What bow for me???
 

If I sell the X force, what bow will give decent speed, say 280's with a 26" draw @ 70# 365 gr arrow?? I want something smooth, and fun to shoot, but has good huntability.... I open ears!!!

RE: What bow for me???
 

Elite GTO, Elite Synergy Xtreme, Bowtech Airborne's,BT Allegiance, Hoyt Katera,HCA Speed Force, HCA Iron Mace and a few others.

Out of those choices, I'd look at the Airbornes, Katera, and my favorite is the GTO.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Matt, we don't have an Elite GTO dealer here anywhere. I held one the Katera's, didn't feel good, but I did not shoot it, the BT ally and tribute interest me a lot. What you think about them??

RE: What bow for me???
 

The 101st is sweet! The first time i shoot it i fell in love with it. Very smooth draw, almost no viabration with pleanty of speed.

RE: What bow for me???
 

give a long look at the '08 bear line

RE: What bow for me???
 

What part of Virginia do you live in?


Also, what didn't you like about the Katera? It's on of the better bows I've held this year.


The reason your considering selling the XForce is because you're having trouble shooting it, right?

The most forgiving option for you is probably the Bowtech 101st.

The Tribute and Allegiance are great bows, the Allegiance is probably one of the better hunting bows of the century, I prefer the Ally over the Tribute. Just because I'm not much of a fan of shorter bows, if it were up to me, I'd have a longer hunting bow. But you know the situation with the Cardiac, and it shoots great. If I were choosing a new hunting bow, other than the Cardiac, I'd be shooting the Airborne's, Katera XL, and the Mossy Oak X. I'd be choosing between those. All of those bows are great bows with good speed, not to mention a good ATA length.

RE: What bow for me???
 

I agree it's a great bow, but I wouldn't describe the draw as smooth.

RE: What bow for me???
 

He's not getting 280's out of any of the Bear lineup, with the setup he described. ;)

RE: What bow for me???
 

true, but they are still very smooth and shoot fast for being that much cheaper.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Really? Ifeel the 101 has a VERY smooth draw. To me, i felt that it had a smother draw than the gaurdian. But that's just me.

RE: What bow for me???
 

I would take a look a the Diamond Marquis. Fast (within the range you described depending on your draw length/weigh and all other factors) Smooth, quiet. And just an over all great!

RE: What bow for me???
 

Well let me give yall the run down. I have an 07 X Force 6" brace it shoots a 365 gr arrow @ 73# for 295 fps. this is a 26" draw length!! So what bow can get me in the 280's range and still be forgiving and smooth?? I liked what heard about the Ally, I like what I here about the Katera, but it too has the 6 " brace, isn't this what's causing the rough draw cycle?? Matt I live 20 minutes south of Richmond.

RE: What bow for me???
 

I'd have to agree based on the numerous reviews I've heard, and MOhunter, I have an OLD Browning with 50% let-off that is smooth compared to the GUARDIAN!!! I've shot just about every production bow I could get my hands on in the last 2 yrs, and the GUARDIAN had the harshest draw cycle of any of them.

Landon,
Maybe rather than chasing speed, you should focus more on what feels good to you. If you really need speed, the Allegiances I shot felt really nice, and were pretty fast set-ups, but speed isn't everything. The BH isn't what gives you the "HARSH" draw cycle though, it's in the CAMS and LIMBS. I think the CENTER pivot is what made the GUARDIAN seem so HARSH to me, because it's cams aren't that much unlike the Allegiance that I could tell, but the draw certainly felt less appealing. The 82nd and 101st both have very harsh cams, but if you can get used to them, they would maybe be ok. The BH does have a good deal to do with the forgiveness of a bow though. Check out this link and it will explain a little more....http://www.huntersfriend.com/bowselection.htm

Hope some of that helps and makes things easier to understand, and by my guestimation, the ALLEGIANCE would put you in that range you're looking for.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Just going off of what I looked at this year for a new bow

