Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Mathews Bows??

Are they worth the Money??<P>Mike

I'm in the same boat, ROTR, and have asked the same question Everywhere I ask, I get a resounding yes. Which one do you like?<P>Rick

I'm not really sure. I was in a shop the other day and the man had a riser(I think-the part the limbs hook to and goes in your hand) and threw it on the floor, it twanged for about 30 seconds. Then he took one just like it only finished out with the Mathews harmonic dampeners and threw it on the floor, it went thud and that's about it! I was impressed.<P>Everyone at the local shops says they are the best, as well as a few guys who have ponied up the money.<P>I've still got the old Whitetail II from 15 years ago, so anything new will be a monumental step forward for me! I argue with myself that if I shell out the cash this time I'll be set for the rest of my life, but fully dressed out we're probably looking over 1K$'s aren't we?<P>Too many wishes and wants the checkbook won't support yet!<P>Mike

I bought a Mathew's MQ-32 about two years ago from a pro shop in the area. It happened by chance actually. I knew zip about bows and just stopped by to see what a "decent" bow would cost. After explaining a few things and getting my pull measurement the owner recommended a used, but like new, Mathew's MQ-32 that was on consignment. Complete with a Scott release and roughly 20 Gold Tip carbon arrows, case, sight, arrow rest, etc. Bought the package for $450.<P> After adjusting the sight for my point of aim point of impact, and giving me a few pointers, I proceeded to place five consecutive arrows into five bulls at their indoor range. I was impressed with how quickly I was picking up shooting the bow. They said I was lucky to have a Mathews as my first bow. <P> To prove the point, the fellow brought out a PSE bow that he also had on consignment. It shot fair, however, it had an uncomfortable vibration after the shot that really affected my accuracy. I was told that you could injure your shoulder with enough use. The bow also felt about 3 times heavier than the Mathews. Though I'm sure it was'nt that much heavier.<P> In any event, the bow has amazed me with it forgiving nature and absolute sweet disposition. I've been told that I should have worked up to the Mathews in order to fully appreciate how far ahead they are. Don't know about that. Will say I am completely satisfied with it though. Any bow that can put a rank amatuer in the X ring his first day using it deserves mentioning. Is the Mathews worth it? For me, absolutely yes. <P>Regards, Matt.

And the procession of yesses continues. Starting to get redundant. I just wonder if a rank amateur, beginner, never owned a bow in his life before purchaser like me should pony up the dough for one? Of course, I know myself, which means I'll eventually get one or something like one if they are truly the goods. It's only a matter of time.<P>That's why I always go for the best first, whenever the checkbook allows of course. [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img] If not, I always end up buying things twice. At least that's my story. [img]images/icons/laugh.gif" border="0[/img]<P>Rick

Yes, they are probably the best bow out there. But that doesn't mean they kill any more animals than a used 100 bone PSE from about 10 years ago. The major differences that I can tell are in size and weight. They are mighty small and easy to carry in thick brush, and aren't nearly as heavy as some of the old school bows. They are slightly faster, and are pretty decent in the quiteness department.<P>Damn, after saying all of that,I guess they are pretty good bows!<P>Personally, I would start out with a much cheaper bow if you are a rook. There are plenty of quality bows out there you can get fully equipped for around 300 beans. Then if you feel the need to step it up in the future, go with one of the Mathews bows. Personally I tend to favor the Hoyt line, but that's just me!

