What Bow

[zeke08]

Hello all! I am looking for a new bow. I have shot Jennings,(back in early 80's),Hoyt, and High Country. I am wanting speeds over 300fps and small light bow some what forgiving. I shoot well and have good fundamentals. I have not kept up with the whats hot/best and figured ya'll could help better than any salesman, for I have never been lead astray in GBO. I dont care what brand as long as its a quality fast bow. That being said what kind of arrows are the best currently I have 29" draw at 70lbs with approx.80% let off. I would like as much kinetic energy as possible. I have shot 100gr muzzy 3blades for years with no complaints so unless someone has proof to change thats what I will continue to use. Thanks for any and all help with my latest quest to better myself!

[fr3db3ar]

Won't be what you want to hear......but SPEED IS OVER RATED.  My longbow shoots around 164 fps with 600 ish gr arrows.  I have yet to ever have a deer jump the string.

As far as new tech....I suppose carbon will be your best choice for arrows...either they're good or bad.

For a bow...I recommend you find a shop and shoot every one you can get your hands on.......and buy the one that feels good to you.

[41 mag]

To be honest, fr3db3ar, hit the nail on the head about the speed issue. Of course everyone is different and wants different thing out of life, thats what makes it interesting. He is also correct about shooting as many as you can and make a list of what you like or dislike about each. It will help out in the final decision. Most any of the new bows are awesome, but the shooter is the deciding factor.

I recently purchased a new bow. It was an Admiral and pushing the limits your looking for, it will compare nicely with anything out there. It is a VERY quiet bow even cranked up to top end, however I am shooting a 29" Easton 340 FMJ at 270 fps, which weighs 470grs, and has a calculated 76# of energy, which should be enough to handle anything in the lower 48 and then some.

I shot most of the newer '09 bows before purchasing it, and several were impressive, but the draw cycle on them pretty much sucked for me. this year there are several that push the envelope hard on the upper 350's, however what you gain in one respect you loose in another. To me the noise was a major factor, and I have not been disappointed at all with my choice. When you can get multiple shots on a pack of hogs before they bust your doing something right.

Of the ones I shot I compared them side by side set at the same draw weights of 65 and then 70 pounds. Some of them I could not draw back at 70 due to the cam designs. Other I could and they weren't what I was looking for.

From the ones I did not choose, here are the top brand contenders,

Mathews, PSE, Diamond, and Bowtech

I wish i could just say go get you "this" bow and you would be happy ever after, but like drawers you are a better judge of what fits you than anyone else.

Good luck

[mirage1988]

It all depends what you want to spend and what you are looking for in a bow. If you are looking for speed, buy a pse, but they are loud. Smooth draw and forgiveness for a cramped shot or bad form- bowtech, diamond, or hoyt. Prestige - matthews.

[kinslayer1965]

I shoot an X-force Dream Season by PSE and love it. I opted for heavier arrows and am shooting 475 grain carbon arrows at 280fps. With this combo my bow is more than quiet enough for me. I have heard of people who have issues with the hard cams and less than smooth draw on this bow and I guess it is a matter of what you get used to. I shoot quite a bit with my 65lb long bow so the draw on my x-force doesn't seem to be a problem for me. As long as you can draw the bow back with out making all kinds of weird gyrations you should be fine. If you can't my guess is you are using a too heavy draw weight.

As FR pointed out you do not need blazing fast speed.  I don't believe you can go wrong with any of the four 41mag listed. I have shot deer with both PSE and Mathews and have herad very good things about Diamond and Bowtech.

Once you get your bow picked out then comes the hard part......picking your arrows. I went through many different makers before I settled on Carbon Force Pro shafts. They are relatively inexpensive compared to some others and I have found them to be very consistent.

Good luck with you decision.

[kansasj]

There has been some excellent advice shared so far on this forum.  I personally shoot a Mathews MQ-1 (old bow) with carbon express and Muzzy 100 3blade.
It shoots about 260 fps which is plenty fast for me.   I would as mentioned have some fun and go into every bow store in the area and pull each bow and ask a lot of questions.  Research what you are about to buy on the internet and check out customer ratings.   You will know when you have picked up the right bow and you will be happy with it.  One suggestion---I would really recommend you install a fall away rest.
Kansasj

[STUMPJMPR]

I'm shooting a Bear Lights out 55# draw 29.5" IBO is around 300 but I"m probably only shooting about 260.  I've shot at 2 deer at about 40 yards.  1 jumped the arrow and the other didn't  .  It doesn't seem to take alot of energy to penetrate a whitetail completely.  With Beeman arrows and a 85 gr thunderhead I shot completely through the deer. 

