Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Which Bow

Your pick of the litter & why. Thanks
Mathews SQ2
Bowtech Justice
AR 34
Martin Couger III

I choose the AR34. Accurate, quiet, smooth, pretty darn quick. That is how I prioritize what I want in a bow. Especially a hunting set up. I also found the AR to be lighter than the matthews. Or at least it felt that way. My next bow will probably be either a PSE(AR's parent company) or matthews new mustang. I have a bad shoulder so I am limited to fast short draw bows with a low mass weight. But of the ones you listed the AR would be my choice. The bowtechs have mega handshock. The martins just havent impressed me with their ability to produce a lot of velocity. And the ones I have seen or shot that did were noisy and had serious hand shock. The matthews is a good bow. The sq2 would be my second choice. I just wish they would go back to the style bows that got them where they are. Mainly the light mass weights. The legacy and the outback are some damn fine bows. But a 4lbs+ mass weight is a no no for me. The outback should replace the sq2 in your list. That thing has it all. Just too heavy for ME.

How bout the Martin cougar 2000 I'm selling. Why? It's new, never hunted and less than half what you'd spend on the others listed...

It isnt near the bow the others are either.

Thanks for the comments guys. For better or worse, I bought a Hoyt SuperTec. Felt good, light weight, very accurate, veeeeeery fast, & not everyone has one. Will shoot Carbon Express CXL 250 arrows. Went thru a learning curve with it over the weekend. Am very happy with it. A world of difference between it and my old Martin. Using Muzzy Zero Effect drop away & a HHA sight.

Good luck keeping that thing timed. Contrary to what hoyt and the dealer may say, if the "cams" get out of time, accuracy will go to pot. Have seen this first hand. Thats why the cam and idler wheel is my preferred setup. It cant go out of time. Hoyt may call it a cam 1/2 but it is actually just 2 perimiter weighted cams. In time you will see what I am talking about.

Cam and a half or two cams. I guess what you're saying is it will act like the older technology of two cams. I never had much problem with them. As the single cam cable and string stretch, don't they change your nock point?

No slam intended, just an opinion and question. I'm going the other direction, no cams. Stick and string. Getting pretty good at it but I expect to be humbled this weekend at the first 3D of the year.

Scott: Thanks for the comments, & good luck this weekend.

thmpr,

Why kick the training wheels and go to a recurve or longbow? Personally I get far more satisfaction shooting wood arrows from a nice long bow over anything with cams ... cams are for cars <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Nope. I have my strings and cables custom built. There are many low or no stretch string and cable materials out there. I think the last set I had built were made from S something or other. But thats been 3 years ago. And so far the nocking point has not moved. Didnt hunt last year due to a bad shoulder. And this year doesnt look much better. And yes, despite claims by hoyt that state otherwise, if you get the top and bottom eccentrics out of time you will get erratic arrow flight. They do work like the "old" 2 cam systems.

From what I know about it, the material is S450 or something like that. Yes they have limited stretch but the downside is no warning prior to failure. I've had FF on bows for 2-3years without any timing/shooting problems. Now I change string and cables every other year. That may be because of my setup. I tend to stay conservative. No big need for speed. I've been shooting 80lbs with 2317s and 125 Thunderheads at 265fps for over 10 years without timing/broadhead problems. When I went thru a speed freak stage, I had more problems.

Good luck on your shoulder problems.

You guys ever used Winners Choice strings?

Never used them. I mostly used Hoyt cables and string or had a buddy make up one for me.

There are so many different string materials out there its hard to keep up. My string and cables on my current bow are s450plus. I did call and ask. But every year something newer and better comes along. As for breaking without warning, that will be determined by how well you care for the strings. Keep 'em waxed and dont leave the bow out in the heat for excessive periods of time. And dont bang the bow around. Amazing what a very tiny little knick on a cam or idler wheel will do to a string. And usually in a very little amount of time. Especially if you shoot a lot. But as a general rule, it is a good idea to change them every couple of years. I havent done it due to the fact that my bow has only seen one year of use. But I will check it out if I ever get where I can shoot it again.

