Best Recurve Bow Reviews
Understanding and mastering archery can be a complex affair. It relies on the shooters form, aiming and release skills, but the quality of your bow and arrow can also affect the flight of the arrow. Among the different types of bows, the recurve bow is the most popular choice for field target shooting and hunting. Assuming that you have gone into archery basics and already off to shopping for your first archery bow set, here’s a review on the best recurve bow models in the market.
Top 3 Best Recurve Bow Models
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These are among the best sellers, and highly recommended models, and below is a quick overview of the specifications for each bow. We’ll also discuss in the next sections the bowstring, riser, limb, performance, and provide a summary on which archery levels each is best for.
1) Bowstring
Image source: korbinsarchery.com
Without the bowstring, the bow and arrow are useless. It’s one of the most important components of any bow, and from tuning to vibration characteristics, the specifics can affect the flight of your arrow. Traditional archers used to have waxed linen bowstrings, but with modern technology, we now have access to stronger materials. Durability and resistance to temperature are among the main factors you should consider in bowstrings.
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| The Samick Sage takedown comes with a B-50 Dacron endless loop bow string, which is good for all types of bows. The center string is made from bonded nylon, and the end loops are with braided nylon for durability, plus its water and abrasion resistant. One setback on this material is that it can have limited stretch, and can wear down easily. |
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| PSE Razorback Recurve bow comes with a 16 strand white string. It’s thin or fine, and can wear down easily. If you buy a spare string for backup, get the B-50 Dacron with the correct length. |
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| The Martin Jaguar Takedown bow also uses Dacron bowstring, but one advantage is that the package comes with a bow stringer. |
2) Riser
Image source: bowsite.com
The riser is the middle part of the bow, and that’s the archery term for the handle or grip. Finding a recurve bow with right riser size and design is important. You should be able to hold the bow in a comfortable grip at any instance while carrying or during shooting.
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Samick Sage Takedown Recurve Bow |
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PSE Razorback Recurve Bow |
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Martin Jaguar Takedown Bow |
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3) Limbs
Image source: donadoniarchery.com
The limbs are the most critical parts of the bow that affect the movement of the arrow. We’re not talking about the limbs or arms of the archer, but the limbs of the bow itself! Bows have upper and lower limbs that extend and hold the end loops of the bow string.
How do you determine good quality limbs? It breaks down on the material used and the design. The most common materials used today are laminated wood and fiberglass, and for higher end bows, manufacturers use carbon fibers and hard foam. Because this is the part of the bow that bends as you draw the string, it’s made to be flexible to some extent but at the same time, it should not twist and crack apart with the stress, strain, and vibration.
The Samick, PSE and Martin archery bows in this review are all made of laminated wood and fiberglass. Wood limbs work great on constant weather, and the fiber laminates increase the durability of the core material. However, the performance against weather and temperature changes varies and depends on the type of wood, glue/resin and laminate that binds it.
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Samick Sage Takedown Recurve Bow |
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PSE Razorback Recurve Bow |
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Martin Jaguar Takedown Bow |
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My Choice: Samick Sage Takedown Recurve Bow
4) Performance
Many archers may have good shooting form, but with a bad bow, it’s difficult to shoot smoothly and accurately. How do you test this? Get a good coach or spotter to watch your shooting performance. Often they can tell if it’s your form, or if there’s something wrong with your recurve bow and arrows. Fortunately, we’ve got a summary review on the performance of the three best recurve bow models.
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Samick Sage Takedown Recurve Bow |
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PSE Razorback Recurve Bow |
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Martin Jaguar Takedown Bow |
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5) Budget-Wise
For budget, you can look for rates on online stores and compare, but make sure you’ll account the components included in the package, and if there are any additional costs for shipping and handling to your area code. That set as your homework, we’ve done ours, and here are answers to the most common questions regarding these 3 recurve bows.
- The top recurve bow on low budget ? The PSE Razorback Recurve Bow is the best option for those in tight budget but still does not want to skimp on features.
- Which one is the best recurve bow for your buck ? It’s the Samick Sage that gives the best value for your money. With the option to use limbs with draw weights 25 to 55, you can start as a beginner with lower weight and progress with heavier ones
- Which one is the most expensive of the three ? It’s the Martin Jaguar Take-Down Bow is the most expensive of the three, and that’s most likely because of the aluminum riser. Compared to wooden risers from Samick Sage and PSE Razorback, this material is certainly more durable.
Samick Sage Takedown Recurve Bow | PSE Razorback Recurve Bow | Martin Jaguar Takedown Bow | |
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Bow Length | 62" | 62" | 60" |
Mass Weight | 2.7lbs | 2.2 lbs | 2.5 lbs |
Draw Weight/s | 25/30/35/40/45/50/55 lbs | 20/25/30/35 lbs | 29/35/40/45/50/55 lbs |
Type | R/L or L/R | L/R (depends on seller) | R only |
Brace Height | 7" 1/2 - 8" 1/4 | 7" 1/2 - 8" | 7" |
Riser | Wood | Wood | Lightweight Aluminum |
Bushings/Holes | Brass Plunger, Stabilizer, Sight, Quiver | Berger button hole for cushion plunger, holes for stabilizers and other accessories | Sight, stabilizers and other inserts |
Recommendations
Both the Samick Sage and PSE Razorback bows are excellent options for those who need a recurve that doesn’t cost too much on the budget. These two are great options for target shooting for beginners, kids, and teens, but of course, with adult and professional supervision. Don’t forget to own a best monocular to ease this task.
- Beginner students can benefit greatly with the interchangeable limbs, and the option to choose lower draw weights. The PSE Razorback Recurve is compatible for the lowest draw weight among the three bows. It’s highly recommended to start with lower numbers 20 to 30, and once familiarized with the form and balance, they can move up to heavier and more powerful ones.
- The Samick Sage Recurve Bow is also a versatile one for higher archery levels. As mentioned earlier, it’s a top pick for beginners on a budget who are also looking for more value. With its higher draw weight capability, it can also be an extremely powerful bow for intermediate archers and hunters. In fact, this is my best recurve bow.
- On the other hand, the Martin Jaguar Recurve Bow is primarily designed with intermediate archers in mind, but can also be used by beginners who are looking into the more durable material and added power for hunting.