I would definitely see if I liked bowhunting before buying a Mathews, however it will probably retain resale value. <P>I shoot my cheapo Whitetail II as well as I need to out to 30 yds(my self imposed hunting limit) It's just that the list of things that irritate me about the bow are many:<P>1.Too noisy, even with string silencers<BR>2.Too long for deer stand hunting(purely my opinion!<BR>3. Handle must be wrapped with something to not be slippery and cold on those rare cool GA mornings in September.<BR>4.The quiver sucks, although easily replaceable.<P>All of these things may be trivial but day in day out after several years of toting the thing add up.<P>Mike

Fellows, what do you expect from a bow that costs that much more than the rest? Of course it's that much better!<P>I hunted with a Darton wheelbow for years until it was accidentally broken. Then I went shopping. To make a long story short, the moment I picked up the MQ32 my decision was made, and dang the price. I laid down about $900 for my kit and am glad for every penny. And I don't shoot over 30 yards, either.<P>Could I make other bows work? You bet. But I won't.<P>It's just like good binoculars -- many will get the job done, but there's a big difference between the median and the best.<P>You can always sell the bow if you decide it's not for you. <P>Matt, you are either very lucky, very discriminating, very accustomed to just buying the best, or all three. I could not believe how easy the MQ32 was to shoot, and how forgiving. It has the sweetness that a rifle only achieves with a slick action, a heavier barrel, an excellent trigger, and a muzzle-heavy feel. It may be difficult for a non-archer to grasp what "forgiving" means, but suffice it to say that if you shoot the Mathews against anything else, you will notice just how good the Mathews feels.<P>One word of warning: If you don't want to go the Mathews route, don't pick one up. If you do you will become completely unsatisfied with anything else.<P>Regards, Talus

Talus, <BR> From what I've been told the regarding the MQ-32 I bought, "very lucky" would be most accurate;-). I would also agree that you simply have to experience a Mathews bow to a truly appreciate it. <BR> <BR> Could not agree more regarding excellent binoculars. There is indeed a great difference. <P>Regards, Matt.

rotr:Have you got Limb Savers on your bow?These little items do wonders for taking out alot of noise and vibration from the limbs.I don't bother using anything on the string as I find it unnecessary.The guys who use tarrantulas and other silencers on the strings are no quieter.If you stand on line and listen to a dozen bows being shot you will hear a dozen different noises.These are just some of my observations from shooting at a pro shop twice a week. [img]images/icons/laugh.gif" border="0[/img] [img]images/icons/laugh.gif" border="0[/img] <P>mike

Obviously you are going to get a mighty biased review from Mathews owners like Talus. <P>It boils down to this. Being a rookie, you really have no business buying one. Why? You have not developed your shooting skill to the point where that bow would benefit you. In fact, the small size and weight of the bow would hurt you, making you much less accurate than a longer, heavier bow would allow you to be. <P>And I couldn't agree more about the limb savers, worth every penny!<P>Just my two cents worth.<P>Chad

they are rilly good bows, but you can get other good bows if Mathews cost to much. I would probaly own one if i could afford it. If you think it is worth the $$ for your uses and you can afford it then they are grate!

Magnum Freak- No I haven't tried limbsavers yet. Is there a preferred manufacturer out there or are they all the same?<P>Mike

I have a hoyt now that I bought as a factory reman. I looked long and hard at the mathews bows. Nice stuff, big money. Very quiet,fast and short. As for the accuracy, I spoke to target shooters who told me horror storries of mathews bows that they could'nt place well with. After putting $1000 or more into a bow they sold them Immediatly for what ever they could get. I myself am impressed with mathews products,But I'm happy with what I have at the moment for my skill level. IMHO,It seems to me that the bowtechs and the martins are leading the way today. Bow tech makes ultra fast bows and martin has a new cam configuration out that is operator friendly and maintainance wise. <BR> By the way ROTR ,"limb savers" work well ,$25 a set for split limb and they are the most popular. But there are more dampening alternatives all the time . Many more types have showed up in the last year or two.

Bear Whitetails rule, doodz....<BR>I finally killed an elk with mine, before retiring it in favor of a takedown recurve. And by the way; do you know the best thing about recurves & longbows? If you get lost you can break them up & use 'em to start a fire ;-). A joke courtesy of a compound fan buddy...<BR>But, my son is 12 & able to bowhunt this year. I looked for an affordable Mathews, & couldn't find a deal. Didn't want to sink too much into it, as he'll be ready for a heavier bow in just a year or two. Also, he's not just a beginner, he's shot lighter bows in 4-H Shooting Sports for several years and does pretty good at it. Just bought him an Alpine Silverado on eBay for $185, though. It's the solocam, apparently licensed by Mathews. 45-60#, so it might actually do him for quite a while. I've got buddies that swear by Mathews, but talk about sticker shock...Anyway, I've heard the Alpines are good bows. Any opinions or comments?

