Mission Archery

[FishBanker]

Hope all is well with everyone this morning. I am new to this thread on HSO, as I usually stick to Fishing Reports. But I did have a quick question I would like to get opinions on from others in the Archery Community.

I am looking at getting my girlfriend into bow hunting and looking for a good bow at a good price. I currently shoot a Switchback, so YES, I am biased and will only be buying her a Mathews or a Mission (Close enough to a Mathews). So if you do not shoot a Mission or a Mathews and only are going to comment about a Hoyt or a Diamond, please don't, as that is not what I am looking for.

I am wondering if anybody on here owns a Mission Craze or knows someone that owns a Mission Craze? If so, how do you like it? Also, when looking at bows yesterday, the sales man tried to upsell us and had her wanting to buy the new Mission Flare, which is another $200 for the bow alone. Does anybody konw someone that shoots the new Flare that came out this year?

Any information or input on this topic would be very helpful and I thank you all in advance!!

----Put some blood in the woods!!

[Scoot]

First, welcome to the archery forum! Second, I'm biased too regarding brand-- my bias is that none of the big name bow compaines make bad products, so being committed to buying a bow from only one company is a mistake. So, as you requested, I won't name other bow companies or specific models, but I will say that it's much better to let her shoot them all and let the bow pick her-- the one that feels good to her is the best one for her, regardless of brand (as long as it's a reputable manufacturer).

With that said, my son's next bow will be a Mission Craze. Without a doubt there is a sacrifice in performance with this bow-- any bow that has that much adjustability is giving some in performance. However, that bow is a very good choice for a starting archer. My son is shooting a Diamond Nuclear Ice now, but is on the verge of outgrowing it. The Mission Craze will be a good option for him as he gets bigger and stronger. Similarly, it likely will be a good choice for your gal as her "bow muscles" get strong, there's a ton of adjustment for the draw weight that you can bump up as she can handle it more. Start low and slowly move up whens she's totally comfortable doing so. The Mission Craze will allow for this to happen over a large range of poundage.

I don't know a thing about the Flare. I can tell you that I have no interest in one. If you look hard, you can find a used Mission Craze online for a good price. A lot of teenagers shoot them until they get fully grown, then they upgrade to a "big boy bow".

Good luck!

[FishBanker]

Thanks for the information and opinion Scoot! My bias is based on my past experience with other manufacturer's and also people I know. I understand that now a days with the technology, that most companies make a good product. Just personally, I couldn't bring her to "deer camp" with a Hoyt in the case. (People with bias to a company know this and laugh about it all the time, but it is what it is)

The Flare is $449 for the bow only and it is made specific for women. The guy at the pro-shop said it was very similar to the Mathews Drenalin. She shot the Flare and really liked it. It is just a big investment once you add accessories and arrows and all the thrills that go with the sport.

For the price, the Craze seems to be the way to go. She won't be shooting deer out past 25 yards for some time. Just wondering if it makes sense to start with a "better quality" bow or more of an adjustable bow to start with, such as the Craze. (I myself started with a Martin Jaguar before upgrading several years ago).

Thanks for giving the time to write up a response! and this is why I love HSO so much for information, because people give their pure response to what they like/dislike/konow about things. Instead of feeding you a sales pitch, as some sales man are trained to do.

---- Put Blood in the woods!

[Musky hunter 82]

I bought my wife a Crazy 2 years ago and she loves it. She killed her first deer at 20 yards with it last year. We purchased ours (I have the Endeavour) through Archery Country in St. Cloud and they were really good to work with.

[Jmnhunter]

Hey Fishbanker, i'm in the same boat you are in as far as picking a bow out for the wife, she wants it more for target shooting and perhaps turkey hunting in the future. we are looking into the mission line, I went to pick up a sight for my bow at beimart's outdoors and talked to Brett in there. I asked about the craze, he told me you could go with that but would probably be better off going with the menace, about $30 cheaper. due to the fact the craze has a weight range of 15-72 or so and the menace of 16-52lbs. He made the point that all bows perform best at their max, and the likely hood of my wife pulling back 72lbs is none-so choosing the menace with the max being lower, would increase performancenace.

We havent bought a bow yet, but will be soon!

