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I am getting back into bow hunting, but not sure where to start. I am around a 28" draw, but need one that is easy to pull back. What I mean is that I have a torn rotator cuff and have to be careful about draw poundage.

This will be used as a whitetail bow and must conform to Washington and Idaho laws. I think let off is around 40%, but I will check on that.

Thanks.

WM.

If i was buying a New Compound it would be another Mathews .

http://mathewsinc.com/

Yup. Got a Z9 last year and it is awesome. The Z7 would be great as well I am sure. Check out Archery Talk for tons of deals on used ones.

If you are recovering from a bad shoulder don't get a speed bow unless you like your shoulder being ripped when you let it off. Lots of non flaghsip bows will have a smoother draw. Just try them out and see what is smooth for you. You can really get down in weight makes a ton of difference, lots of bows now have 15# or more (some 25-30#) of poundage adjustment so you can go 45-60 and work up as your shoulder improves. Some of the top of the line speed bows with speeds of 340 IBO etc...develop the full weight of the draw in the first 5-6" which really kills your shoulder and yanks it like a mule when you let off.

Thanks Nathan. My old elk bow (80#) just about killed me to even think of drawing it back. Mind you this is a 30 year old bow that has not been used in over 15.

Any recommends on the non-flagship bows? i have been out of it for a while, so I don't know one brand from another. Not looking for a number scorcher, just a good ol easy to draw bow.

Thanks again
WM

Elite Answer 60lb RH 28 inches. You will thank me after you try it.

7 inch Brace
325-330 IBO with smooth mods.
It will feel like a 40 lb bow with a long valley and super good back wall. You will find faster bows and flashier bows but you won't find a smoother drawing hunting bow that is extremely accurate and a flat out killer.

Sincerely,
Thomas

I have a Mathews Switchback 28" draw, 70# max weight, in excellent condition with, Trophy Ridge 5 pin sight (needs new fiber optics), Mathews T5 quiver, custom string suppressor, and 5 Carbon Express weight forward arrows. Arguably one of the smoothest bows ever made. 65% let off (Legal in both Washington and Idaho). I'll let it go for $375 + actual shipping.

not a bad deal

Most of the elite bows and matthews outback XT's are known for a smooth draw.

Here's a thread on AT just recently on smooth bows for a bad shoulder.

AT thread on bad shoulder bows

If you go with an elite bow there's a guy on ebay who sells them for about 50% of what elite does - new. The catch is they are built from parts from when G5 built elite bows and he warranties them himself with parts replacement, elite doesn't warranty them but it is the same exact bow.

I've got a good deal on a used bow but it will rip your shoulder off lol. Just to show you how much faster bows are than 5 years ago. The 2nd cheapest bow that bear archery makes (they make good bows now) that sells for $399 is FASTER than my top of the line/fastest bow Hoyt made 5 years ago that cost a hell of a lot more than $399. My vulcan is 325 IBO speed and the bear 328 and all the other hoyts were slower than that by a fair marging. You don't need 70lb draw weight to get good speed and kinetic energy as much as you used to.

PSE is making good bows for the money now, the stinger ($299), brute ($399) are good bows. Bear is also making good smooth bows for not a lot, legion and mauler etc...

I haven't looke at Hoyt (already own some), Matthews (got burned on a warranty claim), Bowtech (horrible customer service) but everyone makes some smooth bows in the 305-320 ibo speed range nowdays.

Mission bows made by matthews has a bow called the craze I think it is called that has like a 40lb draw weight adjustment, another one to look at.

If you can find one go with a Mathews EZ-7. Very smooth draw, and very forgiving to shoot.

Washington archery regs only state 40# minimum draw weight at 28" or less, 6 grains of arrow weight per lb of draw with a 300 grain minimum, nothing electronic on the bow and no aids to hold it at full draw.

Let off can be whatever the bow comes with

I sound like a broken record but it's tough to go wrong with an older Hoyt or Mathews.

Check out the Switchback XT.

I shoot about a 12 year old Mathews FX and still love it!
BUT, to buy a new model today is gonna hurt ya, lol. I highly recommend checking out some of the bows by Martin Archery.That will be what I will probably buy next.

I used to be a huge Martin fan back when I bought a pair of brand new bows just alike every year. However they really have had some problems as of late besides fit and finish. Their customer service is still top notch. I read the other day that Gail Martin is stepping down as CEO which comes on the heels of a disasterous year they had last year. The cable guard deal they had was so bad they wound up replacing it free of charge to everyone who bought one and shipping it to them, and that was every model they made outside of the youth models. Which is also why you can find their 2011 leftovers on ebay for pennies on the dollar now in bulk quantity.

I'm also not a fan of their 3 piece risers. A Martin employee has stated the only reason they went to it was because the CNC equipment to do the smaller 3 pieces was cheaper than than the ones to do a single one piece riser. Doesn't sound like that was a decision based on the quality of the product.

Really when you buy a bow you are buying the dealer not the maker. As I found out with Mathews even if they OK a warranty claim they can't make a dealer put on new limbs even if you agree to pay the dealers labor - and most makers won't ship warranty claim stuff to a non dealer, which basically means if your dealer wont' do it your warranty is worthless. So go check out your local dealers and try them out and see feels good. Lots of good bow makers out there nowdays.

Just to point out how much dealer dependant you are, I bought a pair of brand new Bowtech commanders and when I got home I noticed when I pulled back there was a burr under the string on one cam. Took it back and dropped it off for a replacement. The Bowtech field rep called and told me and told me to go back and pick up my bow because under no circumstance was I to allow THAT dealer to actually work on a bow and do something as simple as change out a cam. Bowtech informed me that that dealer wasn't qualified to work on bows, only sell them. If I wanted the cam repalced I had to travel 2 hours to the next bowtech dealer and have it done.

Dealers matter.

Archery Talk will be your Mecca. Their classifieds are second to none. The majority of the classifieds sellers must be rich....cuz they dont sit on chit very long. High end stuff will get reduced daily till its sold for peanuts to dregs like me just watched a 2012 Bowtech Insanity go for 650....unreal. the guys just give stuff away on there!

For easy drawing bows Id be looking at solo cams, elites, even some PiSsEys


.

This is one of the better pieces of advise on used bows, the service and quality of work after the sale will matter a heck of a lot more over time, and in the stand, than who's name is on the bow. Getting a shop that know what they are doing makes the whole process much more cost effective and enjoyable.

Bear and Martin have always been very good bows and have stood the test of many decades with thousands of loyal fans.

Sherwood

I shoot a PSE Stinger 3G with a 7 3/4 brace height 65# DW on their 70# limbs. Its a smooth drawing bow (smoother than the older Stinger). That being said, I'm positive there are better bows but for the money its worth a demo try at a local dealer.

PS
I really want to demo try a few bows including Mathews and Hoyt

Get into some shops and shoot the bows that you are interested in and are within your budget. Only you can decide if the bow you are shooting feels good to you drawing the bow, holding the anchor, during the release and after the release.

Hopefully, you have a good shop near you to also provide some shooting form pointers to try and level the playing field for you.