Mauser06,

I am going to ask you one question, how much are you willing to spend on an archery outfit?

Archery, for the most part, is " you get what you pay for" . You can pay 180.00 for a PSE Nova or 615.00 for a Hoyt RazorTec. Now, with the PSE, you are getting a 180.00 bow that isn' t anywhere as nice as the Hoyt, in any category. So, my point is you pay for what you get, so, your limitations can' t be too low.

Last year when I was looking for a bow, I wanted to put 500.00 or less into the whole set-up. Well, here is some of the prices....

2002 Hoyt MT Sport 299.95 plus tax
Arrows 79.95
Arrow Rest 69.95
3-D Target 79.99
Stabilizer 38.99
Quiver 24.99
Sight 32.99
Dampeners 45.00
Peep Sight 13.00
Wrist Sling 7.00
Release 35.00
Broadheads 27.00
Field Points 3.00

So, that right there brings my total up to around $775.00

Now, this year I am getting a new bow (2003 BowTech Mighty Mite), after its all said and done, I am going to have roughly 1,160.00 into it. That isn' t what I am going to pay this year (that is including the accessories that I am switching over from my MT Sport).

You have to get ready to put alot of money into it, that is, if you want a good, easy to tune bow.

Kits are good deals, but, I am going to tell you right now, they are terrible in comparrison to the other accessories on the market. Most bow kits come with TM Hunter arrow rests, which aren' t bad, but, I will take my N.A.P. QuickTune 3000 Micro over that TM Hunter any day. Stabilizers on these kits aren' t really dampeners, they are simply to balance the weight. A Simms Modular system is going to give the same balancing but it will reduce shock and noise MUCH MUCH more than any kit stabilizer.

Also, these kits usually come with the cheaper end Tru-Glo sights or ones similar to that. Now, they work, they have bright pins, but, one thing I have found out is that I really don' t like these plastic sights. They may reduce weight, but, they are easy to break, and, you can easily over tighten the sight which will cause you to start stripping out the screw holes. I will rather put a slighty heavier metal sight on my bow that will lasy along time than a slighty lighter sight that I have to be careful with or it will break.


What I am saying throughout all of this is a bow kit has a CHEAP price because it is using CHEAP accessories. If you are serious about getting into archery hunting, and making it your passion, skip the begineer bow. I made that mistake last year with my 2002 Hoyt MT Sport, it was great for last year, but, this year, I wanted something smaller, lighter, faster, smoother, and less hand shock, so, I am dishing out 545.00 for a new bow. Thats close to 900.00 in JUST bows in the past two years.

One other thing, if you have to keep the price down, buy a very inexpensive bow, somewhere in the 200-250.00 dollar range, but, put good accessories on it, buy the best of the best. The accessories are what brings out the performance of your bow. I coudl be shooting a 2003 HoytRazorTec with the cheapest accessories possible, you could be shooting a cheap PSE Nova but have the best accessories possible, and you would probablly shoot better.

If you want a good starter bow, you are gonna have to allow yourself to spend more money than you want. I would say in the 650-750.00 range for everything. If you want a good intermediate bow, I would say be willing to put in 850-950.00 And if you want a top quality bow that will last you a lifetime, be willing to put in 1,000-1,300.00.


Now, you need to prioritize. Here is what I would say is a list of the most important gear

1. Arrow Rest
2. Dampeners (Stabilizer, string leech' s, limb savers)
3. Bow
4. Sight
5. Wrist Sling
6.Release
7.Arrows
8.Broadheads
9.Peep Sight
10. Target

Now, this will differ for every person, but, I believe the arrow rest is the most important thing on the bow. If you have a junky arrow rest, you are never ever going to get optimal arrow flight. You are going to want a arrow rest that will be easy to adjust, is built strong, has a good reputation, ect...


Okay, right now I am going to " build you a setup" using prices from www.eders.com

Bow- Martin Tracer Mag $299.00 (32 1/4" axle to axle length, 3.5 lbs, 7 3/8" brace height, 26" -31" draw length, 50#-60#-70# draw weight, IBO speed of 298 f.p.s.

Arrows- Easton Carbon Excel $54.95 per dozen

Wrist Sling- Paradox Camo Braided Wrist Sling $6.50

Broadheads- N.A.P. Thunderheads $29.95 per six

Cable Guard- Simms Virgin Teflon Cable Slide $12.95

Limb Savers- Simms Solid Limb Limb Savers $14.95

String Silencers- Simms String Leech' s $8.95

Cable Dampeners- Simms Cable Stop Dampeners $8.95

Peep Sight- Game Tracker Dusk Vision Peep $9.18

Quiver- Kwikee Combo Kwiver $24.99

Release- Tru-Fire Patriot $18.95

Arrow Rest- N.A.P. QuickTune 3000 Micro Arrow Rest $64.99

Sight- Toxonics Commando $34.95

Stabilizer- Doinker 4" Silent Hunter $34.95

Target- Morrel Carbon Deluxe $38.95

Thats EVERYTHING you need to get shooting and get ready for season, the total there is $663.16 You could shave that down some, but, you are looking at around $650.00

Now, the set-up that I just described is a HIGH quality low end bow that will keep up with bows double its price. You get good carbon arrows, but, they are 30.00 less than most others. Good broadheads, great arrow rest, the dampeners you need, a great and tough sight, a good stabilizer, a nice quiver, and, a good regular target. If you want a 3-D target add about 40.00 on to the total.

Now, this system I just described would be top quality, everything is very high quality. And, if you were looking at a bow package, it would only be 150-200.00 less, but, with what I just described, you get a dozen arrows (most bow kits only give you six), you get a release (most bow kits don' t include a release), you get all the dampeners (most bow kits don' t include these), you get high quality products where most kits are made of low quality parts, you get broadheads (bow kits don' t include these), you get a target (bow kits don' t include). So, if you actually think about it, you are still going to have to pay 38.95 for a target, 18.95 for a release, roughy 25.00 for another half dozen arrows, 29.95 for broadheads, and dampeners will add up to another 45.80. So, that right there is another 158.65. So, lets say your bow kit is 399.99, after you get the other things you need, you are up $558.64. Now, for another $100.00 (a week of work), you can get a better bow, with better accessories.

Well, this is long enough, I hope it helped.