Dumb question - would a Bowtech be a good beginner/novice bow?

Krotalus · 10-30-2003, 07:25 PM

I just bowhunting this year. I had some shoulder troubles in the past so i went with a 50-60# PSE. So far i am having zero problems with the bow set at 58 lbs and now i am kinda regretting the decision to go with the 60 lb max.

I like the specs on the rumored Bowtech Liberty and Justice. I am thinking of possibly getting one with a 70lb max for next year. Would there be any reason that one of those bows would not be good for my skill level?

Thanks for any input.

Kanga · 10-30-2003, 07:56 PM

There is no reason that I can think of.

CLOUD 9, MN · 10-30-2003, 08:31 PM

Sounds like you' re enjoying bowhunting. Those bows would be excellant to step up into.

Good Luck!

walks with a gimp · 10-30-2003, 11:53 PM

If you have had shoulder problems in the past, why not stay with the 60 pound model but in a BowTech. You can shoot a 60 pound BowTech and still get great speeds and energy and save your shoulder

PABowhntr · 10-31-2003, 04:36 AM

I do not know if I, personally, would use the term " beginner" for your particular situation. A beginner to me is someone who is looking to get into the sport, has never shot, not to mention owned, a bow before and is looking for something to get started with.

On the other hand, I do not think I would call you an intermediate level shooter either as you have only recently been introduced to the sport.

Ok, enough babbling, to answer your question..it would depend on the model. Both the Liberty and Justice are reported to have silky smooth draw cycle because of the new cam/idler design. However, having not handled one yet myself I would hesitate in recommending it with your particular situation in mind.

What PSE bow do you own? A Nova?...or something similar to it with round wheels/soft cams? If that is the case then I would probably still suggest the 60 lb peak weight version of the Liberty simply because you will still probably get more speed out of it at 60 lbs with a potentially similar draw cycle. However, if the draw cycle does turn out to be stiffer than what you expected then you can always crank the draw weight down further. You will not be able to necessarily turn a 70 lber down to that level of draw weight.

But, if your PSE is a harder cam...Lightning Cam, etc... then maybe a 70 lb Liberty or Justice would be a viable option.

Hope this helps.

Krotalus · 10-31-2003, 04:54 AM

I have the PSE Fire Flight from Cabelas now.

The shoulder injury is more psycological than it is physical nowadays. I tore a rotator cuff 10 years ago (coincidentally i was looking at bows at the time but due to the injury i didnt buy one), it is healed now. But I always have this kernel of doubt in the back of my mind when i do anything involving my shoulder that i am going to tear it again. But i lift weights, fly fish, bowl, shoot and do all kinds of other stuff with no problems. When looking to buy my bow i shot several 70 lbers without any adverse affects, but when it came time to buy, that doubt reared its ugly head and i backed off and bought a 60lb max. Now that i have shot it for awhile and knowing what i lift in the gym I have no real worries about shooting a 70 lb and i am kicking myself for not buying one in the first place.

Additionally i have added more exercises to my routine specifically targetted to increase shoulder strength.

PABowhntr · 11-03-2003, 11:23 AM

Actually the Cabelas Fireflight 33 (if that is the model you have) has a relatively hard drawing (2nd generation) single cam design. By all accounts, the new Freedom Cam on the Liberty and Justice should offer a smoother draw cycle. I would probably recommend the 70 lb peak weight model though starting off with the bow backed down to 60 lbs would be a wise consideration.

Krotalus · 11-03-2003, 11:35 AM

yup, it is the Fire Flite 33 AC.

tnichols · 11-06-2003, 11:41 AM

Krotalus

Go with the bowtech, you will gain speed and accuracy. These bows just plain shoot awesome. I shot a HCA Ultra Extreme for 3 years. Bought a new bowtech Extreme VFT this summer. My groups have tightened up tremendously. I went from shooting 265fps @70# with the HCA to 295fps @70# with the VFT. I can" t shoot much at 25 yards with this bow I have robinhooded 6 carbon arrows at this distance. Gets expensive!!! There bows are not cheap but Bowtech has great customer service. You can only purchase them from a dealer, not off the web except for ebay. If you do purchase one from ebay, it will void the lifetime warranty on the bow.