Need some bow advice

Well I've been out of bow hunting for 3 years and now I'm cleared to get back in to it. When I had to stop bow hunting I had a Mathews switchback. I've been reading up on all the bow company's out there. they all look like they have came a long ways. I'm looking for some advice on a new bow what would some of you guys recommend me to try out? I kinda wants something different then a Mathews this time around.

head out to a good Pro Shop and shoot as many as you can...... Whatever feels the best in your hand ...that you can afford.

thats the bow for you......

Of course checkout PSE.....they have some great bows

Mark wrote:

head out to a good Pro Shop and shoot as many as you can...... Whatever feels the best in your hand ...that you can afford.

thats the bow for you......

Of course checkout PSE.....they have some great bows

Thats my problem where I live the closes pro-shop is about 2 hour drive for me. So I'm having to order online. But I will read up on PSE. Thanks

There are alot of great bows out there. Mark is right the best way is to try them out but if your options are limited that makes it tuff. if you have buddys that bow hunt check out there bows and shoot them

I agree that it might be worth a day trip to go see which bows you like but there are some guys on here (Dave) that have shot more than a couple different bows so he might have some good advice for you. Like you said there are some good bows out there but I have heard a few people raving about the new PSE's. I have am waiting on mine to get in as we speak. Dave just got one of them and I believe he LOVES it. He is shooting it at almost the speed of light too! Do yourself a favor and def give them a long look.

I love my Mathews, and even though bow companies have come along way, I'm not sure anyone has caught up to them yet. But I agree that you should go to a bow shop and shoot some bows in order to make a good decision...

Corey wrote:

I agree that it might be worth a day trip to go see which bows you like but there are some guys on here (Dave) that have shot more than a couple different bows so he might have some good advice for you. Like you said there are some good bows out there but I have heard a few people raving about the new PSE's. I have am waiting on mine to get in as we speak. Dave just got one of them and I believe he LOVES it. He is shooting it at almost the speed of light too! Do yourself a favor and def give them a long look.

Definitely! This is one purchase I could not make without testing it first. Grip, feel and shock are a few things that come to mind right away. I can say from shooting it, the X-Force is a real nice bow all the way around. Smooth draw, fast shooting with no vibration. I would check out the PSE line for sure. They are very competitive for price ranges of bows too. Keep us informed on what you decide.

I am selling my bow from last year with the sight and rest still on it. Alot of guys on here shot this particular bow. It is a Quest QS31 with a 28 in draw. tops out at 70 lbs. But this is definately something you want to go out to a bow shop and see what feels best for you. Good luck!

You're getting some great advice already... Like everyone said it of course it is best to try as many bows as possible before choosing. I however have bought a few bows blind off the internet before and they all seemed to work out as you get comfortable to how the bow feels and shoots the more you practice with it.

There are pleanty of great bows out there. I recommend trying a PSE like has been said they have a great line of X Force bows as well as more economical dream season bows. The main thing you will notice between your Mathews bow and a PSE bow is the grip. The grip on the mathews feels like a log compaired to the thinness of the PSE.

Good luck to you as you make your choice. Feel free to keep asking questions or let us know if your interested in any specific models. I have also shot the bow that Adam is selling at it is very smooth. It is a great bow as well.

i have and probably always will shoot a Mathews. When it comes to buying a bow, i would definitly go to a pro shop and shoot some and see what you like and works best for you. I remember when i bought my first Mathews bow, i shot quite a few different brands before purchasing one. The guys i talked to at the different pro shops were probably sick of me becuase i was asking so many questions. There are a lot of good bows out on the market today. You just have to decide which one feels best when you pull it back. I like going to the sports store because i usually walk out with something.

Mark wrote:

head out to a good Pro Shop and shoot as many as you can...... Whatever feels the best in your hand ...that you can afford.

thats the bow for you......

bingo.

Mark wrote:

head out to a good Pro Shop and shoot as many as you can...... Whatever feels the best in your hand ...that you can afford.

thats the bow for you......

Of course checkout PSE.....they have some great bows

Very well said, and you can never go wrong with a PSE!

