Image | Length | Bow Weight | Draw Weight | Takedown? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Vista Sage Recurve Bow Check Today's Price | 62 inches | 2.45 lbs How to: choose arrows, draw weight, and tune your recurve | 45 to 55 lbs. | Yes |
| Pros - Straight-shooting, accurate recurve bow for a budget price - Predrilled with inserts for stabilizer, sight, and plunger - Gorgeous design | Cons - Finish had some chips, especially near the accessory holes - String serving frays quickly - No bowstringer included |
Welcome to another recurve review, this time of the Vista Sage 62-inch takedown recurve. The Vista Sage (not to be confused with the Samick Sage), is manufactured with a hard maple and olive dymondwood laminated riser, paired with hard maple and black fiberglass limbs. It’s a gorgeous bow, but how well does it stand up in the field? Let’s have a look and find out.
What’s Included In The Box?
When you purchase a recurve bow, you should know what you’re getting. Unpackaging the Vista Sage, you should find the following included:
- The Vista Sage recurve bow, included riser and limbs
- Assembly hardware
- A Dacron B51 bowstring
- Owner’s manual
You won’t find a bowstringer, alas, so you should purchase one at the same time. Stringing a bow without it is unwise and unsafe; make sure you have the right tools for the job!
How Difficult Is The Vista Sage To Assemble?
You couldn’t ask for an easier recurve to assemble, since the limb bolts are thumb-driven. All you have to do is attach the limbs to the riser, string the bow (using a bowstringer), and you’re almost good to go.
What Accessories Can I Use With The Bow?
Vista has drilled and included inserts for a stabilizer, sight, and Berger button, so you can use all the most popular accessories with the recurve. I prefer natural, instinctive shooting, but some beginners (and even quite a few veterans) prefer to use accessories. It’s a great idea to install these right after you first assemble your new archery equipment. Once that’s done, you should follow our guide to tuning a recurve bow before heading out to the range.
Is The Sage Accurate And Powerful?
This particular model is available in draw weights from 45 up to 55 pounds, in 5# increments. Since it’s important to get the right strength of bow for you, be sure to read through our guide on selecting the right draw weight before making your final purchase.
Accuracy is important, and this bow’s got it in spades. Once tuned, I was easily able to lay out two-inch groupings from 45 yards. Your mileage may vary depending on your own skill and experience, of course, but I found the Vista Sage to be very forgiving of lazy or inexperienced techniques.
Can I Use This Bow For Hunting?
When it comes to a recurve for hunting purposes, there are several characteristics to keep in mind. Power and accuracy are important, but it’s also crucial for the bow to be easy to maneuver through the bush and in the tree stand or ground blind. Fortunately, Vista has designed the Sage to excel in all of these areas. At just 62 inches long, it’s short enough to be quite maneuverable, and it’s light enough to carry easily through the woods. I’ve used mine on several trips, and it’s never let me down. My most exciting experience with the Vista Sage was a 45-yard kill shot on a 12-point buck, which tasted mighty fine once the beast was done being processed.
Can Beginners Learn With The Vista Sage?
Since it’s such a powerful recurve, many beginners might find the Sage challenging at first. However, a strong adult just learning shouldn’t have too much difficulty. If you’re unsure, start with a lighter weight recurve and then work your way up to the Vista Sage.
What Are The Best Arrows To Use With This Recurve?
Arrow selection is a very personal process, so you need to think carefully about your preferences and what you plan on doing with your archery equipment. You can check out our guide on arrow selection for more information.
How Durable Are The Limbs And Riser On The Bow?
The riser and limbs are very well made, but the finish isn’t the greatest. There are nicks and chips in the finish of mine, especially around the predrilled accessory holes. Even so, the recurve seems to be quite rugged and resistant to limb twist. Just make sure you take down the bow when you aren’t using it.
What Strings Will Fit This Model?
There are mixed reports on whether Fastflight or Flemish Twist strings can be used with the Vista Sage. The limb tips do not appear to be reinforced, though, so I’d stay away from strings other than Dacron B51. I was a bit surprised by this, since the Vista Sage is supposed to be the same basic model as Samick’s recurve of the same name. It appears that for the Vista packaging, different limbs are used. However, Samick limbs will fit nicely on this recurve, so you could always upgrade if you want the high performance string.
One thing to bear in mind is that the serving on the included string frays quickly, so may need to be redone early on. Once it’s done properly, though, the string is quite serviceable and will last you quite some time.
Is It Heavy?
The Vista Sage weighs in at 3.4 pounds, so it’s definitely not the lightest recurve on the market. With that said, it feels perfect in your hand and doesn’t provide much in the way of vibration or hand fatigue when shooting. I noticed it on my back when hiking to my hunting spot, but just barely. I’d definitely choose the Vista Sage for a hunting trip, though, even with its slight amount of heft.
How Quiet Is The Bow?
Some folks have reported the Vista Sage being rather loud, but that’s not been my experience. If properly tuned and set up, it’s a very quiet recurve, and even moreso if you install string silencers on it. There is very little vibration on release, and almost no hand shock. Truthfully, the Vista Sage is one of the most pleasant bows to shoot that I’ve ever had my hands on.
Recurve Bow Summary
Thanks for reading my review of the Vista Sage. This recurve is very much like the Samick Sage (in fact, they’re manufactured by the same factory, with different quality limbs and different markings.) It’s not exactly a beginner’s bow, but it can definitely be used for learning the craft by someone with enough strength to pull it back. In the hunting field, the Sage truly excels, providing you with an excellent tool for harvesting deer, elk, or even moose.
Take a look at current price on the Vista Sage Recurve Bow if you’re interested in buying.
