Archery Research Bows?

2pointer · Jan 31, 2005

Has anyonw here ever shot an AR? I have been looking at them and realy like them. Any info on them would be appreciated. I do not understand the difference between the different models. If all the risers are the same size and so are the limbs what is the difference? I am sure I am missing something. Like I said above, If any one has any information or experience with these I would like to hear about it.

Thanks
2pointer

bowhuntinnut · Feb 1, 2005

The difference is the limb pockets, The angle is changed on each bow which makes the axle to axle length different which makes the brace height different. They vary in speed and forgiveness accordingly. The only other difference is the one cam or two cam setups, same bow you just choose the cams. My buddy killed a whitey with his AR this year and has shot a little compatition and he likes the bow, not his first choice but still a good bow. Go to the AR website and you can see the different specs for each bow. www.archeryresearch.com

2pointer · Feb 1, 2005

Thanks for the info. I just can't make up my mind on what new bow to get. What do you all suggest and why?

Thanks
2pointer

bowhuntinnut · Feb 1, 2005

I would go with a Hoyt, They are fast, light,quiet, and have little to no vibration, everything you look for in a bow. They stand sooooo nice it is unreal which makes them very accurate, there just is not a better made bow out there right now in my opinion. You should really go find a place to shoot a few arrows through some bows to find the one you like. The AR is a very nive bow also but it is really what feels good to you and what you can shoot the best. Good luck "bow" hunting!!

bowhuntingboy · Feb 1, 2005

I personally like the bowtech line, but if you are trying to decide on which AR bow to go with, do some research on the advantages and disadvangtages of the different brace heights and axle-to-axle. I also like the shorter bows, but you usually must commit and practice more to make sure that you have the same form with every shot.

Wapitihntr · Feb 2, 2005

I also am in the market for a new bow and I have to say for many years now I have been very loyal to Hoyt. I have owned two Hoyts, but have been drawn to the AR34. Today I went and shot both the AR34 and the Hoyt X-Tec and I have to say that the AR34 is one smoooooth bow. The X-Tec while a mighty fine piece of engineering, did not feel much differant than my Cybertec. I'm am torn. Right now I am leaning in the AR camp because of price. I can trick out an AR for the price of a bare Hoyt? What to do? Good luck. Performance wise you can't go wrong with either.

2pointer · Feb 2, 2005

Thanks for all the input everyone. I am thinking the same thing as Wapitihntr. Price is an issue for me and probably a lot of you. I can get an AR for over $200.00 less than a Hoyt. But at the same time I do not buy a new bow every year and want one that will last me for a while.

2pointer

huntindudley · Feb 4, 2005

Sonds like you might already have your mind made up, but I hope this helps anyway. I have owned bows made by Browning,Hoyt,pse,and a few years ago I fell in love with the AR34. The AR is the best bow I have ever shot and there isn't a bow out there, that I know of, that I haven't shot. The main differance in the modles is the axel to axel length, but that can change the brace height and speed. I would say go shoot the differant sizes and see which one fits you best. They have two differant cams; the ram cam which is a single cam and they have the ram and a half which is a hybrid cam. I went with the Ram and a half cams because I like the smooth draw that it has but my buddy shoots the Ram cams and he loves them. So again it just what feels best to you. AR is a sister company of PSE but they(AR)are a higher end bow. I say the AR is THE BEST out there. That's why I bought one, and I couldn't be happier. Good luck on what ever you choose.

BOHNTR · Feb 5, 2005

LAST EDITED ON Feb-05-05 AT 07:11AM (MST)[p]Well, I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I'll give just a little technical advice on the bow that most are probably not familiar with. Last month in Arizona, my longtime hunting partner found the limb bolts on his AR Bow had pulled through the washer and all the way through the limb, destroying it.

Upon further inspection, we realized the limb bolt washers are made of PLASTIC and not metal. We called Scott at PSE to confirm our thoughts and found out that AR bows are assembled with plastic washers. What companies will do to save a few bucks is amazing. Additionally, his AR Bow was not the first to have done this, according to PSE. Sure was a good thing my partner had a backup bow in camp.

The AR Bows are great shooting bows and very appealing to the hunter. Just know they have a flaw in their limb bolt washers. And yes, at this time they are still producing them this way.

