I'm looking at getting my first compound and recurve bow. The people on the Traditional forum were of great help with the recurve bow info; I hope you guys can do the same! Unfortunately, one of the main pieces of advice I get is that I have to try out different bows and see which feels best. Well, I just can't do that. No one has any stock around here and even the places 2 hours away are very limited at this time. Anyway, I've always figured one of the best ways to learn is to just "do it" so I'm buying a recurve and compound bow to get started and I'll make more informed decisions from there.

Ok, enough rambling1 Two bows I know of for sale are a Hoyt Rebel and a Buckmasters BTR. The biggest difference I can see is the BTR is much shorter at only 32" while the Hoyt is ?average? at 41". I'm just looking for something to practice on; I'm not sure if I'll go bowhunting in the future or not. It would be nice to have that as an option though. The BTR package is $225. The Rebel is discontinued, I believe, it's in mint condition for $150.

These are my options at the moment. If I do any hunting it will probably be still hunting (not tree stand) so I'm not sure if the size difference is too important. I REALLY wish I could try these things out but I can't so I'm relying on your advice here. If you think I should stay away from both of them I'd like to know that too. Thanks a lot!!!

OUt of those 2 choices I would pick the buckmasters. But there area also alot of other bows out there.

Thanks Trapper. Yeah, there are many bows out there; that's exactly the "problem"! Where the heck do you start without breaking the bank. (And I don't want to buy from outside of Canada b/c Customs is backed up 4-5 weeks).

Here's something I found on Cabelas regarding a newcomer choosing a compound bow:

"What John needs is the best of all the worlds, with as little trade off as possible. I would recommend a reflex (to straight) riser design, coupled with a solo cam. He would need the power of a 70-pound bow for elk but could tune it down to the low 60's for practice and whitetail hunting. A short axle-to-axle length would be nice for tree stand hunting and carrying up steep hills and through brushy draws, but it is not as necessary as accuracy and speed (especially for the walking and stalking elk hunt). If he could afford it, I would choose to have a machined riser over cast, to get the smaller grip and lighter weight. Now that we have narrowed down the traits desired, several bows can fit into this criterion. Now it is up to style, price and name brand. For example, the Reflex Xtreme, PSE Quantum, and the HCA Powerforce XL all would work well."

The Reflex and Powerforce can be had for reasonable $$$ but finding them is the problem. I'm looking for something like these in the $200-$300 range.

For starters, how do you know if either of these bows fit you? Do you know your draw length and the draw length of the above mentioned bows, or if they are adjustable? With a compound bow it is VERY important that it fits you in order for you to be able to shoot it well. I think you are really going to need the help of a good Pro Shop here. You are going to need help setting it up and picking the correct arrows. You don't just stick any old arrow in any bow. They have to be matched to the set up of the bow in regards to draw weight and draw length. Do a search on the word "Spine". This pertains to how the arrow flexes when shot.

The two bows you mentioned are very different. I assume the buckmaster is the one at cabela's? How are you getting it for $225? Or are you getting it somewhere else, or used? This is pretty much bottom of the line for bows. It should shoot ok, but it is pretty slow, not that that really means much. Speed doesn't effect accuracy and it should be fast enough to take game if you decide to. The shorter axle to axle may be a bit harder to shoot well unless you are small. But if you are small you will need a shorter draw length and I doubt you can get it that way.

Is the hoyt you are talking about the one on ebay? If it is this is an older bow and would be even more slow than the buckmaster mentioned above ( I think). It also has an overdraw on it, not something you need if you are starting out, so I would suggest you swap out the rest with a better one that sits closer to your grip. It says they have installed a peep sight. Wow, that's fine and dandy, who is going to adjust the height for you though and reserve it? You can't just throw a peep in and expect it work, it needs be set up so it lines up with your line of sight correctly when you draw the bow back. At least this one has some sort of adjustability to it though. And 41 inches is not average. Now a days that is very long. Average would be around 33 inches these days. 41 inches would be more of a target bow.

Both of these bows IF SET UP PROPERLY would probably shoot just just fine. The better beginner bow would be the hoyt because of the smoother cams and longer ATA (axle to axle). It would be a more forgiving bow over all to shoot (if you ditch the over draw). And if you shoot fingers you will want the longer bow vrs the 32 inch bow. I highly suggest getting a release though, it will make things easier.

My suggestion, GO TO A SHOP! I know you have heard it before, but there is a reason for it. You are going to need the help of someone else if you want to be happy. I would also say forget about the tradional bow for right now. For one, trying to learn both at the same time will be very hard, two different disciplines, and both are hard enough on thier own. The compound being the easier of the two. Save the money you would have spent on the traditional bow and add it to what you would spend on a compound. Shoot the compound for a while and if you like it, then get a recurve to play with.

The reason I say this, and others tell you to go to a shop is because we want you to be happy with your purchase and like the sport. I don't care if you ever hunt at all. I don't go very often myself. I prefer to shoot my bow rather than see it hanging on a tree. That's just me though. I would like to see you get good at shooting your bow and be happy and confident, whether you hunt or just practice in your back yard every now and then. I'm afraid if you get either of these bows with no outside help or support things are not going to go well. The bow won't fit you, the arrows will be wrong and the set up will be off. Not to mention if you have never shot before you will not know where to begin as far as form, grip and aiming.

