Stickbow Target Archery Forums

Newbie here,n
After a 27 year hiatus I'm getting back into stickbows and I'm looking for a Del Rey.

As a youngster the Howatt Del Rey was one of the top of the tournament bows (at least in my very small archery world)in the 1960's.

I believe the Del Rey came out in about 1961 and was available in 3 limb lengths (62", 66" and 69"), but I don't know what draw weights the Del Rey was available in or if stabilizer bushings were an option 40 years ago.

Howatt made some other tournament bows called the Matador and Catalina, but I know very little about them.

Can anyone help me out with these early Howatt tournament bows?

I've had 2 Del Reys, a Matador (bought new in '68), and 3 Venturas ... all were fine, classic "Golden Recurve Era" target bows. They could be had in 62" through 70" lengths and all came fitted for stabilizers (the Matador also had dual "horn" spring loaded stabilizers as well as a single handle stab bushing). They all have great aesthetics and charm ... but none will allow the use of better performing modern bowstring fibers and it may be hard to find a Del Rey that's in mint perfect condition with no glass issues. I sold off all mine.
If yer into that classic old look, you might wanna look into a Chek-Mate Sabre which is a 68" all-wood TD recurve for $315 - Chek-Mates are *great* bows. I'd get a Sabre in a heart beat!n
:saywhat:

I have one I bought from Rob in very good condition. I have not shot the bow much so I guess it needs a new home. It is 32# @ 28, 69". It has a plunger, front and rear stabilizer inserts and an insert for a sight. I have some pictures I downloaded when I bought the bow. The bow shoots great but it has lost some value as a collectable. The plastic logo decal is mostly gone. You can still see the serial number and poundage but the top 2/3 of the logo is gone. Let me know if you are interested.

Ron -n
Is this what you're looking for?n
n
Nice bows, a ton of variations.
Viper out.

Viper,n
That's the bow!n
The seller says, "There is some light pitting that you can feel under the paint on the arms of the bow. It does not affect the performance, but it is there and needs to be pointed out."n
Any idea what he's talking about regarding "pitting"? I assume the seller is referring to the bow limbs.

Ron -
Sounds like the finish is bubbling, if you're interested, have him send you some detailed (high resolution) pictures. Those can be pretty easy to fix (refinish). If he won't send pics or doesn't answer, wait for the next one, they show up every now and then. Only thing I usually worry about are stress cracks and areas of delaminations.

Viper out.