If you could go back and do your set up again.....

[Fjellvei]

Wanted to hear some thoughts from the archers here, maybe even some regrets - as I am just about to set up a new (to me) Mathews VXR, due to everybody buying /selling here in the wake of new bow season.

In selling my Halon , I parted with most of my accessories so I'm about to be a fresh spring chicken with all new components. I'm going to do a mixture of DIY set up and going to the shop as well.

I thought it would be nice to know / nerd out with you all here for a moment before I reacquire a rest, stabilizer, sight, etc. Was there any piece you'd go back and do it again, or spend less / spend more? Ideally looking to hear some hot sports opinions on some of the flashy new accessories that might be tempting a lot of us.

Currently looking at the following, which all are upgrades from my previous set up :

-fast Eddie XL
-hamskea Trinity hunter pro
-control freak stabs - 10" front , 6" rear offset
-building new arrows which is a thread of it's own...
-some dumb amazon wrist sling
-I have the Mathews arrow web quiver but open to others.....

Roast me... Guide me ....

 

[N2TRKYS]

The only thing I might do differently with my setup is I would probably go with a QAD rest like my old bow instead of the Hamskea I have on it. It ain’t a big enough deal for me to change it out, though.

 

[Marble]

when I buy my bow or rifle accessories I buy them with the plan to use them on another weapon of needed.

I wouldn't go crazy on stabilizers. If you have some already your fine.

I've found most people who get the XL version of the fast Eddy don't need the XL. They have the MRT rings for pin gap and you can change peep size to fine tune. The XL can act as a stabilizer on its own and add torque to a bow. Moving it in and out could shift left/right. Just something to consider. It's a bullet proof sight for sure!!


My wife has the XL and she has been running it as close to the bow as possible for quite some time. She shoots a 51 pound draw weight with about a 420 grain arrow. She needs that to get any good distance.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[Long Cut]

Hamskea Trinity Hunter Pro
Spott Hogg Tommy Hogg 2 Pin with MRT Rings
OR
Montana Black Gold Dual Trac
Your brand of choosing quality strings
Arrows properly spined to your bow

Really not that hard, keep it simple. You don’t need a ton of arrow weight/FOC to kill stuff. Trajectory is just as important.

 

[JStol5]

I would heavily consider a Tommy Hogg or an HHA ryz. Also, I wouldn’t get the Mathews web quiver unless I primarily hunted from a tree stand/blind or took my quiver off to shoot. It doesn’t secure the bottom of your arrows at all and can run into your rest or sight

 

[Nosferatu]

Take all the cash I spent on this crap and light it on fire, cutting out the middle man.

 

[accountantsanonymous]

I currently have a VXR with a Hamskea, Black Gold Ascent double slider, and Tight Spot 5 arrow. Still working on dialing in my stabilizer set up but currently 10” control freak front and 8” control freak back. I don’t typically hunt with the back bar.

Only thing I’d change is my sight. I use a single pin black gold with dovetail on my other Mathews, but don’t like the dovetail for hunting applications (I also can’t justify the need at this stage). That said, I’d probably go with a Spott Hogg single or stacked pin set up when I change things up. I want something a bit more heavy duty for being in the field.

And depending on how you like the Mathews grip, I’d 100% recommend a Bee Real grip. It was a game changer on my set up.

Looks like a great setup otherwise. You’re gonna love that bow. Keep us updated.

 

[Jayhawkhunter]

Only thing I would do differently is to have kept my Halon…….

 

[Fjellvei]

Only thing I would do differently is to have kept my Halon…….

I feel like there are some spicy opinions behind this...and obviously there would be cost savings ...

 

[Fjellvei]

when I buy my bow or rifle accessories I buy them with the plan to use them on another weapon of needed.

I wouldn't go crazy on stabilizers. If you have some already your fine.

I've found most people who get the XL version of the fast Eddy don't need the XL. They have the MRT rings for pin gap and you can change peep size to fine tune. The XL can act as a stabilizer on its own and add torque to a bow. Moving it in and out could shift left/right. Just something to consider. It's a bullet proof sight for sure!!


