After looking for the perfect takedown longbow that shot like my Sarrels Sierra for 12 years, I finally just gave up and committed to a one piece bow despite the inconvenience of traveling with a 64" bow, which I travel a LOT with. I've asked Bob a few times if he could convert my Sierra to a take down but he always seemed a little hesitant to do so. Well earlier this fall while on a hunt I got a text from Bob Sarrels with the heads up that he is now doing two piece Sierra bows so I got on his list. I asked for specifications identical to my current one piece. I LOVE cocobolo and have a number of game calls in this wood, mostly from Jeremy Holden, as well as a few knives. I also sent Bob a bit of antler from one of my bow kills last fall on the opening day of muzzleloader season. Pictures are coming in as a work in progress of my grail hunting tool and dream come true...
The limbs are going to be juniper because I like the color and was looking for something a bit more subtle for a hunting bow.
The socket is going to be covered with beaver tail upon my request. This was outside of Bobs typical process but he had no problems with accommodating the request.
The cocobolo should darken up nicely when finished out and the Osage orange laminations in the handle will darken to a beautiful mellow yellow to compliment the streaking in the juniper limbs. Bob has been a first class gentleman to work with thus far. Talking to him on the phone is as easy as talking to my best friend. He has been truly great to work with.
Looking Good !! :thumbsup:
That's sweet! Bob is one of the best! I'm partial to the Sierra myself! I like the Cedar in the limbs!
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Well done Garrett!!!!!
I'm betting your gonna love that stick!!
Bisch
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Very nice.
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This is the section of antler that I sent Bob to use for tip overlays so I can run fast flight strings if desired while using some of the antler from a previous hunt for sentiment. It was filled with character and popcorn bark along deep ridges below the first tines.
And of course some of the bark had to be ground down to make it smooth enough to slip a string over it when stringing and unstringing the bow. This is the first limb tip overlay teaser photo from Bob. More to come...
Quote from: Bisch on December 30, 2018, 12:28:41 AM
Well done Garrett!!!!!
I'm betting your gonna love that stick!!
Bisch
I'm betting so as well. I thought about doing some wild and exotic veneers. I also thought about grey dymondwood or whatever that plywood is called cut at a bias because it would look darn near like camouflage in the oaks and hickories that I frequently hunt. But, I've always liked the red tones and decided to go with a basic cocobolo and juniper build that was a bit less flashy. Although, I had to put some antler from a fun hunt.
That buck that I shot at 8 yards was running when I stuck him with an arrow! I had listened to him feeding his way up behind the only blow down that I couldn't see through for over 20 minutes. I could tell it was a deer but couldn't ID gender, though it didn't matter because my tag could have been for a buck or doe and I was wanting meat. I heard it turn and start walking away so I made some noise to see if it would get curious and come out from behind the blow down. It ran just past the thick part of the branches exposing a bit more than half its body and as I saw it slowing down I BURNED A HOLE through its vitals with my eyes. I let the arrow slip right at the moment that it was coming to a pause and watched it zip right through a perfect broadside shot as it looked at me to see what I was. It spooked and tore out of there like a bat out of you know where back from where it had come. As it was running off I noticed the horns and that they were actually a pretty good rack for the area that I was hunting. It went down with a crash about 100 yards or so from where I was sitting. Good times for sure and now he will continue to join me on future adventures.
Congrats, on the nice buck and bow.
That's a beauty but just as one would expect from Bob. I have been watching his posts on FB and really like the looks of your bow. Can't wait to see the finished product.
Quote from: D. Key on January 02, 2019, 10:52:22 AM
That's a beauty but just as one would expect from Bob. I have been watching his posts on FB and really like the looks of your bow. Can't wait to see the finished product.
I missed those. I don't do the Facebook thing too well. However I like the video after he untaped the bow from the press. That juniper is beautiful.
Do you have a full length view of the bow? I'm partial to Purple Heart laminations and bamboo cores. :archer: :coffee: :archer2:
Quote from: Wudstix on January 03, 2019, 11:44:16 PM
Do you have a full length view of the bow? I'm partial to Purple Heart laminations and bamboo cores. :archer: :coffee: :archer2:
Not yet. Bob did post a nearly full length video of the back of the bow right out of the press on Facebook. However my bow doesn't have any purple heart in it. My riser is Cocobolo with a couple of Osage orange accents. My limbs are bamboo cores with mountain juniper veneers and antler overlays.
Thats a cool bow in the works....I really like the socket system for takedown longbows.....Great idea on using antler from buck you harvested for tip overlays....
Quote from: Longbowwally on January 04, 2019, 08:25:34 AM
Thats a cool bow in the works....I really like the socket system for takedown longbows.....Great idea on using antler from buck you harvested for tip overlays....
Thanks. I like the socket system too. I really prefer the look and handling of one piece bows with a leather grip. However I travel to hunt a ton and find take downs to be more convenient to travel with. Plans are to cut a Pelican 1700 or 1720 to fit the bow, arrows, quiver, binos, knife, game calls, arm guard, and glove to make for a grab and go hunting kit that can have luggage piled on top in the SUV or put on an airplane as needed.
I've been using a PVC tube type case from Far North Archery for travel with my one piece Sierra for a long time. It works but is just long and bulky for travel.
Bob got the grip and shelf adorned with a little beavertail for me today. This bow is on its way...
:jumper: :archer2: :archer:
Here are a few photos that Bob took before boxing it up and sending it my way...
That is a sweet looker and I bet it shoots just as nice!
Quote from: wapitishooter on January 06, 2019, 01:01:41 PM
That is a sweet looker and I bet it shoots just as nice!
Time will tell. We shall see if it dethrones the 12-year reigning champion for the most shootable bow in my hands or not. At the very least it should be a great supplemental bow for traveling and backpack hunting that is 95% or more of what I love about the handling and shooting characteristics of my favorite one piece bow.
That is beautiful!!!
Well, this one has turned out to be a real humdinger of a bow. I've had the chance to play with it for a couple hundred shots and I must say this is the only bow that I have ever shot that I liked and shoot as well as my 1-piece Sierra. There have been a dozen or so that have come very close for me over the years. However none have actually inspired the confidence that my one piece bow has and therefore all the other bows that I've bought/sold/tested have moved on over the years.
I have 4 different string build types on hand for my one piece Sierra from back when I did testing to see what string build it liked the best. I used them all of them on my two piece Sierra and just like my one piece bow it prefers the 8-strand SBD strings. I then played with brace height and silencer location. Again it prefers these in the exact same place as my 1-piece Sierra.
I then grabbed a bareshaft and shot at 7 yards only to nail a bottle cap that was dangling from a string. Good sign, but could be a lucky shot. I backed up to about 20-23 yards or so and let the bareshaft fly again only to miss the bottle cap by about 1.5". So I walked forward to about 15 yards and let the bareshaft fly only to
almost touch the bottle cap again. Either the bow shoots pretty dang well AND it tuned perfectly with my same arrows or I had three consecutive very lucky shots. Lets put up the bareshaft for a bit and grab some fletched arrows. :archer2:
Over the next few days I have shot hundreds of shots...I don't know exactly how many but not enough yet. This bow shoots EXACTLY like my 1-piece Sierra which has been my gold standard to which I've compared all bows to for the past 12 years. It has:
- the same trajectory
- the same stability
- the same point of impact/point of aim convergence
- the same forgiveness
- the same lack of hand shock
- the same lack of vibration during and after the shot
- the same grip
- the same ergonomics
- everything is the same except for two tiny little details...
My new 2-piece bow is just ever so slightly more quiet during the shot and has an ever so slightly deeper pitch during the shot. I think its fair to say that my 12 year search for the perfect take down bow is complete. I've always been a one bow man but now I'm a 2-bow man...neither of my Sierra longbows are ever going to leave.
:biglaugh: