New bow? What to gain?

[Skerhunter]

New bows might have a better draw cycle or slightly more comfortable to shoot, that is really all you will get out of it.

They have all been quiet/fast/easily tunable for a long time now.

I upgraded 2 years ago - I shoot the new bows every year just to stay in the loop. About 3 years ago is when I noticed a major improvement over the older bows in cam design (smoother draw cycle which made pulling/holding a higher draw weight easier).

 

[MoeFaux]

If you've got a bow that's setup for you and shoots well, most of what you're paying for in a new bow is marketing. It's an arms race of who can advertise the latest and greatest and in techno-babble. Sure, there are actual, incremental increases in performances from all the R&D, but nothing that makes a 15 year old bow obsolete. Compound bows from the 90's still hit bullseyes and killed every game animal on the planet.

I like to shoot mine until I actually encounter some performance deficit that's worth paying money to overcome. Then, I buy a used flagship or flagship-adjacent model from 3 years ago and marvel at how great this new bow is that I only paid $600 for.

 

[4th_point]

Educate me, please.

Links, videos, arcane texts written on the tanned skins of lesser men?

I've got an articulated vise and a cable press and a plan to use a dry erase board to record +1/-1 twist here or there so I can always get back to a baseline

How well does the Powermax group for you with field points and broadheads?

Can you shoot decent groups now? Or do you need to work on your shooting skill?

I assume that you know the basics of rest setup, knock position, done some paper tuning, and maybe checked cam timing?

A handy trick is to use a screwdriver for yoke tuning. You can actually replace the string and cable without a press.

Old video by our very own Coop, who was an engineer at Hoyt:

 

[big44a4]

+1 for tuning features and forgiveness. I hadn’t gotten a new hunting bow in 5 years until this year. The new tuning technology has been appreciated. Worth it for me doing all my own stuff.

 

[Jpsmith1]

How well does the Powermax group for you with field points and broadheads?

Can you shoot decent groups now? Or do you need to work on your shooting skill?

I assume that you know the basics of rest setup, knock position, done some paper tuning, and maybe checked cam timing?

A handy trick is to use a screwdriver for yoke tuning. You can actually replace the string and cable without a press.

Old video by our very own Coop, who was an engineer at Hoyt:

I consider my shooting to be an ever improving cycle. I can shoot the damn bow, but I am ALWAYS seeking ways to improve.

Last time I really tried messing with a bow, I sold it and bought this one. Let's assume nothing. I had a Parker something or other. Bought strings for it, put them on using the nifty cable press and preceeded to lose my mind trying to make it shoot anywhere NEAR straight for 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Jpsmith1]

How well does the Powermax group for you with field points and broadheads?

Can you shoot decent groups now? Or do you need to work on your shooting skill?

I assume that you know the basics of rest setup, knock position, done some paper tuning, and maybe checked cam timing?

A handy trick is to use a screwdriver for yoke tuning. You can actually replace the string and cable without a press.

Old video by our very own Coop, who was an engineer at Hoyt:

I missed answering a question asked.

I struggle a little with fixed blade heads. They're not wildly inaccurate, but they're not exactly in the group.

I've moved to SEVR heads for increased accuracy and the wider cuts

 

[Fowl Play]

I just put new limbs on my 5 year old flagship. Do not see too much of a reason to switch. Allot of these newer bows have taken weight savings too far IMO. I want a bomb proof bow. Nothing ruins a hunt faster than a broken bow, and when I’m scrambling over deadfall it is a risk. In the last couple years I’ve had a buddy crack his carbon riser dropping it on a rock, another buddy miss a bull due to a super lightweight rest that broke etc. I do not want the Ferrari I want the tank lol. Many bows are still made well just something to consider.

 

[Marble]

I missed answering a question asked.

I struggle a little with fixed blade heads. They're not wildly inaccurate, but they're not exactly in the group.