My wife has the XL and she has been running it as close to the bow as possible for quite some time. She shoots a 51 pound draw weight with about a 420 grain arrow. She needs that to get any good distance.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

This is good feedback. I was previously on a dovetail a d know what you mean. I ended up having it close to maximize yardage.... But I liked the idea of adjustability. Also thinking I'm a little bit future proof with the dovetail and maybe someday a few years down the like I'll be bridgelocking...

 

[Fjellvei]

I currently have a VXR with a Hamskea, Black Gold Ascent double slider, and Tight Spot 5 arrow. Still working on dialing in my stabilizer set up but currently 10” control freak front and 8” control freak back. I don’t typically hunt with the back bar.

Only thing I’d change is my sight. I use a single pin black gold with dovetail on my other Mathews, but don’t like the dovetail for hunting applications (I also can’t justify the need at this stage). That said, I’d probably go with a Spott Hogg single or stacked pin set up when I change things up. I want something a bit more heavy duty for being in the field.

And depending on how you like the Mathews grip, I’d 100% recommend a Bee Real grip. It was a game changer on my set up.

Looks like a great setup otherwise. You’re gonna love that bow. Keep us updated.

Sounds like we are about to have very very similar set ups. I'll definitely follow up with some pics once set up and report how I like everything. I'm tinkering with the idea of a grip change ... You might be pushing me over the edge with this comment haha . Would like to feel one first before pulling trigger

 

[Fjellvei]

The only thing I might do differently with my setup is I would probably go with a QAD rest like my old bow instead of the Hamskea I have on it. It ain’t a big enough deal for me to change it out, though.

Is this a pure cost vs benefit thing or do you actually prefer the QAD ?

 

[Jayhawkhunter]

I feel like there are some spicy opinions behind this...and obviously there would be cost savings ...

Not really spicy - just felt like the Halon was a great bow and didn’t need to upgrade….

 

[Beendare]

Well since you brought it up- grin

My hunt buddy still shoots his old Mathews Switchback…and kills a bunch of stuff With it.

He just bought a used Quad $3,000 and he says its with the $$$$ he DIDN’T spend on bows over the years….

Don’t get me wrong, I’m guilty of spending a lot of money on Archery stuff over the years, lately mostly traditional gear.… but it’s hard to argue against his logic that it’s the Indian….not the bow.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Is this a pure cost vs benefit thing or do you actually prefer the QAD ?

I like the QAD better.

I don’t regret my HHA sight. I started using them years ago and love them.

 

[n8saki]

Some things I've learned over the past few years after going all in on archery. All of this is preference.

Dovetail not needed. I shoot way better with having the sight closer to the riser. I have an XL but have brought it way in, my other bow has the standard Fast Eddie.

QAD Integrate - bought the Hamskea, now they sit, should sell them. Prefer captured arrow vs flopping especially during stalking, noticed I always had to keep a finger on the arrow from making noise during stalks. Cleaner set up, less cables all over the dang place.

.010 Pins, covers less of target Fast Eddie is super bright, small at distance shots [western hunting] - I've had the .019 prefer smaller.

Mathews Engage Limb Legs, didn't realize how much it made a difference instead especially if you shoot a lot of tournaments or 3D.

Practicing with a hinge and competing in my local tournaments - best thing I've done to be better to increase my skill and better than anything that I've bought.

 

[JStol5]

I would second keeping your Halon to be honest… I don’t think bows a couple years apart are worth it. just my two cents

 

[hackler22s]

Definitely go with the Fast Eddie XL over the regular. Much more adjustment with it.

 

[ChileVerde]

I have a VXR as well and love it. Nice bow!

I’ll echo what a couple others said above and vote for the QAD rest, I just personally have liked it better for hunting. And it’s light.

I have a Fast Eddie xl on mine and wish I had gone with the standard version. The dovetail really hasn’t given me a measurable benefit and weighs more.

Of course those are personal opinions. It sounds like you’ll have a great setup that shouldn’t disappoint!

 

[S.Clancy]

I would buy a press and pay someone to teach me how to tune. That way I wouldnt have had to deal with archery shops. I could have paid for 2 or 3 presses with the $$$ I wasted on them