just my take, but, maybe you should consider something a bit more forgiving for your first performance rig.... there's some really nice bows out there that are extremely forgiving and still have plenty of speed for hunting... Diamond black ice and liberty, Ross cardiac and 331/334/337, reflex ridgelines, martin bengal, bear truth and instinct... no question the mathews is a top notch rig, i shot it a bit while searching myself, but 8-10 shots weren't enough for me to feel comfortable with it... personally i'd rather get a slightly less expensive bow and drop my money on the accessories like the rest, site, and high quality arrows... i think that will make a bigger difference on your shooting that which bare bow you'll be firing... personally i went with a ross as my first high performance bow... I've been shooting for a long time but have been away for a long time as well... in terms of modern equipment, i'm just as new as you are...