I've moved to SEVR heads for increased accuracy and the wider cuts

There are solutions for this, which you probably know exist. I've had this happen in the past, and it was because the arrow/bow combination was wrong, and/or the bow needed tuning. I don't want to derail your thread, but if you need help with this, start another thread. There are guys here who are pretty dang smart with this stuff.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[Marble]

I missed answering a question asked.

I struggle a little with fixed blade heads. They're not wildly inaccurate, but they're not exactly in the group.

I've moved to SEVR heads for increased accuracy and the wider cuts

There are solutions for this, which you probably know exist. I've had this happen in the past, and it was because the arrow/bow combination was wrong, and/or the bow needed tuning. I don't want to derail your thread, but if you need help with this, start another thread. There are guys here who are pretty dang smart with this stuff.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[4th_point]

I consider my shooting to be an ever improving cycle. I can shoot the damn bow, but I am ALWAYS seeking ways to improve.

Last time I really tried messing with a bow, I sold it and bought this one. Let's assume nothing. I had a Parker something or other. Bought strings for it, put them on using the nifty cable press and preceeded to lose my mind trying to make it shoot anywhere NEAR straight for 2 or 3 weeks.

Sounds like you may benefit from some basic shooting instruction.

There's no shame in taking a class. I've done two, alongside my kids. And went to a well known shop/instructor to have them critique my form. Didn't pay anything for that one

You could also video yourself and review for improvements.

Regarding the bow, I'd start with the Hoyt owner's manual. It should have basic setup instructions.

The advice given above, to start a new thread asking for help is a good idea.

There are many videos, written instructions, and podcasts about tuning bows and arrows. But like most things, there are conflicting opinions!

 

[Team4LongGun]

I just bought a new bow and after shooting it I wish I would have just saved the coin and kept my previous 10yo bow that there was nothing wrong with. Really didn’t gain much at all. A couple of oz. and 9fps.

Curious what you had, and what you just got.

I got the RX8 last season, an upgrade from RX1 and 5/6 years got me 53 FPS and much quieter. For me, any improvement of 40+ FPS is huge.

 

[Geewhiz]

2013 Mathews zxt to a 24 lift

Curious what you had, and what you just got.

I got the RX8 last season, an upgrade from RX1 and 5/6 years got me 53 FPS and much quieter. For me, any improvement of 40+ FPS is huge.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Curious what you had, and what you just got.

I got the RX8 last season, an upgrade from RX1 and 5/6 years got me 53 FPS and much quieter. For me, any improvement of 40+ FPS is huge.

I wouldn't be asking if the improvement were 40+ fps.

I'm usually comparing IBO speeds which aren't realistic for hunting arrow weights but are a baseline to compare from.

The Powermax is 328 IBO and the RX9 is 342. It's not even 15 fps and, at my 27.5 draw length and 70-72# weight it's gonna be less still so speed isn't a selling point.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Sounds like you may benefit from some basic shooting instruction.

There's no shame in taking a class. I've done two, alongside my kids. And went to a well known shop/instructor to have them critique my form. Didn't pay anything for that one

You could also video yourself and review for improvements.

Regarding the bow, I'd start with the Hoyt owner's manual. It should have basic setup instructions.

The advice given above, to start a new thread asking for help is a good idea.

There are many videos, written instructions, and podcasts about tuning bows and arrows. But like most things, there are conflicting opinions!

It's a part of my plans. I've asked about it at my local shop and got about 5 or 10 minutes of free coaching, even with an offer to pay for actual professional coaching. It helped.

There's a shop I've recently learned about that does actual lessons with actual certified coaches. It's a bit of a drive being 55 miles away instead of 15, but I'm making the time to do that this spring before work beats me into a pulp this summer.

 

[Team4LongGun]

I wouldn't be asking if the improvement were 40+ fps.

I'm usually comparing IBO speeds which aren't realistic for hunting arrow weights but are a baseline to compare from.

