NY Bowhunter

This is probably the 714 billionth time you' ve had this, but what' s my best option for a new bow? I figure santa is around the corner, so now is as good as any. Opinions please. Right now I shoot an Alpine. Just a basic simple bow. It served it' s purpose getting me started, but now bowhunting is........well life to me. I want to take advantage of technology out there. What do you think? Bow, arrows, rest, etc.............

PABowhntr

I tend to look at a situation like yours from a price perspective. If your Alpine was a beginner bow in terms of design and/or price then you may want to consider a mid price range bow instead of jumping up to the $500-$600-$700 models. There are many $300-$400 model bows with very good designs, decent speed and tight tolerances. They may not have the latest vibration/noise dampening devices built-in to the bow itself but those types of things can always be added on later.

PSE, Martin and any of the North American Archery Group companies should have at least three or four bows in your price in their respective lineups. At the local shop many of the Jennings Rackmasters and Fred Bear TRX 32s are sold on a regular basis. The new Hoyt magnesium riser model bows, the Ultrasport and Ultramag, also would fall into the category that you are considering.

Hope this helps.

JeramyK

First thing I' d do is see how much you want to spend. You definately could easily go well over $1000 for a new top of the line setup.

Second would be to then go and shoot some bows in the price range that you' ve budgeted. You' ll be surprised just how much different they feel.

Straightarrow

You have to be very specific to get any meaningful recommendations. Exactly, what are you hoping to accomplish with a new bow? What is it going to be used for? What distances are you shooting? Is it for hunting? What features are important to you? What does your current set-up not do, that you want the new one for?

NY Bowhunter

Well I' m hunting whitetails. I shoot within 30 yards. My current bow is too light (I think) I have a tough time steading it sometimes especially with a little breeze. I am not as consistent as I' d like to be. That may be slight operator error, but I definitely put my time in practice and have been pretty hand eye coordinated all my life, so I think a littl is in the bow. I would like a little more speed. It makes a noise drawing back. I wish I could describe this part alittle better but i' m not all that in tune with all the components of the bow which I hope to be after finding this board. I have killed deer with this bow, actually I havent' lost one yet. I don' t know I guess I' m looking for a little more stable, well built, faster, quieter bow. I' m thinking about taking the next step up to a mid range. I can budget $500 - $600 for a complete setup. Maybe 5 years down the road go to the top of the line. thanks for the advice.

Straightarrow

You didn' t give us any detail on the Alpine... what model, what the bow weight is, it' s speed or level of noise. Alpines are known for being very quiet, not exceptionally light and some of the models are quite fast.

The noise, when drawing, can probably be corrected. A decent bow shop should be able to take care of that, cheaply.

" a little more stable" - I' m not quite sure what you mean, but if you want one that holds steadier on the target, that may be more related to the grip or draw length, than anything else. Those problably could be easily adjusted on your current bow, and that alone may give you a much steadier hold on the target.

" well built" - I' m not sure what is not built well on the Alpine, so I can' t comment on that one. Of course, if you just want a new bow, there' s nothing wrong with that.

Clint.

I was in our position not long ago. I went to shops and looked over many bows. I wound up with a Parker. I don' t like short bows, so I stayed with a longer model. I suggest that you look at and shoot a Parker Hunter Mag Outfitter (which is what I bought) or a Parker Stealth Hunter Outfitter (slightly more money). They are both in the $400-$500 range. Both come with a quiver and 4 carbon arrows, a decent sight, and a rest.

Good luck and have fun picking it out!

Clint

NY Bowhunter

Allright allright allright. So you caught me. I want a toy!!! I have an obsessive/compulsive disorder for new equipment. Same thing in golf. Dangit!!! So new technology and marketing has me by the nust. There that' s out of the way. Now what are my choices? I keep hearing ..... HOYT, Matthews, High Country, what are the differences and what do you think may suit my needs?