I am buying my first bow and trying to decide between the Guardian and the General. The obvious points I see are that the Guardian is a bit quicker but also is a little longer, noiser,and hasa little bit more recoil. The only part I don't like about the General is the lack of speed but damn is it buttery smooth on draw and release! I am asking everybody for their own thoughts on these two bows so that maybe I can eliminate one to help make my decision. Oh and I know that everybody will want to say "go with the one that feels best" but let me tell you, they both feel great and the difference in feel is negligible to me. Not as important but if you are so inclined... what is the coolest looking custom color for this bow (i know its a matter of personal opinion, I want to hear yours).

Finally, I have also entertained the idea of an Alpine Silverado. If any of you have happened to shoot this bow as well let me know what your thoughts are on it (pluses, minuses etc.)

Holy cow, when I first shot the guardian last year I would have never thought to hear anyone talk about it saying it had more vibration than say Bow X. That just goes to show just how good the General really is. The guardian is a really good bow and you only notice that slight bit of hand shock when you shoot it right behind shooting the General.

The best advice is to buy the one that you really like shooting, don't buy a bow for speed alone. As it has been said on this forum before.... you will not be able to notice 15-20 fps and the difference in Pin gap is negligible. As far as custom color i like that Advantage Max-4.

When i shot the general real smooth draw and quiet when shooting, but i ended up wit h e the DXT from mathews just like the way it handled and the lighter weight was a plus.

I bought the guardian and I love it. This bow has the smoothest release and is silent. I also shot the new hoit and if you are looking for speed alone you may want to wheck out this bow, but I would not let speed pursuade you too much. When i purchase a bow I want the one that feels good in my hand. My sugestion to you is to shoot as many diffrent boes as possible before you make your choice.

"kill 'em dead"

I recently bought the General myself. I fell in love with the dead feel of the bow and the short ATA. The only thing that sucks compared to the Guardian is that you need a bow press to work on the thing. If it's your first bow you probably won't be working on it anyway so that shouldn't affect you much. If I could change one thing with the General it would be weight. Other than that I have 0 complaints!

The post I did earlier was supposed to say General. Sorry for the confusion , but the general is a gret bow.

Have you tried a Mission bow?

Having gotten both the Guardian and the General, having only one to choose from, I'd pick the General. The smooth, shockfree and whisper quiet not that the Guardian isn't because last year when I shot the Guardian (Matt/PA's) I found it to be the quietest, smoothest bow I ever shot, until the General. Yes, you give up a little speek but the General is still all the speed you need. The difference is mute. The Guardian may give a little more forgiveness but the more than adequate brace on the General proves to be very, very accurate. It's a very tough choice and one reason I chose the General is the short ATA (shortest ATA I've ever liked) and overall shootability. Good luck in your decision and be sure to post pics.