PSE----xforce, shot nice, had a bit of hand shock, but settled down after putting a string suppressor on it, little leary about the short brace height

PSE----Dream Season, didn't like this one as much as the xforce, shot it side by side with a 101st airborne, paled in comparison

Hoyt-----Katera shot it side by side with the xforce, didn't compare well, lot of hand shock, pulled differently in a negative way for me, and felt like it weighed a ton

Matthews----DXT/S2 DXT had a lot of hand shock, compared to the S2, but both nice bows, liked the S2 more so out of the two, also shot a Mission Journey, not up to snuff compared to either of the the mathews

Limbaver---- Deadzone, didn't like the grip and seemed to pull harder than all the other bows I shot, had problems patterning the arrow in my test shots

Bowtech----82nd/101st I liked the 82nd more so than the 101st, the 82nd seemed smoother and quieter, little put off by the short brace height on the 82nd and really didn't like the long ATA on both bows, was looking for something a bit shorter in my new bow, also didn't really like the string suppressor that is built into the bow, the design of the string falling into the little valley as opposed to a flat surface, well, looked like it could be an issue, also didn't like how it was in my field of view, granted I wasn't looking through a peep, but its all about initial impressions. (this also was taken into consideration for the General)

Bowtech----Guardian really liked this bow, the hand shock was nil, but the valley was short and not something that I really wanted to experience in the woods, speed was nice, not as fast as some but a nice bow

Bowtech----General great shooting bow, the short ATA made me pause and consider, probably could have overlooked this if it was a bit faster bow, didn't shoot it with the speed mods,

Bowtech----Allegiance good brace height, right where I wanted to be for ATA, little bit of hand shock but should be a quick fix with a string suppressor, pulled like a dream, good valley and the speed felt better than the General/Guardian

Diamond---- Marquis, didn't like the feel of the solo cam, seemed to jump after the shot, otherwise a nice bow but didn't hold up compared to the other Bowtechs

Elite----Wanted to shoot a GTO, but they were moving out of the shop as fast as he could get them in, shot a couple other elites, dont recall the names, but did not like either of the two I shot when compared to the Bowtechs in the shop, so they dropped off of my 'want' list pretty quick


I ended up putting an order in for a Allegiance, (70lbs,smooth mods, with loop thinking about a 27.5 DL) hoping it will be coming into the shop in the next week or so, it wasn't the fastest, shortest, longest, heaviest, lightest, etc..... seemed like the best compromise out of all the bows that I shot, hoping that it will hold up as well as my old Hoyt Magenetec.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Doug, I like Hunter's friend it's a great place for info. Do you think the 280's is fast?? I thought that was pretty medium for hunting bow. I don't want to jump the gun b/c I don't know if I will even sell the X force, have not seen money yet. But if I do sell it, I want something that will fly pretty quick, it doesn't have to blaze, just be quick. I shoot 295 now and that's more than enough. Im willing to sacrafice some speed, but go down to say...250-260 fps. I want to shoot my pull weight at 70# I ve been shooting this comfortably for 15 yrs now and it doesn't feel awkward. I would like to shoot several bows, but I want to eliminate ones that don't meet my expectations. The X force is a great bow, it's just hard and not smooth like some of the other bows out there. I have been back and forth about this bow, but in the endI was quite successful last season and won't cry if I have it for another season.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Take that first one on the list:D

RE: What bow for me???
 

Wiaxle, I appreciate the input!! I liked the 07 Ally a lot, don't know if the 08 is any different acccept the brace is longer I believe. Should I go with the smooth mods with any bow I choose??

RE: What bow for me???
 

If I am wrong on this, I apologize, but it was my understanding the only difference on the 07 vs 08 is the invelvet finish and black cams on the 08.

