Author Topic: best bow? (Read 2726 times)

popeye777 · « **on:** January 17, 2005, 01:31:05 PM »

OK guys, I am sure you have cussed and discussed this topic over and over and there is as many different opinions as there are members, but give me your opinion as to what bow and why.
Thanks in advance, POPEYE

Daveinthebush · « **Reply #1 on:** January 17, 2005, 02:36:26 PM »

I bought a BowTech this year, a Pro 40 Dually.

1. At 72 pounds and 280 fps it is just one powerful, flat shooting bow.

2. I have had not one problem since I bought it. I have had a couple of questions and customer support has been excellent.

3. The quality is excellent throughout.

4. Price - It was more than some of the entry level bows.

5. Shootability - This is one of the best shooting bows that I have ever owned.

6. I would buy one again. :grin:

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #2 on:** January 17, 2005, 02:49:09 PM »

Yikes. I've just started into archery and shoot a PSE. No problems yet, seems to be an accurate bow and the pro who has been working with it claims it's a quiet bow (even tho some Limbsavers aren't going to hurt, and the quiver is noisy). But of course, you have Mathews, Martin, Fred Bear, Reflex, and a bunch of others I'm sure I forgot to mention. Is there a BEST bow? Some will argue Mathews as being they are of a higher price which means a higher quality (which might not be necessarliy true). I don't think we'll ever find a 'best' bow. But hey, that all depends on who you ask.

popeye777 · « **Reply #3 on:** January 18, 2005, 04:47:06 AM »

Thanks guys, How about it, anybody buy a new Mathews or Reflex this year? What do you think about the speed, noise, weight, price?
Thanks, POPEYE

New Hampshire · « **Reply #4 on:** January 18, 2005, 11:44:22 AM »

Hey popeye, Ive got a Reflex Grizzly on the way (hopefuly this week it will be in.) Ill tell ya all how she shoots and feels when I get her out and warmed up.
Brian M.

Lawdog · « **Reply #5 on:** January 18, 2005, 01:19:49 PM »

popeye777,

Quote

opinion as to what bow and why.

If you want a bow that's;

1.] Fast

2.] Easy To Tune

3.] Easy To Draw So It's Easy On Your Shoulder Muscles

Then the Very Best Bow is the ONEIDA BLACK EAGLE. Go to their web site at http://oneidaeaglebows.com/oneidapages/esc.htm to see the Black Eagle. The Oneida bow was banned at one time because it gave it's shooter an unfair edge. Lawdog

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #6 on:** January 18, 2005, 03:59:24 PM »

Ahh, yes, the Oneida. I forgot about them. A unique bow in looks and I guess as well as in features. Another good choice. So many opitions, so little time.

Wlscott · « **Reply #7 on:** January 19, 2005, 11:03:11 AM »

I've been shooting an Archery Research bow for the last several months. I started with the AR34 Ram cam and stepped up to the AR34 Ram and a half just before deer season started.

I shot the Ram Cam next to a Mathews Outback and there was very little difference in noise or vibration. The Ram and a half is noisier, but I think it has something to do with the fact that my stabalizer is shot out. I haven't shot it since I put a new stabalizer on it to see if that's the case yet though.

Both bows were accurate, smooth and easily tuned. They draw very smoothly, and the Ram and a half has a very nice valley at full draw. I also like the positive back wall.

I can whole heartedly recommend these bows.

myronman3 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 19, 2005, 04:25:46 PM »

Quote

that all depends on who you ask

you got that right, brother.

everyone is going to give you different answers. the truth is there are alot of great bows out there, it is really hard to go wrong. find one you like and go.

the best is whatever you think it is.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #9 on:** January 19, 2005, 04:35:58 PM »

Quote from: myronman3

find one you like and go.