I agree that you need to shoot as many bows as possible. Mathews, Hoyt, PSE, and BowTech/Diamond are what some might call your "Top" brands right now but there are others like Elite, Martin, Parker, and Pearson that also make great bows. I have owned several brands and there are things I liked and disliked about each of them....since this is about helping a fellow archer out I will give you my summed up experience...

If I were you, I would look at the...
PSE X-Force Dream Season, great all around bow
Mathews DXT or Reezen 7, great quality
Hoyt Alpha Max 32
Bowtech Admiral

Best of luck

Thanks for all the advices.

probably take some HEAT for this. but here i go anyways.

like others have said, i suggest you go shoot some bows for yourself.

if you want a all around great hunting bow. buy a Elite GT500. and you'll thank me later.

the Katera is an AWESOME shooting bow.

Admiral is is as smooth and quiet as they get.

Reezen another AWESOME bow. but priced a little too high imo.

as for all the PSE talk. i understand they're a sponsor. but these same guy's were saying the Quest was the BEST bow just a few months ago.

i personally didn't like the X Force line.

hntnksn wrote:

probably take some HEAT for this. but here i go anyways.

like others have said, i suggest you go shoot some bows for yourself.

if you want a all around great hunting bow. buy a Elite GT500. and you'll thank me later.

the Katera is an AWESOME shooting bow.

Admiral is is as smooth and quiet as they get.

Reezen another AWESOME bow. but priced a little too high imo.

as for all the PSE talk. i understand they're a sponsor. but these same guy's were saying the Quest was the BEST bow just a few months ago.

i personally didn't like the X Force line.

First the admiral is a really good bow. I had one and it was a very good shooter!

I have a PSE on order now and will be shooting it this year. But in all fairness the recurring theme of this is to try alot of bows before you buy and see what you like the best. I believe about all of us have said that. We would like you however to try a PSE. They are our sponsor, but they are our sponsor because they make great bows. We were talking to two bow companies (other one makes one of the other bows you just named) and we decided to go with PSE over the other company. Both wanted to sponsor us but WE CHOSE PSE!

Just so you know I have never once shot a Quest. Not they they dont make Quality bows I just chose not to i guess.

It comes down to the fact that different people like different aspects of the bows. So please IF POSSIBLE try to get to a shop that sells a variety of bows and try em. But I have talked to alot of people that love the new PSE's and are getting speeds of almost 340 fps with their hunting setup! So that being said make sure you try out a PSE for your self and let us know what you think. I hope all of our opinions help you out and you find a bow that you are completely happy with.

Well said Corey, well said...

Quest does make a very good bow. I shot one last year with no complaints. I would like to see more forward movement from them though and more different bows. I currently have a Hoyt and it's a fantastic bow. Shoots well and is durable. I've shot several of the PSE bows and really love the drawn and wall on the bow. It's fast and more forgiving then most people believe. PSE is at the front of the line in bow developement and that's important to me. I like a company willing to reinvent themselves to make a better product.
I know a couple of folks at Elite and have shot those bows on several occasions. While I would consider it a great target bow I probably wouldn't use it for hunting. At least not yet. I didn't feel it was very forgiving and didn't allow much in the way of error in your shot. It's a bow you must stay sharp with and shoot a lot. I think Elite is close on this and with the new addition to their management team I expect they'll be there by next year or the year after. I've been lucky in that I've been able to shoot just about every bow out there and for the money the PSE and the Hoyt are your best buy. Just my opinion of course and in my way of shooting too. You'll also get good resale on your bow with these two if you decide to get a new bow. That is important to most of us that just don't have the money to go and buy a new bow and new our old one to sell first. I watch the used bow market as close as anyone and I'm amazed how some used bows sell for so much more than others. I guess it's preception and demand.

hntnksn wrote:

probably take some HEAT for this. but here i go anyways.

like others have said, i suggest you go shoot some bows for yourself.

if you want a all around great hunting bow. buy a Elite GT500. and you'll thank me later.

the Katera is an AWESOME shooting bow.

Admiral is is as smooth and quiet as they get.

Reezen another AWESOME bow. but priced a little too high imo.

as for all the PSE talk. i understand they're a sponsor. but these same guy's were saying the Quest was the BEST bow just a few months ago.

i personally didn't like the X Force line.