As for smooth mod vs fast mod, I went with the smooth, that is what I shot at the shop and I liked the way that bow shot, maybe next year I will look at picking up some speed mods and see how that feels, if it isn't for me, it is still alot cheaper than a new bow, and it will be easier to sneak that bill past the little lady.......only took 3-4 years of threatening to get a new bow to get her used to the idea that I was going to be getting a new bow soon ;)

RE: What bow for me???
 

Vabowman, the brace height has NOTHING to do with the draw cycle. The draw cycle is determined by how the cables run on the cam.

RE: What bow for me???
 

It would be a special order thing but ask your nearest Bowtech dealer to inquire about anEQUALIZER with 70 pound limbs. They can and will do special order limbs on other bows I am sure they could do it with the equalizer as well.

Even with 60 pound limbs and a 26" draw you should be able to get a 350 grain arrow to do about270ish, maybe slightly slower depending on what you put on the string.

RE: What bow for me???
 

I will second the Diamond Marquis suggestion. It is a fantastic bow if you are looking for a smooth drawing single cam bow. It's pretty quick too, for as easy a draw it has! Do yourself a favor and shoot one before you buy!

I got mine with a 29" draw length, and at 65#. It was shooting a 377 grain arrow at 295 fps. If you crank up the weight and shorten the dl, plus shoot a lighter arrow, I'd have to believe that you'd easily be shooting in the 280's! Oh yeah, it does this with a 7" brace height.

Oh yeah, it runs $100 to $200 less than some of those other bows.... Check out the package you can get from hunter's friend. That's where I got mine, and I saved about 200 over Bass Pro...

RE: What bow for me???
 

I'm not necessarily thinking 280 is fast, that's about what I'm getting out of my Trykon XL at 29 (really 29.25") at 70#, shooting a 415gr total weight arrow. It's smooth quiet, and hits pretty hard. This is with a little weight on the string, and a tubed peep. What I'm meaning is that a little slower rig USUALLY feels better, not only on the draw, but also on the release. That being said, I really did like the Allegiance, and it's capable of the speeds you're asking for, plus a nice shooting bow. The Allegiance is not changed for 2008 as far as specs go, same IBO rating, same BH and ATA. So if you like the 07, you'll probably like the 08, too.

RE: What bow for me???
 

I need to also go back state that if I can find a bow that is just sweet to tthe touch and it shoots in the 270's Im fine with it. I have realized that What I want to shoot is a 365 gr arrow at 70# with any bow, and i realize that most bows won't do what the X force does for me, but I think my problem is the 6" brace. It is soo hard to get used too. Matt/Tn, yeh I know thebrace has nothing to do with, I was just thinking of forgiveness. I want really want few things out of a bow as far as hunting matters

1. shoot one pin to 25 yds.
2. be fast enough that deer won't have much chance to jump the string.
3. Consistency
4. smoothness when drawing and shooting

If any of you have shot the X force 6" bh then you know how hard it is.

RE: What bow for me???
 

As always, shoot as many bows as you can.... but like others have said, add the Diamond Marquis to the list of considerations!
1. When I shoot 30" feathered CX300's with 100 gr. tips, 30" DL and in the 62 to 65# range, I dial in at 20 yds; put my pin just above the X at 15 yds, just below the X at 25 yds, and that works for me.
2. Fast enough... no problem whatsoever with the above set-up. It's like "release... arrow appears in X", almost like playing a video game.
3. Personally, I think consistency is definitely more you than the bow, when you're looking at upper-end bows. Get a bow that's fun and encouraging to shoot, and you shoot more. Hopefully, the more you shoot (and the more you vary your distance, angle, and elevations from the target), the more you build your consistency.
4. When I do crank my Marquis up to 70#, it honestly pulls and releases just as smoothly as it does down towards 60#. I only shoot it somewhere in that 62 to 65 pound range because it seems to be "our" sweet spot. How "smoothness" is defined is a personal, subjective perspective. To me, it's being able to hold the bow on-target, sighted in, and then draw in one continuous, nearly-constant force motion until I hit the wall and anchor. Big check mark here, with the Marquis.

