I used to be into archery as a teen but it has been many years since I have shot a bow.

Interested in getting back into it and I would like the most simple, traditional bow I can get. Made in the USA is a must.

What style would be most "American traditional"? Would it be a longbow/flatbow?
and what suggestions would you guys have on a basic manufacturer/setup?

Thanks!

Look into Robertson stykbows.  Made in Montana.

Should have mentioned budget. As cheap as possible for now. Just trying to get a starter bow for now.

The Robertson ones are nice but $1500 is way out of my price range right now.

Were the old Bear brand bows US made? Are they viable if they are second hand? I still have mine from the 1970's but never string it up.

Right or left hand?

Right

That's what I was going to say. A lot of the Grayling Michigan Bears are kinda pricy compared to the others (Hoyt/Browning/Shakespeare/Ben Pearson) but any 1970s hunting bow is fully depreciated and won't drop in value. I paid something like $20 for my Browning (made by Shakespeare IIRC) 30 years ago.

The Samick Sage is never a bad choice for a first traditional bow.  It’s a take down recurve and there are lots of limb options so you can start at 25 pounds and work up.  They are also very good bow for the money, and the money is reasonable. You can also set it up bare bow shooting off the shelf, or set it up with a rest, plunger, sights, etc.   The downside is that it’s not going to meet your made in USA requirements.

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Personally, I like the challenge of a long bow.  They are a little less forgiving than a recurve, but the high reflex/deflex long bows are still fairly easy to master.

The Bear Montana is a reasonably widely available choice and it’s a quality bow for around $400-450 in a fairly wide range of weights.  Don’t go crazy with bow weight as you are holding full weight at full draw.  35-40 pounds is plenty for a new traditional bow shooter.

The Montana has a slight reflex longbow design, an easy to shoot 64” length, and a maple wood core with opaque fiberglass backing and facing.

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I have some more expensive bows including a Kota Prairie Fire, a mostly custom ordered bow from an bowyer in North Dakota, although a couple Scheels locations stock and sell them in limited numbers.  Kota bows are well made, very attractive, and super smooth shooting.  They do have an outer layer of glass but it’s clear and shows the bamboo core laminations and the and exotic hard wood veneers.  The Praire Fire is a 60” high deflex/reflex long bow design, and is very, very smooth to shoot and feels like it has less draw weight than it actually has.







I also have a BlackTail Columbian, made in Oregon.   It’s a bit more money, and also very attractive. Like the Kota it also uses bamboo core laminations and exotic hardwood veneers with a layer of clear glass over the top for protection, durability and some added strength. Mine is also a 60” bow better suited to hunting in the woods, and it is again a very smooth shooting bow.  It’s hard to beat bamboo core laminations for smoothness in a long bow.





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The big advantage those higher end bows offer over an entry level longbow like the Bear Montana is higher qua,ity bamboo core laminations and a noticeably smoother feel.  It’s a subjective difference and hard to describe, but after my first arrow out of my Kota Prairie Fire when I tried it, I knew I had to buy it.

Cheap and USA made don't go together in the archery industry.

With that said, my first bow is a Samick Sage recurve and the next bow, a Dragon X8 compound bow. Compound bows are the way to go, imo. Components for recurves such as sights are surprisingly expensive. Bow accessories for compound bows are a better deal all around simple because of the volume.

Still waiting for a good deal on a used USA bow, but with the COVID checks, that's been hard to find in the last couple of years. Used prices have not recovered lower in my area yet.