The Powermax is 328 IBO and the RX9 is 342. It's not even 15 fps and, at my 27.5 draw length and 70-72# weight it's gonna be less still so speed isn't a selling point.

Yeah man, I was asking geewhiz, that's why I quoted him.

 

[sndmn11]

Velocity is overrated, and has the potential to be detrimental when it cannot be controlled. The disparities in penetration that are expressed on this site and others every fall are symptoms of poor arrow flight. When it is considered those are balanced with low velocity, low draw weight, a high range of arrow weights that DO perform, all that matters in the end is how cleanly your arrow flies.

When I read someone laser-focused on velocity who expresses a need to tip with mechanicals to overcome not grouping with fixed blade broadheads, it is a solid indication that they are hunting with a half-tuned bow. Read through this review https://www.rokslide.com/elite-omnia-review/
A person can genuinely take a Bowtech, Elite, Mathews, Darton out and take a shot, stand on the line with an allen wrench, move limbs/cams, and fine-tune a bow in the next three shots. With these infinitely adjustable systems one isn't stuck with static shims or half twists of yokes that may be close one way and then the next closest adjustment is too much and you have to settle.

The goal should be to send it perfectly between 250-280fps, and you absolutely will see a measurable increase in arrows behind the pin, even with fixed broadheads and butter-like penetration.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Velocity is overrated, and has the potential to be detrimental when it cannot be controlled. The disparities in penetration that are expressed on this site and others every fall are symptoms of poor arrow flight. When it is considered those are balanced with low velocity, low draw weight, a high range of arrow weights that DO perform, all that matters in the end is how cleanly your arrow flies.

When I read someone laser-focused on velocity who expresses a need to tip with mechanicals to overcome not grouping with fixed blade broadheads, it is a solid indication that they are hunting with a half-tuned bow. Read through this review https://www.rokslide.com/elite-omnia-review/
A person can genuinely take a Bowtech, Elite, Mathews, Darton out and take a shot, stand on the line with an allen wrench, move limbs/cams, and fine-tune a bow in the next three shots. With these infinitely adjustable systems one isn't stuck with static shims or half twists of yokes that may be close one way and then the next closest adjustment is too much and you have to settle.

The goal should be to send it perfectly between 250-280fps, and you absolutely will see a measurable increase in arrows behind the pin, even with fixed broadheads and butter-like penetration.

I am aware of the issues with the tune which is why I'm looking to do some of the work myself. I know the bow will tune. In the past, I've been able to put a 2" wide broadhead and a field point on the same spot out to 40 which is as far as I've tried.

I'm not chasing velocity. I'd dump arrow weight if that was a thing I wanted and I did to a limited extent. I'm pretty happy with how my 480gr arrows are performing and I'll probably stay right in this range.

The quick tune or DIY tune capabilities of some of these bows are very appealing.

 

[Mikido]

Nothing. I kill just fine with my 2014 creed xs

 

[4th_point]

A person can genuinely take a Bowtech, Elite, Mathews, Darton out and take a shot, stand on the line with an allen wrench, move limbs/cams, and fine-tune a bow in the next three shots.

That's great. Really.

Or he can simply use the bow he's got right now.

And tune it with a screwdriver, as shown in Coop's video, while standing on the line.

I'd put the money saved towards a jig and vanes rather a new bow

 

[4th_point]

The Powermax is 328 IBO and the RX9 is 342. It's not even 15 fps and, at my 27.5 draw length and 70-72# weight it's gonna be less still so speed isn't a selling point.

I had to visit a client out of state a couple weeks ago and it happened to be near a fairly well known shop. I asked essentially what you wrote and the owner said maybe 15 fps faster with an RX9. It jives with the calculators for predicted velocity.

He said that the draw cycle would not be as smooth as a Powermax though. I didn't bother to test drive the RX9 because I am not shopping.

15 fps is somewhat significant to me but not necessarily worth spending a bunch of money for it.

You could use an archery app to predict the difference in drop with +15 fps.