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Beginner Bow Recommendations? #8494110 01/03/22 07:07 PM
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Dub32 Offline OP
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Considering purchasing my first bow and would appreciate any recommendations on specific models or manufacturers you guys might have or ones to avoid possibly. Looking to purchase new, I would consider used but really don't have the experience to gauge condition.

- New bow shooter with little knowledge. never had an interests until now but starting my research.
- Bow would be used exclusively as a range / target bow for now
- If I enjoy it and become proficient enough with it, I would possibly hunt with it.
- I would like to keep the budget around $500 or below if possible. Don't mind spending more if necessary based on value.
- Draw length is around 27" best I can determine
- No limitations on draw weight.

I have mainly been looking at Ready to Shoot options based on my lack of experience / knowledge. I am not opposed to taking my time to build one out as I become educated on the components and function. I am leaning towards a budget RTS package to start off then possibly upgrading as I learn and become proficient. A couple of the RTS packages I have looked at are the Bear Cruzer G2 and PSE Stinger Max. Any opinion on those would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any advice or guidance you guys may have. I have begun researching myself and plan to visit an archery shop soon. Recommendation on shop would be appreciated as well.

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494181 01/03/22 08:51 PM
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CKMIII Offline
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I like Cabela's, you can buy online, then pick up there. Then you get free service on your bow forever. Especially helpful for getting your sights lined up correctly. The bow tech specialist there are always very nice and helpful to all (go during non-busy times). FYI modern bows are very easy, it will not take long to get very accurate under 40 yards. You just need someone to help teach you a few tricks i.e., if right-handed how to handle your left wrist (lose not tight), how to have the same spot on your check every time to put your trigger hand on your face.

Best of luck!

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494249 01/03/22 10:14 PM
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I may get flamed for this but I used these guys years ago for my first bow and never had a problem.

Huntersfriend.com

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494355 01/03/22 11:54 PM
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kmon11 Online Shocked
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Go somewhere and shoot some. Cabela's is one place that us usually easy to do. Todays entry bows are easy to adjust draw length and poundage. Bows are subjective things and some will feel better to you than others and you will shoot one that feels better more and usually more accurately than one that doesn't.

There are some bows that are in the $500 range that have limb stops instead of cable stops, the limb stops will give a more solid back wall then the cable stops.

You can go up from there to higher end bows and flagship bows from various manufactures but just getting started I would go less to make sure you like it before spending the $ for top end equipment.

The 2 you mentioned are good beginner setups as are several others. When I was doing that kind of work had one customer that started with his first bow a PSE Stinger then he bought a coupe Hoyts and a Bowtech after he started shooting longer distances out to 100 yards but inside 50 yards he and some of the ones he shot with said he was as good or better with the stinger than the other bows. I have had other hunters with high end bows that were heavy that got Infinite edge pro bows for backup bows for Africa and elk hunts in the West one cane back by with pics of a nice 6X6 he got eith the Infinite edge since they were hunting rough country and it was lighter and handier than his other bow he hunted with it in the rough country the found the elk in.

RTH packages are good to get started with but over time you will most likely want to change the rest and sights. Drop away rest is a big improvement for accuracy than the ones that come on most packages.

Learning the basics when starting is important and when something goes a little off a lot of the time going back to the basics of

Stance: a good golf stance is pretty much a good archery stance
Grip: bow hand at an angle so the pressure comes back into the meaty part of the hand at the thumb, DO NOT GRIP THE BOW TIGHT
Draw: should be smooth and feel easy, if you have to sky draw or go through extra movement you have too much poundage set
Anchor: facial contact is important with this and the more points of contact the better to be consistent
Sight: be the same every time
Release: consistent and smooth, do not slap the trigger on your release
Follow through: hold the how out let it rock but do not take it away to see where the shot went, the arrow will be where it went to see


lf the saying "Liar, Liar your pants on fire" were true
Mainstream news might be fun to watch
Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494433 01/04/22 01:28 AM
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txtrophy85 Offline
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would you consider a recurve?


For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: kmon11] #8494459 01/04/22 02:07 AM
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unclebubba Offline
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Originally Posted by kmon11
Go somewhere and shoot some. Cabela's is one place that us usually easy to do. Todays entry bows are easy to adjust draw length and poundage. Bows are subjective things and some will feel better to you than others and you will shoot one that feels better more and usually more accurately than one that doesn't.

There are some bows that are in the $500 range that have limb stops instead of cable stops, the limb stops will give a more solid back wall then the cable stops.

You can go up from there to higher end bows and flagship bows from various manufactures but just getting started I would go less to make sure you like it before spending the $ for top end equipment.

The 2 you mentioned are good beginner setups as are several others. When I was doing that kind of work had one customer that started with his first bow a PSE Stinger then he bought a coupe Hoyts and a Bowtech after he started shooting longer distances out to 100 yards but inside 50 yards he and some of the ones he shot with said he was as good or better with the stinger than the other bows. I have had other hunters with high end bows that were heavy that got Infinite edge pro bows for backup bows for Africa and elk hunts in the West one cane back by with pics of a nice 6X6 he got eith the Infinite edge since they were hunting rough country and it was lighter and handier than his other bow he hunted with it in the rough country the found the elk in.

RTH packages are good to get started with but over time you will most likely want to change the rest and sights. Drop away rest is a big improvement for accuracy than the ones that come on most packages.

