New and Need Advice On What To Buy

[HairNutz]

Im going to purcahse a bow but need help / advice on what to buy.

I will mostly shoot targets and rarely if ever hunt with it - although the bow I buy should be something I can take into the woods on the rare occasion I go hunting with it.

When I say shoot targets - I will probably shoot at paper targets and maybe someday later down the road get a 3D target to shoot at. Im not planning on going into competition soon, however I would like a bow that I could shoot in competitions with should I decide. 3D shoots are most popular around here so thats probably what Ill be doing.

I have looked at Mathews / Hoyt / PSE because thats what is carried around here in local stores. I do like the Mathews Conquest and the Hoyt UltraTec. Im not sure if the Conquest would be a good choice or not. I would also like a bow with a bit of color to it - not the normal Camo or TreeBark color.

Im thinking 400.00 would be a good price for a 1st bow - however I might spend a bit more if I can understand why its worth it.. I have no idea how much the Mathews Conquest costs so if its a 650.00 Bow, thats what Im willing to spend.

I would also like some info / help on the accessories to purchase from bows to sights to rests to stabilizers to triggers.

I know this is a long post - but you all have much more experience than I do so I will take your advice and research further. I am basically asking you for suggestions on the complete package to start into archery with the purpose of shooting targets and the ocassional hunt.

Thanks in advance!
Dave

[Marcus]

The Hoyt UltraTec was by far the most popular bow at the World Field Championships this year, which is paper target shooting. It's gots lots of options in limb lengths and choice between single cam and dual cam. The dual cams were used on most of the bows there but the single looks really good too with a great idler wheel.
For what you want it for I would say a UltraTec XT 3000 with would be a good choice. It's little extra tength should be a touch more forgiving and hopefully make up for some mistakes you may make, while still maintaining speed.
The Hoyt risers are an incredible piece of engineering and worth it in my opinion. It may be worth waiting a few weeks as Hoyt are about to launch their new range.

[Eberbachl]

Hi HairNutz,

Good questions :)

Marcus is right about the UltraTec. This is one of the top of the line bows from Hoyt, and is a remarkable piece of equipment. I shoot a Hoyt CyberTec at the moment, which is a very similar bow really, just a little shorter and more radical (read faster). For a beginner I'd probably go for the UltraTec as it's likely to be a little more forgiving whilst still maintaining respectable arrow speeds. My preference would be with XT2000 limbs, and command cams, but limb and cam options tend to get very personal, XT2000's or XT3000's will be fine.

From Mathews I can't really comment, as I don't shoot their gear, but one thing I can say is that their stuff is very good quality and no doubt is shot by some of the best shooters in the world. Noel Teelow on this board shoots Mathews and should be able to give you more info on this gear.

PSE also produce some very good gear. They have just released their new lineup for 2003, so many of us have not seen the new bows yet. Of the bows which have not changed, the Xcellerator is an excellent option here. Very nice bow. In the new lineup the Primos STL looks fantastic and I'm looking forward to testing one, and the new Supra looks excellent also (at a remarkable price).

When you are shopping for a new bow, keep a couple of things in mind. Firstly, speed is not everything. A faster bow will help you when you make distance judgement errors, but most of the time will be harder to shoot and will be less forgiving. Wait until you get some experience before you buy a speed bow :)

If you are going to be shooting mostly marked distances (ie. target) speed is not really as important. It will help you gain less wind drift, but I wouldn't sacrifice speed for accuracy. 3D on the other hand, a respectable speed is quite important, as you must judge the distance to the target. For a beginner though, all of the bows I have mentioned will be more than fast enough :wink:

Be careful of brace height (the measurement from the throat of the grip to the string). On "speed" bows the brace height is often as low as 5 1/2" to 7". This low brace height will have an adverse effect on your accuracy. More forgiving bows are likely to have a brace height in the range of 7 1/4" to 8 1/2"+. These bows will be a little slower than their low brace height counterparts, but will give you more forgiveness and a more accurate entry into this sport.

Save the speed bows for later :wink:

As far as the rest of your gear is concerned, try and start a thread for each piece of gear you're wondering about. ie: "what arrow rest should I buy?" or "Which sight should I get for target and 3D?". etc. Asking specific questions in a thread will get you more detailed and informative answers. :D

One thing I'll warn you about in this sport though, is that it is very opinionated! Many people will urge you to buy a specific type of gear just because that is what they shoot. The fact of the matter is that the top gear (Hoyt, PSE, Mathews, Martin, Merlin etc...) will all provide you with great products, some of them have particular eccentricities, and you will soon develop a preference.

Be particularly careful of people who bag a product only to push theirs :wink: We all have a joke with each other about how bad eachother's gear etc is....but people who do it seriously have a problem :D:D:D

I hope this helps,

Luke. :angel: :bday: :angel:

[mike]

My advice would be to work out how much you want to spend (and if you're going to post it to this forum, tell us the currency!! we're australian, so, if you say 600, we get all excited that you've got a good deal only to find it is in british pounds and thus actually $1500 AUD ...)

Once you get the money worked out, look for a second hand bow. Find a couple and try and find the basic information:

Brace Height, Axel to Axel length (ATA), Age, Cam type (single, twin, wheel), brand and model. Whoever is selling it will most proabably be able to tell you.

Agree with luke, you want brace height 7.5 - 8.5. Don't go lower than 7.5!! You would regret it.

Cam type doesn't matter, although twin and single cams are faster than wheels.

ATA -- you want a decent size bow to begin with -- don't go much below 36, unless you are planning on treestand hunting, these bow seem to only be shot accurately by good archers.

The age of the bow matters. Older than about 3 years and unless it was looked after it could be dodgey, but again, any old bow is good to learn on.

Brand and model helps anyone you ask about the bow.

I started on a second hand bow as I'm sure did most archers on this forum.

You need to learn good form and technique before it is worth spending $$$$

Better of spending a couple of hundred only for now, then when you feel that the equipment is holding you back, move up. Thats when you should look at the top of the line stuff.

Sure, buying an expensive new bow now would be nice, but I promise you you will get nothing out of it for at least 6 months (I'm assuming you've only just started) and by that time, the companies have brought out a new catalogue and you bow is "old"

Same applies for all the accesories, with the exception of Sights and Release Aids. Its worth going for quality here because they will last for years and several bows and you should learn to use these well from day one. Again, try to get a second hand Carter thumb trigger release aid for example. Or, if youhave a coach, start on a BT release such as the Stanislawski models.

Basically try to save money at this stage, you will need the money for advanced equipment when you become an advanced archer.

[Inner-10]

Hi Hairnutz,

My biast oppinion would be to buy a Mathews, im sure Noel would back me up here, I shoot one and absolutly love it. As for fancy colours your options are limited with Mathews (there only available on 2 bows). My choice was the Q2XL it seems to suite my need prefectly. My choice in accessories would be the golden key golden premier rest, mainly because it has ample adjustability, and it comes with different launchers so you can experiment. Sight---- what are you looking for ? Pin sight? or movable? if pin i strongly sujest you get one with microadjust for windage and elevation (ie: sure-loc, or spot-hogg) but they both come with a heafty price tag. Stabilizer well, whatever fits your bow/ your feel. If you perchase a mathews with the harmonic dampers I strongly sujest that you put the brass in the bottom and the aluminum in the top, I find it makes the bow much more stable.

Thats my $00.02 (but thats in canadian, so it not worth very much :lol: )

[robbo]

All these bows suggested are good bows, it all comes down to what feels good in your hands and you can shoot well.