What kind of bow

[Jigmaker]

Thinking of getting a bow need opions on what brand.

Thanks

 

[schmalts]

Asked many times. Answer never changes. Don't take too much on advice, the "i shoot this" stuff is worthless. Go to a good shop, shoot a bunch of brands and see what fits you and trips your trigger. Everyone seems to like something a little different, down to the grip. I shoot a Bowtech

 

[smalls]

That depends, do you like blonds, brunettes, or redheads.

If you like blonds, that tells me you like to party, live on the edgy side of life. For that I would recommend something in the Bowtech or PSE line. They are putting out some screaming fast bows with lots of nice eye appeal. They can also be forgiving if you treat them right.

If you are a brunette man, look no further than something in the Mathews or Hoyt lines. Great tradition, impeccable quality and you simply know what you're going to get. Smooth, intelligent bows without some of the "sexiness" of the blondies. Don't let that fool you, these "librarians by day" are what they call in the hip hop industry a "lady in the street but a freak in the sheets", i.e. when it's time to perform they won't let you down.

Now if your in love with redheads, you probably like to find something a little out of the norm. Elite archery is a relatively new player in the archery manufacturing, yet some consider the Z28 one of the smoothest, most forgiving bows they've ever shot... plus, just like a redhead they will surprise you with how "nasty" they are. I would throw Martin's neice "Rytera" into this category. Cutting edge designs resulting in all the speed a guy ever wanted in a package that will undoubtedly make your friends ooh and aah.

If you don't discriminate, try a couple of each out at your local shop. Pay attention to how comfortable the grip is (and how easy it seems to get your grip the same every time), if the draw cycle and let off is comfortable, if the wall is solid or mushy and make sure to have a pro help you get the drawlength correct for each set up (28" in one bow may be different than 28" in another). Honestly, there are probably close to 10 manufacturers of very high quality bows currently, find one that's comfortable and you shouldn't be disappointed.

 

[elk_hunter]

Yeah...what smalls said.

 

[Jezz]

I agree, just have to go shoot them. I shot a hoyt for years, then recieved a Matthews DXT for writing an article, love it. Pretty much all the bows shoot well, I think brace height, sight and rests are more important than the bow brand.

 

[blackpowder]

martin archery that is all i have ever shot

 

[Southwind]

Amen to schmalts, there are sooooo...many great bows out there go and shoot them all and find what feels good and shoots good in your hands.

 

[hunter480]

AR-34 here, but I want to maybe get the new PSE that is IBO rated at 355 FPS.

 

[brian]

shot the pse x-force at a local shop very nice

 

[stickbow]

bows are like computers ya can"t keep up with them LOl. just throwing this out there I've shot alot of compounds from bowtech to darton to css which horton bought out recently. the one that impresses me is Ben Pearson they have some nice and affordable compounds quick to try one . which ever ya choose make sure it fits you from draw length to grip to feel.

 

[sreekers]

Fit is everything. I usually prefer the Matthews models before the get shorter, i.e. the original Switchback fits me great as a tall guy. The Hoyt's have never felt as good to me, but like others have pointed out you may love it. All about how it feels when you shoot. I wouldn't shoot them all in the same night though, they will all start to run together.

 

[ELKCHSR]

I picked up a Hoyte super short this year

What a nice bow, handles very well and shoots hard, straight and quiet...

A major step up from the one I shot for years...

 

[mohunter]

I think they are all making good bows these days depends what you like. Dont rule out Darton. They have been around a long time and have great technology. They are actuallyresponsible for alot of hoyt and bowtech technology. I like them also becasue they tend to be cheaper than the top bows but still have top of the line technology. Just another one to thinkg about.

 

[elkkill2006]

mohunter,
I have shot Darton's since I was twelve years old. I had the second one in Grand Junction and had won it at a West Slope Bowman archery shoot. I took my first deer with it. I still shoot a Darton to this day. Great bows!

 

[Double S]

Like others have stated above. Go to your nearest bow shop and get you hands on many bows as you can. Remember, speed is nothing without stability and accuracy. Find the one that feels good, smooth, and of course, looks great. lol. I shoot PSE Bows.

