made my desicion...
 

well you probally know my story of having a older bow in working condition just needs updated and a new string and tuned and would be fine but its big and bulky..my friend got a jennings from somebody on a gun trade i think..he works at a gunshop...he offered it to my dad for 150..the bow is like brand new nice sights with a level on it..all it needs was a stabalizer and thats it..the guy gave him arrows and heads and a case and all...i drew it back today..it was SWEET compared to the bucket of junk in the garage that is about a foot longer axle to axle than my friends...my dad said hed give me money to set the bow up in the garage(no new compnents just what i need and 6 arrows) i think i am going to tell him to keep his money i rather get a nice new bow thats smaller and easier to move with in a tree...i could feel the diffrence just by drawing them both back...no comparision at all...i think im going to look at the browning kit bows...which one would you recomend staying under 400 for the bow and package with all i need to shot except arrows and such?? id really like to stay under 300 but i want a decint set up...so whats in that range of 250-400 completly set up and accesorized and has good parts and is a good bow?? thanx alot...

RE: made my desicion...
 

If you' re looking for a used bow at a reasonable price try ebay. I was on there earlier today and they had some great deals on top of the line Dartons and Hoyt' s. I' d also check with your local pro shop they might have some great deals. Archerytalk.com also has a very good classified section.

RE: made my desicion...
 

Hey mauser06, how old are you. I have a Parker feather mag II that I could give you a good deal on. If you are interested, I can make you a very good deal. It has a Muzzy zero effect rest-Cobra sight -sling-quickie quiver-peep-string loop-limb savers. It is a 60 lb. bow and can be any draw length. I have 27" 80% and 65%-28" and 30 " modules. I think this would make you a much better bow than anything Browning makes. I will take 300.00 for the set up and ship it to you. Don Armstrong

RE: made my desicion...
 

man them seem like good deals...only thing my parents wont let me do a deal like that...nothing person to person over the net...i probally couldnt even get a bow from ebay..my dad will say goto the proshop...i know i can save tons of money...thanx for the offers...i mentioned brownings because i was told on here that they have some of the best package bows and the bows are decint...im open for any recompendations still....thanx also i am 16 in less than a month..but im built bigger than some adults...210lbs 5' 9" or 10..i power lift for fun to blow some steam daily after school..draw weight is not much of an issue and size isnt either..im not sure what draw legnth my friends is i think 30 an it was about an inch to long for me..and was set at 70lbs and it wasnt hard to draw at all...gives you an idea of me and i dont need a kids bow...i have a few months before i buy one so i would love recomendations...i got to get a job when i turn 16 and then save the money and the first thing is boots for spring gobbler than the bow....thanx

RE: made my desicion...
 

Check out PSE, a buddy picked up a nice starter kit from them last year. He loves it, shoots really well with it and even tagged his first mulie with the set up last october. I can' t remember the name, but they change all the time anyway. I think a number of companies will offer what your looking for and price, just get your hands on them and make the choice on feel. (Martin, Jennings, Hoyt, Darton...etc)

RE: made my desicion...
 

check out the Bowtech BlackHawk and TomKat.

www.bowtecharchery.com

RE: made my desicion...
 

Mauser, I was in the same boat as you a couple of years ago. Needed a better bow and not a lot of $.

Found a great deal with a local Champion Bow dealer. Great price and warrenty. Got all set up for under $500.00 with a new bow and all the goodies including 1/2 doz arrows.

RE: made my desicion...
 

Mauser06,

I am going to ask you one question, how much are you willing to spend on an archery outfit?

Archery, for the most part, is " you get what you pay for" . You can pay 180.00 for a PSE Nova or 615.00 for a Hoyt RazorTec. Now, with the PSE, you are getting a 180.00 bow that isn' t anywhere as nice as the Hoyt, in any category. So, my point is you pay for what you get, so, your limitations can' t be too low.

Last year when I was looking for a bow, I wanted to put 500.00 or less into the whole set-up. Well, here is some of the prices....

2002 Hoyt MT Sport 299.95 plus tax
Arrows 79.95
Arrow Rest 69.95
3-D Target 79.99
Stabilizer 38.99
Quiver 24.99
Sight 32.99
Dampeners 45.00
Peep Sight 13.00
Wrist Sling 7.00
Release 35.00
Broadheads 27.00
Field Points 3.00

So, that right there brings my total up to around $775.00

Now, this year I am getting a new bow (2003 BowTech Mighty Mite), after its all said and done, I am going to have roughly 1,160.00 into it. That isn' t what I am going to pay this year (that is including the accessories that I am switching over from my MT Sport).

You have to get ready to put alot of money into it, that is, if you want a good, easy to tune bow.

Kits are good deals, but, I am going to tell you right now, they are terrible in comparrison to the other accessories on the market. Most bow kits come with TM Hunter arrow rests, which aren' t bad, but, I will take my N.A.P. QuickTune 3000 Micro over that TM Hunter any day. Stabilizers on these kits aren' t really dampeners, they are simply to balance the weight. A Simms Modular system is going to give the same balancing but it will reduce shock and noise MUCH MUCH more than any kit stabilizer.