I second that :agree: . When I was looking at bows my first instinct was my PSE. But I looked at a Martin and even a Mathews (and a few of the junk bows that were made, believe it or not). But something kept me going back to the PSE. To be honest, it was $$$. I didn't have much to spend and both the Martin and the Mathews were bare as opposed to the PSE that looked just as good with just as good a reputation that had everything I needed, plus the PSE was cheaper anyway. So, that fit the bill. From what my pro friend has told me, seems to be a great bow. Accurate and quiet (I disagree with him on the quiet part, but hey, that's why God made LimbSavers

). Just like a car. Whatever fits the ticket is what'll do.

robk · « **Reply #10 on:** January 23, 2005, 08:43:17 PM »

the best bow is theone your shooting at the time and are comfortable with. as for which bow i would think is the best i have several i have enjoyed shooting or even want to shoot
the archery research line of bows especially the ar34 ram.5 is the smoothest bow i ever shot but close to it is the bow that will bring mcpherson back to life the edge bow and i like the new pride from pearson. other good bows is one i am selling as well the pse enforcer bow hard hitting quiet and smooth to draw and release. i have owned every bow on the market at one time or another and am going to spend my time with the pearson line. i had an old spoiler my brothe rin law had that i shot and hunted with it was a solid old bow.
find the bows in your budget and then shoot them all and somewhere in themix you will find the bow that fits. a couplle of bows i would suggest besides theones imentioned above is the dagger and pit bull form pearsonone a single cam bow with vibx and the other witht he hybrid cams both are really sweet to shoot and you would enjoy them i think
good luck
rob k

snowdog · « **Reply #11 on:** February 04, 2005, 11:52:53 PM »

Mathews, Hoyt, Parker, Bowtech etc.........they are all good bows,
So good I got sick of the onslaught, always having to keep up with
the other guys as new Bows come out, To some... a 5 yr old Hoyt
is completely outdated. new accessories coming out every year.
Now they got this stupid looking device that helps you hold your
bow up from your belly........Enough is Enough I got me a PSE KUDO
recurve at 55 lbs, yanked the plastic rest off it, put a piece of
deer skin on the shelf to shoot off it. bought a dozen gold tip carbon
arrows feathered......(don't like em....ordering a dozen wood shafts),
gonna paint em real nice. Practice, Practice, Practice, then in Sept
I'm gonna go after Deer and Elk, and Limit my shots to 25 yards..
which is half of my Parker compound range !! But I'm loving it !!

IowaBuckHunter · « **Reply #12 on:** February 08, 2005, 11:29:30 AM »

The best bow is the one that fits you the best and is comfortable when you shoot it. Although I do have a favorite- Mathews! The new swithback is AWEOME, but spendy- $700.
IBO- 318
Brace Height- 7"
Let off- 80%

Mathews is the innovator is archery. Many of their ideas are bieng copied.
For one, I like the solocam system vs. 2 cam and cam and 1/2 (Which is still a 2 cam bow). There is absolutely no timing issues that you can get with a 2 cam bow. Although this is only an issue if you do not tune your bow properly. The harmonic dampeners really help the vibration and noise as well. The parallel limb design helps a lot also with less vibration. Since limbs flex when shot, if your bow does not have parallel limbs, the limbs flex up and cause lots of vibration (Hoyt). With the parallel limbs, the limbs flex, but go forward instead of up. There is considerably less viration this way, and what little vibration there is, it goes into the riser, which has harmonic dampeners which help a ton.

Also the new cam system has 2 perimeter weights. This offers more momentum when released which gives it its unbelievable speed. Also the cam is round, so there is not jerky spots when pulling it back.

It is by far and away the smoothest bow to pull back, plus there is NO noise or vibration. Then add some limb savers and stabilizer and it is a dream.

I know that not everyone is going to agree with me on this subject, but since I have shot EVERY bow on the market, this one is the best. It Will be the best selling bow this year. It is pretty much replacing last years outback, which will still be made. The outback was the best seller by far last year, and the switchback blows it out of the water! Maybe that is why Mathews sells the most dollar amount of bows, and every competition is won with this brand.

Everyone has their brand of bow, and mine is defietely a mathews. If I had to shoot another brand, my second choice would be without a doubt a parker. Very smooth, a little less money, and very light and short, which is how I like em. Bow tech is very good as well. They make some nice stuff. Hoyt is good, but I hate the way they feel to me. Their grips are too small for one, and they look like they came off of the starship enterprise. They got smart for 05 and put on a bigger grip becuase of many complaints, but still too small in my opinion, but there are lots of guys who like them, and that is why hoty sells so many bows.

Since bows are so expensive, find the one you really like becuase more than likely, you will probably shoot it for a few years.

Just do me a favor and try the switchback if you are in the market becuase it is sure to please.

Don't knock it till you try it.

TOMMYY01 · « **Reply #13 on:** February 16, 2005, 10:45:01 PM »

The best bow is, the one you can afford, feels good to you, and getting the release that feels right.

