Having been "volunteered" to help staff a youth day camp I've been making the most of it and participating myself.  While I can help coach the lads on shooting bb guns,  half the kids can shoot a bow better.  While I can shoot a tight group I can't manage centering it. The instinctive style shooting is a stark contrast to anything I'm used to. Trying to get one in the bull with a bow by line of sight is akin to chasing a zero with a firearm.

My kid likes it so I'll probably be getting an inexpensive  recurve for me (a Samick most likely) and a simple compound youth bow for him. Seems like.a challenge worth tackling. I want to avoid getting into the more modern side of archery and keep it simple.

I had the same problem for years trying to shoot bare bow.  That is when I discovered that although I am right handed, my left eye is dominant, thus making sighting down the arrow shaft impossible. Only real solution for bare bow is to learn shoot left handed.

I have been shooting a Shakespeare Kaibab 45lb recurve since the late seventies. It is part of my prep gear. I can shoot up to 40 yds in the woods in back of my house with no bother to the neighbors. I try to get in a minimun of 50 shots a week. Easier and more accurate for me than a "bare bow" ymmv

My dominant eye is obvious. My vision is terrible in my non dominant eye.

Archery has plenty of practical applications.  Due to that and because  I don't like sucking at stuff makes it a worthwhile persuit.

My brother has a compound bow with a stabilizer,  fiber optic sights and all that jazz. Shooting barebow seems like the purest and most challenging form of archery.

Recurves are almost as old......I believe the Mongols and the Chinese were using them BC. (ooops.......BC am I still allowed to use that nomenclature?)

I switched to a recurve after deer season last fall. I shoot instinctive as well. If I do my part 10's on my 3D target from 15 & 20yds are not a problem; since you are grouping OK and you are constantly hitting left or right you might look in to the spine on the arrow. For a right hand shooter a left hit is too stiff and a right hit is too weak. I have a couple of 45# early 70's Bear recurves I shoot; the Grizzly hits  dead on but the KMag hits right. Need to try a stiffer arrow for it and see what happens. Stu Miller has a dynamic spine calculator you can download on line, guys seems to think it is a pretty good place to start and it does confirm my arrows are OK for the Grizzly but under spined for the KMag, so I'd be inclined to plug in your info and see what it tells you.

To update one of the lads lent me a 30 lb long bow of more appropriate length yesterday. This time my shots ran high with a centered hold and I corrected easily enough to hit some bulls. It was satisfying to finally get somewhere. I think the kiddie bows may have been holding me back.

Good deal. FWIW I replaced the rest on my KMag with a Bear hair rest and now it is shooting point of aim; guess that rest was worn bad enough it was affecting arrow flight.

 

Once I get something, the intention is to shoot off the shelf, as well. Seems velcro and leather are popular materials for that.

The Martin Jaguar looks like a good pick for the money as well, but I like the idea of laminated wood vs alloy and fiberglass.

I can't wait to get something.  I really don't need another hobby!  At least once set up, the costs should be minimal.

I'm looking into building a bow, as well,  and as attractive as it seems there appears to be as much art as science in it, and I don't want to end up like many folks do; progressing on a lifelong quest to build that perfect bow.

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Checked out some bows locally today.

The recurves are definitely out. While I like the concept and most are compact and light the risers are just too bulky for my tastes.

The Martin bows are out as well. The alloy risers just don't work for me.

It looks like the "flatbow" style is what I'm leaning towards. The last bow I shot at camp was essentially a fiberglass bow of that style and I did like it, though it did have a cheap feel to it.

So far I'm liking the hickory unfinished long bows. In a few weeks when I pay some things off I'll have to get one coming.