cmac

so i've been thinking about trying my hand at bow hunting, problem is i have no idea what the heck kind of bow is a good one. i'll definatley buy a used one because all the new ones i looked at today are way too spendy for me. so what should i look for and what should i stay away from when it comes to used bows?

here's what i'm finding in my area... hoyt raptor bow 29" 55-70# good shape with sight and rest sounds good but i dont have a clue... any and all help would be great! THANKS!!

Tacomaman87

the first thing you need to do is go to a local bow shop or cabela's and see what your draw length is and what your comfortable with fro a draw weight. cabela's here will let you shoot several bows within your size range and they offer quite a various selection. once i found what i needed then i looked for a used bow. i have a older mathews mq32 and it shoots great for me. everyone is different in there preferences but i got a good deal on mine and am very happy. also the big names like bow tech mathews and such also offer a sort of second rate bow line as well pretty much the same thing with out the big name and you will save alot of money. bow tech is the same as a diamond which is what i was looking at before i found the bow i have now. mathews offers a line called mission as well they are all good bows imo. have you shot before? i would recomend a bow with at least a 8 in ch brace height if you are in experianced because they are alot more forgiving and easier to shoot consistently. you will loose a few feet per second with a larger brace height but once your over 300 fbs ibo speed it really makes no difference. shoot me a pm if i can be anymore help
good luck happy hunting

bansh-eman

I just picked up a Bear Truth 2 and that thing is awesome. I wish I had held ouyt for 2 weeks longer. There is a guy sellingone on Archerytalk for crazy cheap! I just spent 600 bucks on mine!

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1180310

Don't get wrapped around the IBO speeds. That is a BARE to the BONES bow so the macufacture can get every last FPS out of the bow for marketing. It does nothing for you when hunting. After you add a d loop, nocks, string leeches, and all that the speeds drop alot. Plus if your not shooting it with the max draw weight and draw length the speeds slow. Then arrow weights make the differece.

So don't get stuck on the IBO speeds.

cmac

went to gander mountain the other day and my draw length is 27 1/2 -28 inches. i have no problems with a 65-70 # pull back. what do you guys think of Hoyt? talking to an uncle of mine he recommended a bow tech. i'd like to have something that is fairly simple but most importantly reliable. what are your thoughts?

Fronty Owner

I agree, dont get wrapped up in IBO.
be sure you can comfortably pull and hold the draw weight.
Seeing a bow shop will get you a good draw length and give you a chance to fling a couple arrows.
When I started shooting, I bought a cheap bow and read and studied from there. Bow shops weren't in my area at that time so it was more magazines and going to competitions/meets.
Matter of fact, if your set of buying used, hit a couple local meets.

txarrowhunter

Since you are beginner with bows I would recommend a long axle to axle bow. I learned to shoot on a diamond victory, it was like 34" axle to axle but extremely accurate and easy to handle shooting targets. It's just a thought.

Shovelhead

Another thing to consider:
Because you can stand on a range and pull 60#, doesn't indicate you can sit , or kneel and smoothly pull that weight after sitting for hours in a stand, or when that 8 point buck is 25 yards away and you're trying not to "spook" him........

Practice drawing and firing from several akward positions, like twisting sideways, etc..

cmac

thanks everyone for the help. i'll definatley take everything into consideration.

digbog

I found an excellent condition 2007 PSE Mach X in a pawn shop for $300. It had a sight, quiver arrows, hard case, and assorted parts and broadheads. It shoots great! If you look around and make an educated buy you can find a great used deal.

bansh-eman

Hoyt is a good company, but your goping to pay for thier name.

Bowtech, Diamond (owned by Bowtech), Bear, PSE, Athens are all great companies. Each have thier own features. I personally do not like the bows that do not have adjustable cams. I like being able to change the draw weight and length from the setup I have. Keep that in mind when shopping for a bow.

Most of the bows you will shoot today are going to do and offer more than anything your going to need for a long time. I say buy a bow thats used or a new bow from last years model to save money and be happy. The changes for the 2010 models compaired to the 09's I personally couldnt justify the extra cost.

annabelle

Any good ........and good fitting bow is fine ( I like Mathews). Just practice practice and practice. I know of one guy who has gut shot 400 plus bull Elk two years running.........but man can he drill a target in camp.

cmac

so i finally got a bow, picked it up today. bought a used Mathews Q2. i broke the cable guard slide thingy.... not sure why it broke but it sure did hurt a bit, i got a nice inch by half in welt on my arm now. are there any good places on-line to buy archery stuff? thanks!

bansh-eman

The little slides can be purhased at nearly any lace that sells bows. Bass Pro, Academy, all those places sell them most of the time. They are pretty cheap. Make sure that your strings are seated in them well before you shoot or they can snap.

cmac

thanks!

rogers259

Cmac...you didnt try and pull the bow back w/o an arrow in it and accidentally dry fired the bow and the cable guard broke????

If you did or didnt doesnt matter...one thing to learn only draw a bow back with an arrow nocked. If you dry fire a bow(shoot with out an arrow) you run the risk of damaging the bow limbs, cams, cable guards, etc. If you did dry fire the bow check the limbs carefully and look for cracks, damage to the string or cams etc. If I were you I'd take that bow into a bow shop...NOT Gander Mtn or Cabelas!!! Have a Bow Tech at a Bow shop check everything out and repair the bow for you. With as much energy that gets stored in these bows if something breaks and it releases that stored energy you will get hurt as you found out.

Also make sure when your shooting to check your carbon arrows by flexing them. If they develop a crack and you shoot one they can potentially explode when shot by your bow. There have been cases where guys had an arrow explode and go threw their hand, not pretty. So take a second and flex your arrows to check for cracks and weakness.

Glad your ok...be safe and have fun shooting...go join archerytalk.com. Just like DTR they are the spot to go to with questions.