AF Archery Tatar Recurve Bow, 54" Traditional Laminated Horse Bow for Mounted Archery and Precision Shooting Longbow Left Right Hand

Edit: the seller responded to my feedback and resolved my issue immediately and satisfactorily. As I said in my original review, the bow is amazing and I highly recommend it for someone looking to try thumb draw. I've been shooting it every couple of days and have a blast every time. Original review: I was skeptical when the box arrived cut in half and taped back together with a 1" gap. The bow was undamaged in a tied bow sleeve and then taped bubble wrap. But no string. There's a rubber band around the one of the bow limbs where I suppose the string would be but no string. The only reason for the 1 star review since I could not shoot the bow out of the box. I don't think the damaged box is to blame since the bow was still "sealed" in bubble wrap and the bow sleeve. Very disappointing to not be able to shoot the bow right away. I have two other bows, but they western recurves so I did not have a compatible spare string. Amazon's policy for a missing item is to contact the manufacturer or do a return. I reached out to AF Archery's contact page, but have not yet heard back. If I do, I will edit this review and my 1 star rating. I ended up ordering another string from Amazon, thankfully they carry a string specifically for this bow. Received the string today and yes, I fell in love with the bow on day 1. This is my first tatar, my first time trying thumb release and it has been great. The bow is #28 at 28", close enough to the #30 I ordered. at 32" it's very close to #35. I use a wall mounted jig to string my recurves and this bow fits as well, although the limbs are much more forward from the handle. You can really feel all that stored energy when you string it. I shot about 120 arrows with a thumb ring and had an absolute blast. Only missed the target twice at 10 yards, which I consider an accurate bow for a first time thumb shooter. I've been shooting instinctive for about 2 months and it translated very easily to shooting thumb release on this bow. Draw is very smooth up to 32" inches. I shot mostly from 31" since my form needs work, but it was very comfortable. I shot about 10gpp (340 grain arrows, 600 spine) and yes there's some hand shock. Not terrible and didn't feel overly uncomfortable in the 120 shots I took. Fit and finish look perfect. The glossy coat is a fingerprint magnet, but looks beautiful after being wiped down. The handle takes some getting used to coming from "pistol grip" recurves. I highly recommend this bow for a beginner or someone wants to try out thumb release. Very intuitive bow. Sounds amazing on release, much more satisfying then my western recurves. I would buy this bow again in a heartbeat, may get a second one in higher poundage after I get my form down. You can't beat the price for a well made laminated tatar. Such a shame it was missing the string.

Love this bow!! It was recommended to me by a fellow horse archery as a great beginner bow. Nice grip feels balanced in your hand. Will be buying another one soon for my husband to use. Thanks for a great quality product!

Love the bow. Light in hand and comfortable. No excess vibration. Accurate. Easier to hold multiple arrows with a flat hand grip. I have the Oak takedown in a 30# draw weight. Doesn’t stack at my almost 32” draw. The takedown has an ever so slight wobble in the grip (wobble is way too harsh a word) when assembled but it’s firm as a rock in the grip when strung. I could discern no adverse impact on shooting it. Downside, the circular hard white bone disk above the arrow pass fell out and was lost. I tried contacting AF Archery on their website contact form for a replacement bone disk but got no response. I also tried emailing AF Archery directly about it and still no response. So I had to contact Amazon customer service to see if they could reach AF Archery to have them communicate with me. No luck but Amazon went above and beyond for me. I was past the return date but they authorized the return. I’ll get another Tatar Oak takedown bow to replace it but AF Archery should have responded. Still, I have this, their Turkish and their Laminated Horse Bow. They’re all great. But best value and personal fav is this one.

Why did you pick this product vs others?: I've never shot a bow in my life and bought this to start a new hobby. Excellent build quality, feels great in the hands, and after watching lots of how-to videos and a few days of practice I'm actually shooting pretty well. Totally worth the money.

Comes with the bow, bowstring, and a bow bag. It's not super high quality (those would be the $1k bows), but for the price it's AMAZING. It holds together really well, doesn't crack, scratch, or chip easily, and it's fairly accurate. I have the 30# version for LARP and it has a range of ~100ft with approved arrows.

Smooth and accurate shooting with my 400gr wood arrows (I ordered the 30#). Finish is superb and I think the bow looks very beautiful. I was happy that they upgraded the grip with what I think is a more attractive leather grip (see photo). I'm extremely happy with this bow. I'm recovering from an elbow injury and can't use the usual 50#+ bows I am accustomed to. I ordered this as a way to train back to my typical draw weight. This is PERFECT. That said, no matter your traditional archery situation (beginner or experienced) you will very much enjoy this bow. I recommend it highly. 👍

Had this bow for 9 months. Always stored indoors and unstrung between uses. Has been reliable and fun for my 12yr old son, but stringing the bow tonight the bow shaft splintered and is now useless. I thought this was a product defect because it snapped like a twig with very little pressure applied and has always been properly stored and cared for. Very disappointed in the final result.

Fantastic Bow and well worth the Money.. Seems to be made really well..