It's called research and development! New products come out every year and things change with the times! Also I have had the ability to shoot some of these bows and more bows. You will not find a better bow than a PSE or Hoyt NOT EVEN MATHEWS! I will shoot mine against yours anyday! You should expect to get blasted for this comment!!!!

Hmmm....opinions are opinions I guess, he likes this, you like that....but this person wants general opinion on a bow. I really don't see how ANYONE can make a comment that PSE and Hoyt make a better bow than the likes of Mathews, Bowtech, Martin....etc... These are MULTI-million dollar companies we are talking about. Each company sells a huge number of bows, they must make a quality product. Recommending a bow to someone should be based solely on past expierences regardless of whos name is on the website. As a hunter, I want an honest assessment of a product. I haven't been here for long, but IF I were to come on here next year and Bowtech say was the sponsor and everyone was raving about how great they were, that would bother me because I would know that the whole PSE talk this year was a selling gimmic only and in no way an attempt to better the archer in need.

I have owned 3 Bowtechs, 3 PSEs, 1 Hoyt, 1 Elite, 2 Mathews and 1 Ross and I haven't a bad thing to say about ANY of these companies. Yes their were some likes and dislikes about each bow, but nothing is perfect.

To me the ONLY acceptible answer when someone is look for a new bow is to go shoot and decide.

Best of luck!

dhayse32 wrote:

Hmmm....opinions are opinions I guess, he likes this, you like that....but this person wants general opinion on a bow. I really don't see how ANYONE can make a comment that PSE and Hoyt make a better bow than the likes of Mathews, Bowtech, Martin....etc... These are MULTI-million dollar companies we are talking about. Each company sells a huge number of bows, they must make a quality product. Recommending a bow to someone should be based solely on past expierences regardless of whos name is on the website. As a hunter, I want an honest assessment of a product. I haven't been here for long, but IF I were to come on here next year and Bowtech say was the sponsor and everyone was raving about how great they were, that would bother me because I would know that the whole PSE talk this year was a selling gimmic only and in no way an attempt to better the archer in need.

I have owned 3 Bowtechs, 3 PSEs, 1 Hoyt, 1 Elite, 2 Mathews and 1 Ross and I haven't a bad thing to say about ANY of these companies. Yes their were some likes and dislikes about each bow, but nothing is perfect.

To me the ONLY acceptible answer when someone is look for a new bow is to go shoot and decide.

Best of luck!

Hmmm.... So your basically saying your the same thing basically everyone else has said. I think that in Jody's defense he just meant that those two companies dont take a backseat to anyone. After shooting the Admiral I would even goes as far as too say Bowtech is def in that category also. I think that PSE with its speed bows has set a super high standard though. I mean I talked to a guy that was shooting almost 340 fps with his hunting rig. All that we ask is that you try a PSE for yourself and you might not ever put it down. Let us know what yall think of em.

I like discussions like this as long as we keep em civil. Just remember everyone has their own opinions.

Once again, well said Mr. Ragsdale.

well i WASN'T trying to bash any mfg.

as i've owned about every brand over the last 30 years.


but as EVERYONE has said.

go shoot as many bows as possible and decide for YOURSELF.

Like everyone else said shoot all of them thats how I got my Bow Tech Guardian which I love.

Corey wrote:

Hmmm.... So your basically saying your the same thing basically everyone else has said. I think that in Jody's defense he just meant that those two companies dont take a backseat to anyone. After shooting the Admiral I would even goes as far as too say Bowtech is def in that category also. I think that PSE with its speed bows has set a super high standard though. I mean I talked to a guy that was shooting almost 340 fps with his hunting rig. All that we ask is that you try a PSE for yourself and you might not ever put it down. Let us know what yall think of em.

I like discussions like this as long as we keep em civil. Just remember everyone has their own opinions.

PSE makes a heck of a bow, I have owned several and love the way they shoot. I am not brand biased at all. The ideal way to pick a bow would be to go in to a big ol' archery shop, blindfold your self, and start flinging arrows. You might come home with a Hoyt or a Pearson, to bad that just doesn't happen.

Didn't intend to ruffle anyones feathers here, just having a good debate. Everyone on here means well and wouldn't steer a man wrong.