Matt / PA

The shop guy is fishing using a hook with the barb not pinched down......you my friend are the freshly stocked trout.



Wiggle free little trout, wiggle free.

KBacon

Ever heard that new Alan Jackson song about the talking mechanic or whatever? Yeah.. same thing here. The dealer "seen you coming". The setup I gave you is a good mid range product... you don't have to buy a $200 sight or $150 drop away. I personally use a Spot Hogg Hogg It sight.. which is undeniably the best on the market.. they run about $175... But starting out.. you won't be able to tell the difference between a $20 sight and a $200 sight... Or a $30 drop away vs a $100 drop away. Just get a good decent setup and get started shooting.. you're the one that said you didn't want to pay $800. I setup bows for a living.. and on average people pay about $150-250 for all of their accessories... on top of the price of the bow.

Polkat

huntersfriend has done me good on the purchasing of arrows, which is all i have bought from them. however i agree with what everyone else here is saying . go to a shop and shoot all the bows you cantry them ALL out. pick the one you like the best and Pay for that one your excessories get cheap on them , then as you grow in your shooting get advanced equipment on your bow but get the best bow you can for your money now and it wont take that much over the next year or so to upgrade your equipment.

thundermug

metro

You think I don't know he wants to sell me a bow!? The bottom line here is that it looks like as a beginner I need to get to the shop and get fitted right. The big question here is, is the service after the sale going to be worth the extra bucks? Or, am I really going to need that much service after the fact to make it worth the money. I posed the theory in another thread that if I only need servicing once a year after it's fitted I may be ahead buying online and paying for an occasional tune up.

Metro

BOWFANATIC

It all depends on your local shop owner. Some dealers are worth their weight in gold , and will service your bow free of chargeuntil it's death , and treat you like a king.
Some dealers aint worth chit!!
Just do what you feel is right for you!

gibblet

i deny that the spot hog you shoot is the best on the market kbacon. i unabashadly and rhetorically deny it. ain't got nothin on my max extreme. dang, i can walk out to 150 yards and shoot a dozen arrows with a quick slide of the sight, walk back, and you'd still be unscrewing countless screws and trying to figure out how you could ever get past 70 yards with your sight. i guess if you don't mind holding high or low at odd yardages a spot hog is fine.

Polkat

metro the only way out of going to a good dealer is to join a bow club or thru many trials and errors on your part which will probly not let you hunt this year. and it is very aggravating setting up a bow as your first attempt. you need to get off on the right foot or you will probly say to he** with this archery thing. take time and do it right by joining a club or going to a reputable dealer.
my two cents worth.

Rickmur

Don't skimp on the accessories. When you get proficent with your new bow you will want to upgrade to better stuff and you will have squandered all that money on the cheep stuff. If you want a better bow later on just transfer the accessories to that bow. By the way you left out a stabilizer and a release unless you plan to use neither. And go with the dealer with your first setup, thats a no brainer, he will be a great asset in helping you along.

Porter Rat

metro,

I agree with the Polkat going to a reputable proshop is invaluble. if you plan onmostly just hunting with maybe a little bit of 3D you can purchase 1 bow that will last you for 20+ years. When I purchased my new bow back in '96 I spent about four hours shooting and looking at different bows. I probably shot 10-15 bows didn't go with the fastest or the lightest but with the one that felt right to me (a McPherson Eliminator). Using this bow I have gone fromusing a tab and Zwikey Black Diamonds to shooting a release, Muzzy ZE and Crimson Talon broadheads. About the only thhing that I haven't changed are my arrows the old Beman Carbon Hawk/Hunters (because they aren't broke yet). Heck, I still use the old pin style sight bar withtwotritium pins.

With that said Metro a good bow can last for many years and as yougo through the evolution of a bowhunter youcan expirementwith many accessories and not have to go through the cost of a new bow every three years or more like some folks.