Southwest Archery Spyder Recurve Bows and Takedown Bows

What Southwest Archery makes

Southwest Archery builds traditional bows: wooden takedown recurves, a takedown longbow, and the parts that go with them. On this site that means recurve bows (adult and youth), one longbow and one quiver. The brand's own site also sells risers, limbs, strings, stringer tools, cases and Ready 2 Shoot kits on their own.

Takedown means the bow comes apart into three pieces: a riser (the wooden middle you hold) and two limbs that bolt onto it. Two things follow from that. The bow fits in a case. And you can change the draw weight later by buying a new pair of limbs instead of a new bow.

The grid above shows what's on Amazon right now. Most of the Southwest Archery values in it (draw weight, length, hand) come from the Amazon listings, and the grid marks them. It changes week to week, so I'll write about the models, not about how many are listed today. No compound bow from the brand is among them.

When a brand has only a few listings, the theme adds a section called "Alternatives to Southwest Archery" with traditional bows from other makers. They're picked by matching type and specs.

The Southwest Archery Spyder recurve bow

The Spyder is the brand's main adult bow, in two lengths.

62-inch Spyder

The maker designs the 62-inch Spyder for archers with a draw length under 29 inches. Its riser is built from four woods; the riser page names white oak, Dymond wood and padouk. The limbs are hard maple wrapped in fiberglass, with reinforced tips the maker says work with Fast Flight and Flemish strings. Draw weights on the maker's site run from 16 to 60 pounds, in both right and left hand.

The riser has threaded bushings (small threaded inserts) for a sight, a mechanical rest or plunger, a quiver, and a stabilizer or bowfishing reel. The box holds the riser, the limbs, a 14-strand Dacron string and an adhesive arrow rest.

64-inch Spyder XL

The maker calls the Spyder XL "simply a stretched version" of the Spyder: the same riser with longer limbs, for a 64-inch bow. It's meant for draw lengths over 28 inches. Draw weights run from 25 to 55 pounds, and this one includes a stringer tool.

So the maker splits the two lengths by draw length, at about 28 to 29 inches. Know your number before you pick. (Draw length gets measured at a shop. It's not the same as your height, though Uncle Walt's method is "about yay.")

Spyder Ready 2 Shoot kit

The maker also sells the 62-inch Spyder as a kit. It adds a bow case with a telescoping arrow tube, a stringer, an adjustable armguard, and six 31.5-inch carbon arrows with feather fletching and 100-grain points. Arrow basics for traditional bows are on the recurve arrows page.

Tigershark and Tigershark PRO

The Tigershark is a 62-inch takedown recurve with a riser of Dymond wood, tiger wood, white oak and padouk. Same maple-and-fiberglass limbs, same threaded bushings as the Spyder. The maker lists the standard Tigershark from 16 to 60 pounds.

The PRO version adds what the maker calls Precision Pin-Locking: pins that set the limb in exactly the same place every time you put the bow together. The maker says it improves accuracy and cuts weight. PRO limbs fit only the PRO riser. The maker lists the PRO from 25 to 60 pounds and says it was designed by the engineers and developers of the original Samick Sage.

The grid lists the Tigershark PRO V1. The maker says Version 1 was discontinued and replaced by Version 2. The only change is the limbs: Version 2 has exposed maple side walls and no tapered end cap. V2 limbs fit a V1 riser.

The Ghost takedown longbow

The Ghost puts longbow-style limbs on Southwest Archery's traditional takedown riser, for a 64-inch bow. The maker lists it from 20 to 50 pounds in both hands, with a stringer tool in the box. It also says the Ghost riser takes the brand's recurve limbs. So it's one riser and two bow styles, if you buy both sets of limbs.

If you like the look of a longbow but want the option to switch to recurve limbs later, that's the reason to look at the Ghost.

Youth bows: Little Tiger and Tiny Tiger

The Tiger bows are the brand's youth line, with risers made entirely of tiger wood:

• Little Tiger, 54 inches: 16, 20 or 24 pounds, right or left hand
• Tiny Tiger, 48 inches: 14 pounds, right or left hand, the smallest in the family

Both include a Dacron string, an adhesive rest, a stringer tool and photo instructions, and both have the same threaded bushings as the adult bows. The maker lists target practice and bowfishing as their uses. The Little Tiger listing in the grid includes arrows, per Amazon.

