Best Flatbow for Field

[Phil]

I shoot compound but feel strangely drawn away from the dark side to a flatbow!!(just for an occasional change you understand). No one has yet suggested a Samik (SHB?).Is the SHB strictly a flatbow?.It is a very popular fieldbow. I just like the look of 'em.
Please, someone put me straight before I just buy one.

[bkupris]

Originally Posted by Phil

I shoot compound but feel strangely drawn away from the dark side to a flatbow!!(just for an occasional change you understand). No one has yet suggested a Samik (SHB?).Is the SHB strictly a flatbow?.It is a very popular fieldbow. I just like the look of 'em.
Please, someone put me straight before I just buy one.

The samick shb appears to be a one-piece recurve and not a flat bow. The samick slb is a flat bow...

[Macbow]

Originally Posted by Phil

... No one has yet suggested a Samik ...

That's because the question was what is the best flatbow for field. If you fancy the occasional outing with an AFB but the compound will still be your main bow then a Samick will do the job fine. But it's a bit like comparing a £600 Matthews with those £49.99 ebay compounds from Germany- both will fling an arrow but one of them will do it better.

phil, i am sure i see a samick for sale on the nfas website under items for sale,

[Macbow]

Originally Posted by Macbow

...... Andy Soars is a superb competition archer shooting his own bows in many of the major events with great success.....

Update - Andy placed 7th in the very recent IFAA World Bowhunter Championships. Congratulations.

[Phil]

Ah, I understand now Macbow thanks.Yes my knowledge of the AFB is limited and this bow will only be for our annual clout shoot and the odd outing.What could possibly replace a compound!!,(I could start a war )

[nomis]

So all bows can be measured in perfomance. Noise (mainly a recurve issue) Speed, Draw force...

Does anyone have a draw force of the these bows... at around our competition weighs 40-50 lbs... Because that would show, class of design, skill in materials used, and at least where your money goes... All these bows start off with square handles, why can we ask these custom bow companies for specific grips... that way we get the grip we want with the best skilled bower making our bows....

id also love to see how the thicker limbed Andy soars bow would compair to a thin limb like a howard hill. Or a parrallel taper vs a tapered core limb...

:-) does more work make a better bow!

[Macbow]

Originally Posted by nomis

So all bows can be measured in perfomance. Noise (mainly a recurve issue) Speed, Draw force...

Does anyone have a draw force of the these bows... at around our competition weighs 40-50 lbs... Because that would show, class of design, skill in materials used, and at least where your money goes... All these bows start off with square handles, why can we ask these custom bow companies for specific grips... that way we get the grip we want with the best skilled bower making our bows....

id also love to see how the thicker limbed Andy soars bow would compair to a thin limb like a howard hill. Or a parrallel taper vs a tapered core limb...

:-) does more work make a better bow!

You can get any grip you want from Border or Blackbrook - you pay your money and they will make you what you order.
Personally I think word of mouth and a bowyer's reputation is more important than number crunching as there are just too many variables that make a good bow. That doesn't even include an archer's personal style and physical traits. A good bowyer can take all those factors and build as efficient a bow as possible for any given archer - that's what you pay for in a custom bow.
A Blackbrook Zeta and a Howard Hill Big 5 are as different as chalk and cheese - the Zeta is a modern high performance tool with all the advantages that offers such as zero handshock and blistering speed. Yet some archers shoot very well using a Hill-style bow precisely because it is slow, inefficient and thumps on release. Is one more technically advanced than the other - definitely yes. Yet world-class archers are winning comps with an antique design so the lesser bow design is still valid. And bear in mind that custom bows are made mostly of wood, in itself a variable. Build two bows to the exact same specs and one of those might feel better to shoot.
I totally see where you are coming from regarding technical data but I will still buy a bow based on maker's reputation, who is using them competitively and the experience of better archers than myself (nearly everybody). If suddenly every world championship was being won by Brand X I'd have one irrespective of the technical read outs. JMHO.

[bkupris]

Macbow

You guys got me going with this thread and I am pondering buying a decent flatbow. Where do I see pictures of the Zeta and Epsilon? Andy Soars website only has the Perigrine and Swift on it or am I missing something?

How about the KG Atlanta?

[Macbow]

Brian - email Andy and ask him for some photos as I'm sure he'll be happy to oblige. His website hasn't been updated in years. I could send you some pics of my Zeta and my mate's Epsilon, although the new Epsilon II is supposed to be only a few fps slower than the Zeta. If I ever get another AFB it'll be an Epsilon. Next time you're up this way (Highland Open perhaps???) have a blast on them. I know I am always going on about Blackbrooks but Andy Soars's credentials as a first class archer and bowyer cannot be disputed.