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Bow advice and questions

J

johnnyv

Guest
Hello all,
I am thinking I'll upgrade my bow during the off season and I have a few questions. I don't want to start an argument about which bow is better, but I'm hoping I can get some good pointers on what to look for and where to look.
I am currently shooting a Browning Tornado 36" ATA, 65# draw weight, 28" draw length. I shoot about 260 fps with a 26" arrow and a Golden Key "shoot out" rest which gives me a bit of an overdraw.
I am keeping an open mind about what bows to try. In my area I have Mathews and Jennings. The pro shop in my area quit carrying Hoyt after they say they had lots of trouble with the Cam 1/2. I know I'll have to drive an hour or two to find a good selection. I'd like to spend around $500. I have looked at used Mathews LX, Q2 and Legacy and I like them. I also like the Parker bows.
I trust the info I get on this forum so I thought I'd check in here.
I want to increase speed, get shorter ATA, decrease noise, improve the "feel" (I know that is rather subjective!), and in general just move up a bit in quality. My main complaint with my bow is the bulky handle/grip. I torque it with any thicker glove (my best excuse for why I missed a nice buck on Thanksgiving morning!!).
Any suggestions as the what to look at and where I can find good quality and variety under one roof?
Thanks to all,
John
 
process of elimination!!!! just go and pick up every bow you can get your hands, come to full draw. you know as well as i know, that you can tell when a bow just feels right. once you have narrowed it down to your final 8-10 choices, shoot 'em, shoot 'em, and shoot 'em some more until you have found that perfect bow. for $500 there is several companies to choose from, don't leave even one company out...... good luck to ya!
 
Where do you suggest I look? I am also wanting to know with a relatively short draw length, am I likely to get much faster than my 260 fps? If so, which bows in my price range should I look at? I'd king of like to do one stop shopping, you know, find a place that carries several good brands. The biggest selection I have seen in my area (southeast IA) is the bowshop in Newton, any other places? Scheel's? Where's the CIA that advertises on this board?
John
 
Scheels- Coralville, Fin & Feather-Iowa City, Sam Colera' s (MRS. DOE PEE) Mt. Pleasant.
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You would like CIA, they are located in NE Des Moines just south of interstate 80/35 on NE 14th then east on Broadway just a couple of blocks. Watch the south side of the street in a long warehouse looking building with store fronts. The new Hoyts went back to a little larger grip, but the 2003 and 2004s have the smaller grip. I love the Cam & 1/2 and I think your local shop likely had other issues.
 
I was shocked when they told me they didn't carry Hoyt anymore, the business is owned by a die-hard Hoyt guy and a die-hard Mathews guy. The Hoyt guy is the one who I talked to. I hadn't heard anything bad about the Cam 1/2, but I hadn't really been looking at other bows until recently. I'll give them a look-see. Thanks for the directions.
John
 
johnnyv, i myself would look very hard at high country and martin! for $500 you can get just as good a bow as a ny mathews or hoyt. high country and martin are 2 very good bow companies, i shot every martin bow they make and every high country they make(seems that way) before i bought my new bow this past season. i went with the brand new high country carbon 4-runner. this bow to me is as good as any bow on the market, lightest bow in production(mine only ways 2.8 pounds with all the accessories, including the quiver), and to top it all off i have a lifetime warranty with it. accessories and all i have $604 in the bow

my bow is maxed out on a 70# draw weight, and a 27.5 inch draw. my bow shoots 273 f.p.s. perfect for deer hunting. speed does you know good in the woods, if you have a bow that shoots too much faster then this, there is a much bigger margin for error, speed belongs on the range not in the woods unless you absolutely must have it but i definetly don't reccommend it for the woods. as far as wanting to gain in f.p.s., i absolutely wouldn't go above 280 f.p.s.

good luck

Pete
 
johnny - I have never had any problems with hoyt's. That is all that I have ever shot. As far as speeds go, there is a lot if different arrow combinations that you can go with. I have a 28.5" Draw at 62 pounds, and they are shooting just over 300 fps. You dont need a lot of pounds to get speed. Go talk to Brady at CIA, if you want I can meet you in there. Hoyt also has like 4 or 5 different grip options this year, so you can go skinny, or wider, or whatever is comfortable. Guys are trading in right now if you wanted a good price on a 04, or they have most of the 05's in stock.
Good Luck
 
Thanks Pete and Supertec!
I am leaning towards used bows, thinking that a lot of guys are trading right now and might be able to get more bow for the money on used.
I am planning to make a trip up to CIA, but need to get with the wife to see what works for her (now that hunting season is over it's HER time!).
Does CIA carry HCA, Martin, Pearson? I really like the looks of some of the Pearson Vib-X bows but again, have never seen or held one.
Supertec, is your Hoyt a Cam 1/2? No problems with timing, etc?
Thanks again guys for the useful info.
John
 
Johnny - all of mine are Spiral Cams, no problems at all. CIA carries HOYT, reflex, matthews, parker, bowtec, martin, and a few others.

Good Luck
 
What in the world is a Spiral Cam?
I've never heard of such a thing!
 
It's a harder, faster cam. It has less let off, and a rock hard wall when you get it drawn back. I love it!
 
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