Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Soo this weekend i decided to start my hunt for a new bow! Now im a broke college student, so this is probably the last new bow i get for a while [:@]so I wanted to make sure it counts! So heres the bows i shot and my meaningless impressions of them :).

Bowtechs: The Admiral was a nice bow, as most bowtechs it had great fit and finish and was a sharp looking piece of equipment! The draw wasnt so hot though, just my preference, however that thing shot smooth as silk! Next I shot the captain, its a little big for my taste but I really liked it! I felt the draw was nicer than the admirals and the release was just as good if not better! Plus I happen to think its the best looking bow out there!!

Diamonds: The iceman was a prettty nice bow as well, shot nice, draw was okay, just overall not my ideal bow. The diamond i was most impressed with was the black ice! I loved the draw on that bow and it was pretty darn smooth! Maybe not quite as impressive at the shot as the admiral, but it just felt great in my hands overall! I also shot the stud, a pretty nice bow for the price, I'd say it was similar to the black ice, just imo not quite the same fit and smoothness!!

Ross: I was pumped to shoot the carnivore after all the great things i'd heard, but after shooting it I really wasnt all that impressed! If was a nice bow for sure, but in all honestly I felt the cardiac was smoother!! Dont get me wrong this ross's were GREAT bows! Especially for the price! I did like the cardiac a lot, but to me the carnivore was a disappointment! I know im probably the only person you'll hear say this, but what do i know, im just a broke 20 yr old :)

Mathews: Now ive never shot a mathews before this weekend so this was new to me! First I started with the hyperlite. Talk about a SMALL BOW! It felt like a toy in my hands! Those limbs couldnt be much more than in inchwide! But to my surprised she seemed to be a pretty nice shooting bow! Nothing special but for someone looking for the smallest bow possible this is worth shooting!! Next i shot the Reezen 6.5. Overall I liked it! The draw was aggressive, but very manageable and you could tell that thing was fast! The shorter brace height didnt bother me and i didnt really notice and difference between that and the reezen 7.0. Now here are my two complaints: First off I hated the mathews grips! just preference of course but i felt like a was shooting a 2x4! And secondly I felt the Reezen was top heavy and almost wanted to lean forward...I wasnt used to it but i could see that maybe helping stability? Either way its not my cup of tea! Lastly I shot the MONSTER! I now know why its called the monster too! The draw on that thing is beyond aggressive!! I usually shoot 71 or 72, and i shot the monster at 70 and whew was that a doozy!!! However the shot itself was as smooth and steady as ive ever felt!!! Again I hated the grip and it had a very similar feeling to the reezen, but it was definately a shooter!! and FAST!!!

Hoyts: Now ima bowtech guy...or so i thought! I do have an older hoyt magnatech, not a hugefan but it is what it is! The only hoyt Ive shot this year was the AM32. I am no longer a "bowtech guy". Of course its all about opinions and preference, but im my eyes that bow was perfect. It simply had the best draw ive ever felt! In fact i'd say I could probably draw that bow without really stressing myself at 80#s! There was really nothing about this bow that did not impress me! I couldnt put the thing down!! So as of right now this is atop my list!!

Overall my top 3 were:
1. AM32 (ahead by a long shot)
2. Black Ice
3. Reezen 6.5 (captain is a very close 4th, but a tad bit too big!)

However im waiting for the air raid and the alien x before I make up my mind :D So that wraps up my live story haha :)

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Sounds like you had a fun day. (Any day that involves shooting bows is a good one)

From everything I've heard, this may be the smartest thing you could do. I took the plunge and ordered one sight unseen.;)

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Haha well i was tempted :)...but after shooting that hoyt, that air raid better be something really special :D

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Thanks for the reviews.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

I just purchased a PSE "Brute", i am pretty satisfied with the bow.The bow itself was around 400$ I got some gold tip arrows along with the bow it shoots pretty quick. The only thing bad was that the bow was making exsessive noise when i shot. I brought it in and there was a loose nut somewhere in the cam. But overall it is a good bow. But ive heard good things about matthews and hoyts.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Yeah I may give PSE a shot too, but there really arent any dealers close at all, and i know my local shop isnt too familiar with them, so i wanna stick with something a little more common in the area :D

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Great write up. There are so many good/great bows on the market now, you really have to shoot a bunch of them to find your perfect bow. I hate the posts that ask what is the best bow, or those post that bash a bow. Take Matthews, I feel the same way you do about their grip and always have. However, some really like that big grip, so it makes for a great bow for them, they are shooters for sure. I have the AM32 and I love it, which is strange because I have always hated shorter ATA bows in the past, but this thing is just a great shooter. Good luck in your search, I am sure you find the perfect bow for you.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

I agree completely! Hence the reason you have so many different bows yet many have very similar performance!! Evenmy local dealer said price isnt everything! Just because a bow costs 850 doesnt mean its anybetter than a bow that costs 600! Its all about what feels right more than anything else :D

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Nice report........i shoot a Ross Cr331........Awesome bow ...love it.. have nothing but great things to say about how Andy Ross produced quality bows he just lacked a good business sense. On ebay I see the Cr331 going for $299......I paid $599 when I bought it new. So if your strapped for cash check out ebay and search Ross Archery.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Im all for ebay but I like to buy bows locally :)Plus I'd feel horrible walking into the bow shop im at every weekend with a brand new bow that i didnt buy from them! I personally was a little disappointed but the carnivore, but i did like the cardiac a lot! Honestly it seemed like it had a nicer draw than the carnivore with the krank :eek:but thats just me :D

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

I drew the carnivore the other night at bass pro. I was not happy with the draw at all. My guardian is way smoother. Don't forget to check elite's lineup out. They are sweet.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Actually I think im going to do that :DI just checked and theres an elite dealer about 14 miles from my house! Wednesday sounds good haha :)I dont know a whole lot about them though but ill definately look into it some more!

