Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
07-22-2004, 01:07 AM
#3
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Seattle
Posts: 1,049
RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
Deer,
Go to a pro shop that has as many different brands of bows you can find. Shoot them all then go to another shop & shoot all the ones they didn't have, do so until you find the one you like the best. The bow you should get is the one you like the best!
Go to a pro shop that has as many different brands of bows you can find. Shoot them all then go to another shop & shoot all the ones they didn't have, do so until you find the one you like the best. The bow you should get is the one you like the best!
07-22-2004, 09:29 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Onamia,MN.
Posts: 1,375
RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
Don't get a super short bow because it will be less forgiving as will a bow with less brace height.Look for something at least 34" axle to axle with a brace height of at least 7".A 50-60 pounder will be plenty to shoot just about anything unless you're goin' huntin' for something really big like grizzly or buffalo.
07-25-2004, 02:07 PM
#8
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Oxford, CT USA
Posts: 453
RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
Go to a pro shop that has as many different brands of bows you can find. Shoot them all then go to another shop & shoot all the ones they didn't have, do so until you find the one you like the best. The bow you should get is the one you like the best!
07-25-2004, 05:02 PM
#10
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
It would all depend on what you are looking for in a bow, or what you want to do with it. Other considerations would be price and your size. If you are a really big guy, I would shy away from the real little bows. If your small like me, it doesn't make that much of a difference. Long draw lengths and short axle to axle's are a bit tricky to shoot well.
Is this your first bow? If so I would say get something affordable that is forgiving to shoot. It will be easier to learn to shoot well. The most important thing is finding a good shop that will set the bow up right and make sure it fits you. A good shop will not try to sell you the most expensive bow on the rack, unless you ask for it. They will try to sell you the best bow for you and your needs.
I recently purchased a bowtech, but I looked at a few other bows first. I shot one that was very impressive indeed. It's the new Hoyt Ultra Sport. It is a very forgiving bow in that it has decent axle to axle, not a lot of reflex, good brace height and very smooth drawing cams. Not to mention it's very affordable and fairly fast as well. The one I looked at was around $350, but I found one at another shop afterward for like 290 something. Or the Ultra mag, I think it's pretty much the same bow with better limbs on it. Costs about 50 or 60 dollars more if I remember correctly. I came really close to buying this bow, but got a bowtech mighty might instead for almost twice the money? I don't always do the wisest things. I just realy liked the bowtech is all. Sometimes that's what it boils down to in the end.
Right down these things in the order of importance to YOU and take them with you to the shop when you look for a bow.
Price
Size- (do you want a short light bow to shoot out of a ground blind, or a longer heavier more stable bow that will possibly be easier to shoot well)
Forgiveness- (how easy the bow will be to shoot. Reflex geometry, axle to axle, cam type, grips, draw weight, brace height, and draw length will all factor into this.)
Speed- (most bows today are plenty fast enough for normal sized archers, but some want every last FPS they can get. Are you one of them? Speed normally comes as a trade off in the form of shootability and forgiveness.)
Feel ( How does the bow "feel" in your hands or when you draw it. Different people like different things. I prefere very slim grips and single cam draw cycles with lots of lett off, some like meatier grips and a smooth draw with a lower let off. Try them and see what you like. Also pay attention to how the bow balances in your hand, although this can be fixed by adding things to the bow.
And lastly, looks- You could have the best shooting bow in the world, but if you don't lik the looks of it or can't stand the sight of it you most likely won't be very happy with it. Then next year you will be doing this all over again.
Also pay attention to how the bow feels when you shoot it. Does it vibrate, jump a lot, or is it loud. Try shooting them with your eyes closed (get close to the target for this). This is a good way to get the feel for a bow. You notice things you wouldn't notice when aiming or with your eye's open. And really strive to shoot a bow that is set up for your demensions. Get them to adjust the draw length and poundage to fit you first. Bows feel much better when set up to fit you. I have shot bows that I thought had really bad draw cycles at longer draw lengths, but when I shot the same bow at my draw length and a lower poundage they were pretty good.
Don't worry too much if you find a bow that you like and it jumps or makes a bit of noise. These things can be fixed with Simms products and string silencers. Limb savers, a good stab and string silencers can make a world of difference on a bow. However if your looking for the most recoil free and really quiet bow, look at the mathews and upper end hoyts. They are dead in your hand when you shoot them bone stock. They are not real cheap however. Plan on spending $600 and up for the bare bow.