I'm just saying that I can accomplish your 4 things with my Marquis; there are plenty of other bows out there that can and would meet those same criteria. When I factor in things like looks, feel, durability and price, I'm never sorry about the choice I made.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Bruce how does it compare to the Black Ice??

RE: What bow for me???
 

Honestly, I didn't compare it to the Black Ice. I moved away from a "short" bow on purpose.

I have, however, recently tried a Diamond Liberty which falls between the Marquis and the Black Ice in size, but below both in price. I shot the Liberty vs. the Bowtech Allegiance, after reading so many accolades about the Ally... and for me, the Liberty came out on top. I'm 99% sure I'll be getting a Liberty this summer, as my back-up bow. I'm partial to cable/string rollers vs. slides, though, so I'm going to either overcome that bias or figure out how to modify the Liberty before going that final 1%.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Well Look at the whisper creek not the fastest thing in the world but so smooth its crazy. I just got one and love it.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Why are you so worried about a NUMBER,280 is just that,a number.Deer can jump the string at ANY SPEED a bow can put out.Plus,you can shoot 1 pin to 25 yards at 250 fps ,set the pin at 23 yards and deer are dead to 26.Better yett,set the pin for 26 or 27 and kill them to 30.

Find a bow that FEELS good and chances are it will shoot good and kill deer.That deer could care less if you have that NUMBER.


I kill deer with a 58# 28" draw and get passthroughs with mechanicals.Oh,and I am in the 250 fps range.Don't fall into the hype about misjudged yardage either.


The Katera Xl would probably give you what you are looking for.

RE: What bow for me???
 

WHAT ANOTHER BOW....TRUTH2 AND XFORCE...SEND ONE MY WAY....:D. I BOUGHT THE GTO THIS YEAR ALSO. LOVE IT. FIND A DEALER AND SHOOT IT. ROUND CAMS+7INCH BRACE HEIGHT=SMOOTH DRAW. THEY ALSO MAKE THE FIRE FOR SHORT DRAW SHOOTERS....HOW TALL ARE YOU BY THE WAY...SEEMS TO ME 26 DL MIGHT BE TOO SHORT..MY GIRL FRIEND USES THAT DL....I WISH YOU LIVED CLOSER I WOULD HELP YOU OUT ON THAT XFORCE..WHAT BOW DID YOU SHOOT BEFORE IT? WHAT MADE YOUR OLD BOW FEEL SO GOOD IN YOUR HANDS? LOOKING AT THOSE QUALITIES SHOULD DETERMINE YOUR NEXT BOW PURCHASE. I FEEL YOU SHOULD DO YOUR SELF A FAVOR AND CHECK OUT THE ELITE LINE...DRIVE TO A DEALER...ALSO WHEN TESTING BOWS OUT TAKE A NOTE PAD, WRITE DOWN YOUR LIKES AND DISLIKES OF EACH MODEL...POST A PICTURE OF YOUR GROUPINGS WITH THE XF AT 20YARDS..ALSO POST A PIC OF YOU AT FULL DRAW WITH IT.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Hoyt Katera is really smooth. I am looking to get one next summer

RE: What bow for me???
 

Well if it is any help, I shoot an 07 Ally, 27 1/2" dl, pulling 62 lbs with a 364 gr arrow at about 275fps. I would assume pulling back 70 lbs would put you over the 280 you are looking for if you are looking for the speed. As much as I like my Bowtech, I agree with TFOX. Shoot what feels good to you. My Ally feels great to me but it doesn't to alot of people. Hope that helps and good luck in your search.

RE: What bow for me???
 

Personally, I think the draw on the airbornes are identical to that of the allegiance. I have shot both and they are really nice. The airbornes i shot were about 3in too long for me(stock 29") so the last 3 inches were tough for me, but til that point was really smooth. I also really like the Marquis. It is fast, really smooth, and dead in the hands. All I can say is go shoot all of them at a local dealer. With all the new bows out I'm sure you'll find something that fits you better.