First Compound Bow Suggestions

[Chris387]

Pretty much what the title already said, but I'm also wanting to know what else (besides price) I should consider when buying one. If what I'll be using it for is a factor, I'm looking to do a lot of practicing in the back yard.

 

[42769vette]

Im far from a archery expert, but Ive found that getting your draw length measured is Vital to accuracy. I had been shooting a bow that was WAY to short for me for years. This past season I bought the right length, and improved by leaps and bounds day 1.

 

[Rookie]

I got my son a Matthews Genesis for Christmas. 15-70 pound pull and 19-30 inch draw.

 

[FishnHunt]

I'd say the most important thing is to go to a dedicated archery shop where someone will take the time to work with you and fit something to your needs. They have the knowledge to fit you correctly and will usually let you shoot a number of bows to find out which works best for you. There are three shops near me (Northeast Indiana) that I wouldn't hesitate to send a new archer to. You may end up spending a little more short term, but starting off on the right foot can save you tons down the road.

Other than that, the biggest advice I can give is to start low on the draw weight until you build a good base of fundamentals. A bow that has adjustable draw weights can grow with you as you advance. Good luck, and let me know if I can help at all.

 

[hoosierdoc]

When I hear of archers and leaps and bounds, I think of this

[video=youtube;RtmbZnXSQ7k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtmbZnXSQ7k[/video]

 

[Vilage.Idiot]

When you buy a bow. Eye dominance is more important than hand dominance. If you buy a right handed bow simply because you are right handed without checking your eye dominance you will never be able to shoot to your full potential.

 

[phylodog]

As mentioned above, go to a shop where you can shoot a variety of different bows. Just as with firearms there are many quality manufacturers out there and they all have their fans who will try to steer you toward a particular brand. Shoot them all to see what feels best to you, research online to see what will fit your needs before spending the money on one.

 

[Hookeye]

Get something with a forgiving brace height and longer axle to axle (don't go too short).
Poundage need not be in the 70's or 80's. 50-60 will work fine for hunting and target.
With some of today's cam profiles 60# is kinda harsh.

Backyard practice? better have a big backstop with mutiple bullseye targets.

Shooting carbon arrows gets expensive fast (non swaged nock ends like older aluminum- it's easy to Robin Hood or damage today's common carbon arrow).
Bouncing off stuff, staying straight- yup the carbons are king. But shooting groups with them sucks. Go "5 spot" target.

 

[A1Paracord]

Without getting too technical and assuming you're an average sized person I would stick with a bow that has around a 7 inch brace height and around 30 inches axle to axle (no shorter) with whatever poundage you can handle (a 50-60 lb bow is a good place to start IMHO). That should put you in an average bow that will do well in a number of situations.

As quoted above go shoot as many as you can and see which ones you like and don't like. Any reputable archery shop should let you shoot anything you want and answer any questions you might have. Good luck!

 

[Hookeye]

BTW, compounds are cool but so are recurves
If totally new to archery you may want to look into those.

Nobody makes a decent fingers compound anymore IMHO.

 

[elemonator]

When you buy a bow. Eye dominance is more important than hand dominance. If you buy a right handed bow simply because you are right handed without checking your eye dominance you will never be able to shoot to your full potential.

+1, And if this isn't an option(like you are totally unable to use your left)there is a sight that is for left eye dominate right hand shooters,or you could consider a good recurve bow.All this is assuming you are even left eyed....I know there are plenty of great priced used bows out there,I got a PSE madness as 1st bow and totally enjoy it,modern bows are like ARs in that you can totally customize it make it yours.