Another thing to consider as far as price goes. If this is your first bow it will be expensive no matter how you go about it. If you don't have any thing to begin with there are a lot of extras other than just the bow. You are going to most likely need a release, arrows, sights, rest, target. And other trinkets like stabilizer, sling, limb savers, string silencers and stuff like that, if the bow didn't already come with some of it. You could look into some of the bow packages that include some of this with the bow. Parker, Hoyt, Pse, Bowtech and others offer them on most of thier entry level and better bows. And don't be conned into believing you have to spend close to a thousand dollars for a good bow. You can get a very shootable and dependable bow for around 250 or 300 dollars. No one really makes a "bad" bow right now. Some just have better features is all, and some are just flat out too much money.
The most important thing is that the bow fits you and you shoot it correctly. A really good pro shop for support doesn't hurt either. I would spend an extra hundred dollars on a bow if I knew it was coming from a good trustworthy shop that could help me when I needed it. As a matter of fact I did
.
Good luck,
Paul
Is this your first bow? If so I would say get something affordable that is forgiving to shoot. It will be easier to learn to shoot well. The most important thing is finding a good shop that will set the bow up right and make sure it fits you. A good shop will not try to sell you the most expensive bow on the rack, unless you ask for it. They will try to sell you the best bow for you and your needs.
I recently purchased a bowtech, but I looked at a few other bows first. I shot one that was very impressive indeed. It's the new Hoyt Ultra Sport. It is a very forgiving bow in that it has decent axle to axle, not a lot of reflex, good brace height and very smooth drawing cams. Not to mention it's very affordable and fairly fast as well. The one I looked at was around $350, but I found one at another shop afterward for like 290 something. Or the Ultra mag, I think it's pretty much the same bow with better limbs on it. Costs about 50 or 60 dollars more if I remember correctly. I came really close to buying this bow, but got a bowtech mighty might instead for almost twice the money? I don't always do the wisest things. I just realy liked the bowtech is all. Sometimes that's what it boils down to in the end.
Right down these things in the order of importance to YOU and take them with you to the shop when you look for a bow.
Price
Size- (do you want a short light bow to shoot out of a ground blind, or a longer heavier more stable bow that will possibly be easier to shoot well)
Forgiveness- (how easy the bow will be to shoot. Reflex geometry, axle to axle, cam type, grips, draw weight, brace height, and draw length will all factor into this.)
Speed- (most bows today are plenty fast enough for normal sized archers, but some want every last FPS they can get. Are you one of them? Speed normally comes as a trade off in the form of shootability and forgiveness.)
Feel ( How does the bow "feel" in your hands or when you draw it. Different people like different things. I prefere very slim grips and single cam draw cycles with lots of lett off, some like meatier grips and a smooth draw with a lower let off. Try them and see what you like. Also pay attention to how the bow balances in your hand, although this can be fixed by adding things to the bow.
And lastly, looks- You could have the best shooting bow in the world, but if you don't lik the looks of it or can't stand the sight of it you most likely won't be very happy with it. Then next year you will be doing this all over again.
Also pay attention to how the bow feels when you shoot it. Does it vibrate, jump a lot, or is it loud. Try shooting them with your eyes closed (get close to the target for this). This is a good way to get the feel for a bow. You notice things you wouldn't notice when aiming or with your eye's open. And really strive to shoot a bow that is set up for your demensions. Get them to adjust the draw length and poundage to fit you first. Bows feel much better when set up to fit you. I have shot bows that I thought had really bad draw cycles at longer draw lengths, but when I shot the same bow at my draw length and a lower poundage they were pretty good.
Don't worry too much if you find a bow that you like and it jumps or makes a bit of noise. These things can be fixed with Simms products and string silencers. Limb savers, a good stab and string silencers can make a world of difference on a bow. However if your looking for the most recoil free and really quiet bow, look at the mathews and upper end hoyts. They are dead in your hand when you shoot them bone stock. They are not real cheap however. Plan on spending $600 and up for the bare bow.
Another thing to consider as far as price goes. If this is your first bow it will be expensive no matter how you go about it. If you don't have any thing to begin with there are a lot of extras other than just the bow. You are going to most likely need a release, arrows, sights, rest, target. And other trinkets like stabilizer, sling, limb savers, string silencers and stuff like that, if the bow didn't already come with some of it. You could look into some of the bow packages that include some of this with the bow. Parker, Hoyt, Pse, Bowtech and others offer them on most of thier entry level and better bows. And don't be conned into believing you have to spend close to a thousand dollars for a good bow. You can get a very shootable and dependable bow for around 250 or 300 dollars. No one really makes a "bad" bow right now. Some just have better features is all, and some are just flat out too much money.
The most important thing is that the bow fits you and you shoot it correctly. A really good pro shop for support doesn't hurt either. I would spend an extra hundred dollars on a bow if I knew it was coming from a good trustworthy shop that could help me when I needed it. As a matter of fact I did
.Good luck,
Paul
