How good are these bows as far as a hunting bow goes?
I have one coming, It's a 2001 Shadow solo cam.Should be here by the end of the week.

I got it for pretty cheap so I couldn't pass it up. will I be able to get a feel for what Merlin bows are all about by shooting one? I know these are near their lower end of the line but are they comparable?

I've never shot a Shadow but I do have a Lite Storm solo. You've made a great choice. IMO, Merlin provides the most craftsmanship and attention to detail of any bow maker on the market and for competitive prices. Their customer support sets the standard for the industry.
Not sure of the performance specs of the Shadow, it's not on thier web site any more. Based on what you were shooting before you may or may not be impressed by the bow's performance.

Rick

Bearmaster-

The Shadow is a nice bow for the money, but it is by no means comparable to their top of the line stuff. I have a friend that shoots the Shadow for hunting, and likes it alot, the extra brace height is nice, and it gets good speed. They are all late 1999 models, as Merlin no longer builds the Shadow, it has been discontinued along with the Tempest and original Storm. The Lite Storm mentioned above is one of the "new generation" Merlins, and one of their top models as well. If you found it for decent money it is probably one of the better buys on the market. Good shooting, P12

Bearmaster,

I had a Shadow for a while, and my buddy now has it. Even though it is a lower end bow (as far as Merlins go), it is a shooter. I had the single cam one as well, and it shot great for me, even though I seem to prefer 2cam bows.

The bow pulls smoothly and the draw cycle did not seem nearly as harsh as some other 1-cam bows. As far as speed goes -- I shot it at 58# with arrows a little over IBO specs and got 267 fps. Not too bad.

I didn't care for any of the grips that came with the bow and shot it off the riser with tennis wrap around it -- that felt great for me.

The bow shot really well and I never had any flyers or such with it -- tuned up easily and the arrows went right where I was holding the pin.

My buddy was shooting an older Martin bow (Panther, I think, but not sure) and it only took him a couple of times shooting it to want it. His groups shrank the first day he shot it (although, it may have been because I had it set up better than his bow may have been). He took a black bear with it in Ontario earlier this season. He blew right through it with Spitfires on GoldTip arrows, with the bow at 60#.

Thanks guys I appreciate your experience on this. I figure for $135. I couldn't go too wrong. If I don't like it alot I can save it for my oldest son who will be hunting age in the next year or two.