The bad part about a newbie going to shops looking for used bows is he will have no idea what he is looking for...........they are all gonna feel great to him........I have seen some high prices on used gear for what I would consider junk.

If you have someone that knows their stuff or a shop that you trust has YOUR best interest in mind then a used bow could be a great way to go (lots of times they are all set up already).

With todays midrange bows being as nice as they are I would say this is a wise place to start. A used bow will have no warranty and cost you around the same price.........also used bows could have ANY history (drops, dry fires, etc)......remember someone got rid of that bow for a reason. Often times that reason is just to get the next bow from the magazine covers but often times it is not..........like I said, having someone along that knows the difference would be a BIG help.

Bear bows are very good bows dollar for dollar..........I owned one and it was and still is a great bow (VERY accurate and killed a bunch of deer). The sister lines of Bowtech and Mathews are worth a look as well. I shot a Mission X4 the other day and thought it was a heck of a bow for $400......and I had my wife shoot a Diamond Edge that she had a blast with..........she drew it with ease for about 20 shots and she had never shot a compound. It was quiet and smooth.........and that is a LOW end Diamond bow so their mid priced bows should be even more impressive.

You have a ton of options and everything probably sounds confusing right now but if you only remember one thing out of this whole thread it should be that you need to shoot as many bows as you can before you decide and no matter what price tag is on the bow.........buy the one that feels the best to YOU and you can never go wrong.

Best of luck and welcome aboard........this is only the start