DARTON BOWS?
 

ALL WE READ ABOUT IS MATHEWS, HOTY, BOW TECH. WHAT ABOUT DARTON BOWS? DOES ANYONE HERE HAVE ONE, OR KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM? I MYSELF SHOT MATHEWS, BUT IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW BOW COME 2004. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, ITS DARTON THAT CAME OUT 1ST WITH THE RIGHTS TO THE CAM & 1/2, LEVEL NOCK TRAVEL, SOME OTHER THINGS. I DID HOLD THE MAGNUM EXTREM THE OTHER DAY, I LIKE THE WAY IT FELT IN MY HAND. SO ANY INFORMATION ON DARTON WOULD BE GREAT.

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

Will not bash any of the bows you spoke of. Never shot any of ' em. I' ve been shooting Darton bows for around 20 years now & couldn' t be more pleased. Recently bought a new Avalanche & retired(?) my old Darton (SL50?). But a new bow is quite an investment nowadays & what fits & works for one person may not for another. Hopefully somebody can help you find a local dealer with some in stock. As for me, I' ve had very good luck with their bows & fast & easy dealings with their service. Since I couldn' t ask for any more, I' ve stuck with ' em.

http://www.dartonarchery.com/

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

I' m stumped as to why they aren' t more popular. For whatever reason, Darton doesn' t even show up on the radar when most fellows start talking about getting a new bow. The guys I know that own CPS-equipped bows are attached to them at the hip, and rightly so since they get great performance & little hassle.

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

I picked up my first Darton last year. The Rampage. It has been a great bow, I am a big fan of the CPS system, and the Darton Grips are the only ones that fit my hands without removing something! I like all the adjustments and they are fast bows as well. The draw is super smooth, they tune well and just plain shoot great. Bows are a personal thing and Darton doesn' t take out full page adds in all the mags, so they kind of fly under the radar, but unless something changes I am a Darton Shooter from now on.

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

The CPS is awesome..my fave cam system ever. The prob Darton has had is that most of their bows until very recently have been too loud, too shocky, and too jumpy compared to the competition. They are starting to change that. I' ve shot the Avalanche and it feels like a totally different animal than the Darton bows I have owned in the past. Hearing good things about the new Mav Extreme too.

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

I think between Len and David they have probably killed a gazillion deer with their mavericks.I have a maverick.I really like the CPS and the grip.Plus they will sling an arrow.I don' t find the bow to be overly loud either.I was talking to the local bowshop owner about carrying Darton.He used to handle their bows,but the company does not advertise and promote their products.They have however developed a nice cam system.Jusk ask anyone who owns a new Hoyt.;)

CB

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

I think choosing a bow because of it' s cam system, is a very good reason. There' s not much difference in today riser or limb materials, with the exception of a couple companies' bows. Most Mfgs are going towards or offering parallel limb designs, which goes a long way to removing " jump" and vibration. About the only way to separate bow companies, is by the cams they use. I happen to think the CPS cam is towards the top of the list in desirability.

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

I used to have a Darton Viper. I liked it very much. I could actually shoot it a teeny bit better than my current Mathews SQ2. If you like the Darton, buy it. In my mind my viper felt better than the comparable models of Browning,PSE, and Hoyt that I' ve shot. Good bow plain and simple.

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

I' ve been shooting Darton for 6 years. That being said I think JeffB made some valid points regarding the Darton line of bows. I personally have spent a small fortune to try and get the bow to be quiet. I hunt in the west so we don' t do much treestand hunting. You have to have a real quiet bow because the shots are longer. Until Hoyt came out with their CAM & 1/2 you really didn' t have many options in the hybrid CAM area which is my preference. I shoot mostly broadheads and from and overall tune and shoot point, Darton' s do this very well. On a lark I bought a used 03' Cybertec just to see what the new Hoyt was all about. I did a side by side comparison between and 02' Maverick that was completely tricked out with and NV system and limbsavers and 03' Cybertec with just limbsavers. Bottomline, no comparison Hoyt just builds a better overall bow. I haven' t had a chance to try Darton' s new bows and probably won' t. I now have a very quiet and accurate bow that shoots broadheads like they were coming out of a rifle.

RE: DARTON BOWS?
 

Like Handles, I am a fan of the Darton Viper. I still have mine. It is as good a shooter as I have ever had, although my Bowtech Pro 38 might just edge it a bit for ease of shooting well, and definitely for speed. I have kept the Viper, while trying other bows to find something " better." ;) It was easier to shoot well with the Viper than with 1. Pearson Bushwhacker, 2. Continental Denali, 3. High Country Carbon Force, 4. Firebrand Discovery, 5. Mathews Q2 XL, 6. Mathews MQ1, 7. Darton Mountain 2000 CPS, 8. Darton Maverick, and the latest attempt, 9. McPherson 38 Special. :D

Most of these bows had less recoil, even though the Viper does not recoil too bad for a two cam bow of " ancient" design. The way I have the Viper rigged, it is as quiet as any of the above mentioned bows. I really think this design was ahead of its time, being designed around 1990.:D

That said, I no longer have the Mountain 2000 or the Mav. I tried to Sims them into some semblence of quiet and low recoil. The Maverick got better than the Mountain, and really was not that noisey when shot outside. I did also have the MQ1 at the time, which may explain why I thought the Mav. was not my cup of tea at the time. The main reason, though, was that it didn' t do anything that the Viper could not do, and it had some resale value, unlike the Viper, which might fetch a whopping $75 if I am lucky.

The CPS system does have some great features to it. I would agree with the opinions of some that for Darton to get a significantly greater market share, they would do well to make their bows quieter, and with less recoil. Smooth draw, accuracy, shootability, and a bow that will stay in tune, they have pretty well down.;)

If I was not so impressed with my Bowtech, I would probably be in the market for a Maverick Extreme, Avalanche, or Rampage. All should be great bows, IMHO.:D