Jerry/Pa

I was also hoping someone with a secret tuning method for the cam .5's would post but maybe it dosen't exsist. Last year when I got the Omegea cam I went threw my tuning procedure minus the creep tuning. Only because I don't see creep tuning effecting the proformance of the cam .5. The end results was a bow that shot better then my own ability.

I hear people say it's not the equipment. To some degree I agree. BUT through the years and many different bows and manufactures there where certain bows I shot better then others with simular spec. The most resent are the Merlins. This is not a plug for Merlin it's a reality. For what ever reason these bows feel so balanced and comfortable in my hands from the first time I shoot one. I want to think I can tune a bow as good if not better then the average shooter. The only reason is because I send so much time shooting and tuning almost to a fault. I'm getting better at over tuning and being able to keep my hands off the bow after I get it to the point of shooting as good as I can shoot. So even comparing the Merlin cam .5 to there rapid cam. The Omega cam shoots more consistent for me with less of the maintenence. I'm shooting two different bows right now a Darton Mav and the Max 3000. The Mav. is a shooter with good balance, draw cycle and speed that I enjoy shooting. Love it for hunting. The Max 3000 has simular specs but I can shoot that better. The only way I have to measure is with my scores and placement finishes in tournaments. Last year through the 3-d season my scores increased to levels I never thought possible.

My point being I don't think there's any special tuning methed for these cams. It's the patients to go through the tuning process to get them shooting to there maximum proformance and have confidence in your equip. Which goes back to technology advancement in equipment has lifted the proformance level and in turn allows more people to compete at a higher level then in the years past. Jerry

Big Slick

I do not feel we have traded anything. We did not lose the old system, we just gained a newer one. Everyone is free to use the old system still, but most won't. The same is true for guns, reels, boats, just about everything else. I don't consider all new developments "improvement" but some are. For instance, how many here would rather shoot recurve and no compound bows? Take it a step further: Prior to recurve, longbows were the ticket. Who wants to shoot a longbow exclusively? We can still use old technology, but many of us choose not to. I see the attraction to getting back to basics in your sport, when you are at a point where technology doesn't make your game any more interesting, kinda like where people like Ted Nugent are. That's like shooting a deer with handgun. You don't have to, but once you have shot enough deer in enough situations with a rifle or other long gun, you want variety. I think some of the new developments are for entertainment, not effectiveness. I do see the benefit in better camo, no one I know wears bdu's when hunting. As far as the recent developments like the Atom and the other products at the ATA, we all take what we think we can use, and we ignore the rest. I never bought a banjo minnow or a flying lure, but I do own plenty of Senkos. Senkos are relatively new, but they work and everyone who bass fishes knows it. Why aren't they just another gimick or a trade off? I think it's because, as PA Bowhunter stated, confidence plays a huge role in performance. I think I could catch fish all day on either the flying lure or the banjo minnow if I had confidence in them, which I don't. Likewise, I trust the Atom because I have used it. I have never used a mechanical head, so I don't feel secure about it yet. When I think of something to shoot a hog or coyote with using my bow, I right away think of the Atom, even though everyone else here has other names in their heads for their first choices. We tend to stick with what has worked for us.

As far as the whole idea of a tradeoff, well, if you make the switch, you are saying you have advanced as far as you want to in your current configuration. It's like computers, in a way. Everyone finds a point to jump in, and some upgrade constantly, while others are only there to do what they originally purchased the PC for, and that won't change. I personally think it's great, because otherwise none of us would be here talking about it, because we would all be still watching Fred Bear on television, thinking "how does he do that?"

Cougar Mag

Biggest change I see is the amount of short axel to axel bows on the market. Several years ago most archers could not shoot anything shorter than 37" accurately. And finally manufacturers are emphasizing longer brace heights. That right there makes a bow easier to shoot right out of the box. I stress easier to shoot......not tune.

Do I think bows are easier to tune these days? No, I don't, but part of that may be due to the accessories on the market.