I was hoping to get a little advice on a new bow (for me, not necessarily new). I've shot a few new bows made by Hoyt and Mathews. They all run about $1,000 or more. It seems you can get a slightly older bow for much less. I've also shot some of the new Bowtech bows and really like the BT-X, but I've seen several older Bowtech bows on Ebay. What do you all think of the "Experience" and the "RPM 360". My biggest problem is speed. I shoot 27" and my bow gets 230 fps. The new Hoyt and Mathews I shot the other day got 257 and 268 fps. Any advice would be awesome as I don't know much about bow hunting.
New Bow
- Thread starter benjblt
- Start date
What do you mean by momentum? Weight and speed? . . . What do you mean by arrow setup? Any suggestions on a great shooting bow?
theleo91386
Member
- Apr 20, 2016
- 74
- 0
By arrow setup he means things like the arrows FOC, matching overall weight to the game your after, and picking a broadhead that will work for you. An example of a bad setup would be a lite arrow with the weight towards the rear shooting an expandable 3 blade for elk. Having the weight towards the back will cause erratic flight, and combining the light arrow with the big mechanical head, you'll get terrible penetration on an animal that needs an arrow to drive deep.
The chase for speed only creates tighter pin groups and arrows that may pack a lot of kinetic energy but not the momentum to drive the broadhead through the animal. A good analogy is a baseball vs a bowling ball. Takes more to stop a bowling ball going slow than a baseball going fast.
As to great shooting bows, the list is extensive these days. The big dogs, Hoyt, Mathews, Bowtech, and PSE are all producing some great bows. To those you can add Bear, Elite, Obsession, Prime, Xpedition, and others. It's a matter of taste as to what's the best for you. If speed is your motivating factor I'd look at the PSE lineup or the Xcentric from Xpedition. Just remember that when you chase speed you'll be losing brace height and getting stiffer draw cycles.
The chase for speed only creates tighter pin groups and arrows that may pack a lot of kinetic energy but not the momentum to drive the broadhead through the animal. A good analogy is a baseball vs a bowling ball. Takes more to stop a bowling ball going slow than a baseball going fast.
As to great shooting bows, the list is extensive these days. The big dogs, Hoyt, Mathews, Bowtech, and PSE are all producing some great bows. To those you can add Bear, Elite, Obsession, Prime, Xpedition, and others. It's a matter of taste as to what's the best for you. If speed is your motivating factor I'd look at the PSE lineup or the Xcentric from Xpedition. Just remember that when you chase speed you'll be losing brace height and getting stiffer draw cycles.
[email protected]
New Member
I personally have the bowtech experience and love it. I am a good sized guy; 6'2" with a 30" plus draw, it has been the most forgiving bow I have ever shot; have owned Martin, reflex, bear, other bowtechs, and shot Mathews and hoyt. I had the invaision before this one and it was a great bow but it was very touchy for me, I had to have everything perfect; grip, arm, stance, release, etc or my shot would be off. 2 of my friends have the invaision and love it. The experience on the other hand I can shoot in awkward positions and such. But like everything, try before you buy!!!!!! Any good archery shop should let you try out many how's before you decide on one. Listen to yourself and what works for you, everyone has slightly different form and tendencies when shooting and certain styles of bows are affected differently by that. Only you know what works and feels right.
Camelcluch
New Member
- Jul 16, 2016
- 47
- 0
I agree with the arrow set up and not worry about speed too much. Any of the main line bows produce enough speed to get the job done. Speed bows are not usually the best to draw or hold. There will be some that say the draws are not bad but they just like bow for themselves. Choose what is comfortable for you and then look for a solid arrow set up.
brianboh
Active Member
Obsession bows are probally the best bow on the market right now. I am also a believer in Bowtech and Mathews. I personally shoot a bowtech right now. The speed has its up and downs. If you can get a bow with speed and a good brace height that would be good. A lot of speed comes from smaller brace heights which are not as forgiving. Look on archery talk. You can get a 2016 model bow for couple hundred less then MSRP
theleo91386
Member
- Apr 20, 2016
- 74
- 0
You aren't going to want to mess with the cams that much. Just pick a setting and leave them. Any time you change the power shift you'll have to re-sight your bow and if you're border line on your arrow spine that could make issues for you to. Remember that the advertised speed is on the speed setting and that means the harshest draw cycle. I've never dealt with an adjustable cam bow that didn't lose speed or a little letoff as the draw length gets shorter.
I didn't figure I would mess with the cams much right before season or during the season. It's nice to know that there are several options when buying the bow. The BT-X really fits my 5' 8" height and 27" drawing length.
theleo91386
Member
- Apr 20, 2016
- 74
- 0
It effects both. Usually after 100-200 on the new threads most guys go through and retune their bows because of the new strings settling in and maybe stretching a bit. A couple of twists here and there and they get it back tune.
Horsenhike
Very Active Member
Ugh. We want to begin bow hunting next year. We have a lot to learn. Would like to buy used, but where to start?!?!?!
badgerbob
Active Member
I bought the Bowtech RPM 360 last year. It was a little jumpy at first, but once I got used to it I love it. I picked this up at the factory and the tech that set it up for me said that they shoot better if at max on draw weight. Just something you may want to consider when picking your draw weight.
Umpqua Hunter
Veteran member
Ben, work with Wayne Endicott at the Bow Rack in Springfield. He is one of the best anywhere and will steer you straight. I have friends that ship their bows to him from out of state for tuning.
I went there and he was busy with other guys. The guys he had helping him weren't as helpful as I would have liked. They were younger and didn't seem to have time for me. I think I'm going to stick with my bow because I've got it shooting pretty good and I don't want to change this late in the game.
Umpqua Hunter
Veteran member
That sounds like the best plan. Michael hammered his bull last year with his 10+ year old bow.
I would jump on an Experience if you are looking for a great bow. I shot Hoyt, matthews, elite and bowtech when I bought mine 3 years ago. I live 20 minutes from a hoyt pro shop but decided on the bowtech 1.5 hours away at another pro shop because of the smooth draw and how it felt when I shot it. It is very accurate and the best bow Bowtech has made yet (from the pros). they don't make it anymore, so online you can find them pretty cheap now. the only other bow I may like better is the new Halon from Matthews, it is super smooth and so fast I could not believe it. I had to talk myself out of buying it on the spot. Maybe next year, I need two really good bows. Right?
You should shoot a bow from all the top manufacturers and pick one that feels the best to you. All the newer bows are plenty fast IMO. Do some quick internet searches on the manufacturers and recent problems with bows---some have paint issues, some limb issues, etc. My personal pick has been a mathews for a long time with elite the follow up. My reasoning in order was a really smooth/even draw cycle, good speed, great back wall and letoff, quiet. You can find a nice used chill series bow or a z7 for a decent price.
What you'll notice though is every manufacturer has a feel to their bows like jumpy cams, harsher draw cycle, superb back wall that will just suit you as a shooter. Let the bow manufacturer pick you and then pick a popular model.
What you'll notice though is every manufacturer has a feel to their bows like jumpy cams, harsher draw cycle, superb back wall that will just suit you as a shooter. Let the bow manufacturer pick you and then pick a popular model.