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Buying my first bow. Ideas?

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Buying my first bow. Ideas?

Old 11-23-2007, 05:58 PM
  #1  
Fork Horn
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Iowa
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Default Buying my first bow. Ideas?

Well it seems that I am finally going to do it, buy a bow within the next 2 months may be 3.

I have never bow hunted before but have shot new models on occasion with the most recent the DXT last night. It seemed to feel good at least to me (inexperienced) I have been hunting (gun)for the better part of my life so no stranger there; if it matters I have a 28 inch pull and can do the 70 LB draw.

So I am sure that this has been asked 1000 times but I am looking for opinions as to what bows to try. I am looking for modern models, that are fast (300 FPS or more) smooth, not to big (seem to like the short ones) light weight, quite, and reliable (something I can practice with allot) oh and good warranty and customer service if I should need it.

I will primarily bow hunt for whitetail deer (Midwest)

I don’t have an unlimited budget (most people don’t) but I realize you get what you pay for (most of the time)

I know 2 people who have Switchbacks and they really like them but I have not shot them yet. They told me that Matthews is hard to be (performance not price)

I have been exposed to the Mathews bows the most of any but they of course are the most expensive but seem to have a good reputation (at least around here)

So what bows do you recommend I try? Trying to keep an open mind with all manufactures. What ever feels good to me will be what I purchase.

Thanks for all input and opinions.
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Old 11-23-2007, 07:10 PM
  #2  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

Well you didn't mention anything about your budget. The best suggestion I can give it to disregard all the influence you are getting regarding Mathews. Go out and shoot as many bows in your price range and choose the one that feels the best to you.Regardless of your budget you can find many bows to choose from and I am sure that you will be able to find one that stands out!!

If not---- GO HOYT!!!! LOL
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Old 11-23-2007, 07:19 PM
  #3  
Fork Horn
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

ORIGINAL: JFergus7

Well you didn't mention anything about your budget. The best suggestion I can give it to disregard all the influence you are getting regarding Mathews. Go out and shoot as many bows in your price range and choose the one that feels the best to you.Regardless of your budget you can find many bows to choose from and I am sure that you will be able to find one that stands out!!

If not---- GO HOYT!!!! LOL
Yeah trying to stay away from the bandwagon influence, have heard that Hoyt makes some great bows and they will definitely be on my list.

I left the budget out because I don’t know what all the upgrades and arrows, cost etc… but I imagine that after it’s all said and done it will be any where from 500-1000 but I don’t really know at this point. I could price some bows but need to find out what I like and what works first.

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Old 11-23-2007, 08:24 PM
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

Mathews make a great bow, no doubt. I personally like the way Hoyt and Reflex bows feel - and am not overly concerned about hyper drive IBO's. But don't buy one without giving the Bowtechs a hard look. The Guardian and the new General are both a whole plateau above most other 2008 bows.
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Old 11-23-2007, 08:41 PM
  #5  
Fork Horn
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

ORIGINAL: Roskoe

Mathews make a great bow, no doubt. I personally like the way Hoyt and Reflex bows feel - and am not overly concerned about hyper drive IBO's. But don't buy one without giving the Bowtechs a hard look. The Guardian and the new General are both a whole plateau above most other 2008 bows.
Guardian and the General have been added to the list, thanks for the info. Oh and that other bow I tried was the DXT not the DRX no such thing. I have heard good things about Bowtech so I will be sure to give them a try.
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Old 11-23-2007, 08:42 PM
  #6  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

Look, everybody is going to recommend what they personally shoot and a few morons will bash other brands guaranteed. Any bow from the mid priced Bears, Diamonds, Reflexs and PSE will do the job and any of the top 3 being Bowtech, MAthews and Hoyt will shoot better than you ever will. You just need to try different ones and pick the one that feels best when you shoot it. And no, you don't have to spend $800.00 on a bare bow for it to kill a deer. If you buy used you can get great deals but if you buy new, you get a lifetime warranty.
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Old 11-23-2007, 09:17 PM
  #7  
Fork Horn
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

ORIGINAL: TerryM

Look, everybody is going to recommend what they personally shoot and a few morons will bash other brands guaranteed. Any bow from the mid priced Bears, Diamonds, Reflexs and PSE will do the job and any of the top 3 being Bowtech, MAthews and Hoyt will shoot better than you ever will. You just need to try different ones and pick the one that feels best when you shoot it. And no, you don't have to spend $800.00 on a bare bow for it to kill a deer. If you buy used you can get great deals but if you buy new, you get a lifetime warranty.
Thanks for the advice, I realize that some brands are just higher priced then others namely the 3 that you mentioned. I will try many different brands and models and see what happens.

Should I try and shoot each bow at varying distances or should I just pick one distance and use that since I probably will not be able to use the same arrow for each bow. Or how about this, would it be a good idea to borrow a friend’s target arrows and only use them as I evaluate each model since that will help eliminate a few variables? (Not all of course) Or would that not be worth the trouble? But I bet not every bow will shoot the same arrow equally just like fire arms.

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Old 11-23-2007, 10:37 PM
  #8  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

For a first bow I would not recommend a Mathews or any other bow thathas draw length specific cams. It might take some time to get your draw length where it's optimized for you and as such the bow should be adjustable for this. Nor would I pick one ultra short. Do not overbow yourself. Pick something that you can handle EASILY. Learning to shoot well and establish good repeatable form is hard enough without having to struggle to draw a bow. Try a bunch and see what feels good and is within a reasonable budget. In my opinion $700-$900 are best left to those with many years of experience, if at all.

NOW, my recommendation? Something like the 2008 Martin MOAB at a retail of about $430. A really good bang for the buck.

My second recommendation is to buy good quality accessories. Once you get the bug like the rest of us you might want to upgrade in a couple years and accessories can move from bow to bow. Adding to that you'll have less noise and breakage problems with good accessories.
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Old 11-24-2007, 04:33 PM
  #9  
Fork Horn
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

I went and looked at some models today and thought I would really like the Guardian and the general but I don’t like how stiff the pull is on the string. I really have to over come a lot of resistance with type of bow but I bet that is why they are so wicked fast. Plus I didn’t really like the grip on the bowtech bows (not sure if it can be switched)

The Hoyt (I thought) had the best string draw, silky smooth and I really liked the grip on the Hoyt models. Seems to mold with my hand. Either the Vulcan or Vertrex.

My only problem was I was not allowed to shoot any of these bows so I had to try and distinguish the qualities that I liked by just holding and drawing. Is this what some shops do? Not let you shoot them. They had a nice 3D range in the back of the shop, up to 45 yards. He told me once I picked a bow then he would set it up they it needed to be for me but it sounded like I needed to make my final decision on a model before he would do that. I thought that was slightly strange but I guess you do not get to shoot fire arms before you buy either. It only makes my decision harder and less secure, I feel that if I am to buy and $800 bow I should be able to try it first or a comparable model.

What would you all do in this situation?
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Old 11-24-2007, 05:45 PM
  #10  
Nontypical Buck
 
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Default RE: Buying my first bow. Ideas?

Pick another shop. although most wn't set up tons of bows to try a good one should be willing to let you narrow your choices to about 3 or 4 and let you try them.
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