Fellows, I respectfully disagree with oregonhunter. You will not find a bow easier to shoot well than the MQ32. I'm assuming that you wish to hunt with this bow as well as shoot for fun. If so, you will definately not find a sweeter hunting bow, in my opinion.<P>I bought my bow to hunt with, not to shoot 3D or tournament archery. With the MQ32, the average person will be shooting a very high percentage of their arrows into a saucer-sized group at 15-20 yards in short order. By this I mean days, not months. This is provided that person receives good instruction to begin with. Without good instruction, it dosen't matter what bow a newbie buys.<P>Go to an archery shop and shoot the MQ32 against any longer, heavier bow you like. If you don't agree with me, it's your money.<P>With the MQ32 you will have a bow that is dreamy to shoot AND dreamy to hump around in the bush with.<P>The primary reason the bow was made is because the shorter bow is so much easier to maneuver and draw in a hunting situation. Unlike a rifle, you can't stick the business end of a bow through the bushes and make a clean shot. You can't obtain a rest for it. It must be held at arm's length, pointed at the critter, and drawn effectively. If any part of your tackle is touching the brush at release time, you are in for a great disappointment.<P>You all know why a shorter rifle is better in certain situations. This advantage is proportionately much greater in archery, when you must move about with your weapon at arm's length and turned 'the wrong way'.<P>So if you're primarily into tournament archery, forget the MQ32. Otherwise, by all means shoot it against anything, of any length, you like. But compare first. Imagine yourself in a hunting situation.<P>I make no claims of objectivity or great experience here. Also, I may be offering the misdirected praise of someone who has paid too much for his kit. Compare and decide for yourself. I did. <P>Let's remember that the question was "is the Mathews worth the money?" I say yes, but it is entirely possible to have a geat hunting/shooting experience with many other bows.<P>Regards, Talus

I respectfully disagree again with Talus. <P>Smaller bows only make more evident shooting flaws in the archer, and being a novice, he is bound not to be perfect. In addition, the longer the arrow is on the string after the release, the less effect shooting error will play, the shorter time the arrow is on, the more flawless form comes into play. <P>And giving the example of it banging around less brush is somewhat ludicrous, it only saves you about 8 inches of "touching".<P>Speed means very little when you can't hit the broad side of a barn. And what goes hand in hand with speed is draw weight. I have seen far to many little weasel bow hunters who don't weight more than a buck fifty, trying to pull 70 plus to impress their buddies, when they should have been in the 50-60 range. Many a whitetail, elk, bear, etc., etc., have been harvested by much less draw weight than 70, even as low as 40.....but they were all accurate at their most comfortable weight.<P>Just my two cents.<P>Chad

I am by no means saying Mathews are garbage, they are one of the best bows on the market today. But for the rookie, a longer, heavier bow would make much more sense both shooting wise, and with your pocketbook.

Talus,I did just that today.I went into Jim Bows and shot the Mathews and what a dream [img]images/icons/smile.gif" border="0[/img] Unfortunatly they're way out of my price range $800 Cdn.just for the bow.However I finally broke down and switched over to carbon arrows,Game Tracker Carbon Express.I got tired of wrecking alum.arrows.We shoot at pop cans at 50-60 yards and I bent 3 arrows in a row.kinda pricy [img]images/icons/frown.gif" border="0[/img] <P>mike

I would concur with Talus. I bought my bow as a rank amateur and it shot like a dream from the beginning. Which is has amazed more than a few older bow hunters. The Mathews shortened my learning curve quite a bit. Or so I have been told on more than one occasion. Regards, Matt.