Sorry Elkmaster, but there's just no substitute for quality. In order to get ALL the components that make up a GREAT bow such as accuracy, smoothness, quiet, energy, etc, etc. Plan on spending some money on a high-end bow, or look around for a used one. If you buy mid-range, more than likely the bow wont have a machined riser, laminated limbs, out-dated cam system, unsealed bushings & bearings, cheap strings & cables, etc. Sure Elk's old Pearson is probably accurate, but it's not nearly as efficient as MOST of the newer high-end bows (all the intangibles mentioned above). Infact, there are quite a few high-end bows listed in the classified section of this website that are being offered for about half the price of new.
However, take Elk's advice on making sure you know what it is you're looking for. If there is an archery club in your area join it--most archers are nice enough to let people shoot their bow to see if they like it. There are plenty of people like myself that are curious about trying different bows every year (damn that marketing hype!) and sell or trade off last years greats for this years--don't confuse that as being "one man's junk"--but one man's curiousity of seeing which company has one-upped the others.
On the lighter side, Elk's ridin' in style! Atleast we agree on trucks!
