Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

I am trying to shop for my first bow does anybody out there have any recommendations on the bow that I should get?:)

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

onw word mathews

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!

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

bldhound hit the nail on the head. Try lots and don't worry about the name. Go with what works for YOU! Good luck in your search.

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

Archery Research... ... the best bow Today.

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.

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

get a hoyt they are expensive but they are the best bows on the market and it will last you a long time. i recomend the XTEC

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

Right on...Head out to a Pro Shop and shoot them all and see which one feels the best you will know immediately which one you like but shoot them all. If price is a concern just test the ones in your price range or ask about any bows that are used or a trade in. You might just find a bow that is a year or two old. Some guys just have to have all the new toys if you know what I mean.

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

i just bought my first bow a couple of weeks ago i bought a matthews FX set at 28 in draw length and 60 lbs. draw weight i love it so far i cant find anything bad about it.

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

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

The best bow for you is the one that you dedcide fits you. If someone else tells you what bow to get you loose out. Just because I like bowtech does not mean you will. Do you want split limb design? Single or double cam? How heavy should it weigh? What draw weight? What amount of let off? What does the bow feel like when it lets off? Accuracy and forgiveness? I know it's a lot of questions but it's just a start. You should at least be able to answer these when you are looking. Also, check out a sight called www.huntersfriend.com they have a comparason chart you can look at that is rather helpful and other prelimanary information.

Good luck.:)

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

Go trad , recurves are nice .

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

Keep in mind that there is no brand that will make you shoot better. You can buy features, but you cannot buy accuracy. Another thing to consider, is that many people do not discover what they like best in a bow, until they've shot a couple different bows over a period of many months. You may not want to invest too much into your first bow. A change in bows is very likely, if you stick with this, no matter what bow you choose as your first.

The most important thing for a beginner is the proper fit and tuning of their new bow. It pays to go to the shop with the best reputation in your area. Although you won't find any difference in accuracy between brands, you can find a night and day difference between a well-fitted, properly tuned set-up, and one that is not.

Good luck,

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

As several others have stated, do not buy a brand or a model because someone or some article says it is the best!

Buy the bow that feels the most comfortable to you and is within your price range, trust me when I say the fastest bow on the market will do you no good if it does not feel right to you!

I shoot a Browning Ambush, far from the fastest bow on the market, or the most expensive, but it feels like it was made for me! This gives me confidence, as a result I shoot this bow better then any other bow on the market!

Any one on this board will tell you if they are being honest that the best bow in the world is the one you feel comfortable with!

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

Ditto what Taz just said.....

Read my other reply post (the one about archery targets) where I mentioned about shooting a bow into the target "Black Hole". I demo'd a brand new Fred Bear TRX, wicked hot, 302fps, short bow. It felt weird at first, but okay. The letoff was 80%! My bow is 65%. To make a long story short, I don't think I could handle such an advanced, speedy, bow like that. I'm still perfectly content with my old PSE Edge Series 1000C bow. There is just something about how my bow fits me. I guess the old style round wheel dual cam bows have a balance and comfortable feel to them that makes them a classic. I know exactly how well my bow is shooting and how accurate it is. At 41" axle-to-axle, it is big, heavy, but provides confidence and a certain "feel" that I don't get with picking up brand new Martins, Parkers, Hoyt's, etc.... Maybe one of these days, I'll upgrade into a new bow. But for now, I still like shooting my old "workhorse" bow.

Butch A.

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

I love my Mathews but would not recommend it to a first time bow buyer. It does not have an adjustable draw length. The odds of you getting the correct draw length from the start are slim. You will be trying to find your best anchor spot and need a bow you can experiment/play with. Good luck and test shoot a lot and that will show you what you like.

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

Don't listen to anyone that say's this is the only bow or Company to try. Shoot and try as many different brands as you can.

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

I would have to say that if you haven't you need to try a McPherson Edge ...... I think you will be very surprised at what this little machine will do for you but I do agree shoot any bow you can get your hands on and buy what feels good to you

34 " ATA
7 5/8 " Brace height
will shoot a 350 grain arrow @ 70 # around 308

Just my .02

RE: Shopping for my first bow any recommendations?
 

I agree that you should shop around and find what fits you and what feels right. I am partial to Mathews