My PT note: kids grow, and so does their strength. A takedown is handy here, because heavier limbs swap onto the same riser. More youth options are on the youth compound bow page, and arrows for small bows on the youth bow arrows page.

The Universal Hip Quiver

The quiver clips onto your belt or waistband with a metal clip. It has an 18-inch arrow tube and an 18-inch pocket, and the tube comes out if you'd rather use it as a plain pocket. The maker sells it in several colors. It's a range and practice quiver; for carrying arrows on the bow itself, see the bow quiver page.

Which limbs fit which riser

This is the part people ask about, so here it is from the maker's parts pages:

• 62-inch limbs fit the Ghost, Spyder, Spyder XL and standard Tigershark risers, and Samick Sage risers
• 64-inch longbow limbs fit the same list, except the Tigershark PRO
• Tigershark PRO limbs fit only the Tigershark PRO riser
• The Spyder riser takes Samick Sage and Journey limbs

The maker also sells two limb-pocket styles: a rounded pocket on its own 62- and 64-inch bows, and a squared pocket found on Samick Sage and Journey bows. Think of it like a kitchen mixer: one base, swappable attachments, as long as the attachment is made for that base.

Change limb length and you change string length. The maker says that if you put 62-inch limbs on a Ghost or Spyder XL, you'll need a 62-inch string. It also says a string's actual length is about 4 inches shorter than the bow's AMO length (its nominal length), and that heavier bows need more strands. Quick math: a 62-inch bow takes a string of roughly 58 inches. Buy by the AMO number on the package, not the tape measure.

How to choose within the Southwest Archery lineup

Start with draw length

Draw length picks the bow length. Under 29 inches, the maker points you to the 62-inch Spyder. Over 28, to the 64-inch Spyder XL. The maker doesn't state a draw-length range for the Tigershark or the Ghost. Archery 360 notes a shop technician can measure your draw length; it depends on your height and arm length.

Then pick limbs, not a forever draw weight

My one opinion on this page: buy the riser you want for the next several seasons, and buy limbs for the weight you can hold this season. The reason is the lineup itself: the same riser takes limbs from light to heavy, so starting low doesn't lock you in. Archery 360 says drawing isn't a strength test, and that you should be able to hold full draw comfortably. (As a PT, I'll add that the muscles between your shoulder blades keep score. Quietly at first.)

General recurve background is on the recurve bow page, and hunting setups are on the hunting recurve bow page.

Then pick the hand by your eye

Every model above comes in right and left hand. Archery 360's test: with both eyes open, cover a distant object with your thumb, then close one eye at a time. The eye that keeps the thumb on the object is your dominant eye. If your eye and hand match, buy that hand. If not, try both at a shop.

Then decide on extras

Every riser here has the threaded bushings, so a sight, rest, plunger or stabilizer can come later. A bare recurve with an adhesive rest is a perfectly good place to start.

Setup and safety

Use a bow stringer every time you string or unstring a recurve or longbow. Archery 360 calls it the safest method and the only one bow makers recommend, and Southwest Archery's warranty excludes damage from not using a proper stringer tool. After stringing, turn the limbs away from you and check that the string sits in both limb-tip grooves before you shoot.

Never dry-fire a bow. Archery 360 explains that releasing the string with no arrow sends the energy back into the limbs, and the brand's warranty excludes dry-fire damage.

Keep broadheads covered and handle them like knives. Hunting draw-weight minimums vary by state; check your state wildlife agency.

Southwest Archery warranty basics

The maker lists a one-year manufacturer warranty on its recurve bows, covering defects that compromise the bow's integrity. Its product pages say the warranty applies when the bow is registered online after purchase. It doesn't cover abuse, improper use, dry firing, damage from skipping the stringer tool, or wear on the string and stick-on rest. It isn't transferable.

Who's behind Southwest Archery

The brand's site lists an address in Redlands, California. Its about page says the team has 20-plus years in the archery industry and once ran a brick-and-mortar archery pro shop. This page doesn't cover a founding year or where the bows are built. Other traditional bows sit on the Samick Sage brand page.

Draw length, draw weight, dominant eye. Write all three inside the bow case lid, and the next set of limbs is an easy order.