously was not the cost - at around ?200 the Mistral is priced ?150 less than you'd expect to pay for it. Personally I'd go straight for the Mistral - you'd never regret having a quality bow made by a well respected British bowyer for about ?50 more than a Ragim or the Verna. It will feel good in the hand, shoot good, help you shoot good and you'll feel good every time you look at it. Give Dave a call at Bowtec and get the ball rolling right now - you know you want to!:cheerful:
 

Jimbo

New member
Give Dave a call at Bowtec and get the ball rolling right now - you know you want to!:cheerful:
Aaaaarg! You are so right, but my wife would kill me! (and there's Christmas coming up, some home improvements to pay for and it's nice to be able eat at some point :))
 
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