I have a PSE NOVA V-4 that I got in '98. It's my hunting bow. It has plenty of juice for deer. :yeah: I also have a martin jaguar magnum that I use for 3-D. I've taken them both to the woods, but the nova is the most quiet.And I'll take quiet over speed anyday. :mrgreen: Just my :money: worth.
tommy

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 17, 2005, 01:37:38 AM »

My dealer tried to get me to buy the new Mathews bows, but my Mathews Legacy is a great bow. I do not see the advantage of the newer Mathews bows.

Rev · « **Reply #15 on:** February 18, 2005, 05:19:11 PM »

I do agree that the one you are using and happy with is the best one at the time, but my bow is a Diamond. I bought it used a few years ago because it was small, light, fast and lethal. I knew nothing about it, but I traded my High Country on it and have never regretted it. I think Bow Tech has bought them out. Oh, by the way... killed deer with it each season.

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #16 on:** February 18, 2005, 05:36:30 PM »

Quote from: IowaBuckHunter

Many of their ideas are bieng copied.

I wasn't gonna go there, but I think I am. The guy, who owns his own pro shop, that I've been talking to about bows, has enlightened me that Mathews was NOT the inventor of the solocam. That in fact, Martin used the name and the idea back in the 80's. The idea failed, it was abandoned. Then Mathews came along in the 90's picked it back up and boom, the SoloCam sold like crazy. Now I told my one friend this, and he scoffed, with no comeback of course, but he proudly owns a Mathews Black Max 2. Diehard believer in Mathews. Well, that knocked his rocks. Don't mean to offend any Mathews fans, but, I think Mathews gets way too much credit for stuff. Then again I might be jealous because I don't have one

.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 18, 2005, 05:42:33 PM »

Fishman029, you don't hurt my feelings.

I do not care who came up with the idea, but I am sure glad it is out there. My Legacy and Q2LX are great Mathews bows.

:-D :grin:

:-)

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #18 on:** February 18, 2005, 05:50:04 PM »

I hear ya RedHawk, glad to hear that

This same friend of mine and I were also talking about how Mathews claims to have the most accurate bow, and no other bow can touch it. Well, upon discussion we came to this conclusion which is a fairly old one and maybe someone should enlighten Mathews marketing department on; "It's not the bow, it's the shooter." If you have some idiot behind that bow, of course the shooting will look crappy. But if ya put someone good behind it, it'll look like the most accurate bow in the world. SO, Mathews probably pays high dollar to the top bow shooter in the world to shoot their bows, then they can say, "HA, told ya, most accurate". And in competitions, it sure looks that way. I shot my friend's Martin, which wow. I've only seen this good of accuracy out of a gun. I put four arrows @ 10 yards in a quarter space. Now that, is accuracy. And that's me, the newbie with very little experience. What bow can't touch Mathews? :twisted:

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 18, 2005, 06:29:13 PM »

It is all just personal preference anyways.

But I still love my Mathews :toast:

ratgunner · « **Reply #20 on:** February 19, 2005, 01:46:37 PM »

Go with a company thats been around for awhile like atleast 10 yrs. and you can't go wrong.If they were'nt good they would be out of business by then. BTW I just got a Darton maverick extreme soo thats my choice. :wink:

IowaBuckHunter · « **Reply #21 on:** February 22, 2005, 01:14:07 PM »

There is a lot more to a bow than accuracy. in all the bs i wrote, i didnt mention too much as far as accuracy, that is only a part of the bow. I am an experienced shooter, so I could shoot great with ANY bow, no matter what it is. although what I emphisized on was the other aspects of bows, like the smoothness, the brace height, the NOISE and also vibration. Mathews is the leader in bow technology, no matter how many people disagree. Most of you probably havent even shot one of the high end mathews. try the switchback and you will see. most yahoos dont pay any attention to anything other than how it shoots. all bows have the potential to shoot good, but there is still a difference between a $200 good shooting bow, and a $700 good shooting bow. look at the hoyts, they are even more expensive bows than mathews, and they shoot good too, but who likes timing issues?

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #22 on:** February 22, 2005, 01:22:55 PM »

Iowa, what do you consider to be a good brace height? My PSE has one of 8&3/4", which is said to be forgiving?

