Build me a hunting bow

[jhenry34]

Long time rifle hunter looking to take a run at archery, especially with tags being harder and harder to come by (yes, I realize archery tags are pretty tough too). Mostly elk hunting in western states. Draw length of 30", weight 60-70 lbs. I'm willing to spend $1200-$1500 on a complete setup. If you were in my shoes, what would you build? Buy new or I am definitely not opposed to buying used and putting new strings, etc. on it. My top priorities are reliability and ease of use. I'm not trying to shoot anything at 100 yards with this thing. I like the idea of getting close to these animals.

 

[JK47]

I will tell you what I did….because I, like you, was a long time rifle hunter/pistol shooter/handloader and wanted to try archery. You didn’t mention if you have ever tried archery or not, but I had not.

So, I wanted to make sure I would take to it and enjoy it before I dropped serious money into a rig. I bought a $750 bow on clearance. It was marked down to $450. All in I spent maybe $700-$800 with setup and arrows.

I then shot the ass out of that bow for 3 years. Learning what I could from friends and videos. Working on form and shot process. Learning how to archery hunt.

I love everything about archery. I killed my first bull elk last year with a bow. I’m still learning how to be a better elk/deer hunter, but I doubt that process will ever come to an end. My ADHD won’t let it.

But, that was the path I chose for myself. And I’ve loved….and gotten very frustrated with, at times….the whole journey.

Shoot different bows and pick the one you like the best. Good luck!

 

[Jrob]

I would go to a local shop and shoot as many as you can. Tell them your budget and they’ll help with the build.

I had the Hoyt Ventum pro 30 but sold it 6 months ago to buy the new alphaX 33. I have a 29.5” DL and shoot 70lbs. I like the taller ATA and I think you would too with your long DL.

 

[Skerhunter]

For that budget I would strongly suggest buying used, so you have money left over for new strings, arrows, and nice accessories.

 

[JPeters218]

There’s lots of used phase 4’s for sale for cheap right now. $700-800. Should leave you plenty to outfit it

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Visit your local bow shop(s) and shoot a few different models (adjusted to your draw length and weight) to see what feels good. If you give your location, someone here can likely recommend a good shop in your area. To assemble a full hunting kit within your budget, a brand new flagship model is likely out of the question. If you buy something used, I would recommend sticking with a brand that your preferred shop carries if you'll be relying on the shop for setup, tuning, and service.

 

[nphunter]

I would suggest buying a bow from a good shop and getting it all set up for you. I'd either buy a leftover flagship bow, a new budget bow, or maybe even something on consignment as long as they will get it all setup for you. You will be paying a huge premium on everything buying it from a shop but without knowing what you are doing you'll be better off going this route.

As MM says, post your location and maybe someone can recommend a good shop, some shops are pretty crappy and just want your money and won't take the time to get you set up with what you need, they want to set you up with what they have on hand.

If you do want to buy use buy from someone like this guy. Works at a shop and it's already setup, have him tune it with some 300 spine arrows, toss on a sight for you, set all the sight axis' and you will be good to go and still under budget with a great bow.

WTS - Like New Hoyt Z1S

Like , new , I work at a shop , and this was my back up Extra Demo . Wilderness, green riser , Origin camo limbs . Brand new Gas Ghost Strings . &0# limbs . Currently at 30 inch draw , but I can adjust it to whatever you need Bare Bow , 600.00 . or Bow with highlander 2 piece quiver...

rokslide.com

Or offer this guy $1500 for the bow as pictured and your set.

WTS - Hoyt RX7 Wilderness 60-70lb

I am selling a used Hoyt RX7 Wilderness, right hand, 60-70lbs. Comes with both the #2 and #3 mod for it. Will also come with Hoyt cam shims, peep installed and the original stubby stabilizer. Strings have just been changed for brand new Vapor Trail strings and they've hardly been shot in. I can...

rokslide.com

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

I would keep an eye on the Classifieds here and on ArcheryTalk, get a newer(2019+ish) used bow such as Mathews V3X33, Hoyt RX7, Hoyt VTM 34, PSE, anything in the 33in ata range or longer should give you a good string angle. Get the quiver you like, Tightspot is a good universal quiver. Get a 2-4 pin Slider sight. Spothogg Fast Eddie Double or Triple pin, HHA Tetra Ryz, Black Gold etc. I would get some moderate weight arrows 450-500gns put together and go whack critters!

 

[Haro450]

Like many others I would recommend a bow shop. If there are several in your area go to all of them. Buy a bow from the one that gives you the best service. Most bows today are all pretty darn good. I would buy a cheap fully outfitted bow to start. Go to some archery shoots local to you. You will learn a lot at archery shoots shooting with other people. In my opinion being a good archery/hunter has way more to do with you than it does the actual equipment. Finding what you like and don't like what makes you confident in your ability is key. My main advice is don't sweat the initial purchase to much. Get a bow and shoot. Go to bow shoots and shoot with others.

 

[SloppyJ]

Buy used for sure. The Rx7s have been one of my favorites to come out in a while. I picked up an ultra when they first were available for order. I don't see myself chasing the new bows every year again.

The only thing that would make me sell it is if hoyt came out with a tuning system similar to the deadlock or whatever bowtech calls it because I like to fiddle with things. All of the newer mathews I've tried and owned have been really hard to shoot consistently for me so I'd pass on those. But your opinion might be different.

If you find anything made within the past 5yrs, you'll be happy.

 

[Jsmalls273]

Like others, head to your local bow shop (not big box store!)

