im thinking about buying a compound bow

[huskymill]

i took an archery class to give me a bit of a break this semester from the hard classes. i really enjoyed it even though the bows we used for the class were about 20 years old and youth bows at that. anyway im thinking about buying a bow and i'd like to get your opinions on what kind might be the best for the money. im not looking for anything high end, i just want one that will be good for target practice and possibly hunting. one i was kinda looking at was the PSE Stinger because it seemed like a decent price and had many good reveiws. do any of you know anything about it? or if there is something that you think might be better, any input would be helpfull.
thanks

[mcgyver]

Husky,
Good to hear of your new archery addiction. Yes, it can be an addiction.
I wouldn't try to sway you from your choice of a compound bow, but as I been shooting for about four decades now, I can offer you my 2cents.
I'm a Recurve fan myself. Simple tools for a simple job. I shoot what they call instinctive shooting. Requires a lot of practice, but the practice is good fun. I rarely take my bow off the wall and shoot less than 100 shots.
The Compounds are very accurate and fast shooting, but I just don't find them as much fun to shoot. The machine itself is more complicated, so field repairs are nigh impossible.
I've had at least four people tell me the same story. "I had the best shot at this buck, but I lost a sight pin."
If you do consider a recurve bow instead check out the Sportsmansguide they have a pretty sweet deal on a Martin take-down right now.
Either way you decide to go, Have fun and "Shoot Straight".
Ron

[Alaskan Survivalist]

I have one I getting rid of. I am plenty strong but my shoulder is getting to the point it sometimes bothers me to pull the bow. Any Alaskans out there that want it can swing by the house and pick it up. I would like to see it go to a good home.

[Winnie]

I have to agree with MG. I've been an Archer on and off since I was about 6yrs old. I've used Longbows, Recurve(takedown and one peice) of various designs and Compound bows. Personally I think a Recurve bow is best for all round shooting, ease of maintainance and value for money. I found the Compound bow to be rather complicated and inconsistent, but maybe that was just me. I think MG would probably agree arrow choice is as important for getting good results. Good luck!

[Camp10]

I own and shoot the PSE Stinger very regularly. I think it is a very consistant shooter. I would absolutely recommend it to someone starting out. The pro shop that I shoot at has several pro's that use it for their hunting bows..that says quite a bit about the Stinger to me.

[canid]

bringing a compound bow into some groups of shooters is a bit like riding a Harley FXD to a bicycle touring club.

you'll see a bit of closet envy, a bit of righteous disdain and most of it will just be friendly joking.

i'm strongly drawn to trad bows [and will not likely own anything else in the foreseeable future], but when i owned my bear compound [think it was a whitetail hunter], i loved it.

for the record, you don't *have* to shoot a compound bow with a modern aiming system, just as nothing stops a person from installing a peep sight on their recurve. it's all about what suits you when you shoot.

i never used a PSE bow; you might have to be the one to tell me how they shoot.

[Camp10]

i never used a PSE bow; you might have to be the one to tell me how they shoot.

Yeah, you better let Huskymill tell you how the PSE's shoot!:sneaky2: That would be much better than just looking up one post! :innocent::clap:

[DOGMAN]

I've owned a couple of compound bows over the years, and right now have a Mathews MQ 32, that I love. The MQ32 is a really short bow (32 inches wheel to wheel) and is a very light and fast shooting bow. I am amazingly accurate with it, and rarely practice. Its just an accurate bow. I owned a PSE Buckmaster before getting the Mathews. It was a decent bow (its not one of PSE's nicer bow's) and I shot it ok...not as consistently accurate, but I still could shoot a pretty tight group, and I killed alot of animals with it....so it was a good tool, but I had to practice regularly.

I think that is one of the real advantages of a good compound bow...they are so accurate. To be good with a long bow or recurve you gotta practice alot. I use to just leave a target set-up by my back door and just try to shoot several arrows a day- year around to stay on top of it. I had to practice and keep my arm strentgh up to be even remotely consistent....but a real nice compound bow, you can spend a couple of hours a week before hunting season and be shooting real consistent in no time. A light weight, easy to handle compound with a mild draw weight is a very easy to use, and lethal tool.

I'd suggest shooting several before buying.

[FVR]

As most know, I build my own bows. That being said, a compound is a great way to start. If you can keep the cost down. I've owned my share of wheely and cam bows and all I can say is CHACHING. It is just so expensive these days.

Cost of the bow, then the sights, release, bow quiver, stabilizer, then throw in the arrows and broadheads. Forget it.

However you can find good deals on wheely bows at garage sales, flea markets and pawn shops. I've found awsome Martin cam bows for 35 bucks.

I don't care what you shoot, just shoot.

It's hard to shoot others wheely / cam bows as they are all set up for the owner. But if you can, shoot as many as you can. You may find that you don't want to go the modern route and try a few recurves and longbows. There are some awsome modern recurves nowdays.

Good luck,

FVR

[huskymill]

first off thanks everyone for your input on this topic, i took all of what you said into consideration and talked to a few people i know as well. i ended up buying a bow today. i got a bear charger. it came ready to shoot and the guy at the store was awesome in helping me pick out a bow. the store i bought it at had a range in the back so i was able to take a few shots before buying and it took me about 2 shots to hit the bullseye dead on and every shot after that were very close. im very happy with the bow so far. but of course i only took like 8-10 shots with it so its hard to say wether or not it was a good buy. the rest of this summer is going to be alot of fun!!

[scottmphoto]

I've had recurve's and compounds and would love to get a longbow. My current bow is a Bear "Lights Out" compound. It's small, light and very accurate. I really enjoy target shooting and hunting with it.