Learning the basics when starting is important and when something goes a little off a lot of the time going back to the basics of

Stance: a good golf stance is pretty much a good archery stance
Grip: bow hand at an angle so the pressure comes back into the meaty part of the hand at the thumb, DO NOT GRIP THE BOW TIGHT
Draw: should be smooth and feel easy, if you have to sky draw or go through extra movement you have too much poundage set
Anchor: facial contact is important with this and the more points of contact the better to be consistent
Sight: be the same every time
Release: consistent and smooth, do not slap the trigger on your release
Follow through: hold the how out let it rock but do not take it away to see where the shot went, the arrow will be where it went to see






Kevin (kmon11) knows his stuff. He used to work at Cabelas, and I used him to set up one of my bows. However, I feel that Cabelas has gone downhill recently, and I have been more impressed with the knowledge and Customer service at Scheels lately. I am no expert in the area of target shooting, as I target shoot to practice for hunting, but I have noticed that the target shooters all have much different setups than I do.

I have practiced at Plano archery Academy, and they seem more set up as strictly target shooting...same with the place in Mesquite (can't remember the name offhand).

As for hunting bows, I have had good luck with Bear bows. I currently shoot a diamond (bowtech) and love it. Do you really want to just target shoot? Or are you saying that as a pre-emptive excuse to not hunt with it if you aren't really good at it?...and I am not trying to be a dick with the last comment, I just don't know how to phrase the question without sounding like a dick.

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: CKMIII] #8494465 01/04/22 02:14 AM
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Dub32 Offline OP
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Thanks CK. I’ll most likely make my way out to Cabela’s in the next couple of weeks. Def would prefer to buy locally so I can get help with setup and service.

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494468 01/04/22 02:16 AM
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Thanks cbump. I’ll check them out.

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494473 01/04/22 02:22 AM
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Thanks kmon for taking the time to share all of that. I do plan on going to a couple of shops and testing a few if possible. Appreciate the tips on mechanics. I’ll be learning as I go but will def focus on mechanics.

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494477 01/04/22 02:25 AM
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Tx, I’m going into this with eyes wide open. I’m not opposed to anything. Cause, well, I know very little. Main reason I started at compound bows is if I ever hunt with it. Is there a distinct advantage to learning on a recurve?

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494490 01/04/22 02:43 AM
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Thanks for the input Uncle. I agree, I am a fan of Scheels. I’ll see if I can find the shop in Mesquite. Bit far from me but will give me a reason to swing by Southwest Ammunition Supply too.

As far as hunting goes. I would only hunt with a bow IF I was able to make a shot necessary to effectively and humanly harvest the animal. Regardless if I enjoy shooting the bow or not. My hope is that I enjoy shooting a bow AND I am proficient enough with it to take to the field. I will only be able to make that determination by spending considerable time studying shooting mechanics and applying them on the range. So, that’s why I am more range focused at this point.

No offense taken. Being good at something is never a precursor to me doing it. I play golf (horrible), mountain bike (slow) and I continue to argue with my wife (never win).

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8494597 01/04/22 05:29 AM
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Originally Posted by Dub32
Tx, I’m going into this with eyes wide open. I’m not opposed to anything. Cause, well, I know very little. Main reason I started at compound bows is if I ever hunt with it. Is there a distinct advantage to learning on a recurve?



A recurve will get you familiar with the mechanics of archery and the basic principles. If I had it to do over again I would start all my kids on recurves. Not to mention it’s a whole heck of a lot of fun dumping arrow after arrow into a target with a traditional bow.

A recurve is a open sighted .22 compared to a modern compound which is comparable to a scoped bolt action rifle.

A decent recurve can be had far cheaper than a decent compound in most cases. And you can certainly hunt with it, but I’ll be the first to admit it’s much easier to kill a deer with a compound than a recurve


For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: txtrophy85] #8496080 01/06/22 12:52 AM
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Originally Posted by txtrophy85
would you consider a recurve?



Beat me to it txtrophy. Also a long bow comes to mind. Learning the basics to me was with a recurve made compounds simple. So simple I went back to a recurve. Was thinking of going to a long bow but the draw strength on the one I tried kicked my butt.

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8496221 01/06/22 03:23 AM
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Dub32 Offline OP
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Thanks for the advice tx and space. I’ll def keep that in mind.

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8497470 01/07/22 02:02 PM
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Find a local bow shop (not any of the big boxes) who really knows their stuff. If you can make it to Sherman - Big O's archery is great just check for the hours before you head that way. They are true experts who can get you set up right the first time.

Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8528843 02/11/22 06:04 AM
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Coming from another new guy- look at a local shop.

I picked a bow out on Amazon and told my wife “this is what I want for Christmas” knowing I was in for a lot of trial and error setting it up.

If we had used the local archery shop instead they set it up for me for free, free service as long as I had the bow, and would loan me a bow in case mine failed! Like literally, they promise to leave the stand on opening day and set you up with a loaner so you can get back in yours. Only if you purchase from them in their store. And they are competitive in price.

Man what a no brainer. Amazon has great deals on cheap stuff but which would you rather?

Last edited by Bryan C. Heimann; 02/11/22 06:05 AM.

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Re: Beginner Bow Recommendations? [Re: Dub32] #8528969 02/11/22 01:59 PM
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I would highly recommend Alvarado Archery, Tony and his people are top notch. Great pro staff, Range, and hunting simulator (check out the videos on their facebook page, it is too cool). You want to shop local? They are great people to spend your money with, they have always gone above and beyond, including doing all the groundwork on a factory warranty repair on a bow they didn;'t even sell me!


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