ATA lengths and accuracy

[OceanandMountains]

I'm in the market for a new bow. Researching until shops re-open in our area and i can test shoot. Top of list right now is Hoyt RX4 and Mathews VRX. Both brands offer different ATA lengths now- Hoyt markets them as for hunt specific, with short for the treestand hunter and long for the western open country hunter. – I'm both. I treestand hunt east coast whitetails but am starting to hunt elk and deer out west this year. The east coast shops I go to stock the shorter ATA bows and will special order the longer. I know a longer ATA generally makes a bow more stable and accurate but can't really find any reviews comparing the shooting traits of different lengths of the same bow models. Choosing 1 bow for both hunt styles I would probably choose improved long shot accuracy and sacrifice a little maneuverability in the stand to go w/ a longer bow(31.5 Mathews or 34" Hoyt). But even if I special order a longer bow I can only test shoot the 20yd indoor range at the shop. So, I'm curious if anyone has any longer distance shooting experience with different ATA models and if the difference is noticeable? I'm a mid draw length so that's not an issue on either size.

 

[targetpanic]

Go to Reedy's and shoot all the different bows. If anyone has them all in stock it would be him. I know he had both 28 and 31.5" VXR last time I was down there. I would be willing to bet he would let you take them both outside to shoot on the outdoor range if it isn't too busy or he has the employees to accompany you.
To your question though..as bows have gotten more parallel limbs, they have gotten bigger cams. The bigger cams open up a lot more at fulldraw and this increases string angle (i.e. feels and shoots like a longer ATA bow). A lot of this is Draw length dependent. Shoot them both and see which one you like best.

 

[Fire_9]

Personally I would go longer. Guys shoot 64” longbows out of tree stands. You can manage with a 34” compound....

 

[OceanandMountains]

Go to Reedy's and shoot all the different bows. If anyone has them all in stock it would be him. I know he had both 28 and 31.5" VXR last time I was down there. I would be willing to bet he would let you take them both outside to shoot on the outdoor range if it isn't too busy or he has the employees to accompany you.
To your question though..as bows have gotten more parallel limbs, they have gotten bigger cams. The bigger cams open up a lot more at fulldraw and this increases string angle (i.e. feels and shoots like a longer ATA bow). A lot of this is Draw length dependent. Shoot them both and see which one you like best.

good info thanks, and will do. I hear good things about Reedy’s but havent been because I always go to a shop I’ve been going to for years in NY where I hunt.

 

[completesportsman]

You need an ATA that will give you a good string angle that fit you so your head can stay in a natural position and still hit your anchor points

Lots of the new short ATA bows have huge cams so at full draw they still have an open string angle

 

[OceanandMountains]

I’m mostly familiar with the benefits of longer and proper string angle and I’m going to shoot different sizes. But I am still curious if anyone that has shot different lengths of same models sees a noticeable difference in their accuracy.

 

[Maxxis31]

There are several advantages to longer ATA bows, a longer bow is more stable, an example of this would be to take a 4' 4x4, put it above your head and spin in circles, now take a 8' 2x4 and do the same thing, the 4x4 although the exact same weight will be much easier to start and stop with. This example carries over to the smaller bow being easier to effect by poor form, honestly I doubt 99% of people could notice this with a bow 3" different from the other bow but top-level archers may be able to.

I came from a 33" Hoyt Carbon to a 29.5" RX4 and am very please, I shoot the RX4 much, much better than my older carbon Hoyt even though I had that bow for 7 years and had it setup very well. The new bows just shoot super nice, they draw nice, hold nice and the powerstroke is almost perfectly down the center, at least on the Hoyt. I actually had to lengthen my draw by 3/4" of an inch when switching to the shorter ATA bow in order to have good peep acquisition, I shortened my D-loop to make up for some of that but probably have a net gain of just under 1/2", I still have a good repeatable anchor but that is me. Personally if I were shooting a 29" draw or longer I would probably go with the RX4 ultra for the steeper string angle, I just feel like it would be a better fit for a taller person and still have plenty of speed and energy due to the longer draw anyway, I would do a #2 cam at 29" which is faster anyway.

I would recommend shooting several bows and getting the one that feels the best, I have been mostly shooting Hoyt since 2009 and I really love their grip so the Mathews just doesn't feel comfortable to me, my second choice would be one of the new PSE bows, probably the NTN 33" ATA bow they have this year, the evolve cams are very efficient and the bow seems solid all around and I like the grip better than Mathews personally. I do love carbon bows and doubt i will personally ever go back to an aluminum bow, if you do much hunting in the winter having the carbon is nice. I normally hunt late Nov. spot and stalk for mule deer and wear thin wool liner gloves that I can shoot in, some days it's below zero F and having an aluminum bow in your hand at those temps in not comfortable, the carbon warms up in a matter of seconds and your hands don't get cold carrying it around.

 

[OceanandMountains]

Great info @Maxxis31 , thanks! I’ve been shooting a 10 yr old Hoyt AlphaMax so the upgrade will be significant.

 

[TheTone]

Great info @Maxxis31 , thanks! I’ve been shooting a 10 yr old Hoyt AlphaMax so the upgrade will be significant.

Alphamax was a great one. It took me a long time to replace mine and I still miss it at times.

 

[OceanandMountains]

Made it to Reedys yesterday. After 4 hours of shooting different bows I went home with a new Mathews 31.5 VXR. Liked the Hoyts too but not a big enough difference to justify 50 percent higher price. Only shot indoors so I couldn’t really compare long distance accuracy but the string angle of the longer bow just felt better at draw. They didn’t have an Ultra RX4 in the shop but other 34” ATA bows felt too big for the hunting I do but the 31.5 felt totally manageable bushwhacking, climbing a mtn, or in a stand. After shooting mid ranges at home while sighting in today I’m loving the new set up!

 

[targetpanic]

Congrats on your purchase. Reedy's is a busy place with a great group of employees!

 

[OceanandMountains]

Congrats on your purchase. Reedy's is a busy place with a great group of employees!

It was my first time there but yeah I agree, great place and great team. Impressed with his kids and young employees knowledge and professionalism for their age.