 

[bow hunter]

go to several diff pro shops. shoot them all. you want to look for torque, vibration, recoil, and noise. nowadays most of the top brands are neck and neck

 

[Cornell2012]

I think I'm still shooting what is technically a "youth" bow. Base draw weight is 30# and I have it maxed around 50 or 55#. That being said, it has never failed me. It shoots around 215 fps, which is plenty good enough to kill anything within 30 yards. (That's fast enough that it went straight through my first archery deer at 25 yards.)

I think the most important thing is that you find a bow you are comfortable with, and then put in lots of practice with it. The fastest arrow in the world means nothing if it doesn't hit your target.

 

[Goldtip]

First don't get caught up in the speed race, you say your thinking of buying a bow, do you currently hunt and shoot a bow? If not, I would definitely look for something with 7.5+" brace height, simply for the forgiveness it will offer you. Yes, you will lose some speed with that sort of brace height, but it will allow you to shoot the bow better sooner, developing confidence, while you develop technique/good form. And remember, that there are TONS of deer and elk and Moose and bears killed every year with recurves and longbows which shoot an arrow much slower than any of todays slowest compounds.

Now if you've been shooting bows for years and have good form, well then look at one of the bow with a 7" or slightly less brace height. Personally, I would never own one of the newer bows with the 6" brace heights, simply to unforgiving of slight changes in form which will come with uphill downhill and sidehill shots when the pressure is on and you have seconds to get the pin settled and the shot off.

Next, find a good archery pro-shop and have them set you up right the first time. Do not go to one of the big box stores, their archery guys are far too hit/miss to me to count on having the bow set up right for you. It's worth the extra money to have a bow set up correctly that fits you from the start, and it will be far less frustrating for you as well. Get the pro shop guy to set you up several different lines of bows and shoot them, see which one just feels natural in your hand, and just feels like it shoots well for you. That may be one of the less expensive bows from the Bear, or Diamond or high country line or Parker, or it may be one of the most expensive bows there. But that bow that just feels right every time you release, that will be the bow you will develop the most confidence and accuracy with.

All that being said, I shoot a Bowtech Guardian, my cousin shoots a Hoyt AlphaMax, and my hunting buddy shoots a Diamond Marquis. And we all like our bows better than we like the other guys, so it really is a personal preference.

 

[genesis273]

That depends, do you like blonds, brunettes, or redheads.

If you like blonds, that tells me you like to party, live on the edgy side of life. For that I would recommend something in the Bowtech or PSE line. They are putting out some screaming fast bows with lots of nice eye appeal. They can also be forgiving if you treat them right.

If you are a brunette man, look no further than something in the Mathews or Hoyt lines. Great tradition, impeccable quality and you simply know what you're going to get. Smooth, intelligent bows without some of the "sexiness" of the blondies. Don't let that fool you, these "librarians by day" are what they call in the hip hop industry a "lady in the street but a freak in the sheets", i.e. when it's time to perform they won't let you down.

Now if your in love with redheads, you probably like to find something a little out of the norm. Elite archery is a relatively new player in the archery manufacturing, yet some consider the Z28 one of the smoothest, most forgiving bows they've ever shot... plus, just like a redhead they will surprise you with how "nasty" they are. I would throw Martin's neice "Rytera" into this category. Cutting edge designs resulting in all the speed a guy ever wanted in a package that will undoubtedly make your friends ooh and aah.

If you don't discriminate, try a couple of each out at your local shop. Pay attention to how comfortable the grip is (and how easy it seems to get your grip the same every time), if the draw cycle and let off is comfortable, if the wall is solid or mushy and make sure to have a pro help you get the drawlength correct for each set up (28" in one bow may be different than 28" in another). Honestly, there are probably close to 10 manufacturers of very high quality bows currently, find one that's comfortable and you shouldn't be disappointed.

Odd analogies but a lot of truth!

 

[roadking]

Martin...good value GREAT Bows