slugman

Will be buying my first bow this w/end and was thinking of taking a ride to cabelas in Hamburg PA. Does anyone knwo if you can test the bows there ? I was going to buy one w/out shooting one , but came to my senses. Any input on a brand ? Sorry for all the ?'s but I'm a newbie to bows. I have been hunting for about 10ys but not with a bow. Should I get a longer cam to cam bow since they are more forgiving ?

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slugman

12 hits and no replys ? C'mon guys need some help here.

jbc

I believe you can. They have an indoor range. You may want to call first to verify. Even if they don't, there is no such thing as a wasted trip to Cabelas!

bearklr

I am not quite sure if you can test the bows there or not. I have been there 3 times and I didn't see an indoor range but I would imagine they have to have one, but I too would call in advance. As far as which brand, you are going to get a ton of differing opinions. It all depends on what you are looking for and how much you want to spend. Personally I love my bowtech and wouldn't trade it for the world. I have a pro 38 dually and it's fast, quiet, forgiving and accurate. Yet some people are in love with their Mathews and Hoyt both of which are also excellent bows. This is the main reason why you have to shoot the bows before you buy them, each person feels better with a different bow in their hands. But like jbc said, there is no such thing as a wasted trip to Cabelas.

mrfritz44

I was given the impression by a clerk that you could in fact shoot them there, although I hadn't asked directly. They do have a little shooting area (I wouldn't call it a range) - that I know for a fact. They pretty much have a ton of PSE's and the Cabelas Brand PL-1, which is a PSE in disguise I believe. Also in the Bargain Barn you may find some Hoyts from when they were selling those. They've stopped selling them after an uproar of some kind - I don't know the details.

Try the PL-1. They've got a good package deal on it and it does draw very nicely.

Champion and/or Reflex rings a bell as well in terms of what they sell.

Good luck and BTW, don't forget to check out some of the local pro-shops before you buy. There are alot of good deals on '03's out there with the new year models coming in.

Fritz

BigDaddy12t

Yep, know for a fact that they will let you shoot them first, I bought a PSE there last summer and love it. But I do have to say, I was lass than pleased with the help I got when I went to buy it, It was crazy and they had a huge sale going on so I didnt get offered the chance to shoot one first, not to mention the fact that when I got home the bow was set up all wrong. I called them back two times and talked to a different guy, (very nice I might ad) I ended up taking it back up there and He let me shoot it and set it all up for me. He let me shoot until I was comfortable with it. So, the only hint I can give you about buying a bow there is make sure that you dont leave until you feel good about the set up and are happy with the bow. GOOD LUCK.

JOE PA

Their "indoor range" is located behind the sales counter in the archery department. I have not asked to shoot a bow there, but it looks like they have several models set up and ready to shoot. The distance to the bag seems to be around 10-15 yards. The certainly had a lot of PSE bows ready to shoot if you are interested in them.

Another place to check while you are in the area is Weaknecht's Sporting Goods. If you go south on Rte. 61 from Cabelas, Weaknecht's is on the left right next to Schlenker Ford . It is less than 2 miles from Cabela's. They do have a few guys on staff there who are 3-D guys, and also carry pro-shop only bows such as Hoyt, Bowtech, Martin, Darton, and other bows you will not see at Cabela's. Just a thought.

PAhunter86

Cabela's is a fun store no doubt. And its good to pick up accessories, but if your looking for a whole new set-up, go to a local shop...you'll probably get better service. I'm not trying to say Cabela's has bad service, but there are so many people in the store, its hard for them to help everyone.

kshunter

Yes, you are able to test out the bows, but the range is usually around 10-12 yard shots