It’s no surprise that archers are calling the Martin Archery Hunter Recurve among the top bows for sale. The bow has been in production now for well over five decades, and it is time-honored as a classic bow, especially considering its tremendous success in terms of sales. Both the neophyte and the experienced archer can appreciate the power and ease of handling that comes with the use of the Martin Archery Hunter Recurve bow. It’s a bow that delivers in terms of speed and performance.
This bow is ideal for the archer with a draw that’s a bit longer than average in terms of length. The Martin Archery Hunter is a bow that measures 62 inches, and it performs ideally for those with a draw length of about half its length at 30 inches. Since this bow is made longer it offers up greater accuracy, stability, speed, and ease of control. The bow is sold with a stringer, Flemish bowstring, and the classic rest. The Hunter Recurve is a little bit on the pricey side, especially with a starting price between $599.00 and $619.00; but, is it worthy of an investment? The latter question can be addressed with a resounding “Yes!”
Design
The Martin Archery Hunter is a visually attractive looking bow with its riser woods crafted out of a hard maple wood that outlines Shedua and a Bubinga broad beam running through the riser’s center. Shedua is a tree from the Fabaceae family and is native to regions in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Overlays made of black fiberglass and Bubinga wood is used for the tips of the bow’s limbs; it’s visually attractive as well, as the heartwood is heavy, hard, and it is also known as African rosewood. The bow’s limbs are crafted out of black fiberglass and laminated with Eastern Hard Maple.
The Martin Archery Hunter Recurve is sold with a draw weight between 35, 45, 50, 55, 60, and 65-pound draw weights. The bow’s brace height measures 6 3/4 inches to 7 3/4 inches, and the Hunter Recurve features a mass weight of 2 pounds, 3 ounces. The Archery Manufacturer’s Organization’s (AMO) length for this bow is 62 inches. The manufacturer really sticks to the tried and true as this bow’s design has undergone very little reconfiguration since its initial release in the early 1960s.
Each bow is handcrafted using metal templates to draw out the bow shape on wood. The manufacturer then sands down the entire bow body to give it an ultra-smooth, flawless finish. The unique woods perfectly complement one another, and the handcrafted structure is durable so the archer is promised a long lasting model.
Assembly, Accuracy, & Power
The Martin Hunter Recurve features a design that’s intentionally symmetrical. Putting the bow together once you get it is simple. The bow has to be strung, and you have to connect the arrow plate to the body of the bow. It takes about a quarter of an hour total to assemble the unit. The bow comes with an easy to follow user’s manual.
Whether you are using field points and doing a bit of target practice or you are out in the woods hunting live small or larger game, the Hunter Recurve will prove powerful. Ultimately, you’ll find this bow will easily meet your high-performance demands since it features enough raw power to ensure a straight flight path and ease of kill.
The bow has a solid, smooth grip and the draw is evenly distributed. The string that comes with the bow is the perfect length and thickness: An arrow nocks nicely when attached to the string on a Martin Recurve.
The accuracy of the bow will definitely impress. At a distance of about 40 yards, the grouping the archer gets is about five inches. The arrow flies with a straight path and achieves a speed of 175 fps. From a distance of 50 yards, the archer can still expect significant penetration of the selected target.
Conclusion
The Martin Hunter recurve serves the neophyte hunter who demands the best introductory recurve bow on the market to date. This bow will remain a great selection, even when the newer archer transitions to an intermediate archer and an eventually advanced bow user. Thus, in the long run, an initial investment into the Martin Hunter Recurve Bow can save the archer a considerable amount of money in terms of equipment investment. The Hunter Recurve certainly delivers in terms of being a bow serving up the best long-term value. If the archer is one making the transition from a crossbow to a recurve, the Hunter will not disappoint and will give the crossbow user a bit of the flavor of classic archery.