Anyone have any input on the Elites as compared to AM32 or black ice? (im not asking what is best just similarities/differences and maybe features...that sorta thing ;))

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

I would also take a look at an Elite GT 500. I have shot this bow and am waiting to shoot an Air Raid myself..

Shane

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Y did u not shot a pse

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Now Ben, the guy is telling about an INTELLIGENT day of shooting, and states he's gonna wait to shoot a couple bows before he pulls the trigger, and you commend that as SMART, then make the "ordered one sight unseen" statement???? It seems like a bit of a contradiction in terms.

For what it's worth, I think I shot those bows, because that is about exactly what I'd say as far as the top two bow that I've shot in the last few years, and you described some of the bows down to a "T" the way I might have. Good Luck with whichever you decide on, they're all GOOD bows, some are just...uh-cough-hoyt...cough...., :D BETTER. I like the Black Ice enough that I've shot one 3 different places, just to kill time, and I've shot the AM35 and AM 32 twice.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

Killzone: Im personally not really a pse fan, I did look at a few today and really didnt like them enough to shoot, they just didnt feel right!

UPDATE: Today myself and a buddy headed out to a different bowshop, specifically one that carrys Elites...I only shot the Z28, but i will likely shoot thegt500 too,but WOW!

I thought the alphamax was smooth! The z28 blew my mind! Though its slighty heavier than the am, its not by enough that I care, I think it probably matched or surpassed it in every aspect! The grips were both great, but the draw on the elite, man was it nice! After I shot it the first time I said to the tech, "Whats this set at 60? Or is it even lower?" (keep in mind this is after shooting a reezen, monster, and am32 in the past 10 minutes). When he said it was cranked all the way up and it was a 70lb bow, i literally made him put it on the draw scale...and i'll be damned it was 70 lbs! As far as the shot itself goes...if I didnt pull the release I wouldntve even known it happened! In all honesty it was probably the quietest bow ive heard, and i dont think there was even a hint of hand shock or vibration!! I didnt know much about the elites but it seemed fast, when i got home and looked up the ibo speed I was even more impressed! So as of right now, I think this is my top choice:D!

Now dont get me wrong, that alpha max is one hell of a bow! Ultimately, it the air raid isnt what I hope im going to set these bows up completely and shoot them side by side and make my choice...but that z28 really did exceed every expectation I had!!! Additionally at this particular shot, the z28 and the am32 were both marked at $799! Im not sure what the going rate is on those elites, but an identical am32 at another shop close by was $760...either way I want the stupid air raid to come out, because the money is burning a hole through my pocket and it was EXTREMELY difficult not to leave with that elite today! :D

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

My feelings are i could take anyone of them and make them "feel' right. I don't care for the way people set up a bow. Truthfully I don't think they know anymore than how to put them together. Best to know what you want and get the model that has it and go from there. Kind of like getting a rock and creating a diamond.

I had a Harley once and put it in perfect time, I've never heard one since then in perfect time. You can do the same with a bow.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

If thats the case then then why not just get the best looking one? Im not trying to argue, I just slightly disagree. If youre going to tune it yourself and what not, why not just start with the one that already feels the best? Then tune it up and it'll be even better than the others right? ;) Just my point of view!

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

I have hada Black Ice for 2 years now. I have put an STS on it. I still like it. I have tried the Elite GT500 at 60lb and my Black Ice at 69 lbs. seems smoother and easier to pull back. I tried the Mathews DXT at 70lb. nice bow similar feel to the Black Ice but I did not care for the grip or the grips you can get for it. I tried the Reezen (Same DXT Grip)and it is an agressive draw like the GT500 in my opinion. I am sticking with the black Ice, the new Black Ice comes "In Velvet" with a built in STS. I havn't really tried the Hoyts but my hunting partner from NY just bought a Katera after trying many of the bowsI mentioned. He is left handed soI didn't shoot it. I know it is not as fast (My hunting rig shoots a 403 grain arrow 278 fps @ 30 inches) as the aggressive draw speed bows but the Black Ice is hard to put down for now.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

I own a Alphamax and think it'sa pretty good bow. I shot a 08.5 Z28 for the first time last Friday. Bought it on the spot. Awesome bow. First impression is that I like it better than the AM. There's a guy on AT selling them brand new for a good price.

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

I checked it out but i couldnt find it over there, Ill probably buy it from the local shop though, just because I like having somebody there in person if something goes wrong :D. They are pretty fairly priced anyways, plus they'll set everything up for me :) I cant wait to go shoot it again, because i've been having dreams about the damn thing hahah ;). Now stupid bowtech needs to hurry up with the damn air raid so I can buy something!!!

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

i am waiting on the new bowtech Air Raid.....i have heard some great things about this thing and it very well might be my next one

RE: Shot some bows this weekend! My feelings....
 

As have I :D I'll probably shoot the alien x this week, but my expectations for the air raid are much higher! I am still in awe of that z28 and if bowtech doesnt get my shop the air raid in the next month, elite is getting their business! ;) Ive heard the air raid is just like the admiral, but lighter with a better draw! And the draw is really what i didnt like about it! We shall see though...maybe :eek: