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The Samick Sage is a decent bow for starting out. One of the kids we shoot with got one not long ago. My wife and I recently got takedown recurve bows to practice with -- hers is a Ragim Matrix Custom and mine is a PSE Nighthawk. Neither was very pricey.

Here is a good trad archery forum I have enjoyed for many years: http://leatherwall.bowsite.com/tf/lw/threadsx2.cfm

P.S. like many hobbies, I spent more early on when I knew less about what I was doing. Bought some nice, but too strong, Martin recurves. My smartest purchase as a used Bear Kodiak at a gun show, purely by chance.

Thanks for the advice! That's my fear with this - buying something I can really use. It seems a lot easier to do that in this hobby compared to my others.

I have two Samick Sage bows with various limb weights. One's a lefty and the other a right hand shooter. I think it's a great entry bow for the price.

If you're starting out, get one with light weight limbs, like 30-35 lbs. The lighter weight will help you develop good form rather than struggling with heavier weight limbs and tiring out your muscles too soon, which can then lead to bad form and habits. When you feel comfortable enough, you can then buy heavier limbs.

If you can, check out a Traditional Bowhunters of Texas (TBOT) tournament shoot. Lots of traditional archers at those shoots who can give you good tips on everything related to traditional archery. It's a fun and addicting sport.