Wanting to start archery

[daniel]

Hey guys, this question may have been covered already, but a search turned up nothing. So, I know nothing about bows. But I have shot my friend's bow (PSE) and so far really like archery. How many of you guys think i should buy a cheap bow, practice with it and upgrade later. My old man is of the school where you should buy quality in the beginning so you save money down the line (don't have to upgrade). What do you guys think I should do?

 

[Wiszard]

I've been shooting a bow for only 5 years now and my first bow was a cheapy PSE Nova that I still have and shoot. However, this X-mas my wife, bless her heart, bought me a new Mathews Switchback and, let me tell you, there is no comparison. Its like going from a '72 Ford Courier to an '07 Chevy Silverado! The Switchback is so much smoother and has a ton less vibration its amazing. I could go on and on. In my opinion, I would start with the cheapy bow just to make sure you are going to continue in the sport. If you do, sell your cheapy or hang onto it as a back up. My Switchback was about $1300 to set up with everything I wanted. My PSE was about $400. I can shoot accurately and kill game with my cheapy and thats whats important. If you've got a lot of money....hell, buy the best right now!!

 

[BCBigGame]

I think it is always best to find out what you can afford and then spend a little more. It always seems to pay off in the long run.

If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?

 

[Wiszard]

"If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?"......lol...CLASSIC!!

 

[MTQuivers]

"If we're not supposed to eat animals, why are they made of meat?"

Great Quote

 

[Crunchy]

Well I am new to archery as well, and bought a Mathews Switchback XT. I spent the bucks, but well worth it. I could sell what I have now and walk away with 3/4 of what I spent. A higher end bow shoots so much better, so its up to you.

 

[littlebuck]

I wanted to get back into archery earlier this year, I went to a few pro shops and realized I didn't want to spend the cash that they were asking. I went to Cabelas and had one of their archery people measure my draw length. Once I knew my draw I got on e-bay and found a Hoyt bow that was a few years old and best of all around $200 with a rest and sights. I got my arrows on e-bay too. I shoot about 60 arrows 4 time?s per week. Now I'm starting to look at newer more expensive bows. In my case it was a good investment to spend the 200 on a cheap bow and make sure that I wanted to get back into the sport. Beware I had a friend buy an almost new switchback on e-bay and it came with a cracked limb. I guess if your going New and pricey get it at the pro shop where they can help you with problems, if you want cheaper to see how you like it try e-bay or the KSL classifieds if you live in ut. Good Luck, Ken

 

[cobowhunter]

I agree with using ebay to find a good used bow. I've bought and sold 2 used Mathews bows on ebay and did well. My Ultra2 sold for more than I paid for it - unbelievable. First, find out what your draw length is and the size of the bow you want to shoot. Being new to the sport, you'll want a bow with a generous brace height - 7"s or more. You'll also want to determine how much weight you'll want to pull. If you get a bow that max's out at 70 pounds, you can always shoot less. One other thing, don't buy the bow on ebay during hunting season or around Christmas. You'll get a better deal in the off season. Good luck.

 

[rabidrattlesnake]

I make purchase services and materials for a utility company and when this type of situation comes up (buy cheap vs. buy expensive) I always do a TCO (total cost of ownership) model. You need to look at how long you anticipate you want to keep the bow, what features you need, what features you want, the probability that a new bow will perform better than a used one, and so forth. If it were me I would buy a new bow with good accesories. Don't buy an expensive bow and cheap componets. You may have to pay more up front, but you will have a better experince in the long run.

 

[MichaelJ]

Check out ArcheryTalk.com they have some great deals on bows in the classifieds!

"What I could do, I was doing, and that was simply putting my butt on the line for my country, the country that I loved, so that all the protestors and the academics and the liberal intelligentsia back home could enjoy the right to protest against people like me, the hated middleclass." --Gary R. Smith, US Special Forces

 

[Gator]

Check out a good archery shop and they will set you up and give you a ton of information, You can then buy from them or go a different route(ebay, pawn shop,wallymart,Sportsman). But get the information that you need froma good archery shop so guys that work at those other places might know whats what or they may not it would be a crap shoot..