Range day with Samo: Ep 4 - Grouping, grouping, grouping....

In episode 4, we talk about grouping and the pressure to get it right in a barebow tournament. Thank you for watching.

Range Day with Samo: Episode 3 - Training with the Hoyt Buffalo Takedown Recurve Bow

I've had an excellent morning at the range training with my Hoyt Buffalo Recurve bow. Click on the YouTube video for the highlights and thank you for watching!

Range Time with Samo. Episode 2: Martin Panther Takedown Recurve Bow

I've had a great time taping episode two of my show. Click on the video link above to watch. Thank you very much!

First impressions: Martin Cypress Takedown Recurve Bow

My second Martin Bow...

I began to appreciate wooden-handled bows after dabbling into archery for more than a year.
Basically, it's the tool that started it all.
And when it comes to affordability, Martin Archery tops it in terms of price-point. But when you know what you are getting into, well, the Martin bows are there to last for a while. 
That if you don't abuse it, leave it in your car until the limbs warp.

New for 2015

The Cypress with its old price...

Martin's line-up of traditional wooden handled takedowns

Martin introduced the Cypress takedown recurve bow for their 2015 line-up. It has a retail price of USD$199.99. Through some on-line retailers, it goes as low as USD$149.90.
Recently, Martin has increased the price of the Cypress to USD$249.99. Maybe it's because of higher cost for materials.
The riser is made of Zebra wood and the bow has an AMO length of 64", which should be rather easy to draw. 

With a little help from a friend...

I contacted a friend in New Mexico in the US for some help on the bow. Sent him some money in March and waited for a bit for the bow to be ordered by his local archery store. The moment finally arrived when my buddy, Michael Elman received the bow. He has good things to say about the riser which is ergonomically sensible.
He worked out the shipping cost and have the bow sent via airmail to Malaysia.
It takes about a week for the package to arrive. 
And when it got here, I had to claim it from the Mail and Courier complex in KLIA.
Went over and declared the package to the Customs officer.
There weren't any issues when they released the package, so, I went home and got it set up.
The Cypress is held together by fitting two screws into its limbs on the riser. An allen key is supplied with the bow kit.
I didn't see any instruction sheet with the bow package, so, I assumed that the "A" marking was for top end while the "B" goes on the bottom.
After fitting the limbs, I stringed the bow. Then, I put a nocking point and tried it at my little shooting range outside my home.
The arrow traveled in a straight line on an 18-meter distance. Grouping was rather decent.

Sending some arrows downrange with the Cypress

The Samick Sage and Martin Cypress

Summary

With a draw weight of #40lbs, the Cypress is definitely not a beginners bow. Martin did offer it at #35lb in the beginning. But dropped it to fit its current line-up of #40, #45 and #50.
I thought the 64" AMO length would be forgiving to draw, but I was wrong. It was rather stiff compared to my Martin Panther takedown recurve rated at #45lb.
Since its a bare bow and has no vibration dampening features, I did find the limbs wobbly compared to the high-tech panther.
Straight out of the box, its rather accurate.
I see the Cypress getting plenty of range time and I am sure it's a fun bow to shoot!

Nock & Roll!

Trying out the new bow...

Michelle had her Samick Sage takedown recurve bow set up nicely. It was a beautiful morning and we had plenty of time to put a couple of arrows downrange.
From a 22lb bow, the Sage was a huge jump.
It has a draw weight of #35lb and since the bow has shorter limbs, getting a full draw needs plenty of strength.
My excitement was the new 3D hog which I bought from Malacca.

Shooting the hog with my Martin Panther #45

Following through

Getting used to 3D archery

Documenting the sport

I took out my "B-kits" - consisting two Canon EOS-M mirrorless cameras and set them up at the range.
One was rigged with a Rode video micro shotgun microphone with a Canon EF-M 11-22mm zoom lens, while the other was mounted with a Rode Video Mic Go shotgun microphone and a Canon EF-M 55-200mm zoom lens.
At the same time, the cameras were also used for still shots.

My rig in action

Michelle having a go at the piggie

Our new 3D target

You can check out the embedded video on top to get a feel of our archery session near our home.
We spent about two hours at the range, emptying our arrows onto a six-ring target face and the 3D Hog.
I must say that the 3D experience was fun. At the same time, I was also training for an upcoming archery tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Samick Sage Oddyssey...

A trip long overdue...

I've been wanting to check out an archery shop in Malacca for some time. It wasn't until I had the opportunity to upgrade my wife's bow that I had finally gotten the break I wanted.
The plan was to get a new bow for Michelle and after much research, we settled for the Samick Sage takedown recurve bow.

Taking the long drive

Malacca is located some 130km away from where we live.
The path to this coastal city is rather straight-forward. We take the highway and get off at the Ayer Keroh interchange.
My last trip to this historical state was a year ago. I attended a traditional archery tournament organized by the same archery shop.
After completing our daily chores, Michelle and I took the car down the Elite Highway and headed South.
It took us about an hour and a half to reach Malacca.
Much of the recognizable landscape here has changed tremendously. I used to work in Malacca and am familiar on how to get around.
From Ayer Keroh, we turned towards Bukit Baru and located the archery shop.

The exterior of the shop in Bukit Baru, Malacca

Bows displayed at the store

Michelle checking out the goods

3D archery targets 

Traditional bows

Michelle was impressed with the selection of goods at the store

Archery accessories

Re-homing the Sage...

The Samick Sage takedown recurve bow received rave reviews by archers from all over the world.
Basically, it's a cheap bow that performs. The shop, Monster Chill archery sells them around RM633 inclusive of GST.
I sponsored 70% of the cost and Michelle settled the rest. This includes the bow string, arrow rest and a set of new Easton Tribute arrows spined for a #35lb bow.
After we checked out the condition of the new bow, Michelle was satisfied. So, one of the sales guy went to to set it up.

Something we didn't quite expect from a Professional archery store...

I was browsing around and noticed that the sales guy was struggling to string the bow. What was appalling was the fact that he didn't know how to string a recurve bow. The guy had literally forced the limbs down while another worker held the bow's riser with both his hands.
If they broke it, we would walk out.
Michelle was rather pissed off. But she kept her cool. Clumsy services like this is something that will sink the store's reputation. We inspected the bow and found no visible damage and went on paying the bill.

I didn't leave empty-handed...

I saw a 3D target on the shelf. 
It was a hog and the quality, fit, and finish were not bad.
And for that, I blew about RM650. Having given much thought to foreign currency exchange, freight charges, and tax, I settled for the 3D target. It was not cheap, but sure became something that I would welcome at the range outside our home.

This little piggy is headed to Subang Jaya

After picking up the 3D target, it was time for lunch. We drove towards Bukit Cina and had a meal in a noodle shop.
From Malacca, we begin our journey home. It was another one and a half hour of driving and after we crossed the Malacca - Negeri Sembilan state border, we witnessed an accident.
There was a body lying on the road and it was covered with a bath towel. Next to the victim, I can see another person seated by the road shoulder with her head hanging down. It was a bad day for them.
We reached home around 3.30pm. Michelle went to work while I took the time to fletch my damaged arrow shaft.
The Monster Chill shop was impressive. But the stuff the sell are very expensive. Other than the fool who couldn't string a bow, I guess all is good...