Let's Talk Acrhery

[A6A6]

Well guys, here goes. I figured Ide talk about some of the new bows that are out there for this year upcoming and last.

Maybe some of you can even give me a piece of advice.

I am after this season in the market for a new bow. I have to wait till after the season because I am getting married in December and cant swing the $$ right now , even though I'de like to have a brand spanking new bow for October, it just aint possible right now.

Im now shooting a PSE NOVA @ 30.5 inches and about 65-68 lbs draw weight.

I havent shot many different bows in the past but out of the couple I shot , clearly remember the Matthews Switchback. A friend at the range had one and it was same dimensions as mine. The bow felt like a extension of my arm. I felt like I could hit bullseye with my eyes closed. Everything about the bow I loved, even the sight he had on there.

That leads me to fall in the directoin of buying a Switchback but the only thing that is stopping me is the fact that the Switchback is a old bow and compared to the new bows that came out in the past 2 - 3 years, it seems that spending money on a older bow that is slower and has less options wouldnt be the smarter thing to do .

In the end I do realize that the only way for me to solve this is to go to the shop and shoot as many bows as I can and see what fits me , before I buy but I am just seeing how and what everyone else out there is thinking and if anyone has shot a Switchback and compared it to any of the new bows and if it feels the same ?

The ones I was considering are from a few differet companies.

Here they are :

Hoyt ALphamax 32'' and Hoyt Maxxis 31'' .....

The Mathews Z7 , Mathews Switchback, Mathews Reezen 7.0, Mathews DXT, Mathews Dernalin , Mathews Monster.

The Bowtech Destroyer 340 and Bowtech Admiral FLX...

As far as building whatever bow I decide to go with , I do know that I like the G5 Optix XR Pin Sight and a Ripcord or Q.A.D Drop Down rest. .

So , Any unput of this guys ?

[Doewhacker]

Ahh the which bow is right for me quest....In the end it will all be up to you ofcourse so take any thing you read with a grain of salt but...  The most important things to watch for me when bow shopping were brace height, quietness, hand shock, hand tourqe, smoothness, and along with smoothness the draw stop.

Lets start at the begining, brace height is what allows the bow to be forgiving, you will want at least 7" and me personally I went with a bow that has a 7 3/4" brace height. I think all of the bows on your list have @ 7 or more which is good.

Quietness can only be sensed by shooting the bow your self, the faster they are the louder they are so don't get caught up in the speed wars if you want a really quiet bow. Obviously there are alot of aftermarket devices that can quiet down a bow so keep that in mind when shooting.

Hand Shock, Pararell limbs have taken hand shock almost of the equation now a days but it should still be noted.

Hand torque, being that new bows are light and most have skinny grips this is something that is important, the slightest torque and you make a bad shot. I experienced it most notably while trying the Z 7, could have just been me but that took it off my list immediately. I blamed it on the unbalanced feel I got from it. Again that was just me.

Smoothness, this is up there in importance for me. When hunting I don't want a herky jerky draw and also I don't want a cannon going off when I hit the trigger. Alot of bows have a narrow valley met with an abrupt back wall, and with that they have a draw stop in the form of a peg that sticks out the side of the cam. To me this will speed up string ware, so will speeds of 350fps IBO, I have dubbed these type of bows grenades because they are going to explode at some point.

You will see that I have left off price and speed on my list, out of all the bows that were on my list all of them were at least 300 fps IBO which is fine when hunting and really you will probally not hit the numbers they advertise unless you are shooting a superlight arrow which of course is a bad idea when it comes to penetration. To give you an example, the average shot is 20 yards(or under) so if you were to shoot two bows side by side one being 350fps and one 300 the arrows would hit @ .03 seconds apart. Not much difference eh?

Price is something that is different for every hunter to decide on, I went with a "cheap" bow because it ranked better on my deciding factors list than the more exspensive bows. As a side note Matthews had the best marketing out of every one, the catalog is a freakin book that has more pictures and people that swear by them than any thing else.

As WNY will tell you make sure what ever brand you go with has a good rep when it comes to warranty work.

Oh and the bow I ended up with is a Parker Wildfire, I got it from Gander Mountain for $294 because it was a 09 hold over. I shot one at a shop and then found it on the net and scooped it up.

