Feedback on a bow

I was given an old Fred Bear about 6 months ago and have slowly been getting into it. The bow is 15-20 years old. I've been told I should look at getting something new if I'm going to continue to shoot. So, my parents agreed that they would get me a new bow for christmas this year since they don't know what else to get me.

I'm looking in the $300-$400 range. I shot a Martin Magnum CAT today and really liked it. It felt completely different from my current bow. Anyone have any feedback on thsi bow or any other suggestions for what bows I might want to look at?

The Martin that I shot today was 32" axle to axle, 29" draw, 60 lb w/ 75% let off. It comes with a quiver, site, arrow rest, 7 sets of cams, and string silencers for $320, and the guy at the store said he might be able to throw in 3 or 4 carbon arrows.

Good deal or not? I'm still kind of just starting out but I want something that will last me a while. Let me know what you think.

DDCxj said:

I

I'm looking in the $300-$400 range. .

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PSE FireFlight..
nough said..

Whiel that is a good bow and will easily kill most North American game with a decent shot; I might suggest a couple of general ideas. I would lean towards something in a solo-cam, no split limbs, and no overdraw. My reasons are since you are relatively new to modern bows it is always safe to stick with relaible setups that do not require as much adjustment or tinkering nor are as susceptible to problems. My own preference is a Matthews. However, there are many good bow manufacturers out there.
BSD

Geepfreak said:

PSE FireFlight..
nough said..

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My cousin and another guy recommended that bow but I haven't been able to find anyplace local that carries PSE, but I'm still looking. They have them in Cabela's but I'm not going to buy a bow without even holding it first.

I'll be shooting mostly backyard targets and at my cousins house. He's got a couple deer and a bear setup in his yard. Next year I'll be hunting around here and I plan on shooting this a lot, probably 5 or more days a week. So I am looking for something dependable and that I wont grow out of too quick.

I'll have to find someplace around here that carries PSE since they've been recommended so much. I'm not partial to one brand over another, I don't have enough experience to be, so pretty much if it feels good, shoots good, and is dependable, then I'll get it.

DDCxj said:

My cousin and another guy recommended that bow but I haven't been able to find anyplace local that carries PSE, but I'm still looking. They have them in Cabela's b

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I guess I am spoiled, as I have a Cabela's 5 minutes from my houe.
But the Fire flight is a great bow...

I took a little ride to Check out a couple of PSE's today. They don't carry the Fire Flight though, The guy said that iot's pretty much a mail order bow that PSE puts together with extra parts, which would explain why Cabela's carries it but PSE doesn't even have it on their site. I was looking at the PSE Bruin today. It lists for $300 naked. The shop I went to just moved from another location and they wont have a range setup for another month or so, so I didn't get to shoot it. But it did feel extremely comfortable.

So far, out of what I've looked at I like the Martin that I originally tested. I wish I could have tested the PSE but I wont be able to before Christmas so it doesn't look like I'll be getting that.

I also looked at a couple of Matthews but they were a little out of my price range.

That Martin isn't a bad deal either. Somehow my mom is getting a 30% discount at the place because she knows someone in the office there and they are having some Friends and Family Special. So I would be getting that for about $225 which would leave some room for a nice trigger release and some arrows.

Any other suggestions before I make my final decision?

Personnally prefer Mathews but Hoyt,Martin,HighCountry are quality companies, not as fan of the PSE had a problem with limbs on one but that has been a few years ago. I have a good friend that owns an Archery shop sell Martin, Mathews,And High County says of all the company's he dealt with over the years those seem to be the most trouble free.My biggest suggestion is find a good local dealer to buy from, they can set you up properly with draw length , poundage and correct arrows as well as take care of any problems that arise. Trust me theres a lot more then just buying and shooting a bow , nothing like shooting one that fits you and is comfortable. Any questions feel free to ask will help in any way i can.

bowhunter said:

My biggest suggestion is find a good local dealer to buy from, they can set you up properly with draw length , poundage and correct arrows as well as take care of any problems that arise. Trust me theres a lot more then just buying and shooting a bow , nothing like shooting one that fits you and is comfortable.

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You said it..

I would really like to buy from a small local shop but it's kind of hard to do as far as bows and some of my other sports go. I use the small shops whenever I can. They always have better customer and usually seem a lot more knowledgable than the bigger stores. Unfortunately, the closest reputable local bow shop is a little over a half hour away, which is where I went today. They wont have their range open for a while so he wont even really be able to fit me to a bow. But I can guarantee I'll be going back their for most of my supplies.

The store I was checking the Martin out at was a Dick's. The first couple guys I talked to didn't know much about bows so I went back another day and found a guy that has been shooting for 30 years. He did steer me away from some of the more expensive bows because he didn't feel they'd be good for me and he did spend a long time with me fitting me to different bows and trying different setups. It's always a good sign when they turn you away from a $500 bow as opposed to a $300 bow, shows they aren't really worried about making the bigger sale.

I was told by other people to look at Hoyt too. I did today but they were out of my price range as were the Matthews. I think both of those companies started somewhere around $450-500.

I also tried out a couple of Fred Bear's in the $400 range but they weren't very comfortable for me.

The bow I shoot now has a 28" draw and kind of felt a little short to me. I have to really pull the string to get it to the corner of my mouth. The bows with 29" draw felt a lot more comfortable coming about a half an inch past my mouth. The one thing I didn't like about the Martin was the grip but I'm sure I'll get used to that and shooting with a trigger release. It wasnt bad, jsut wish it was a little more ergonomical.

Really sounds like you should go to a shop and have them measure your draw length and go from there ive been shooting archery for about 12 years now do alot of 3d shoots in the summer ,wife says i've become a fantic about it.Remember this, if your gonna spend your hard earned money and $400 is alot spend it wisely ,really doesnt matter what brand as much as one the your comfortable with and one that fits. The whole idea behind hunting with stick and string is be as good as you can so that your hunt is as quick and humane as possible if it doesn't fit right, it doesn't shoot right.

Can you guys recommend any good websites to find a local bow shop?

I have been wanting to do some bow shooting for a while. Lately, the topic continually comes up around me. I will be doing some searches online and off.

Thanks
Jason

Most archery companies have a dealer locater on there website.
http://www.mathewsinc.com/
http://www.martinarchery.com/
http://www.hoyt.com/splash.tpl
http://www.highcountryarchery.com/
http://www.goldtip.com/
http://www.eastonarchery.com/
Try these are lots out there