It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

Well after 20 years of never buying a "new" bow I couldn't hold off any longer....... I have bought many bows in my life but always used. Some from garage sales, some from friends, some from shopsand even one from the garbage can! (remember that?) It's never been about the money, I have been fortunate in that department andI didn't squander the money I earned playing football. I figured after putting my body through the NFL ringer the least I could do was keep some of it.:D

So I goto my local Pro shop to try a few bows out, not really knowing what I wanted. They are a Hoyt dealer so I shot the Hoyt Vectrix and Trykon. Both shot very nice I prefered the Vectrix over the Trykon but I really couldn't complain about either.

From there I went to a small archery dealer (really can't call them a "Pro Shop") They sell Mathews, Browning and Ross.They didn't have a Mathews set up in my draw length[:@] soall I could do is shoot a Drenalin and Switchback LD, bothin 30in draws.......oh well. They did however have a Bowtech Tomkat (used) for me to shoot in my length.

There I shot the Browning Vapor, Bowtech Tomkat, MathewsDrenalin, Mathews Switchback LD and the Ross CR334.

I was impressed with the draw ofboth theMathewsbows especially the Switchback more so than the Drenalin. The Drenalin seemd to "fall" into the valley too harshly (is that a word?:D) for me but was still nice none the less. I was surprised at how theBrowning Vapor shot and at $500.00-/+ was a very good bow for the money, very smooth and quiet, very easy to get on target. I didn't shoot the Illiusion because they don't even offer it in my draw length. I don't think the Drenalin does either for that matter......I just wanted to shoot it.:)

Last I shot the Bowtech Tomkat and the Ross CR334. The Tomkat had the worst draw of the bunch. It shot well but seemed to "buzz" some. I'm not sure if it was because something was not tight or what, it was a used bow so maybe that had something to do with it.

Finally I shot the Ross CR334, boy is this bow a pleasure to shoot. It was as smooth a draw as I have pulled. I even went as far to to ask the shop owner if it indeed was a 70lb bow. (all bows shot were 70lb maxed out) The grips are small so I thought I would have a problem with that, having large hands but I was amazed at how comfortable and well designed they were. It made it very easy to get a good grip.

The fit and finish on this bow is something to behold. It was the best ofall the bows I looked at. It shot great too, by far the easiest to get used to and I settled in with it in no time. After 5 min. it felt like I had been shooting it for years! It was the best of the bunch, not by much as they all were nice (except for the Tomkat) and I would not hesitate to hunt with any of them.

But when all was said and done, I purchased the Ross CR334.......my first "Brand New" bow ever.After 20 years I think I deserved it.

Thanks for your time.

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

Definitely sounds like you needed a new bow. Congrats!:)

You'll have to get some pics posted up. Theres a thread going right now about our equipment.

BTW: What team did you play for?

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

Congrats on the purchase! Sounds to me like you definitely deserved a new one!

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

Congrats on the new bow! I just got a CR331 for christmas and absolutely love it. Its so smooth, quiet and comfortable.

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

Congratulations on the bow...I too am not prone to buying new,although I could.
Your descission to buy a Ross just proves that most of us get too caught up in the Mathews,Hoyt,Bowteck, etc. hype. There are a few more companies out there that don't get the press they deserve and have GREAT bows. I had a Darton Maverick some years back that I can HONESTLY say was one of the easiest and accurate bows to draw and shoot and wasn't a problem to tune, or keep in tune.
Things that make you go HHHHMMMMMM !!!!

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

I agree. Germ; did you hear this? A new buddy with a Ross!!!!! Watch out at the HNI get together; he'll probably try to hug you.[8D]

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

Congrats on your new bow!
I can't wait to get my paws on my new Ross!

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

BigJ12 congrats!!!I talk to old friend I saw on the Ross page. He knows the designer of the bows and he is a lefty like me. I just order theCardiac well let you know how it shoots. Yes Ross are the smoothes pulling bows out there(IMO)

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

If I am not mistaken, he played for the Broncos

RE: It Had To Happen Sometime!!! (long)
 

Congratulations, John... we should all indulge ourselves a little bit. I think you've deserved it!! And, yes, I definitely remember the "trash can bow"... :)