Technically, you should shoot all the bows in that price range, but I have set so many beginners up with the following setup, that I am confidant you won't be sorry. IMO, the best beginner bow on the market is the
Fred Bear Lights Out which costs $330 for the bow alone. The reason so many beginners like it is because of the ultra forgiving brace height of 8.75 inches. You will be very impressed. I am an hard core Bowtech/ Diamond loyalist, and I have to admit that, for the price, the lights out blows the beginner Bowtech/ Diamond bows out of the water.
Now you need some accessories. Let's start with the sight. What you want to look for in a sight: First, is the housing (the part that you look through) perfectly round? This is necessary to properly line up your round peep sight. Second, is there a level? You need this to develop good form in the range and apply it to the rest of your shooting including hunting. Third, are the pins bright enough? If you are going to use your bow for hunting, you are going to need to e able to see your pins in low light situations. Often times, the best solution is a light kit, which will brighten you pins even in the middle of the night. Now, if you are looking for a more advances sight, there are other factors you will want to consider when choosing a sight, but this is a good place to start. I recommend that you try the
Truglo Tru-Site Xtreme Five-Pin Sight with Light. It costs $50.
Next, let's move to the rest, Many beginners start with a Wisker Biscuit (WB). Personally, I discourage this because beginners tend to have poor form and need the most forgiving setup available. Put simply, it is a lot easier to be consistently accurate with a drop away rest than a WB. You may like the WB, and I am certain that some people will reply that the WB is the right choice. I simply disagree. For drop aways, I recommend either the
Trophy Taker Shakey Hunter SL Arrow Rest, which costs $60 and is a great product. Note: you should always set up the arrow with the cock fletch up with any drop away.
Now, we should talk about a stabilizer. The stabilizer adds forward wight to help with follow through as well as adding weight in general to help you hold steadier when shooting. The farther away the weight is, the steadier you will hold. That is why competitive target shooters have super long stabilizers. You won't want a super long stabilizer. You will want something 5"-12" in length. For this reason, I recommend the
8" Carbon Express Ultra Shock Carbon Stabilizer, which costs $20. That is a great deal.
How about a quiver. At the beginner level, the only thing that you are going to really want is a quiver that can be easily removed and installed. I recommend the
Alpine Archery Bear Claw 5-Arrow Quiver, which costs $25.
I have to go now, but I will finish later. With all of these parts and the bow, you are now at $485.