Don't get caught up with the big names and chasing the next big thing. Quality names like bear and diamond all kill animals just as good as Matthew's and hoyt!

That said! I'm a Matthew's fan boy and shoot a VXR 31.5. I like it good enough for sure!

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[darrenk75b]

There are some great deals on ebay for new old stock bows as well, but I agree that trying some bows out first will be very helpful.

I've bought all my bows gently used, and saved a lot of money doing so.

 

[newbie24]

I agree you got to get into your local shop and feel them out. I was similar to you and built out a bow for just around $1400.

I ended up going with the Elite Terrain, really solid bow for the price point.

 

[nidahobrushswimmer]

Well being that I have T. rex arms I can’t give advice on a longer bow. But if I could go back in time and save myself some time/messing around, the components are it.

*Nice fall away rest. Limb driven or cable, I’ve run both a QAD and Hamskea, neither has ever failed me. I like the limb driven for ease of tunings sake.
*Multi-pin slider sight. I have a 3 pin black gold ascent verdict, for me it’s perfect. Not too much clutter in the housing, but a single pin has a lot of drawbacks.
*Tight spot quiver. Pretty tough to beat in my opinion.
*Decent stabilizer. Some of the new bows shoot sweet even without them.

 

[fulldraw71]

Buy new and go to an archery shop and get fitted. Since you are inexperienced and new stay away from used. I’ve bought two bows used as fixer uppers in my life and while they turned out to be excellent bows and killed deer, I knew what I was doing and had to buy things like limbs etc to redo them. You can never know the history of something and that part sucks. Has it ever been dry fired? Drug across concrete and touched up? Owned by someone who values speed above all else and has spent its entire life shooting 5 grains per pound arrows?

For your budget I would look at the Bear line. I would be careful buying a midrange bow from some companies because they cut corners to cut cost like plastic limb pockets etc. For the money Bear can’t be beat, they’ve been around forever, and I hear their customer service is phenomenal. I definitely would be looking at a Bear Alaskan XT, outfit it with a good drop away, stick with a solid 5 pin fixed hunting sight (I own a pair of MBG Rush sights and they can’t be beat for $110), and get a good release thumb or index. Don’t skimp on the release. I would look at Truball wrist releases like the centerline or execution etc. they have very adjustable triggers and lengths etc.

Price arrows. A shop not far from me sells Easton 6.5 match grade shafts for $112 a dozen cut to length. I build my own arrows but I bet they sell them fletched too at similar discounted prices.

Find a shop and look at new and you will start off with a much better experience in my opinion. good luck.

 

[jhenry34]

I will tell you what I did….because I, like you, was a long time rifle hunter/pistol shooter/handloader and wanted to try archery. You didn’t mention if you have ever tried archery or not, but I had not.

So, I wanted to make sure I would take to it and enjoy it before I dropped serious money into a rig. I bought a $750 bow on clearance. It was marked down to $450. All in I spent maybe $700-$800 with setup and arrows.

I then shot the ass out of that bow for 3 years. Learning what I could from friends and videos. Working on form and shot process. Learning how to archery hunt.

I love everything about archery. I killed my first bull elk last year with a bow. I’m still learning how to be a better elk/deer hunter, but I doubt that process will ever come to an end. My ADHD won’t let it.

But, that was the path I chose for myself. And I’ve loved….and gotten very frustrated with, at times….the whole journey.

Shoot different bows and pick the one you like the best. Good luck!

Thanks for the insight! I really appreciate it

 

[jhenry34]

Visit your local bow shop(s) and shoot a few different models (adjusted to your draw length and weight) to see what feels good. If you give your location, someone here can likely recommend a good shop in your area. To assemble a full hunting kit within your budget, a brand new flagship model is likely out of the question. If you buy something used, I would recommend sticking with a brand that your preferred shop carries if you'll be relying on the shop for setup, tuning, and service.

I’m in the Fort Worth, TX area. I know Cinnamon Creek is probably the most well known shop in our area, but y’all let me know if there are some others I should go check out.

 

[jhenry34]

Like many others I would recommend a bow shop. If there are several in your area go to all of them. Buy a bow from the one that gives you the best service. Most bows today are all pretty darn good. I would buy a cheap fully outfitted bow to start. Go to some archery shoots local to you. You will learn a lot at archery shoots shooting with other people. In my opinion being a good archery/hunter has way more to do with you than it does the actual equipment. Finding what you like and don't like what makes you confident in your ability is key. My main advice is don't sweat the initial purchase to much. Get a bow and shoot. Go to bow shoots and shoot with others.

Thanks…I really like the idea of shooting with others to learn and get feedback. I’ve got two little girls at home plus a job that is busier during the summer, but I’ll definitely look for some local shoots to get involved in.

 

[wyodog]

My advice is similar to some others above. I think it is important to start out with a forgiving bow that feels comfortable and fits you properly. A good archery shop should have different bows for you to try. With your budget you should be able to get into a good setup. Areas that are worth spending a bit more money are the rest and release, these are important don't scrimp here. I wouldn't recommend buying match grade arrows either. You won't need .001 straightness. Speed bows are less forgiving and harder to learn with.

 

[Jsmalls273]

I’m in the Fort Worth, TX area. I know Cinnamon Creek is probably the most well known shop in our area, but y’all let me know if there are some others I should go check out.

Fort Worth area here as well, Burleson to be exact. Gateway archery in Haltom City area is great, so is Alvarado archery a little further south. Cinnamon creek is a good shop though with the best ranges around hands down.

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