Well Straightarrow,
He is the only one I know around here, so, I ruled out buying any bow from there. I went to the BowTech dealer and these guys are TOP NOTCH. I honestly don' t think these guys could be any better. I bought a 2003 MightyMite there, and they gave me a great deal. It was originally priced at 599.99, but, it was on sale the week I was there for 576.99, but they gave it to me for an extra discount at 544.00 plus tax. That 55.99 was nice. I really love the bow and don' t plan on any bow shopping in the near future, but hey, next year I may find something interesting and have to start another project!
From what I felt of the Alpine' s, they are nice. They were a little heavy for me though. If they were a pound or so less that would have been a big bonus. I practice my form, so I don' t need a big heavy bow. I want something that is perfect for those tight spots and I can carry comfortablly for a long hike in the woods.
I guess alot of my disappointment really came after shooting the 03 Patriot. Like I said, the guys " personal shooting experience" had to have been entirely biased because that is one SWEET shooting bow. I just don' t like the feel of the long riser bows. After shooting that bow and honestly having no hand shock, I just didn' t even want to look at another Alpine. I was expecting the Patriot to be a good bow, but, the Alpine dealer (Full Draw Archery in Saltsburg Pennsylvania) made it out that the bow was bad and the Alpines were so much better, but, I honestly don' t know how any bow could be more shock free than that.