Best/most enjoyable older compound bows

[Trial153]

I wouldn’t mind to have an Elite z28 hanging the hooks I my bow room again …

 

[MallardSX2]

I had a Reflex Express that I could shoot really well. Probably the most accurate bow I have ever fired. I should have never sold it.

 

[quantumscatter]

Still enjoying my first bow, a PSE Nova from the 1990s

 

[betelgeuse]

I remember as a boy my uncle shot a Damon Howatt Warthog. Must have been in the late 70s

 

[Eastonsgrandpa]

I always reminisce about a bow I used to have. The Mathews Halon X. I just remember it being so sweet to shoot and don’t know why I sold it. I’ve thought about buying a used one, but wonder if that memory would hold up to what I shoot now. A lot has changed since then and it may just not be as sweet when I’ve been shooting the new bows.

I’m sure you’d love whatever bow you buy. Practice with it and enjoy. But if you want to be content with it, don’t shoot the new stuff.

I love a comfortable draw with a rock solid back wall. One that aims great and holds with little float. Never cared about what people worry about in “hand shock” but maybe I just don’t remember what that was. I know my Arc 34 just sits there after the shot and produces next to nothing in the hand. I don’t think I could go back.

 

[LostArra]

I'm still shooting the VW Beetle of Mathews bows, the No-Cam (Slo-Cam) HTR. I love it. Total confidence in my accuracy when hunting.

I paid $450 with single pin sight, QAD rest, Arrow Web quiver, some stabilizers that I ditched and Mathews SKB case. Original owner was obviously devastated by his chrono results.

 

[betelgeuse]

I'm still shooting the VW Beetle of Mathews bows, the No-Cam (Slo-Cam) HTR. I love it. Total confidence in my accuracy when hunting.

I paid $450 with single pin sight, QAD rest, Arrow Web quiver, some stabilizers that I ditched and Mathews SKB case. Original owner was obviously devastated by his chrono results.

Always wanted to try that one. I bet it's smooth. If yours is the VW of Bows mine must be a Packard.

 

[Scoot]

Might not be a popular choice, but I'd go with a Bowtech Commander or Guardian. I like longer ATA so Commander for me. Rock solid smooth and quiet.

 

[chizelhead]

Mathews DXT is another great bow.

 

[Huntnpack 2]

One of my personal favorites was my Golden Circle Bow.

 

[the_young_gun]

I see a lot of older Matthews mentioned in the comments, but haven’t seen too many note that they are majority cam specific in the draw length. And those can be extremely hard to find 10+ years later.

I think the BowTech core SS was one of the most underrated bows of the last decade that was amazingly versatile to set up, tune and customize for a newer shooter up to a highly advanced archer. Plus it’s only 2 years old and has all the modern features of tuning and integration. Not to mention, it’s no slouch on speed when you turn the flip disk over if someone really wanted 10fps more to sacrifice draw cycle. Which is not what I would advise for a newer archer, but the option is at least there as one would advance.

I have yet to meet one person that didn’t comment on it being one of the smoothest bows they’ve ever drawn. And I think the ability to get easy and repeatable reps with that type of bow is key for starting out.

I doubt if you picked it up or something similar, there would be two folks that would say that it was a bad choice in the long run.

 

[cb122]

I’m still shooting a Mathews Heli-M which was the flagship bow for Mathews in 2012. It was my first bow. It’s solo cam, light weight, and durable. I think it’s a good entry bow as you can find them on eBay or pro shops for around $400. It kills animals and shoots targets just fine. Might be worth your time to shoot one if you come across a used one in a pro shop.

 

[thisguy]

If you're wanting a Mathews, I would recommend a Vertix (2019 flagship model) or newer. That would get you into the era of dual cams with Switchweight mods and get you 99% of the performance of Mathews' current flagship models.

This. You should be able to find one fully set up so you don't have to buy all the accessories on top of it. Plus be able to adjust draw length, poundage, and let off with a module.

 

[BigSky]

When you start getting into that old of a bow, the prices aren't much lower than the used bows in the 3 to 4 year old range. Heck, I'm seeing on the classifieds here and more-so on ArcheryTalk, three year old flagship bows selling for $500 to $600. I'm not against 15 year old bows but the older they are, the more of a need I feel to get them in my hands before buying, unless of course they are being sold by a very reputable member/seller.

 

[Tradchef]

The Hoyt Ultratec and Protec were both fantastic. Also really enjoyed my old Bowtech Pro 40 and the Allegiance

 

[schwaf]

I recently saw an RX7 ultra sell for around $600. Granted it was a lefty, but there is a point of diminishing returns with old used bows. They generally hit their full depreciation value after 5 years. Sooner if the seller is desperate to sell. It's worth it to spend a little more for flagships in the 3-5 year old range. Bows tend to have small incremental improvements over the years, but I feel like every so often there's a major upgrade that signifies a new generation. Newer bows have better support for modern accessories and finding parts for repairs is much easier. I personally wouldn't consider buying a 10+ year old bow unless it was practically free. Newer bows are objectively better.

Otherwise, I would spend $350 on an infinite edge pro off ebay. I bought that as my first bow, complete, and felt pretty satisfied with it for my first 3 years. Figured out what I liked/disliked and upgraded from there. Still a great backup and loaner bow.