Need input
 

Good Morning from NC everyone, bear with me since I am new to the Archery scene. Since the latest 2nd Amendment craze boomed and ammo is getting scarce I have decided to bring my family's old Recurve out of the closet, not sure who made it, there are not any stickers on it, it shoots well just need to practice more but I would like to step up and move to a compound, I have found a handful on Craigslist that are ready to shoot ( all the bells and whistles ) my question to you more experienced Archers is which bow holds up to the test of time. The ones I am down to are Hoyt, PSE and Martin. I plan to test fire and I know you get what you pay for just looking for some input.

Thanks for your time.

PSE and Hoyt are both great brands, the way technology has been every year in the archery industry I would go with something that was built in the lady few yeas. Keep in mind that they recommend that you change your bowstrings every 2 years and even more often then that for the avid shooter. So if you find a used bow that is a few years old with the stock string on it keep it in mind you might have the extra expense of replacing the set of strings.

Martin are good bows as well. I have purchased 2 new ones in the last 5 years. Their customer service is second to none in my experience with them. All the companies out there usually do a good job with taking care of their customers. That said, make sure to visit an archery shop to confirm what draw length and bow poundage you can comfortably handle before purchasing a bow. Also, if looking at used bows, make sure to look them over very well or have someone more experienced with compounds check them over for you. Good luck. HD.

If you are new to archery, do yourself a favor and buy a bow from a pro shop. They should have used ones as well.

First of all, you have no idea if the bow on CL fits your physique. Plus you'll have to pay a shop to adjust it anyway unless you know someone with a bow press.

Secondly, although you'll pay more, you'll be paying for expertise, experience, and help to make sure the bow fits you. Any good pro shop will strive to make you a happy customer.

Is it fair to ask: as a new archer, how did you cull your list down to Martin, pse, and Hoyt?

I use to own a Martin and my brother had a PSE. Both were decent bows but we tried a Mathews and the other two bows couldn't compare. Not to say that PCE or Martin doesn't have good models. It's just the two we had weren't even close. like everyone has said, go to a pro shop and get set up. The extra you will spend will be worth the time and effort.

More than likely, those are the ones he found on craigslist.

Naturally, it just made it sound like be has culled some others off of the list. I was just curious if it was because those are the models he found on Craigslist, within his price range, and the pictures looked good. As we all know, bows are super subjective, so it always makes me itch a little when a new archer says they have narrowed their list down to certain brands, basically making certain decisions they might not be ready to make about what bow is right for them.

Here's a prime example, I've been bow hunting and off and on dabbling in competitive archery for over a decade. I'm not a Mathews fan by and large, BUT I absolutely love my Mathews monster. If I wouldn't have test fired it because I wasn't considering Mathews, I would have missed out on a great bow that agrees with me very well.

My advice to any new bow hunter is to try every bow you can get your hands on that meets your specs (weight, length, speed), even if you don't think you are seriously interested in buying it.

Shoot as many bows as you can before buying one! Its just like dating.. check out as many as you can before settling down with one ;)

I wouldn't consider myself a PSE fan due to the fact that I've shot and owned one PSE. That's my current bow. I do absolutely love the bow but as far as the brand, I have no idea. It is a PSE Bowmadness. I have been a owner of and shot a few bowtechs and I am a fan of them. My next bow will probably be a bowtech.

@ nomercy... I cut it down by reading numerous reviews and those 3 rose to the top in almost all the reviews so I figured I would listne to the experienced archers and cut out the trial and error stages.