What’s your thoughts on…..
Contributors to this thread:General Topic
From: Don T. Lewis
27-Feb-23
Frankenbows. Old compound bows, turned into recurves
From: Buskill
27-Feb-23
Never heard of it
From: Bou'bound
27-Feb-23
Never had a thought about it. Not one. Not once. Not ever.
From: DanaC
27-Feb-23
Great idea. Take an old compound riser (which has more adjustment/fit options than most recurves) and add a good set of recurve limbs. Result - a hot shooter at bargain prices.
Many were adapted for using Olympic style 'ILF' limbs, which are available on the used markets at good prices. Put together a $300 bow that will smoke a thousand dollar 'custom'.
From: DanaC
27-Feb-23
Later on some makers started building 'hunting' length risers - 17-19" - that would take Olympic limbs. (Oly risers are usually 23-27".)
Good performance/price.
From: Don T. Lewis
27-Feb-23
Well all you guys have access to stickbow. Just look up old threads on Frankenbows and warf bows. I built a few. Very easy to do. If you already have an old compound. All you need is a set of limbs you can get off of Amazon. Like Samick Sage Limbs. They sell for about $70.00 a pair. So if you have a riser you can turn into a warf bow. It will cost you 70 bucks and a little of your time. And you’ll have a good shooting bow. I figured there might be someone interested in giving it a try.
From: Don T. Lewis
27-Feb-23
Don’t confuse franken bows with warf bows though. Totally different animals;)
From: fdp
27-Feb-23
Love 'em.
From: Recurve Man
27-Feb-23
Years ago a guy did something similar to what you’re talking. Not sure if his name, coulda been like Johnny Eagle Onieda. I think but not sure.
From: Corax_latrans
27-Feb-23
I would certainly entertain one built on a riser like my old Martin Lynx.
The only problem is that I have no idea what I would actually do with it, because I have too many bows to shoot as it is!
From: Don T. Lewis
27-Feb-23
You can go on utube and punch in franken bows. If interested. If you have an old compound with bad cables, limbs etc. That would be a good one to try it on.
From: Don T. Lewis
27-Feb-23
Hey maybe someone on here has gotten the crazy idea to try a recurve bow. This is a cheap way to get a really good shooting recurve. If interested. Just figured I’d share this information. You never know. Someone might actually try it.
From: Supernaut
27-Feb-23
I was gifted a Bear, Black Bear riser by my good friend Frank. I bought a set of Sage limbs for it and am looking forward to putting it together and shooting it just as soon as I have usage of my right arm following my rotator cuff surgery recovery.
I've shot several "Frankenbows" and think they are great.
I have a nice Bear Whitetail II riser that was warfed with ILF plates that I need to play with too but that's a whole different thread topic.
From: Zbone
27-Feb-23
I've got a couple... Also have a Bear Minuteman/Bearcat cross, huh Don...8^)
From: Matt
27-Feb-23
It is becoming clear to me that I don't think at all about a number of topics that are apparently important to you.
From: Don T. Lewis
27-Feb-23
That’s ok Matt. We live in America. Where we still have freedom of speech. And you can disagree with my posts if you like. No hard feelings here. Shoot straight and keep them sharp my friend;)
From: Don T. Lewis
27-Feb-23
It’s a great Winter project for you guys that like to tinker. Who knows you might even enjoy shooting that franken bow and actually watching the arrow fly to its mark. I had fun doing it. Just thought I’d share it here.
From: JohnMC
27-Feb-23
You could have a trad box with parallel limbs!
From: ILbowhntr
27-Feb-23
There was a guy that used to show up at shoots with compound risers and recurve limbs. He was using older risers. If memory serves, the last one was a Hoyt Spectra riser.
From: JohnMC
27-Feb-23
You could have a trad box with parallel limbs!
From: Ambush
27-Feb-23
I have a warf bow built on a Bear Black Bear riser. Gives you more rest choices and good center shot. Settled on a springy rest and plunger. Makes a pretty cheap but solid take down.
From: Don T. Lewis
28-Feb-23
So sad one of you have heard of this type of bow. Cool!
From: Treeline
28-Feb-23
Have seen a few and my thoughts have always been “damn that thing is ugly”.
Life is too short to shoot ugly bows.
From: DanaC
28-Feb-23
Life is too short to shoot 'pretty' bows that don't perform worth a damn ;-)
From: Highlife
28-Feb-23
We used to tinker with Frankenbows from old compounds left at the shop some blew up some actually worked lol I do have some warf bows and have more projects in the works.