[Big Nasty]

The longer the axle to axle, and the higher the brace height which makes for a awkward bow is the most forgiving. Short, tight bows are less forgiving which now days is most.

[BUCKDUSTER]

i love my hoyt vectrix.  it's fast, smooth, quiet and shoots as straight as i can.  would recommend to any one.  i shoot beeman arrows, and up til last year, i shot 3 blade muzzy 100 grainers.  i had a really bad deflection off the top of the shoulder blade last year that was a once in a life time chance of happening, however, i switched.  this year i shot the 2 blade rage 100 grainers and shot three deer with them. all three deer went 100 yards total between them.  would recommend them as well. good luck with your choice. hope this helped

[mirage1988]

Buckduster-
Why did you choose the 2 blade over the 3 blade rage? I was thinking about trying them (rage 3 blade).  It seems like the 2 blade might have trouble getting thru the ribs with that wide of a cut.

[Hunter Fishman]

I've heard allot of good things about the mathews DXT. Their new bows like the monster & reason have been getting some bad reviews from what I hear.

About the muzzy's I have heard great things about them, unfortunately I almost had my season this year ruined by muzzy 3 blade 100's. I must of got the only pack in america that the blades didn't fit in the ferrals.
I managed to jam 3 out of 6 together but bent the blades & The tip wouldn't screw on without cross threading.
They are good broadheads, I just got a bad batch & it was too late & too far of a drive to return them.

Carbon arrows are the way to go... pick a brand! They last longer than aluminum in my opinion.
You cant bend or dent carbon. Just dont shoot em if you notice a split or crack.

I'm still new to bow hunting... just speaking from experience.

[gunoil]

shot the pse vandetta xs 29 1/2 axle to axle and the bow madness.. fore a bow that is short and light it had a smooth pull. quit to boot. the vandetta is going to be a good seller fore pse..  going to shot a few more pse.. vandetta xl, axe 6-7, and bow madness xl thanks WORM

[zeke08]

THANKS to everyone who posted GREAT info and I will let you know what path I choose! Again thanks

[snuffer#1]

I have 4 bows.

1. martin saber '08
2. mission UX2 (dual cam) '09
3. mission eliminator '09
4. mathews hyperlite '10
 
Of all of these, the martin was the least expensive and is dead nuts accurate. UX2 is IMO the best dual cam in its price range. good shooter too!
The eliminator is the best overall as far as price and quality. To me no handshock at all.
The hyperlite I just got a couple of days ago. Just have got the 20 yd sighted in. Sometime this weekend I'll square away the other 2 pins. It is light, and when I shot it it does have some heat on it. (speed) and pretty quiet. The martin is a little heavy, but it's faster than the 2 missions.
                                                                     Snuffer

[kevin oh]

i like my mathews bow myself.i have had several differant ones but ended up with a mathews which i have had several differant models of them.as far as which one shoots the best most of it depends on how good the shooter is.

[Uhrich]

My advise is to go and shoot all the bows you can, and let the bow choose you.

I had a 4 day weekend last weekend.

My boss and I went ice fishing together.  We have been talking bow's for awhile, and I had told him he needed to go to a bow shop and shoot them all and see if he was serious about getting one.  For two evenings after fishing, he shot quite a few different ones.  I told him if he really wanted to get a bow, let the bow choose him.  He finally settled on a Mathews Drenalin (Yes I know it was discontinued, and told him so) after shooting Martin, Mission, Hoyte, Pse, Bow Tech, solid and split limb, and it was a $150 off.  You know I had to do a little shooting myself, I bought a Mathews Monster to go with my 05 Switchback.    "What a speed demon"!  

[Cottonwood]

Uhrich good advice there.

I always have this to say, "Beauty is in the hand of the bowholder"

The bow you settle on, is the one that chooses you with accuracy and what your looking for in a bow.

Don't just pre-season practice, but shoot all year long and no matter what bow you purchase it will put a grin on your face with performance.

[Anonym]

None of you guys shoot Oneidas?     I'd take my Oneida Stealth over any bow on the market.  It's plenty fast, very forgiving, transfers energy to the arrow like no other, and sure works the "unique" factor.  They're extremely smooth and easy to shoot, and probably the easiest bow to work on (without a press even!).  Definitely worth a look if you're in the market.

I've been working with a company on a similar design.  We've got a prototype getting the bugs out, but should have something on the market later this year.

Anonym