IL Rancher

Lets just say I did something stupid/smart? and traded my Parker in for the Darton after shooting it again this morning. The dealer gave me such a good deal on both that I couldn't say no. I just couldn't. I lost only 50 bucks on the parker on my trade (Since it is so dang new) and I got the Darton for much less than I have seen it other places. I couldn't turn it down. Not to mention that it was the bow I wanted to buy back when I bought the parker which made it an easy decision in the end. Probably should have bought the Darton back than but....

It is not the fastest bow in the world or the smoothest of those that I shot but something about the way it felt in my hand and how well I shot with it compared to the bows that were 200 dollars more just made the decision pretty easy. Oh well, probably foolish to jump in like I did but I think it was the right choice for me right now. I guess what it all boils down to is that it felt right in my hands and that is all that matters.

BGfisher

Sounds likeyou are having some fun, and learning in the process. That's good. One thing not often mentioned, and I forget it myself, is that you can NEVER take for granted that the drawlength as stated on the limb tag of any bow is right. Most bows will draw longer than they are marked. You have to physically measure the bow in your hand to see what it is. That may be a big reason that brand A bow at 29" feels just like brand B marked 28".

And from a personal standpoint "Darton is certainly an overlooked company". There are lots of bowmakers besides Mathews, Hoyt, and Bowtech.

IL Rancher

Well, after a little tweaking today with the bow (Had to adjust the site a little bit) I was shooting just perfectly again. A few things are helping with it so far I think. 1) As a heavier bow it just sets better in me hand and holds steadier. I don't often have to hike more than 3-400 yards and usually it could be shorter than that if I like so an extra 8 ounces isn't going to kill me. 2) The new site I put on has a level and I was canting my bow a wee bit. By not doing that I am shooting better. I am not perfect with the bow but I would say that my groups are 1-2 inches tighter than they were and I am much more consistent. It is anchoring better and I think the draw length might be 1/2-1 inch shorter than the old one. (they both are officially 29 but....).

I have tons of fun shooting bows and looking at them and I will probably be looking again soon enough. I don't think I will be parting with this bow though because it shoots so well for me and it feels right. My local shop just started carrying Dartons last fall to replace Champions and there is a lot of interest in them. I think people are seeing them as a lot of bang for your buck.

The other "smart" thing I did for myself was just buy a 60 pound bow because, lets face it, my shoulders will thank me in the future and I wasn't shooting my old bow past 64 anyways. Bows shoot better at full weight I am told soo I am glad I went that route.

Straightarrow

As BGfisher says, definitely measure the actual drawlength of the bow. Most are longer than stated. With your wingspan, I would guess 29" is quite a bit too long for you.

I've found that I prefer a certain ATA to get the string hitting my nose at the anchor I use. Any longer or shorter and I can't hit all three anchor points. I've found it to be very important for my accuracy to have all three anchor points. For me, it's the string on tip of nose (with head held vertical), kisser button in corner of mouth and index knuckle tucked under cheek bone. I don't use a peep and when you shoot without one, anchors are critical.

On the flip side, I do know some very long-draw hunters who prefer a really short bow because they strictly hunt out of treestands and like the increased maneuverabilty they get in the tight shooting quarters they have in their stands.

IL Rancher

Well, I am told the current bow is 29 inch draw and it just touches the tip of my nose perfectly. I will have to measure it obviously to know for sure what it is set at. I would probably be better served by someone other than my wife measuring my arm span as well since she is just a wee bit shorter than me and had a real hard time. Also, to be honest I am more arm than chest and back in that measurement as I am not a heavy built guy. That is probably why the formula fails for somepeople is it can't take into account how long peoples arms are and how wide their backs are.

That all being said I obvioulsy am open to not being a 29 and will probably tweak and mess around with my drawlength over the next 30 years or so everytime I buy a bow because there really is no standard of how the draw is determind on a sale bow. The Cam on the Darton is adjustable down and up quite a bit and that was another reason I bought it because we could experiment with draw length a little bit. As far as I can tell though it is anchoring perfectly and that peep is always right where I need it to be and I am shooting pretty darn good with it.

A lot of guys taller than me are shooting 31 inch bows around here but some are pulling away from them now because they are just to hard to shoot. The only time they say they miss them is when hunting in a ground blind. Now other people look at me like I'm crazy when I told them I stayed away from a couple bows because they were microbows becasue they couldn't ever imagine going back.

Edit: Turns out I am a moron. On closer inspection the bow is set at 28.5.