Would a new bow be worth it?

[IdahoSkies]

I am wondering if upgrading my bow is worth it. I have been bow hunting for about 6 years now. I purchased a used Martin Magnum Quest that has treated me well but I am coming into an unexpected bonus (read not expected in the family budget) and could dedicate around $500 out of it for a new bow (or something else), so I am weighing what to spend the money on.

When I bought it the Quest came to me with a fall away rest and a 5 pin tru glow sight and a split quiver. The whole thing weighs in at 6 lbs (with accessories mounted). Its adjustable from 40-80 and I shoot it around 55. It has the optional 65% let off wheel installed and the tru-arc+ cams. Its about 34 inches axel to axel. It has a rattle in the lower cam on release but parts are not available for it as a few years ago apparently Martin had a fire in the warehouse and lost some stock, the spares for this particular bow (which is not in production anymore) all went up in flames. The rattle hasn't overly bothered me. I think the bow is a 2006ish model. The riser is aluminum and dry the stat book says its 3.6 lbs with out any accessories mounted. I have not chronographed it but again the specs say it was clocked at 300 fps.

My shot opportunities s are usually 50-75 yards and while I am good out to 60 when I practice, reaching to 75 has been more than I have been able to consistently manage (so I don't take those shots). If I upgraded my goal would be to have a bow that helps me make those longer shots consistently. I am also 5' 3" so not every bow fits me well.

Will a $300-500 bow offer much of an upgrade over what I currently am shooting to warrant buying a new bow?
Thanks.

 

[Slugz]

Confidence in the weapon. Thats the key in my opinion. Regardless of rifle or bow.
No one here can tell you if a new bow is better or not.

The newer the bow though the smoother shooter it is. Quieter. Most smaller axel to axel. Lighter.

My son shoots a new Mathews and its really nice. I shoot an older Bowtech 360. I dont need a new bow but I like the smaller lighter frames of the new ones.

You are the same size as my son so I suspect draw length is limited so maximizing /comparing between what you shoot now ( speed vs arrow weight) and a newer bow is probably the data set you wanna look at to see what you gain.

I suspect an upgrade is gonna cost more than 300 to 500 and more in the 800 or more range. Probably best to go shoot some new models to see what your getting into for comparison.

 

[buckbull]

I bought my first bow in 1990 and shot it until 2008 and have shot a Mathews Z7 since 2008. I guess my point being that I'm not a believer in swapping out gear until its either end of life or the new is just way better than old. I think given the age of your bow and the fact its most likely showing signs of fatigue given the rattling sounds that you should probably start keeping an eye out for something else. Given your budget, I wouldn't look at anything new and focus on a used bow from hoyt, mathews, bowtech, etc. Ebay has plenty of options from respected brands for your price range. New bow prices like everything else have gone thru the roof.

 

[mallardsx2]

If I could do it all over again I would have NEVER sold that Reflex Express. Don't get me wrong, the Matthews is nice but no bow I have ever owned shot like that Reflex Express bow.

Buying the newest thing isn't always the right thing to do. I will likely own the triax forever.

Just as food for thought before you blow your paycheck on a new bow, these are what I have owned from cheapest to the most expensive. I put my "rating" next to each of them based on my overall thoughts of the bow:

(~$150) Jennings Titan- 10/10 (0 Issues)
(~$400) Reflex Express - 10/10 (0 Issues)
(~$600) Matthews LX- 7/10 ( Warranty Repair)
(~$700) Matthews HeliM- 6/10 ( Warranty Repair)
(~$1000) Matthews Triax - 8/10 (0 Issues)

PS: My dad and I did some quick number crunching one day and that old Jennings Titan has been fired WAY over 200,000 times and it still has the original string....and yes, I know that's hard to believe. lol Try that with any new high dollar bow......

 

[Muley bound]

I’m not a big fan of updating my bow every year or two like a lot of dudes do. The Matthews Triax I have now, shoots well for me. I don’t plan on replacing it anytime soon unless something were to brake. Also, the pricing on new bows is just getting outrageous, in my eyes!
But I do agree, it’s a great feeling when you do decide to pick up a new bow and it feels good in your hands!

 

[tdub24]

It took me 12 or 13 years to update my first bow. After doing so, I realized how much farther the technology has come and was pleasantly surprised how much better the new bow was. I do not plan on updating for many many years now. I think the OP should definitely upgrade, but do not think it is possible in the $300-500 range. Save up for the latest and greatest as you will be able to use it for many many seasons.

 

[badgerbob]

Yea, that 500 isn't going to get you much in todays bow market. I'm shooting a Bow Tech 360 that has been out of date for several years but still shoots good. In 2015 it sold for right at 1000 bucks probably be almost double that to replace it....

 

[CrimsonArrow]

You can get a very nice, used bow on eBay for 500. I’ve bought a couple fully loaded bows ( mathews and hoyt) that were only a few years old. Just make sure the seller has a very good rating

 

[Maxhunter]

There are some killer deals on Archerytalk. You might take a look there.