I would also suggest you give the Darton Tundra Extreme a look, but I'm not sure if they come in 80# though. I've owned a lot of bows in the last few years, including one mentioned as "best" earlier in this thread. I wouldn't trade the Tundra for any 2 of them!

I would also ask why you want an 80# bow. Drop that to 70#'s and with your draw length, you will still be smokin arrows. The lighter draw will also help "control" the bow better. There will be less strain, allowing you to think about form and execution more. Other than that, I can not add to what has already been stated. Maybe get a coach if you continue to see those creeping shots days.
JMAC

Can you give me a couple resources for custom-made strings? Maybe a website or a member of this forum or another... Are the custom strings just coated in a non-stretching material or are they actually created from an entirely unique material?

So do you believe that shooting with fingers is as accurate and consistant as shooting with a release?

Also, my Pearson bow has the wood grip not the plastic one. I have pretty large hands but the grip seems pretty thick to me. I never thought about how the grip affects the shot and accuracy.

So do you perfer the Hoyt ProTec better then the Pearson? What are the advantages to the Hoyt?

Finally, it may seem kind of trivial, but what kind of groups do you shoot with the Hoyt and what is the longest distance you can confidently shoot? Also, what draw weight do you shoot on your ProTec?

Here is a pic of my bow:

Thanks for your help.

Conlan

Not to act like a tuff-guy or anything, but pulling back an 80lbs.+ draw weight is very easy. On many occasions I shoot 100+ arrows during practice and I don't experience any strain. Not to mention, any new bow I would buy would have a 75-80% let-off. On a side note, my dad used to shoot his PSE compound wheel bow at 90 something lbs. with a let-off of basically nothing. But all this talk is pointless, I will shoot what I feel comfortable with and I appreciate your advice.

What is the ATA length of the Darton Tundra Extreme? Brace height?

There's probably a couple who frequent this forum. If not, you can go to the forum in the following link, which has many advertising and several who post a lot. [link]http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/[/link]

Custom strings are better, because of the methods used to tie the string, pre-stretch it, and serve it correctly and carefully. The string materials used are the same. However, there are quite a few choices on the market, and I'm partial to Brownell's Ultracam, which has the least stretch of any.

Speaking of forgiving bows, Reflex makes a long ATA bow that has some good specs. I can't remember the model name, but Chuck Adams shoots it.

One thing I would definitely change on your setup is the bow quiver. You can get a better quiver that keeps the arrows closer to the bow for much reduced torque. You could also take the wood side plates off your Pearson, and cover the riser with fleece or moleskin and see if that doesn't improve your possible torque issues. I personally would not expect great accuracy with the Whisker Biscuit shooting fingers, but I guess it can be done. I know that guys do quite well with them shooting with a release aid.

The Darton Tundra Extreme is 40.5 Axle to Axle with a 7.5" brace height. It is rated @ 311 IBO, so it is very fast for such forgiving specs. My old damaged shoulders are pulling #61 and the bow is putting out 65 lb./ft. of kinetic energy (29.5" draw).

Darton Archery

The Reflex model that Straightarrow is referring to is the Reflex Caribou. I think it is about 42 or 44" ATA and has a brace of 9" or so. It is not a fast bow, but should be forgiving.

It depends on the person and on the application. For most people who have a goal of pinwheeling 1" dia X-rings, shot after shot, probably not. For hunting, where you're shooting to hit a soccerball size kill area, fingers release is definitely as accurate and consistent. Assuming, of course, you have a bow that is long enough to allow a fingers release and you've done your part with practicing and developing an accurate, consistent release.

Plus, fingers release has several advantages over mechanical releases. Primarily, you don't get that metallic, game spooking 'CLICK' at the release. If you forget your tab/glove and don't have a backup in your pocket, you can still shoot barefingered. If you forget your release and don't have a backup, you go back home. You can buy a whole pocketful of tabs for what one decent release will cost, and similar gloves/tabs will give you a similar release. You just have to hope a backup release will shoot close to the same as your primary release. Often they don't.

And you don't have to worry about clanking your fingers against the bow or the stand and scaring all the critters out of the county. A release, swinging on a wrist strap tho....

For myself, I actually do shoot better with my fingers than I can with a release. I guess it's one of those 'old dog, new tricks' thingies.

Other than the Hoyt split limbs being far superior to Pearson's - wider and more stable with better construction - and better performance from Hoyt's Cam 1/2 than you can get with Pearson's single cam system - I have never had any problem getting a consistent, repeatable grip with Hoyt handles.

How far can I confidently shoot? If you're talking targets, I'll shot with confidence out to 80 yards and beyond, barebow and fingers release. If you're talking game animals, I have a personal limit no further than 30 yards. If I can't get within 30 yards of the animal I want, I have not earned the right to draw my bow. That is simply my challenge to myself and has no bearing on my shooting skill. I bowhunt to get close to animals. If I were taking 50 yard shots, I figure I might as well be using a 30-30.

As to what size groups I currently shoot with my Hoyt, honestly... I suck. My shoulder is shot, from shooting ultra heavy draw bows in my younger days, when they were easy to handle. 15 years ago, I was shooting compounds up to 100 pounds and longbows up to 120 pounds. Now I've got arthritis in the shoulder joint and a collarbone that pops out of socket at my sternum. Before the shoulder went south on me though, I could hold archer's minute of angle or better out to 90 meters. When I first got it, my Hoyt was set at 60. Now I've had to back off to 50 and it's gotten to where I can't handle even that any more. It looks like if I want to continue shooting archery, I'm gonna have to switch to lefty.

That's my only comment on your preference for shooting 80 pounds.

Slim, from your pic above, it looks like you have one of your vanes lined up to go right through the black part of the WB. Perhaps not since you shoot fingers, but the fact that it's more "wavy" and distorted than the other two suggests you are getting hard contact.

You may want to rotate your nocks so that the vanes clear the black fibers and see if you get better arrow flight. Of course this will most likely necessitate a retune and sight in, so keep that in mind...