Home > Bow Reviews > Shakespear Super Necedah 50#@28" X-30

Dating from 1972 this Super Necedah is in superb condition, it was actually in almost mint condition when I first got it some 4 years ago, I couldn't help myself and had to shoot it, a number of friends also shot it one of whom was so taken with it he ended up buying it and shoots it as his main bow.

We are talking about a bow almost 40 years old, surely technology has moved on in both materials and design ?

Upon first look you are struck by the beautiful Zebrawood Riser the Zebawood overlays and the deep lustrous finish but more so by the radical shape produced by this 54" bow even before it is strung, once it has been the form is stunning.

Both the belly and back are of black laminate, the brush rest looks to be original and sits some half inch above the shelf.

On my scales it weighs 49.6#@28" which is a little more than impressive, the draw is smooth with power coming on more progressively the further it is drawn, we are not talking about staking at all it's just that the real power is at the end of the draw.

Being short it is wonderfully pointable and as a field bow makes real sense once you are in the woods. There is some small hand shock in the bow, actually it's more vibration than shock, the string is 12 strand Dacron with a small amount of padding at the loops to 14, despite it's shortness it is not at all twitchy and very stable to hold draw and shoot.

So has design moved on ? I don't think so, this bow is beautiful, the materials are not far removed from those being used today so how does it perform.

Over the chrono this is what I got

445gn        8.90gn/#       174fps

500gn       10.00gn/#      166fps

530gn       10.60gn/#      158fps

565gn       11.30gn/#      153fps

 

I have used the same standard arrow weights as used in all the bow tests so that comparisons can be made.

All the arrows were shot at 28" draw. The test was conducted with 12 shots with each arrow, the 2 highest and 2 lowest readings were discarded and the rest averaged.

Rating
Features & Design
I don't know how they worked this one out -either they decided to build a functional hard shooting short bow that just happened to look great or a beautiful looking bow that just happened to shoot well - either way it does both jobs with style.
Performance
I was surprised the first time I shot it and it continues to delight me, although I have weighed it and know it is 50#, it still feels like less which probably makes it feel that it shoots harder than it does.
Value for Money
These can be found from collections in near mint condition for a fraction of the cost of a modern new Recurve, if you hunt about you can probably find one at a price that makes it worth buying just for fun.
Overall
A super looking bow which has stood the test of time, perfect in the woods, hide or tree stand.

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Steve Nicholson and Andy Gilfrin, are real archers interested in the best archery suppliers have to offer. In our search for the very best bow, arrows and equipment we have shot, used and worn pretty much everything on offer.

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Essential Details
What : Shakespear Super Necedah 50#@28" X-30 Price : Even an expensive one will be cheap

40 years on and it's in great shape.

For it's size it really is a wonderbow !

The nocks were not designed for modern string materials.

Rounded curves and a smooth riser which fits the hand so well.

 

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