My $300 bow (more or less...probably close to $400 with all the gear on it) has virtually no noise at all. Or so says the guy at the pro shop. But I'll get LimbSaver's on it just incase. And prolly some string whiskas to keep down string vibration. But hey. I'll admit it...I can only speak about my bow. I have very little experience with the Mathews, except my friend who hunts with one. We have heated debates all the time about how Mathews is overated. Eh, I don't have the energy to re-hash all I said before.

Keep shootin straight!

IowaBuckHunter · « **Reply #23 on:** February 24, 2005, 01:50:54 PM »

7+ is a good brace height. yours has an awesome brace height- that thing must be as smooth as frog hair! anything less than 7" is usually a speed bow like the hoyt turbotec or mathews black max 2 or FX. They are fast, but boy do they rip off your shoulders after a while.

I wasn't trying to open a can of worms for a debate, the topic was best bow so I gave a lot of input on mathews becuase I shoot 3 of them and I sell them. I know other bows shoot great too, but I like the features of the mathews. Sure, they are spendy, but not any worse than a hoyt, bow tech, or some parkers either. All great choices, but you dont have to go that far. My first two bows were a PSE and a Proline (anyone remember those). I shot great with them and won lots of tournies with em.

DakotaElkSlayer · « **Reply #24 on:** March 05, 2005, 03:10:21 PM »

If the bow is for hunting....Oneida is the best in my opinion.

Jim

cam69conv · « **Reply #25 on:** March 30, 2005, 06:52:55 PM »

Iowa #1 ya didnt open a can of worms...Its more like a can of BS...# 1 as Fish said Martin was the actuall inventor of the single cam #2 you talk of people copying mathews??? Take a look at when mathews started thier limb angle...was about 1 year after BOWTECH came out...Mathews dont even make half of thier own stuff...Its farmed out to several other archery companies.. I too have shot for MANY years and have shot from the bottom of the barrel bows to the top of the line custom bows. Sorry Yes mathews are very quiet and shoot with deacent speeds but I have YET to see ONE that comes within 25 fps of thier AMO speed...Notice I said AMO not IBO. Hype sells and they are the king of Hype.. Now in answer to the thread question (sorry for the rant) Its whatever fits YOU and your Budget. If your confident in your equipment and with your ability to shoot that equipment then you cant go wrong..The main thing is your CONFIDENCE.. If you go out in the woods thinking "oh hell I hope this bow dont blow up" then most likely you will not hit your target. Good luck with your choice. Aim small hit small... hehehe Hey Fish...IM BACKKK

JPSaxMan · « **Reply #26 on:** March 31, 2005, 01:35:58 AM »

Quote from: cam69conv

hehehe Hey Fish...IM BACKKK

That's awesome

Popeye, what have you found? Did ya get a bow? Give us an update!

Buckskin · « **Reply #27 on:** June 08, 2005, 10:38:51 AM »

I had 2 PSEs before I got into a Hoyt X-TEC. PSE used to be one of the if not the Big Boy on the block, and then they got lazy.... And everyone else passed them up. I shot most of the high end hunting bows on the market and it came down to an obvious 2 choices, Mathews or Hoyt. I went with the Hoyt for several reasons. Smoother, less gizmos, and felt like a weapon instead of a kids toy. Right choice for me.

popeye777 · « **Reply #28 on:** June 20, 2005, 05:58:55 AM »

I shot many bows in my search for a bow and got much advise.-Thanks- I finally shot a friends older Mathews Zmax and fell in love. I bid on a used one on Ebay and got it for just over 300.00, put new strings on it, peep, Nap fall- away rest and Copper John Dead Nuts sight and am now shooting it in 3d comp. every weekend and this will be my hunting bow this year. The new switchback is smoother, but the Zmax will put an arrow wherever you are aiming. Thanks for all the input.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #29 on:** June 30, 2005, 05:42:08 PM »

Quote from: popeye777

I shot many bows in my search for a bow and got much advise.-Thanks- I finally shot a friends older Mathews Zmax and fell in love. I bid on a used one on Ebay and got it for just over 300.00, put new strings on it, peep, Nap fall- away rest and Copper John Dead Nuts sight and am now shooting it in 3d comp. every weekend and this will be my hunting bow this year. The new switchback is smoother, but the Zmax will put an arrow wherever you are aiming. Thanks for all the input.

I broke down and bought the Mathews switchback, I don't think I will miss my Mathews Legacy when I sell it to one of my hunting buddies.