rtreenut-
Go to www.merlin-bows.co.uk and click on "Tec Talk, then click on "Reflex vs Deflex". It covers what you are talking about,(you may be surprised) and some of the points I am putting across, as well.

Straightarrow-

Yes, the 31/2" (inches) is the longer distance the string has to travel from full draw to rest on the shorter ATA bow over the longer one due to design, limb angle, cam size, ATA, etc, for the given drawlength.

BC25--

You must give some thought to the application. If you are going to primarily hunt with the bow from a treestand, I'd opt for the MM. It's a great little bow designed especially for that, and can handle an occasional 3D. The ES would be a good choice for the guy who wants to do a fair amount of 3D shooting, but still use it as his hunting bow come fall. There are different bows for different applications, and lately this "new wave" of mid ATA bows with shorter brace heights has come into the picture trying to give the best of both Worlds. Problem is, they were not designed with anything truly specific in mind other than trying to cover everything. They are not as accurate or forgiving as any target equipment, and they normally have too short of a brace for hunting with heavy clothes.(anything with sub-7" brace is IMO too short nowadays) Being longer ATA will hamper you some if using heavy cover while in a stand. This is why I own a bow for each application, rather than one for all. Cost is always an issue, but I'd much rather go out knowing I have the best option for the task at hand. Good luck, good shooting, P12

Edited by - Pinwheel 12 on 01/04/2002 15:25:04