A good shop could give you the basics in an hour or two and you could go from there. It would be the difference between you having fun enjoying the sport and having nothing but problems and wondering why you suck. Then you would get discouraged and give up and you would have wasted your money. I don't care if you have to drive 4 hours to find a good shop and shoot a few bows, I would do it. If you spend 150 bucks on a bow from ebay, that is what you are going to get, a cheap bow with no support. You might as well just go to walmart or something and get one, at least it would be new. I think that's expenive for that hoyt any way.

I could sell you a Martin that I have right now that is a bit newer, looks beter (target red with white limbs), and much faster for 100 bucks with a rest and sights. I won't though, because I have no way of knowing if the bow would fit you or be set up right and it would be a waste of your money and my time. I couldn't do it and feel right about it.

That's my opinion any way. I know I didn't help you any though. I would say if none of the shops have any stock right now, wait until they do. I would think they would have some used on consignment or something.

Here is a link for you to check out.
http://www.huntersfriend.com/bowselection.htm

It explains how the avarage compound bow is set up and what does what. You should find it interesting. Check out the rest of the site as well, lots of good info if you look around.

Feel free to ask questions if you want, that is how you learn. No matter how stupid they may seem. I also have messenger if you want to IM me and ask specific questions. It's biteme263 on yahoo messenger.

Good luck,
Paul

Holy Smokes! Thanks Paul for that in depth response.

I do indeed have a pro shop here that I can go to for advice, setup, arrows, etc...he just has NO stock right now. This is a small community and bowhunting was over long ago. I've gone to him to check draw length which is at 29" so I've only looked at ones adjustable in that area.

I was definitely considering getting both a compound and a recurve right now but I will take your advice and stick to one. The pro shop guy didn't think it was a bad idea to start on a recurve bow, whereas, you believe I should start with the compound. The bottom line is, I want to keep it simple! I used to shoot a recurve bow when I was a kid...nothing serious at all so I thought that would be a good place to start. One piece, wood, "instinctual" shooting, no need to worry about all these accessories and details. And when I do get a compound bow I'll head to the pro shop and have him help me out.

I can appreciate that most everyone on these archery boards want newcomers to get off on the right foot and be happy. I think that's great! I'm going hunting with a couple bowhunters next week so I'll pick their brains. lol, I just KNOW they're going to be dead-set against me getting a compound bow! Thanks again for the advice!

Kinda have to agree with what Paul said. I got a few decades of shooting compounds and know a few things. I stand pat with the idea that if the drawlength doesn't fit you or can';t be adjusted for you then nothing else about the bow matters. So this should be the first consideration. Second is weight. Don't overbow yourself. For what you want a bow for I'd consider one in the 40-50lb range. No more. I also agree that the Hoyt would be the better of the two bows.

The biggest thing that I question is how did you get measured for drawlength? I can't say whether your local shop is good or not, but I can say from experience that very few people who work in any archery store know the correct way to do it. The general public sure doesn't so they heed the advice of the local shop. Sometimes it ain't such a good idea. There's nothing like doing your homework before you lay down the cash. So take your time, ask questions, and learn. Then go shopping.

Yeah, I've been doing a lot of reading on the subject. The huntersfriend website posted above is loaded with good information. The main decision I need to make is whether to start with a compound bow or a recurve bow. I'm not sure if there is a better reason to start on one rather than the other. I appreciate the simplicity of a recurve but compounds look intriguing as well. I'll be using it for target practice only for a long while so the compound is probably more user friendly in that regard (as long as I buy the right one and have it set up properly). What do you guys think?

The guy at the bow shop has decades of experience in the taxidermy and bowhunting business; he has my full confidence. I'm going to have a chat with him today about compound vs recurve for a first bow.

I was testing out a Bear recurve I've got here at the house (unfortunately, it's left handed) and just feeling the draw weight. It's at 40$ and it felt fine (no shaking, pretty stable) so I think I could handle 45 or 50#; no need to go higher than that.

I've also been checking out a PSE Typhoon. They sell for under $300 so I'll have to ask him about that.

If you plan on shooting targets for some time I would suggest you stay away from shorter Axle-to-Axle bows like the Typhoon. Something in the 38" to 40" range would do better (more user friendly). Short bows are "OK" for their intended purpose (whatever it is), but target shooting is not one of them.

Good luck to you. And keep us posted.

Thanks BG. I've got some money coming to me very soon which will open up my options for a compound bow. I want to do it right and that's going to take some time and money. In the meantime, I picked up a Ben Pearson Varsity 7120 recurve bow with a 45# draw weight. It's pretty much identical to the Bear bow I used as a youngster. Got a great teacher lined up to help me out and he's got a 25yd indoor range I can use whenever I want.

Not sure when I'll be purchasing the compound; could be very soon though if the right one comes along. Then I'll really be picking your brains for info!

Thanks!