Buying a Bow

[patrat78]

I know i am a little late but i had to wait for some more paychecks to be able to afford a decent bow. I can spend up to $700 but i need everything the bow arrows tips and the acceories on the bow. What should i look to get?

[harvey lee]

I would go to a archery shop to get measured for your draw lenght and then look and see what they might have for used equipment. I have seen to many people just go out and purchase a used bow because it was a good deal and later find out it was the wrong size for them. You might pay a little more but rest assured that you will be shooting gear that works for you.

I know its a bit of a drive but, Fishing Minnesota is having a Archery day at Cabin Fever Sportin Goods in Victoria on August 4th and the staff there are second to none for helping out beginners. They also have an archery range there where you could try some bows out to see how you like them.

If you are interested in talking to some archery people that are very good, Give Neal or Dawn a call at cabin fever and they will get you looking in the right direction.

There number is 952-443-2022 and tell them Fishing Minnesota sent you. They will be very willing to help you out.

[patrat78]

thanks for the info harvey

[96trigger]

I don't want to disagree with Harvey, and I don't know if this is your first bow, but the day at cabin fever might be good day to buy a bow, but not necessarily shoot one as it may be busy and might not allow you to really concentrate on what you are doing. When I bought my bow last spring, I went on a weekday morning and shot numerous bows. The bow pro and the I were the only people there and I was able to get a lot of help and focus on each bow I shot. You can buy a lot of nice bows for that kind of money. (I was able to pick up a very nice Mathews Swtichback XT bow completely set up for under $700 on hsolist) However, if money is an object, you can spend less on your accessories. You can then upgrade each accessory every year as your budget sees fit. Thats just my personal op. Others might say the accessories are more important than the bow. I'd rather shoot a high quality bow with less bells and whistles. You might also want to look at used bows, many times these are already set up with lots of bells and whistles.

[harvey lee]

I would agree that it possibilly could be a very busy day. He could stay just a little later after 4 when its done and then the time might allow for a better session with the range.

I talked with Dawn at Cabin Fever today and the range will be open and they will fit you in if one would like to shoot some.

[norm]

Patrat-I know a guy up near the Sebeka/Bluegrass area who handles Forge bows. They are not a very well known company but they are very nice bows for the price you pay. This guy is very knowledgeable and will do anything he can to put a bow in your hands that fits you and is in your price range. I don't know if I can put his name or the name of his shop on here but you can email me and I will get it to you. golfer_dude2001(at)hotmail((Contact Us Please))com

[Deitz Dittrich]

The main thing I tell people.. is shoot a lot of different bows!... Each company makes so many different handles. that handle is what conects you to that bow...Feel the draw cycle..

Go to many archery shops(get a feel for their customer satisfaction) and shoot a bow.. take a piece of paper withyour or a recording device and the second you put that bow down start writing or recording.. tell what you liked and what you didn't like about the bow. Often times you will forget believe it or not... then you can go back and see what you liked best.

Dont get caught up in shooting the bow you had liked and buying that one right away.. if you dont shoot like 15-20 different bows, you may be missing the one that really works for you.. and its not always the most expensive!

best of luck in your search!

[Down2Earth]

I have a Hoyt Vortec and paid roughly $400-$500 completely set up(it's been a few years now). I shoot carbon arrows and have 1 pin that has no drop out to 28yards. I'm sure since this bow the technology is even better. But I never see myself buying another Bow in my lifetime. When buying this bow I belive I shot a couple mathews (nice bow but didn't like the price) and a couple PSE's. I ended up with the bow I liked the best.

[harvey lee]

Glad to see you got the bow that works for you. You did it right, go and shoot some and see which one works the best for you.

[Rippinlip]

All great advice, this is exactly what I did, first I took advice from this site and HL and DD. I went to a Archery shop, not a retail store and shot severel different bows.

Actually I had it down to 3 bows out of about a dozen or more.

Handle grip and balance eliminated 1 of those.

Now was the tough choice.

The 1 I really wanted was a little more than I could spend at the time, if I would have just waited a month or 2, I would be the proud owner of that Bow.

Not that I am disappointed with the one I purchased, it did come in close to the other, just a money thing.

I have been shooting it a ton and the more I shoot the more I like it.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Rip- you did it right brother. Congrats on the new tool! Enjoy your time in the woods and the harvest of your labor. That is what its all about!

[Dahitman44]

Again I think Hoyt and Mathews are the best brands out there. I have shot them both but prefer Mathews. It was a feel thing as was stated above. I thought I was going to get a Hoyt but after shooting both I liked the Mathews Switchback XT the best.

Before that I had a Golden something and a PSE. Both were great bows.

I think you could get a very very nice used bow then upgrade in a few years or go for a PSE or a Browning.

One way to look at it is save up or put a little more on credit card, shoot them all and then get the one you want and it can be your bow for the next 5 to 10 years.

Just a thought.

Hitman

[koonie]

I currently have the Mathews Switchback XT. I say currently because I've been shooting our demo Bowtech Guardian and it blows away any other bow I've shot. So my Switchback XT, even though I really like it, will be going on our stores used rack.