UNHAPPY WITH BASSPRO'S BOW SHOP

[STUMPJMPR]

I bought my first bow from bass pro about a month ago.... I thought the guy would take the time to set it up and tune it right.... Well I was half right.... He adjusted the draw length to fit me and supposedly tuned the rest.... I though everything was good until I started shooting broadheads they hooking bad.... I got to reading about paper tuning, something I knew nothing about.... I then examined my bow with an arrow in it.... It turns out the arrow was not square to the bow or string.... It was approximately 1/4" closer to the front of the shelf than the rear.... So I proceeded to paper tune the bow... It was going through the paper kind of crazy.... After a good half hour of small adjustments I got it shooting a "bullet hole".... I should have left the store with bow set up and ready to hit the range and not having to adjust anything but my sites....

[kyelkhunter3006]

Yeah, they leave something to be desired.  I bought a new bow a couple of years ago, and I'll admit, it was a decently busy day at the store.  Still, I was the first guy in the Archery shop that day getting a bow set up, and it took 5 hours to get it done.  I know that they have to help other people, etc.  I spent 10 years in retail so I know all about customer service, or the lack of it.  By the time I had everything picked out, I dropped almost $700 in there.  I was a tad bit pissed off by the time I got out of there.

If you have a Dicks Sporting Goods in your area, I haven't had any better success there.  Matter of fact, I refused to let any of them even look at my bow, it's that bad at the one closest to me.  Of course, there's an old man that's worked there for years.  Every time someone asks him what rifle to buy (whether it's for 10yr old Bobby, a praire dog shoot, or benchrest competition) it's a Weatherby Mark V in .300 Weatherby Magnum.     I'm almost to the point that I won't even go there to get ammo unless I have too.

[SHOOTALL]

Guys who know how to set up bows more often than not work in pro shops not big box stores . The same is true for gun shops . If you want good / quality  service go to a pro shop and be willing to pay for it . The box stores have to cut some where to cut price .

[STUMPJMPR]

I did find a local guy who everyone recommended...I can't say that he is the friendliest guy but he will get you straight for a good price....

[kyelkhunter3006]

Believe me, the big box stores are a last resort for any serious hunting/shooting stuff that I need. 

[mg66]

I use a local guy whom actually shoots semi-pro. He use to be down the road but has moved to about 50 miles away. I dont mind the drive for the experience, advice and workmanship, not to mention the price I receive from him.

My experience is a small town pro shop usually stocks what works and the the big stores are usually more expensive anyway.

[Hairtrigger]

As others have said, Big Stores usually have a better price, Small Local owned shops usually have better service.
You pick which is more important to you... This is not just for archery equipment

[jgalar]

I personally think you are not being realistic with your expectations. To properly tune a bow to a specific arrow requires shooting the combination, adjusting and repeating the process. The best anyone can do is set a bow up to something close.

I have a couple of compounds, but mostly shoot longbows and recurves  -  many I made myself. I do at least as much tuning to the arrow as to the bow itself.

I consider a bow and arrow combination tuned if it hits where I am looking, the arrow flies straight with no wobble, hits straight and groups well  - then I install the fletching and fine tune. It can take me days to (in my opinion) properly tune a bow.

[STUMPJMPR]

jgalar....My biggest problem was that he didn't even install the rest straight...It was canted atleast 3/8"

[bscman]

I agree with Jgalar...

You can't have high expectations from a big-box store.
It's likely the "tech" that set up your bow had little-to-no archery background, and was probably pulled from who-knows-where and given one Saturday of "training."

He installed the accessores and didn't ruin anything...that's about all one can hope for from shops like that (most of the time). The fact that everyone wasn't "perfect" shouldn't be a suprise. No amount of levels, measurements, and eyeballing can get it perfect without shooting it.

It turns out the arrow was not square to the bow or string.... It was approximately 1/4" closer to the front of the shelf than the rear....

That would put the tip of a 30" arrow at least 2.5-3" off center!

Should he have noticed that and corrected the problem? Definitely...
I won't argue that! It should have been obvious from even several feet away!

But take some responsibility yourself...that is something you *should* notice the first time you knock an arrow, not something you leave that way and continue shooting for a month. Besides, you only had to turn one allen bolt to resolve the problem.....

Besides, there is always the chance that the rest worked off to the side with each shot. If it wasn't properly tightened, it is very possible. String stretch or a slipping nock point could account for other issues as well.

I should have left the store with bow set up and ready to hit the range and not having to adjust anything but my sites....

I've been shooting for 16 years and that has NEVER been the case.
There are always small adjustments that need to be made to nock points, rest alignment, and even tweaking tiller, cam adjustment, etc...not to mention possible issues with string stretch the first 50-100shots.
To expect that your bow be 100% tuned for you is really reaching out there. As you now know, it takes a lot of time to micro tune your setup to get perfect arrow flight...and if you hand that bow over to someone else, you might find that it doesn't shoot *right* for them like it does for your. Body mechanics and shooting form can make just enough of a difference that you can never have someone else tune your bow.

He installed your accessories, and you got it fine tuned and now it's shooting great.

Enjoy it! Nothing beat a fine tuned, straight shooting bow!

[Swampman]

It's hard to hire an expert for $8.00 an hour.

[dcewolf]

As others have said, Big Stores usually have a better price, Small Local owned shops usually have better service.
You pick which is more important to you... This is not just for archery equipment

I'd have to absolutely agree with Hairtrigger. 
My experience has been if you buy your bow and accessories at the local shop and have them set it up, you'll have an accurate bow -- on top of that some shops will often tune and do work on your bow at a discounted price or even no charge if you're a regular.  Now if you want to make a local guy grumpy, go buy a bow at Dicks (or other random box store) take it to them and complain how it doesn't shoot well -- maybe even complain about their posted rates for tuning the bow ... bad idea.
 
The small guys will typically barter some on bow prices if you buy a bow through them but if you walk in with a chain store bow don't expect any discounts.  Generally I'd always recommend the small shop from the get go, it may be a little more expensive for a bow on the front end but in the long run you'll spend less money if you go to the person with the "know how" from the start.

[lonewolf5348]

I almost was going to purchase a bow from cabelas but I went to local bow pro shop to buy the new martin saber.I did spend about 2 1/2 hours with the guy who use to shoot pro at one time.I myself shot semipro back in the 70's and yes I can set up my own bow:I don;t paper tune but use the bare shaft setup, a good tune bow will shoot bare shafts out to 20 yards with no feathers or vane on the shaft,but it can change a little with broad heads.I yet to shoot the bow other then paper tuned and target work;I will be setting or testing the broad heads next week otherwise the bow shoots excellent

[whiskey101]

Well I am sorry that you didn't get your bow set up right from the start, but....

I believe that every archer should know how to tune his bow. Just like every gun hunter should know how to mount and adjust a scope. You should know how to adjust an arrow rest, adjust pin sights, set an arrow nock or tie a nock loop. You should own an arrow t-square so you can check things when your not shooting well. Bow strings stretch. I have set up bows and shot them a couple hundered time and had to re-adjust due to string stretch.

Atleast you know you can do it now and that you can't trust BassPro to do if for you.