Stickbow Target Archery Forums

Look around for a used longbow - that will be your best bet in the very long run. There are lots of good places to begin, including ....

n

... take your time, research as much as you can, ask questions here or on other sites. If yer after aesthetics and price, you may hafta make some compromises.
Above all, don't get a bow with a draw weight that you can't comfortably hold for at least a few seconds at YOUR full draw length.
Also, consider the bow's length versus the length of arrows you'll be shooting (or at least the arrow length you THINK you might be shooting!).

The Viper is a good bang for the buck longbow, but it's very mild r/d limb design makes for no speed demon.
There are LOTS of things to consider about starting out with a longbow ... ask questions, choose wisely. Good luck.

Thanks, Rob.

I was thinking of 40 - 50 lbs. draw weight
I have a 31" draw and am currently an ol Bear Alaskan listed at 45# @ 28". I doubt it's 45# any more as the bow is 40+ years old, but I can hold it for about a minute. Shaking a lot, but still holding it
I'd probably lean towards 40 - 45# since I don't hunt and being fairly strong I could probably shoot for a fair amount of time.

Yup, the Viper is a sound deal. I bought my first one used from Rob. It has a fairly good cast but a bit of hand shock. I keep it around strictly as a guest bow these days as I much prefer the 64" Adcock ACS, which I also bought used. The Adcock has no noticeable hand shock and makes shooting a more fun. While I realize that an Adcock isn't in your current budget, I would say that a recurve or a used custom longbow might be a little smoother than a lower end longbow.