BOHNTR )))---------->

2pointer · Feb 5, 2005

Wow, that sucks for your buddy!! I understand the difference between making things out of plastic instead of metal when plastics can do the job. I wonder how AR warrantied your buddies bow. Did they get it fixed for him or was he left on his own. I have never shot any thing but Hoyt because of their great customer service. I had a limb warp on me about 8 years ago. It was one week before hunting season started. I drove down to the factory in Salt Lake City. They did not ask any questions. They replaced both limbs, put on a new string and cables. I told them I would pay them and that I had bought the bow used. They did not care if I bought it used. They said that they warranty the bow not the owners. That is very big in my eyes to be treated that way. I have been looking at the AR's this year because I think they are very nice bows. Please let me know how they treated your buddy with the customer service of his bad washers.

2pointer

BOHNTR · Feb 5, 2005

They were more than willing to replace the limbs and washers. Only bad thing was, they wanted to replace the bad washers with PLASTIC ones again. He opted to have them send the limbs and washers separately and installed some metal washers the smae size. I believe the bow is now on his consignment rack for sale and he's shooting his Hoyt ProTec.

BOHNTR )))---------->

huntindudley · Feb 6, 2005

BOHNTR,
That is not what I wanted to hear, but that's good to know. I'll have to keep an eye out for that. I might even just change my washers out for metal ones now. Thanks for the info.

bowhuntinnut · Feb 7, 2005

Hey guys just talked to my buddy at Rocky Mountain Bowstrings in Meeker and he said that AR had that problem with it's 31" model and that they recalled them and sent all new ones. The new bows have been redesigned and they don't have that problem anymore. So if you are looking at an AR then keep looking you should have no problems.

BOHNTR · Feb 7, 2005

Well, not sure about the 31" model, but some of the other models are still produced with plastic washers. However, with the amount of problems they've encountered (returns) it wouldn't surprise me if they recalled ALL washers from respective models. It's still a great bow if they have quality parts.

BOHNTR )))---------->

bowhuntinnut · Feb 8, 2005

Yes they are all still made with the plastic washers and i really doubt that this will change. They did however change the way that they put them together by glueing them into place and changing the u shaped mounting hole on the limbs to a regular drilled hole. If there is one thing to say about the AR, PSE, Browning family of bows its that they have always had the best warrenty/customer service there is. If they have a problem with a bow or part of a bow they have always made good on it and made improvements to the product itself. There is no doubt in my mind that you can purchase an AR bow and have it perform flawlessly. If you are looking at an older bow then i would beware of this problem but if you are looking at a new one i would not be worried, as i believe that they have fixed the problem.

2pointer · Feb 8, 2005

Thanks to all of you who are giving me some great input about these bows. This is why I keep coming back to this website. There are a lot of you out there who share your information. I have another question for you all. I realy like the looks of the target model AR's. This may sound like a stupid question but don't laugh to hard because I realy do not know this, but does the camo on a bow realy do anything to conceal you? Or is it kind of like putting camo on a 4 wheeler? I see guys in the store all the time wearing camo shirts and it does them no good there, is this the same as putting camo on a bow? What do you all think? I just had to ask this question so give me any feedback you have.

2pointer

BOHNTR · Feb 8, 2005

Good question. Truthfully, I really don't think it matters if there's a camo pattern on your bow or not. I do, however, feel the shine and glare on most target models would do more to reveal your location to game than anything else. My .02 anyhow.

BOHNTR )))---------->

huntindudley · Feb 8, 2005

Ditto to what BOHNTR said. It's not so much the color as it is the shine and glare you get on the target bows.

2pointer · Feb 9, 2005

That sounds about right. It makes sense to me that I should try to avoid glare and shining stuff. I realy appreciate all of the input from all of you. What bows are you looking at this year, and why?

2pointer

huntindudley · Feb 9, 2005

LAST EDITED ON Feb-09-05 AT 09:08PM (MST)[p]I'm not in the market for a bow this year, but I really would like to get my hands on the new Mathews switch back. Not really any reason, I just haven't shot one yet and I have heard good things about that bow. If I were going to buy a bow this year besides an AR it would probably be a bowtech liberty.