[FishBanker]

Jmnhunter - Well I am glad that I have somebody in the same boat as myself with this situation. I haven't made a trip up to Beimart's, but that is where my cousin does all his shopping for bow's (He is the guy that gets the new Mathews every year).

With the large range of poundage adjustments, I see how you would sacrifice a little bit of perfomance. If we don't go with the Craze, I think we will be going with the Flare by Mission. It is made for women and it looks like a nice shooting bow when I watched my girlfriend shoot it yesterday. As us bow hunters know, the sky is the limit for how much you can put in to your set up when first getting started. She will be using it for strictly white-tail deer in Minnesota and Wisconsin with me once in a while. Just trying to justify the money difference.She sees me shooting a Mathews and she thinks she needs one too. I think the Mission line is great though for women/starters.

Thanks for all the input and information that people have responded to my post! It is much appreciated! If you need opinions on shotguns, let me know, as that is more of my forte'.

[Scoot]

He made the point that all bows perform best at their max, and the likely hood of my wife pulling back 72lbs is none-so choosing the menace with the max being lower, would increase performancenace.

Jmnhunter has a good point about performance. One caveat to that point is this though- the extent to which that is true these days is much, much less the case than it was a decade or more ago. It's still true, but not like it was in the 80's and 90's. Personally, I wouldn't let that factor into my decision. A salesman may make a big deal of it, but it's not such a big deal today IMO.

It sounds like three good options on the board for your gal Fishbanker! Bring her in, let her shoot them all, and see which one she likes the best (if their all in your budget).

[DonBo]

Don't be afraid to look at any used bows they may have on hand. If you could find a Jewel that's just a couple years old for the same price as a new Mission, that'd be a nice option.

Women love Jewels.

[Powerstroke]

Sounds like your mind is made up, but if not, here's my 2 cents. The Craze is a great bow. My daughter has one and loves it. I love it and I shoot it regularly since its so adjustable.

That being said, I would not want it as my primary bow as an adult. It is a very short bow. If your GF is taller than 5'4" or so I'd be focusing mroe an on adult sized bow. You can still stay in the Mission bows and the adjustable series with something like the Riot. Regarding the Flare, don't get caught up in that hype about made for women. Its all marketing hype. If she doesn't get it in a girly color then its just another bow.

I don't see anything wrong with the Flare other than its hyped as a womens bow and they charge for it like its special.

[FishBanker]

If I could find a used Jewel already set up, that would be the way to go. We all know that women tend to take care of things better than us guys, so a used women's bow would probably look brand new!

Going to head to Archery Country in St. Cloud this weekend to check on some ideas.

[FishBanker]

Well thanks for the 2 cents Powerstroke! She is not built like a "normal" girl I guess you could say. She was a Lacrosse player, so she is muscular and is about 5'7" or so. I thought the Craze looked really small, but didn't actually pick one up. I am used to shooting my Switchback, which we all now isn't small.

It is funny when they stick women on something and than charge extra for it, same thing goes for women's hunting clothes. I just buy her men's because it saves me a lot of money!

Just trying to way my options for her to get into it. Only problem is if she gets into it, I will be having to share my stand for the 2014 season, which means less shots for me

[Big Country]

I have a Mission Riot. I'm a large man and it fits me perfectly. Shoots smooth and straight. My soon to be 16 year old daughter has been shooting the Craze at the range, a demo. She absolutley loves it. She is new to archery. The bow fits her well. I have shot the Craze myself. It's virtually identical to my Riot, just shorter limbs and riser. I would personally recomend either to your lady. High quality bow that has a lifetime warranty if you are the original owner. Great price. I now have to convince the wife to let us get our daughter the bow.

[minky]

I purchased the Riot late last fall, great bow!

I first looked at the craze bow but went with the riot.

Nice bow, great price.

[FishBanker]

Well after talking to multiple people and getting the opinion of two seperate archery shops, I ended up going with the Mission Flare yesterday at Archery Country in St. Cloud. Decided it to be superior over the Craze in terms of perfomance for her. She is already shooting it well and nailing the bulls eye. Just have to make sure she doesn't end up out shooting me now!

Dealt with a real knowledgeable staff member, Cory, and he helped us get her set up and feeling comfortable shooting. Will be doing a lot of future business with Archery Country with the way they handled us yesterday.