Beginner vs flagship bow.

[doc holiday13]

Trying to add to this but not hijack.
To those with experience, if you were to start out with the knowledge you have but none of the experience and skills, what would your "first-time" bowhunter budget be today? Would you listen to the Archery shop alot more than you did? Would you listen less? What things did you think mattered but didn't and which things mattered that you didn't pay attention to enough?

My best advice would be to buy a 2nd hand bow made within the last 12 years.. The Z series mathews bows shot amazingly. I'd still have mine if it properly fit me. Be into a complete bow for sub $600

A brace height between 6.5 and 7 inches will be forgiving enough for a beginner. A drop away type rest is nice if that is the last bit you need to get "all the accuracy", but that whisker biscuit is solid, consistent, durable and accurate enough for everyone's needs. Pins are user preference, but for a beginner, a 3, 4 or 5 pin are recommended in the 019 or .010 size(depends on your age). You'll learn how to gap shoot with fixed pins. 3 is enough to give you most of the range you'll need. 5 pin will get you out to 60-70 yards which is about as reasonably far as you'd need(especially as a beginner).

Lastly, watch a bunch of School of Nock videos to learn about form. If you can swing an in-person lesson or two with a professional do that too. Once your form becomes 2nd nature you've won a major battle

 

[Point Man]

And my suggestion is to find an archery shop and have them run you through the numbers. They will set you up with the bow for your specs. They will also most like let you try a few and give you shooting advice and pointers, but a used bow for your first bow,myself,I wouldn't even think of it. I also would suggest a bow with a 6.5 to 7
inch Brase Height for the forgiveness.

 

[Taudisio]

Trying to add to this but not hijack.
To those with experience, if you were to start out with the knowledge you have but none of the experience and skills, what would your "first-time" bowhunter budget be today? Would you listen to the Archery shop alot more than you did? Would you listen less? What things did you think mattered but didn't and which things mattered that you didn't pay attention to enough?

$500 including arrows (in case you don’t enjoy it, it happens). Then find a “bow hunting focused” club nearest to you and shoot 3d tournaments with the older guys. They will help you.

That is very shop dependent, some are great to outstanding, some are absolute idiots that don’t listen, 50/50 in my experience.

I thought more money for a bow, meant it would be more accurate. Accuracy is 100 percent the shooter. Speed is important, but not everything. Everything in the archery world is a compromise like the car world. The fastest ones aren’t as comfortable, the fast(er) and comfortable ones are expensive. A Toyota/honda/diamond/bear will still get you point A to B.

When you start to question, and then replace parts/accessories, research and buy the absolute best you can. It will fit on a better bow when you upgrade that.

 

[flyfisher117]

My flag ship bow didn't make me a better shooter. My expensive rest didn't either, though i love the micro tuning. My expensive sight didn't but man it does makes the whole experience better.

Buy a good quality release, this is one area I skimped when starting out. Ended up with a poor quality release that turned me into a trigger slapper. I also developed target panic that I could not mentally get over. Going to a quality release that allowed me to properly execute a shot helped a lot.

If I could do it all again I would have gotten coaching out of the gate. Many years of bad habits is hard to break.

 

[PurpleDriver]

$500 including arrows (in case you don’t enjoy it, it happens). Then find a “bow hunting focused” club nearest to you and shoot 3d tournaments with the older guys. They will help you.

That is very shop dependent, some are great to outstanding, some are absolute idiots that don’t listen, 50/50 in my experience.

I thought more money for a bow, meant it would be more accurate. Accuracy is 100 percent the shooter. Speed is important, but not everything. Everything in the archery world is a compromise like the car world. The fastest ones aren’t as comfortable, the fast(er) and comfortable ones are expensive. A Toyota/honda/diamond/bear will still get you point A to B.

When you start to question, and then replace parts/accessories, research and buy the absolute best you can. It will fit on a better bow when you upgrade that.

I can second the pro shop being 50/50. I’ve been shooting archery since the 90s but am no expert, yet I’ve been in some shops that I immediately knew were just selling bows, yet they were idiots.

I would add release to the drop away rest and sight. A quality release makes proper shot execution easier to do correctly. The drop away rest will be more forgiving(once set up correctly) and easier to adjust during tuning. The better sights make life easier and more fun when sighting in.

Any bow built in the last decade by a flagship company is so close to the newest bow, you’ll never know the difference.

 

[doc holiday13]

I thought more money for a bow, meant it would be more accurate. Accuracy is 100 percent the shooter. Speed is important, but not everything. Everything in the archery world is a compromise like the car world. The fastest ones aren’t as comfortable, the fast(er) and comfortable ones are expensive. A Toyota/honda/diamond/bear will still get you point A to B.

To hone your statement there a bit, I would say a flagship bow is less shootable because if you don't have PERFECT form, it shows up on the target. A new bow shooter will not have perfect form, so they need something a little more forgiving. BUT i haven't shot a diamond or a bear in over 20 years so I can't/won't say they're more shootable than say a flagship Hoyt or Mathews.

 

[ScooterBiscuit]

Used bows are the move. I've got a Mathews Drenalin from 2008 and it's awesome. Flagship might be nice, but it's the indian not the arrow.

 

[sear6]

I agree on the used or last-year's model strategy. A couple years ago I was able to get a PSE Evolve from a shop that was a factory used model for half retail, but still with full warranty and shop support. Fully decked out on accessories was still less than any flagship for that year.