My wife has a 23 inch draw as well. I found her a little older PSE Infinity SLR 500. She is shooting it very well at 35# and 1612 arrows. It is not slow (actually seems on par with most hunting bows with the set-up I have her shooting), has a very smooth draw cycle and fit her well.

The Parker Challenger is a good starter bow for women (can be had is nice colors too, especially if she is not interested in hunting).

Martin is making a bow that many women are shooting -- I think it is a version of the panther and most of their top pro ladies are shooting that one -- is is very nice and is what I would get for my wife if she wants to upgrade in the future.

I agree the Mathews is a bad I dea no let off makes for a angery wife. My mom shoots a Parker Challenger. She can only draw 40# and this bow is nice. I would say get a Hoyt HavocTec and let it all the way down for her. But the parker is cheaper and worth every dime.

It is only the gensis that has no let-off, and it has a maimum draw of twenty pounds, so even kids don't need let-off. The sportsman is not said by them to be a fishin etc... bow only, and it has 30% let-off from what I hear. 30% isn't bad, I had several bows that had that, but it would obviously be real tough if one was shooting a draw weight near one's max. I don't have anything against the recomendations made.

Before assuming 40# is light consider it in terms of total body weight, and lean muscle mass. Most people are overbowed.

Ossage: From the Mathews catalog: "The revolutionary Fin or Feather Cam..............Note: The Sportsman, because of the lack of let-off, is designed to be shot at lower draw weights."

Also from their catalog: Draw weight: 40-70

I don't think this would be a good choice for a woman or anyone else that desires a bow of <40#.

Len

This isn't going to be another one of your comprehension posts, I hope...

Mike Ziebel, Marketing Director of Mathews is quoted over on the bowsite videos saying basicaly this about the Sportsman:

"The let-off on this bow is very minimal probably 30% rougly"

See for yourself at: http://www.bowsite.com/BOWSITE/featu...icles/AMO2002/

I don't quite get you on weight. I don't have a catalogue, someone else mentioned it was a ten pound range 30-40#, which might be OK for someone who wanted a less than 40# bow...

You have me on the Fin and Feather Cam if that is what they are calling it. But Ziebel also says that people were looking for something like the Genesis, "something they could actualy hunt with... really even youth or women who are looking for a bow they won't grow out of". Doesn't sound like just fish and feathers to me.

No, Ossage, comprehension is something that eludes some of us. I am stating facts here about what is advertised. I will therefore type the rest of their catalog information for you as follows:

"...As a bowfisher or upland bowhunter, you need to draw and shoot quickly and instinctively. The new Fin or Feather Cam from Mathews is a low (almost imperceptible) let-off cam that allows you to accurately release an arrow anywhere along the draw cycle - at full draw, half draw, 3/4 draw, etc. With minimal let-off, there is not the 'bump' commonly associated with high let-off bows as you approach full draw; and no real wall. You just draw back and fire! An added benefit of this system is that with minimal let-off, there is no specific draw length, meaning everyone can shoot the same bow. Note: The Sportsman, because of lack of let-off......."

The emphasis appears to indicate, but I could be reading this wrong, that low, almost imperceptible, minimal, and lack of let-off does denote something approaching a recurve bow.

If you or someone else says it's roughly 30%, so be it. The catalog shows "-". It's really not worth any argument. I've got a few antiques out on the range that fall into that 30% category, but they're 30 years old.

I think that spending good money for a compound bow should get you a let-off that is something reasonable for the poundage. I stand by my personal feelings on this matter that, "I don't think this would be a good choice for a woman or anyone else that desires a bow of <40#.", and this is based solely on the let-off restriction. It's a personal feeling, Ossage, nothing more.

You know, when I made my above post, it's not like I hadn't read the catalog...

Another thing about the Genesis: the draw weight is only 10-20lbs, period. You can't hunt with it because of that, at least in a lot of places.

YOU DON'T WANT TO BUY A BOW TO SET IT UP--ON THE "LOW DRAW/PERFORMANCE END"--BOWS PERFORM BETTER TOWARDS THEIR MAX. SETTINGS--POUNDAGE WISE.JMO.

Actually, Bo Hunter, I think Ossage and I enjoy sparring. It tends to stir a little interest and gets things more lively at times.

Some day he may even stop by and see my shop. What say you, Ossage??? <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

I'd love to, Len.