Which is the best 'Bare Bow' riser

FunTee

New member
This is the usual question, but with a twist...

Most modern bows seem to be designed to be shot with a long rod on, but if you wanted a ILF Riser to shoot bare bow what are your options? I'd be looking for a riser where the centre of gravity is forward (or at least central) of the grip.
(OK, so it's unusual to want to shoot a TD recurve bare bow, but it's how I used to shoot and I wouldn't mind a seperate setup for bare bow).

Any suggestions?
 

JohnK

Well-known member
Your options are for the most part limited to Italian risers. Big on the old Arco Nudo those Italians :D

I have a second-hand Spigarelli 2001 VBS, which offers a bolt in weight system in the bottom half of the riser. Mine balances very well, but would be even better if I actually had the complete set of weight components. I'm not a fan of the integral arrow rest as a barebow archer, so I intend to take the arm out and put a Hoyt plastic rest on instead.

Spigarelli also make the Club 650 - a heavy but very highly thought of riser made specifically for barebow.

What I really wanted was a Best Zenit barebow riser. The Zenit (sometimes badged as a Border Talisman) was a good riser to shoot barebow in the standard version, but the barebow - again, with the option to insert weights in the bottom half - was apparently something else.

However, Best now have the Moon riser, which seems very popular indeed. I intend to get one when finances allow.

Other than that, you're looking at Bernadini risers, which also have an optional weight system.

There aren't many shops that stock these risers, but nearly all of them can mail order them for you, even if not listed in their catalogue.

Hope this helps.
 

Whitehart

Well-known member
There aren't many shops that stock these risers, but nearly all of them can mail order them for you, even if not listed in their catalogue.
The reason for this is that they are so heavily discounted on the internet and having a smaller appeal in the UK than say a tourmament recurve means that it make little financial sense to stock them.
This is also the reason many good risers and compounds have fallen by the wayside as archers in the UK have no oportunity to see handle and try and make up their own minds.
 

JohnK

Well-known member
The reason for this is that they are so heavily discounted on the internet and having a smaller appeal in the UK than say a tourmament recurve means that it make little financial sense to stock them.
This is also the reason many good risers and compounds have fallen by the wayside as archers in the UK have no oportunity to see handle and try and make up their own minds.
This is true. Even back when I started (98) before the really big boom in Internet shopping, archery shops seemed to pick and choose the brands they kept in. In a business supplying a minority sport without huge margins, stocking every brand simply isn't an option.
 

moley101

New member
Ironman
I know the Spig Revolution comes as a Barebow option. Don't know if its anygood though.....
 

FunTee

New member
Cheers guys, I think I'll be on the look out for a Spigarelli 2001 VBS as it seems to be the easiest to get hold of (It also looks rather nice in black ;))
 

Desert Archer

New member
Since this is my "cup of tea" I just had to put in my experiences.

I have the Spigarelli VBS 2001s with all the weights the factory will allow, and a Best Moon, Arco Nudo with both lower holes filled by factory weights. The Moon is just a bit heavier than the Spig, thus equipped, but isn't as well ballanced. I had to put a screw in weight in the stabilizer bushing to keep the Moon from tipping back (upper limb toward the shooter) at the shot. The Spigarelli just hangs there, which is my preferred reaction.

I have seen but not shot the Spigarelli 650 Club. I would like to try one but they are so seldome seen on this side of the pond I think I'll have to buy one to shoot it. You guys in UK think it's hard to find this stuff? In the States there isn't a single dealer who will even order Best or Bernardini. Alternative is the best bet from over here. Lancaster Archery in Pennsylvania carries (will order) Spigarelli risers but that's it.

Barebow Recurve is (in my opinion) closest to classic archery in modern form, but it is very rarely practiced here. If they have a class I can most always take first place for lack of any competition. Frankly I'd rather be in third place with a bunch shooting but compounds rule on this side of the pond.

Dave
 

ThePinkOne

New member
I shot a Best Zenit 23" riser for a while, with Border limbs- it was a lovely bow to shoot.

The Bernadini offerings look tasty too, I think I may have seen some of their risers in the shop at Wales Archery but cannot be sure- (I mostly drool over wheely stuff these days) but I guess a phonecall will answer that question.

P.
 

JohnK

Well-known member
I have the Spigarelli VBS 2001s with all the weights the factory will allow, and a Best Moon, Arco Nudo with both lower holes filled by factory weights. The Moon is just a bit heavier than the Spig, thus equipped, but isn't as well ballanced. I had to put a screw in weight in the stabilizer bushing to keep the Moon from tipping back (upper limb toward the shooter) at the shot. The Spigarelli just hangs there, which is my preferred reaction.
Very interesting, thanks Dave. :) I was strongly considering the Best Moon as a replacement at some point soon, but your comment about the balance gives me pause for thought. FITA legal barebow weights are like rocking horse dung over here, so I'd prefer not to splash out my hard-earned cash on a barebow riser that doesn't balance properly without buying extra weights.

