riverknight007

I am looking into buying a new bow because I have outgrown the one I have now. I was wondering what peoples thoughts were on long vs short axle to axle lengths, brace height, and 2 cam vs. single cam vs. this new cam-and-a-half from Hoyt. Thanks, and if anyone has any good recommendations I would appreciate them.

walks with a gimp

Look at and shoot as many as you can. For hunting a 34 to 35 inch bow works best for my 29 inch draw, target 38 inch is great. I try to stay with the tallest brace height and still have good speed for hunting and 3D.

PABowhntr

I think WWAG summed up my feelings nicely as well. For most folks a mid axle to axle length bow (34-37 inches) coupled with a 7.5 inch brace height is more than adequate for most hunting situations. As for the cam style...to each his own. In most cases the average shooter won't be able to tell a difference in terms of accuracy so other characteristics such as adjustability and overall feel need to be examined.

Bob H in NH

Personally I can't stand the short a-a bows, I consider ANYTHING under 37ish short. I shoot a 38 and its the shortest I have ever owned. I have shot a bunch of shorter ones, they just don't feel stable to me.

If you are stand hunting the difference is meaningless, I can see stalking and shooting while sitting on the ground it might come into play.

Brace height? Nowadays, nothing under 7 inches.

Cam style, your call. I have owned both single and double, currently shooting a single just cause I wanted to try it, wouldn't bother me at all to get another solo, or a twin. I would however seriously look at the hybrid cams like Cam-1/2 and the CPS from Darton.

Like was said, shoot as many bows as you can get your hands on, long, short, all cam styles, see what you like. I have eliminated many bows just by taking one shot.

--Bob

ewolf

In my opinion if you are kind of new to shooting alot, or are not very technically knowledgable, I would get a 1 1/2, and i would make it long. Depends on money but a great bow for an inexperienced shooter is a Hoyt Protec. Long brace height and, i would suggest, a 47 incher. Long, heavy and stable. Takes a lot to torque a bigger bow. It will also really build up the muscles holding that thing on the target. Once you are able to go to the shorter bows (When form is good) they will seem light and you will shot them really well. 2 weeks before a tournament i break out the 47 incher, then when i go to my tournament bow for the shoots, it seems so light. Like weights on a baseball bat. Just what i would do.

riverknight007

I have been shooting for 12 years so I am not looking for a beginners bow. A bow in the 40s seems a little long, even for a 6'2" guy like me. I am looking for about a midsized bow, not a really short one, yet also not a long one that is difficult to handle in heavy brush. Someone else recommended the Hoyt UltraMag and I am looking for something similar. Thanks for the help and keep it comin'.

mammasboy

A fine Mathews bow should set you up! Look into the longer ones, around 38". IMO.

PABowhntr

The Ultramag would be a good choice especially considering the price. It has been around in one form or another (previously dubbed the Magnatec) for several years. The new riser design is much more attractive, IMHO, and functional when compared with the previous design.

Straightarrow

It would help to know some details. Your draw length is important. Do you shoot with a release? Also, what are you going to use it for? A person who strictly hunts out of treestands in dense cover, is not going to have to consider accuracy issues of short vs. long. At close range it doesn't matter. Those hunting in very cold temps might not want to consider a brace height under 8". Lots of personal considerations can go into picking a bow. Unlikey that one of us can give a good recommendation without a lot of detail. The one area that won't matter, is cam style. You may want to pick one because it's quieter, but not because it shoots better. They have all proven to shoot well.

riverknight007

My draw length is 32", I shoot around 60 lbs. with a Tru-Fire caliper release on a string loop behind the nock. I do not use an overdraw and shoot fairly heavy carbon arrows with right helical synthetic feathers with 100 gr. First-Cut 2-blade broadheads. I have been shooting for a long time and have good formI hunt both from treestands and on the ground both ambush and still-hunt. I live in Michigan and go to school in NY so it is fairly cold during the season but I have never had a problem with drawing in cold weather. I hunt for deer mainly and am starting to get into turkey. I am looking to possibly going bear hunting in the next couple years. I mostly hunt in forests and in cornfields. I am mainly concerned with a quiet and accurate bow that is easily accurate to 40-50 yards, even though I would not shoot a deer that far, I often practice at 60 or 70 yards so any problems are magnified and when I go back down to 20-30 yards it is almost point-blank. You mentioned some cam styles are quieter than others and I was wondering if you could elaborate on that. Thanks for all the help that people have given me so far and if you need more info I would be happy to give it. Please keep the advice coming. I understand that nobody can pick a bow for someone else and that it is a very personal choice, but I was looking for some ideas to start with.