From: Ricky The Cabel Guy
28-Feb-23
with so many options for low price recurves today...having better geometry and options...i see no reason to mess with old compounds.
From: Live2Hunt
28-Feb-23
For me? I'm not much on metal riser bows. Love the looks of all wood. So, I'm out.
From: Scoot
28-Feb-23
DanaC, then why not choose pretty bows that do shoot worth a damn??? :)
From: Ben
28-Feb-23
Don , I've had a couple Frankenbows and they were not bad shooters Both were wooden handled compound risers and were just a tad heavy. I did find that after looking down my nose at Sage limbs I found they were nice shooting limbs. I have a cheap Cartel riser (metal and plastic) with Sage limbs and really like it. As to the critical opinion by one of your posts, I enjoy them. Keep them coming!
From: Ironbow
28-Feb-23
I have built many a frankenbow from old compounds. Haven’t put recurve limbs on one yet but will sometime.
From: Treeline
28-Feb-23
That too, Dana!
I like pretty, high performing bows and there are plenty of them out there! Many can be had at very good prices or even build your own…. No reason to ever mess with a nasty old metal compound riser (boat anchor) and stick recurve limbs on it!
From: Fuzzy
28-Feb-23
I have a set of 55# Windwalker limbs on an Oregon riser., makes it a 60# draw 62" bow. it was my go to hunting bow for many years. Several success pics in the Bowsite archives with it
From: WhattheFOC
28-Feb-23
I almost thought about it one time, but then I didn’t. Haven’t thought about it since. Until today - I actually thought about it … I’m done now, not thinking about it again.
From: fuzzy
28-Feb-23
Don T Lewis, Matt is a lot like my ex wife's cooking, disagrees with almost every everybody. ;)
From: Grey Ghost
28-Feb-23
I never gave it a thought. just like all of your recent old compound bow threads. Not sure sure why you care.
Matt
From: Don T. Lewis
28-Feb-23
Grey Ghost, If just one guy on here gives it a try and likes it. Maybe he will share that knowledge with another archer. And so on. We are here to help each other when we can. You know promote archery. Because it’s fun. Sometimes it’s just good to try something different. Shoot straight and keep them sharp my friend.
From: tradi-doerr
28-Feb-23
Don, The correct phrase is warfing. I have made 3 of them over the years, first one I did was using an old Bear WT II riser and changing the limb bolt/limb pocket to accept either bolt on wood recurve limbs or as stated the Olympic style limbs. Grey Ghost (Matt Teeter) might remember the one I brought to league one night at Adams County Archery, just about everyone that night shot it.
From: Don T. Lewis
28-Feb-23
Dennis, You set up a warf bow by either machining the riser or bolting on warf plates to except ILF limbs. A franken bow you just bolt on Samick Sage limbs right to the limb pocket using just the limb bolts. Works great on a Bear Black Bear riser. Very simple. Less work then a warf.
From: Highlife
28-Feb-23
You just described a warf bow. Frankenbow is done by mixing compound bow parts from other models or companies models.
From: WV Mountaineer
28-Feb-23
I’ve shot them before. I don’t care for them. The old compounds were made with handles way to fat for my preferences.
From: Franzen
01-Mar-23
Have any recommendations for how I can modify my crossbow?
From: Fuzzy
13-Mar-23
Franzen, take the stock off?
lol
From: Corax_latrans
13-Mar-23
“ Who knows you might even enjoy shooting that franken bow and actually watching the arrow fly to its mark. ”
That was something that I kind of missed when I was messing with a compound about a dozen years back - it took pretty good lighting to be able to see that arrow fly at all, so I got a new set of arrows with 5” helicals on ‘em, just so I could keep track of ‘em in flight…
The other night I borrowed an LED nock for a few shots-in-the-dark at maybe 0:45 after sundown. That was fun. With some brighter fletchings I usually get a look as the arrow drops in from the top of the arc at about 50 yards, I suppose, but with the LED I could see the tail getting kicked off to the left by some wind that I was hardly aware of at ground level, but was a lot more noticeable at tree-top height…
JMO, one great thing about the risers on the compounds from 35-40 years ago is that they were still shaping the grips similar to those on recurves, because that’s what the grip on a bow was supposed to be like. The grip on my Lynx was lovely…
From: Highlife
13-Mar-23
Franzen swap limbs (recurve or wheels) if you have popeye arm put a pistol grip on it .
From: HDE
13-Mar-23
Zero. I have better things to waste my time on.
From: Corax_latrans
13-Mar-23
Astounding to see the arrogance on this thread…
It’s as if some people are personally affronted by the very thought.