Also, these kits usually come with the cheaper end Tru-Glo sights or ones similar to that. Now, they work, they have bright pins, but, one thing I have found out is that I really don' t like these plastic sights. They may reduce weight, but, they are easy to break, and, you can easily over tighten the sight which will cause you to start stripping out the screw holes. I will rather put a slighty heavier metal sight on my bow that will lasy along time than a slighty lighter sight that I have to be careful with or it will break.


What I am saying throughout all of this is a bow kit has a CHEAP price because it is using CHEAP accessories. If you are serious about getting into archery hunting, and making it your passion, skip the begineer bow. I made that mistake last year with my 2002 Hoyt MT Sport, it was great for last year, but, this year, I wanted something smaller, lighter, faster, smoother, and less hand shock, so, I am dishing out 545.00 for a new bow. Thats close to 900.00 in JUST bows in the past two years.

One other thing, if you have to keep the price down, buy a very inexpensive bow, somewhere in the 200-250.00 dollar range, but, put good accessories on it, buy the best of the best. The accessories are what brings out the performance of your bow. I coudl be shooting a 2003 HoytRazorTec with the cheapest accessories possible, you could be shooting a cheap PSE Nova but have the best accessories possible, and you would probablly shoot better.

If you want a good starter bow, you are gonna have to allow yourself to spend more money than you want. I would say in the 650-750.00 range for everything. If you want a good intermediate bow, I would say be willing to put in 850-950.00 And if you want a top quality bow that will last you a lifetime, be willing to put in 1,000-1,300.00.


Now, you need to prioritize. Here is what I would say is a list of the most important gear

1. Arrow Rest
2. Dampeners (Stabilizer, string leech' s, limb savers)
3. Bow
4. Sight
5. Wrist Sling
6.Release
7.Arrows
8.Broadheads
9.Peep Sight
10. Target

Now, this will differ for every person, but, I believe the arrow rest is the most important thing on the bow. If you have a junky arrow rest, you are never ever going to get optimal arrow flight. You are going to want a arrow rest that will be easy to adjust, is built strong, has a good reputation, ect...


Okay, right now I am going to " build you a setup" using prices from www.eders.com

Bow- Martin Tracer Mag $299.00 (32 1/4" axle to axle length, 3.5 lbs, 7 3/8" brace height, 26" -31" draw length, 50#-60#-70# draw weight, IBO speed of 298 f.p.s.

Arrows- Easton Carbon Excel $54.95 per dozen

Wrist Sling- Paradox Camo Braided Wrist Sling $6.50

Broadheads- N.A.P. Thunderheads $29.95 per six

Cable Guard- Simms Virgin Teflon Cable Slide $12.95

Limb Savers- Simms Solid Limb Limb Savers $14.95

String Silencers- Simms String Leech' s $8.95

Cable Dampeners- Simms Cable Stop Dampeners $8.95

Peep Sight- Game Tracker Dusk Vision Peep $9.18

Quiver- Kwikee Combo Kwiver $24.99

Release- Tru-Fire Patriot $18.95

Arrow Rest- N.A.P. QuickTune 3000 Micro Arrow Rest $64.99

Sight- Toxonics Commando $34.95

Stabilizer- Doinker 4" Silent Hunter $34.95

Target- Morrel Carbon Deluxe $38.95

Thats EVERYTHING you need to get shooting and get ready for season, the total there is $663.16 You could shave that down some, but, you are looking at around $650.00

Now, the set-up that I just described is a HIGH quality low end bow that will keep up with bows double its price. You get good carbon arrows, but, they are 30.00 less than most others. Good broadheads, great arrow rest, the dampeners you need, a great and tough sight, a good stabilizer, a nice quiver, and, a good regular target. If you want a 3-D target add about 40.00 on to the total.

Now, this system I just described would be top quality, everything is very high quality. And, if you were looking at a bow package, it would only be 150-200.00 less, but, with what I just described, you get a dozen arrows (most bow kits only give you six), you get a release (most bow kits don' t include a release), you get all the dampeners (most bow kits don' t include these), you get high quality products where most kits are made of low quality parts, you get broadheads (bow kits don' t include these), you get a target (bow kits don' t include). So, if you actually think about it, you are still going to have to pay 38.95 for a target, 18.95 for a release, roughy 25.00 for another half dozen arrows, 29.95 for broadheads, and dampeners will add up to another 45.80. So, that right there is another 158.65. So, lets say your bow kit is 399.99, after you get the other things you need, you are up $558.64. Now, for another $100.00 (a week of work), you can get a better bow, with better accessories.

Well, this is long enough, I hope it helped.

RE: made my desicion...
 

i get what your saying buck magnet..i really cant afford buying a new bow every year because i want to save for a truck(whole reason of getting a job)..i think i will find a good low end bow like you said and put the best stuff on it and have a bow that will work great for me for a long while until i can upgrade to a better bow....i think that will save me money in the long run...and i want a newer truck so im probally going to take a loan out for it anyway..all i need is a decint downpayment...which by the time im ready to truck shop wont be until september or so so i will be ok...thanx..i will start looking for a bare bow that i think looks good from what you told me last time....

RE: made my desicion...
 

Mauser6,

Look into a bow called Champion, it has a lifetime warranty and shoots great. I have recommended to several friends and they love it. I believe it was rated the best value bow in Bow Hunting Magazine last year. I forgot to mention, the price range is between $250-$300 new. I will most likely buy one as a back-up bow for when I travel, because you never know what can happen.

Thanks and good hunting!!
jt