So I am planning on buying a new bow this year. I currently have an older PSE Polaris Express that I bought new in 1996. I love the bow as it is quiet, accurate, and I have killed a lot of deer with it, however I am looking for something new now. My criteria for selecting a bow are as follows.

I want a bow with 36" ATA or shorter, but preferably something in the 30-34" range. I mainly bowhunt, and size and weight are VERY important to me. I would say that I am slightly above average when it comes to shooting form and abilities, I used to shoot 3D in the late 90's with a PSE Baby G and did very well despite the short ATA. The shorter the ATA the better on my new bow, however I do want something that is somewhat forgiving.

I don't want anything with less than a 7 1/2" brace height. Again this will primarily be a recreational bow for hunting, so ultra low brace height is not critical for those extra few FPS. I would rather have a bit more forgiving of a bow.

I want a bow that is capable of 300fps IBO.

I want a bow that can be bought for less than $400 new. I am willing to wait till spring though and maybe buy a 04' leftover, having the newest latest thing out there isn't that important to me because I will probably own this for quite a few years.

I have owned nothing but PSE in the past, however am open to looking at others. I am assuming that my $400 budget will prevent me from getting into a Mathews or Bowtech, but I am not as familiar with their lines as I am with PSE.

The one bow that really gets my attention as of now is the PSE Firestorm Lite Centerfire. I can get one brand new now for $359, and I really like the short ATA and the forgiving 8" brace height, plus the fact that it is in my price range and I am familiar with PSE. My question is how forgiving is this bow? Are people that have this bow finding it hard to adapt to the short ATA? Is is more forgiving than other short ATA bows? I notice that it has an fairly short riser, so I am wondering if it is easy to find yourself canting it a bit by accident?

Anyhow, any other bows that I should look at before I make a decision that fits the criteria listed above?

A Mathews FX sounds right up your alley. Brace Height of 7.5", IBO 308, axle to axle of 34" , and is only 3.3 lbs (the lighest bow Mathews now carries). Also comes with either 65 or 80 % letoff. All this for only $425.00.
I had one a while back and loved it. I decided to upgrade to a better more expensive Mathews a Q2XL and never liked it near as much. This bow has been in the Mathews line longer than any other due to it's value. If your willing to try something other than PSE I'd try the FX. Good luck, Jim