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Long range compound bow

sawcarver

A little off the normal topics...

My 14 year old son wants to start bowhunting and I have been keeping an eye on used bows but a buddy suggested that maybe I buy a new bow and hand down my old bow to him.

I have never bought a new bow and feel pretty uninformed about what is out there. Also most people here are pretty helpful at spending other peoples money so...

What should I be looking for in a bow, sight, rest type of stuff that will help me shoot longer farther and more accurate?

I am currently shooting a 2003 Hoyt so I'm sure there are massive technology differences with new bows.
 
The technology difference is not the massive. Bows enjoyed their big leaps forward in technology back in the 90s. What you will see better in the new bows is how forgiving and accurate they are. Also they are quieter. That is about it as far as how much they have improved.
If you already have a Hoyt then get another one. They are a good bow and I have always wanted one myself. Still using a Fred Bear bow form 2004 myself.
 
I like Hoyt as well I have a Hoyt carbon element it is a great bow light but fairly expensive most newer Bows are it is several years old I would say five or six not really sure anymore I also have a QAD ultra rest I recommend it highly going farther back than that I had a Matthews more forgiving bow may be a little quieter I can’t quite remember but heavy there are so many newer bows out and I have not shot it much in the last four yearsI cannot comment on any of the newer bows kind of like you I have not changed bows lately
 
I like shooting my bow, but I can't help much on new bows. I can't use most bows. I shoot an older PSE Freak for the draw length. (I need a 32")

As for some of the other stuff...

For a rest I use a QAD Ultra.
For sights I use a single pin Spot Hog Fast Eddie. I really like the single pin approach. Close in shots it's point and shoot, longer shots you think about range and dial before you draw, so once you pull the string you don't think about which pin to look at. It's the one that's there. I've done walk through courses and shot it out to 75ys or a bit further and felt confident in shots out to that range.

It took me a while to get my bow tuned. I went though a lot of arrows before I realized I needed minimum 300 spine shafts, I'm going to guess because of the length of pull. My hunting arrows are Easton FMJs. I've tried Gold Tips and FMJs the 300sp Gold Tips are faster, (6"higher at 25 yds) but the FMJs shoot much tighter for me.

I think that really pretty much any bow that fits you is a good bow, getting the right arrow can be the hard part.
 
My suggestion - most of the top name companies have quality bows that anyone could pick up and be happy with. The bow industry rides on flag ship models, just like golf clubs etc. There will always be a XL120230 super Xtreme blah blah. This creates turnover in the market. You'd do well to get him measured in both pull weight and draw length. Then you can hit the used market. Lots of forums with a healthy classifieds section that deal in bows. Other than that, I'd suggest a drop away rest and decent sight. If he is looking at shooting far (80+yds) then a single pin moveable sight might be the best option (HHA, Spot hog). Besides arrows, everything else adds little gained performance and has gone more the way of color matching and fad'ism
 
there is a bow that will adjust as he grows--cannot remember what its called???...draw length and wt.-- if i remember. someone on here knows
 
Life long archer here. First "long range " and "Bow" just don't go together. A bow is a short range weapon. I limit my shots to 40 yards.. At most. And yes lots of people shoot longer shots.

Most important is getting the bow to fit him. Like draw length and a weight he can handle easily to start. As well as arrows that are the proper spine for his set up. These days most everyone shooting compound use a release. Lotsa great sights and peeps out there. Then PRACTICE!!!

See if there is a local archery club around there.
Check out Lancaster Archery online.
 
When I faced a similar situation I took my son to a good archery shop and had him shoot a few different bows that would "grow with him." He ended up with a PSE, I think a Craze?, but that was several years ago. It wasn't terribly expensive, had lots of adjustment both in draw length and draw weight, and he still shoots it very well almost 10 years later.
Several brands have similar bows, just shoot several and pick what he likes best.
 
helmut in the bush said:
If I were going to buy a new bow, this is what I would check out first
Click to expand...
I shoot an Elite E35. It's a great bow and very shootable. I use to shoot Oneida eagle bows and they are without a doubt the most shootable bows out there. Once Bass Pro bought them from Pollington, I went to Elite. Bass Pro are horrible at servicing anything and nobody has parts or service for Oneida in my home state since Claude sold the Michigan based company. Elite is a great option but there are dozens of bows that are as good a choice as Elite. My recommendation is go to a pro shop and shoot a bunch and find one you love. I believe Elite discontinued the E35. My son has the Impulse which is 34" and 80% letoff. A bit faster and a little less forgiving but nice.
 
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