Good luck in your quest, it will drive you nuts by the end of it!

[WNYBuckHunter]

Yep, make sure you have good, local factory rep. If you need to deal with warranty issues, it can be a big pain to ship your bow or drive a long way to have it worked on. Shoot as many bows as you can and make your mind up based on which one you feel most comfortable with. I would not buy a bow based on it looking cool or good advertising. I know its tough not to do that, but believe me, youll be much happier in the end. Before you buy one at a shop or store, check the classified on Archerytalk.com, you can find great deals on just about any bow you want.

Me, Ill be in the market for a Hoyt Alphamax/Alpha Burner/Maxxis pretty soon. Ive shot all three and they are great, the Maxxis is my favorite though, by far the smoothest bow Ive ever shot.

[maytom]

Of the bows mentioned above, I picked up a mathews switchback a couple of season's ago and agree, awsome bow. I sold my previous mathew's, an Ultra-Light that I had for almost 9 years previous. I guess you can say I'm partial to the mathew's line. I use to be the guy who up-graded every other year until buying that first mathew's bow many years earlier.

I don't shoot indoor leagues any more like when I was younger and when I shot fingers. Never quite got that magical "300" but a 297 was my closest!! Since switching to a release, I was hooked at this new method to me after shooting with a tab for so long.

If and when I get the urge to up-grade again, a mathews will be the bow of choice once again, and who know's, they might have something new out over the Z-7?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

Great list and comments guys...I love my Bowtech Blacknight with one issue and I don't want to run ito it again.....the sight picture is very small. my site pins are right at the curl back of the riser...if that makes sense. I am right handed and the riser goes up and curls to the left....my pins sit in that corner and limit my sight picture...anyone ever run into this?

[Doewhacker]

Have you ever paper shot your bow? It sounds like your rest is to close to the riser but if it is alinged properly then there is nothing you can do. How is your arrow flight?

[Culvercreek hunt club]

FLight is perfect. the rest sits out in front about 3 inches but it is just aligned high. I was toying with reducing my poundage to force a lowering of the pins but that kind of defeats the speed capabilities of the bow. That is why I opened this topic to read it...might have to buy a new one....I hate the thought of having a new toy... ...I just don't want to run into the same issue again. Anyone in Rochester area have a shop they use and recommend?

[Doewhacker]

You might be able to lower your peep in the string which would force you to lower your pins too but that would change your anchor point. If your not used to making major adjustments you might want a shop to help you out. Of course like you said a new bow would take care of the problem.

[Doewhacker]

Here is a link to a guy describing how to paper tune a bow, its easier then me trying to type it all out.

http://www.strictlybowhunting.com/Anov01issue/paper_tuning_TB.htm

[ny hunter]

I have to replace some knocks what do you use as far as glue?

[Doewhacker]

For alluminum I use Fletch Tite and carbon I use lock tite 4212. I just got new arrows in the mail that I get to cut and glue inserts into  ;D

[ny hunter]

Thanks I was'nt sure and pro shop is a half hour drive.Big help.

[fasteddie]

??? Why would you glue nocks on carbon arrows ?

[burmjohn]

Mine rotate around, no glue...

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I had not glued mine either but I shoot a TM Hnter rest so cock fletching down...they were forever turning off just a tad and the mounting strip would hit the prongs on the rest I think....I could always tell when I had one rotated...of course after the shot. since I locktight them no more problem. and you can get them out if you have to

[fasteddie]

I never even glued the nocks on my aluminum arrows when I used to shoot them . They were Easton Super Slams and the nocks could be rotated .

[Doewhacker]

Really do you use the nocks that have the rotating collars? I have allways glued my knocks, but then again I am new to carbon arrows I have used alluminum for ever. I like mine to stay in place like Culver creek.

[fasteddie]

Sorry about that . I have only been shooting for about 15 years . I got into archery late in life and have never had to glue nocks . I have seen some of the older arrows that required gluing though .

Nocks should fit tight enough as to not require any glue so they will be easier to replace when you break one .

[JDAWG]

A6A6~ First thing is take your time deciding on a new rig.  Shoot as many different bows as possible to make an informed decision.  I just switched from a PSE X-Force to a Darton 3800, but I shot a lot of different bows to make that decision.  Take a look at Darton they are making some good bows.