Incidentally, I'm a little annoyed with the arrow rest on my Spigarelli. I removed it and took the arm out so I could apply a simple Hoyt plastic rest. I then found the shaping of the window meant I could get the rest on, so I fitted the arm again and set it up (bloody fiddly, I must say).

So I went to the club and the damn thing started moving around. First the entire assembly rotated, and then once I'd clamped that down the rest arm moved. :rolleyes: Have you had trouble with the integral rest?
 

Desert Archer

New member
Have you had trouble with the integral rest?
Until I became familiar with it, yes. The housing must be mounted properly and then locked in place with the two hex screws. Then the arm itself can be adjusted up or down and to properly fit the arrows width. When locked into its proper position, mine don't move at all (thousands of shots).

I think it's just enough different it takes some getting used to but once properly set up is a fine magnetic rest. I understand Spigarelli changed the design on the newest ones. Don't know if it is an improvement or not but I would like to have a spare of the old model since I have two risers. Lancaster won't help me find one and I can't figure out how to get in touch with Spigarelli as I don't read, write or understand Italian and their web site just doesn't work for me, probably because of the language barrier.

Dave
 

ThePinkOne

New member
Just a thought.

You may want to look at riser/limb weight adjustability for BB. The Best Zenit I had gave a decent range- +10% and -3% from original setting. Just if you do any tiller tuning as some of the top-end BB archers do the adjustability gives more score for this...

P.
 

Desert Archer

New member
Of those 3 the Zenit 23". I had one and sold it to pay for the Moon. Wish I had the 23" Zenit back as it was a dandy. By the way, the 23" Zenit has more in common (stylistically) with the Moon than the Zenit. Not sure why they call it a Zenit when it looks almost exactly like the Moon with one less hole in the lower half.

While I'm on the subject, the 23" Zenit balanced much better than the 25" Moon.

Dave
 

ZolcsiBB

New member
Thanks. A friend of mine has the Bernardini, that's not for my taste and my money. :)

I love the looks of the classic Spigarelli risers(an other friend has a beautiful 1300), but never seen a Zenit 23"... Here in Hungary almost every stringwalker shoot 70" bows, but I would like to change that, because I have a shorter draw lenght(26" to the button).

The best would be to compare the Zenit and the Explorer by trying them out, but that's almost impossible. I hope some Spiga owners will come soon too... :)
 

Schme1440

New member
Fonz Awardee
Ironman
Sagittarius Archery Blackboard :: View topic - Bernardini ?

I think this link will show the potential of the new Luxor 27 as a bare bow riser. Has 2 key features very helpfull for barebow. It has a good balance as the riser its self is balanced to fall forward on its own (limb less) where as risers like the nexus tryto fall towards thearcher and not away. Second it has locations for attaching static weights to the riser of which Bernardini supplied. A good contender for a good barebow. All the Luxor/Nilo range have the weight feature so should be considered as a serious option for any serious barebow archer.
 

ZolcsiBB

New member
Sagittarius Archery Blackboard :: View topic - Bernardini ?

I think this link will show the potential of the new Luxor 27 as a bare bow riser. Has 2 key features very helpfull for barebow. It has a good balance as the riser its self is balanced to fall forward on its own (limb less) where as risers like the nexus tryto fall towards thearcher and not away. Second it has locations for attaching static weights to the riser of which Bernardini supplied. A good contender for a good barebow. All the Luxor/Nilo range have the weight feature so should be considered as a serious option for any serious barebow archer.
I beleive that, and I try to be as serious as I can be, but I'm a hungarian student. I simply can't afford that riser.
And I would like to try a shorter bow, not a longer bow... :)

A mate of mine has the short Nilo, but needed to replace the tiller bolts, because the upper one broke.
 

ZolcsiBB

New member
That's not ILF, as I remember...

And it's not compatible with the FITA rules for BB. Even if you push it really hard, a TEC riser will never go through the 12,5cm ring. :)
 

Yorker

New member
Bernardini risers have an option to balance them out for barebow, as do I think a spigarelli one. Border bows are designed to be shot without the aid of a button to an extent but some people I've heard give these negative feedback.

Bear Bows are a rather nice choice if you can deal with the draw weight.
 

JohnK

Well-known member
If you're talking about the Border Black Douglas, that can be set up either with a button or not. No problems either way. For barebow shooting, a Border Mirage (the 25in riser version of the BD) works very well, according to a number of NFAS barebow shooters I've met.
 
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