Hoyt pro tech 47lb max 65% let off funny riser smeeooth. Don't eat strings like my Mathews. I shoot fingers and can't get off the string with 80%.

George I know you are right I guess I won't take the time and effort it takes to learn to shoot a long bow. I have killed a few deer with a recurve but I got a bad hit on a big 10pt about 20yr ago and p#$%d out. Kenny

280ack



Some strings have a little stretch before failure. Many of the newer materials have less creep which translates to a minimal amount increased speed. But they are similar to carbon arrow, either right or broken. No in-between. This is just how I understand it. I've quit following all the really high tech, speed freak gadgets. A friend that has a tricked out bow getting approx 358 fps. The bow is used for testing and has a 100 lbs draw. He put a latest and greatest material string on it and said it had a noticeable improvement. Whatever that means. Probably sounds like a rifle when he turns it loose.



I agree totally that maintaining and replacing on a timely basis is important. I've seen too many guys having string failures right before the season. Mostly because they are just starting to use the bow a lot after leaving it sit all year.



Sicero

Man, that sucks. I hate losing an animal. But consider the same can happen with a compound or even a rifle for that matter.



thmpr

Sorry for highjacking the thread.

Scott: Nooooo problem. I haven't shot in 15 years, so I'm trying to soak up everything I can. Its just tough trying to sort thru fact & fiction, and I have a million questions, from form & technique to the most accurate & lethal broadhead. Most everyone is an expert & has an opinion( sort of like Rem. vs. Win., Barnes vs. Nosler). I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about. But I'm determined to figure this out come deer season.

Scott I didn't meen to imply that I have never lost any with a compound but I do have more confidence with it. I have even gone to mechanical heads and I have been running them down ever since they come out. When we were in Elk county PA last year one of my pals who gave up his recurve for a long bow 20yr ago went into town and bought a mathews carbon arrows and release and got his first deer with it. He has shot a 80lb longbow for as long as I have hunted with him. I realy hated to see him do it since he is one of the best shot I have ever seen. He always made fun of us since he could outshoot us. I just said Terry, welcome to 21st century. Kenny

My friend, I will be willing to help in any way I can. I am not a paid rep for any company and have never been "brand conscious". If it meets my requirements then I buy it. I have done the bowhunting thing for almost 15 years. Spent 5 years working at a bowshop from mid summer on thru opening day. Some of the guys I worked with were pretty darn sharp. Over all my years I have learned to live by this motto when it comes to takin critters: Speed kills, but silence is DEADLY. I set up my rigs to be quiet first and foremost. I am not a speed freak. I like my bows to shoot 275fps max. That way I dont have much problems with erratic arrow flight when shooting broadheads. And everyone has a favorite broadhead. They will all kill deer for the most part. I prefer a 2 blade cut on contact head. They go thru deer like a hot knife thru butter. Have seen a couple just stand there looking around and fall over dead. Most heads will work but the thing to remember is they MUST be RAZOR SHARP. Anything less is unethical. Arrows are another place many make mistakes. A good all around arrow weight for a hunting set up is 7 grains per pound of draw weight. That way you get good speed and good penetration. I also notice a question about the most accurate broadhead. They will all shoot accurately. If your bow is tuned correctly. Broadheads and field points of the same weight should shoot in the same place. Anyone that tells you that you have to move your sights when switching between the two is FULL OF [bleep]. If that is the case, something is out of tune. It maybe the bow, it may be the arrow. But something is out of adjustments and it is NOT your sights. I tune each arrow when I put on my broadheads. And they all shoot same POI as my field points of the same weight. Shooting form is a tricky subject. I prefer a loose wrist strap and an open hand. That way I am not torquing the bow. Draw back, aim, and start gently squeezing your shoulder blades together. And keep squeezing after the shot. That is called follow thru. The only other thing I think I need to touch on is draw weight. If you can not sit down, point your bow at the floor and slowly come to full draw, the draw weight is too heavy. And when the moment of truth comes you will be needin' a winch to get that bow back. If there is anything else I can help you with please let me know.