Hey Gang, Joel here from Syd, Australia. First post. Thankyou for having me. I'm in the market for my first adult compound bow. I would class myself as a beginner having only mucked around with a Junior bow that didn't fit me and some recurve shooting growing up. I've done a lot of research and I'm educating myself more and more every week. I have a few questions that you guys may be able to help me with. First things first I'm 5 foot 7". Approx 26.5" Draw. Weigh about 70kg. Reasonably fit. I'm 28 Y.O I've been contemplating to buy a Ready to Hunt package or just bite the bullet straight up and get a Mathews or similar and save upgrading in the future. I bit the bullet so to speak when getting into clay target shooting and purchased a Beretta and that was by far the best decision. I'm thinking of doing the same with bow hunting. I'm liking the look of the Mathews Z3, Halon and No Cam HTX bows going off reviews and specs. I understand it's all about what feels best to me but I thought I'd seek some opinions and advice prior to heading in to shoot them. I'm after something that will look after me for a long time, be reliable, accurate and require minimal tweaking after it's set. The Z3 seems like excellent value but I'm open to spending more depending on the feel/performance long term. I plan to target shoot it and try field and game for 6months+ before hunting. I want it to be an extension of me before I release an arrow at something alive. 1. I'm undecided on 50-60pound or 60-70pound. The Z3 has a 55-65 pound version which would suit. Any input would greatly assist me. I'll be hunting mostly Goat and Pigs year round and Deer during season. 2. Is the No Cam HTX a good choice? I'm leaning more towards this on paper. It seems reliable. Is the No Cam system easy to tweak, maintain and setup? Or is the Single cam a better option? I noticed the HTX does not have Yokes. Im guessing this means no need to worry about cam lean. 3. Is there any issues shooting with glasses in the field for technique? Is there any research on game spotting the reflection off them etc? I'd be looking to put some decent gear on it that will last. Something like a Spott Hogg Hunter, Mathews Quiver and Rest and a decent stabiliser. Anyways I think thats enough info I'm just after some guidance on my next steps from here and advice that you guys found extremely useful when starting. Thankyou Kindly Joel
From a personal experience i bought a "ready to hunt" package with my last compound and ended up taking off each accessory that it came with and upgrading. Do yourself a favor and get nice bow and set it up correctly the first time around. Of course there is always going to be something new that comes out or something to to tweak but that is the fun of archery hunting. Do you have an archery shop around your house that you would be able to go try out bows? This is the best way to figure out if you would like them or not. Cheers!
I spent the last month almost shooting every flagship bow of every brand. It came down to two...I was getting super detailed at this point...how the bow felt just holding it, every detail of the grip, the release, the draw cycle, I could go on and on and finally chose an Elite Synergy. By no means am I trying to sell you on it, but what I am saying is put time and effort into shooting every bow...let the bow choose you, do extra research and if a bow that brings a smile to your face when you shoot it, I guarantee that's the one. Mathews makes a very good bow and has been around a long time, can't go wrong there with any of their high-end bows. As far as accessories...do your research on everything...if you are going to drop a mortgage payment on a bow, get exactly what you want down to the last piece...trust me, it's worth it.
Awesome Thanks for the replies fellas much appreciated. I have 2 archery shops semi local so I'll be shooting the bows as much as I can. I'll try and spend as much time as I can shooting them. You're 100% on the money I reckon guys I'll be doing as much research and speculation as I can. I'm hoping the No Cam brace height of 6 1/8" is suitable. I'm thinking I'll be picking this bow up to feel it first.
Yeah I would certainly agree with Crawford, make sure to take plenty of time and try everything out. Don't buy a bow simply because of the brand or what others are buying. When I was in the market for my last bow, I thought I had my heart set on purchasing a Matthew's but after I shot their flagship bow, I was totally not impressed. I ended up with a Bowtech, but that wasn't before I had shot probably 10 different bows. You never know you may end up with it for quite awhile, so pick out what suites you best!
Just make sure you shoot as many as you can! It may look good on paper but when you shoot it, it's most good at all. For instance The Mathews Heli-M it looks good on paper. (Weight, ata & speed). I have a friend that has that bow & loves it but that's the that looked good on paper to him & got a deal on it. I just purchased a Hoyt Nitrum Turbo & he was wanting to buy my Chill-R, needs to say the Heli-M has horrible vibration after shot! He has feel in love with my Chill -R. Moral of the story he got what looked good on paper & it was a terrible choice. Just as many as you can before speeding the money.
you could always buy a slightly use mathews ( save some cash there) i have always shoot 50-60 lbs bows.
IMO I hate the htx. If you want a no cam, go with the htr. The htx felt like an 80 pound bow when compared to the htr. If you're stuck on Mathews and want a new bow, I'd recommend the halon. Shoot some other brands too, you may find you like something else. I bought a ready to hunt package a few years ago and ended up throwing away everything that came on it for nicer accessories
Awesome Thanks a Ton for the help guys. I'll get the staff to setup each bow as similar as possible. I've browsed over some of the bowtech and Hoyt bows aswell I'm not ruling them out but I simply havn't looked into them as much as the Mathews. Edit: If I was to fancy the Halon would it be unwise to go the Halon 6?
Halon 6 is the most popular. Speed but still considered forgiving. Go for it, its my favorite mathews bow in the last few years. If you can get your hands on a carbon defiant to shoot (most pro shops will have them in now) try it out. It's my favorite new bow put out this year. Bow tech also put out some great bows in the last couple years and a pretty innovative cam system. We don't carry them in the shop that I work in so I haven't messed with them as much but they are pretty sweet shooters as well
Awesome Thanks a Ton for that. I was a little concerned that the 6 may have not been forgiving enough for a beginner but I believe its a better long term investment as I can learn to shoot efficiently and perfect my form with it. Will definitely have a shot with whatever Hoyt and Bowtech bows they have also. Ta Should I be looking at a 1 or 3-5 pin sight? I was thinking 3 pin to keep it as simple as possible in the field. Also regarding binary cams, solo cams and no cams. Should I consider the cam type when picking the bow for ease of setup etc? Or should I disregard what cam system it has and just learn it after the purchase? I want something that's super simple to setup and maintain.
I shoot a bow tech bt-x yesterday & it's a nice bow also. It has speed & is comfort dl to shoot. I like the cam system on it also. The adjustable let off is awesome! I shot it on all 3 let off positions & it felt great. I didn't shoot it through a chrony but the owner of the shop said it shot a 376gr arrow at 304 on the high let off setting & the high let off setting is unbelievable, it's almost like you have to push the string to get it to go. Great bow! I'm gonna go shot it again when I have a chance.
Awesome will defs check that model at killer Ta. Guys I've had a Mathews Creed XS and a No Cam HTR come up really cheap. What are your thoughts on these two bows as a first compound. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Ta
Between those 2 I would go with the HTR. It's smoother than the xs in my opinion & the longer ata will help with accuracy.
Where you from joel?? Curious as to what shops youre at and ranges you shoot at as im a total beginner myself Cheers, Matt
It honestly depends on how tall you are to determine what draw length you are. I'm 29" draw so I have a bit taller ATA (axel to axel). I just got a Mission Ballistic 2.0. I went with Mission instead of Mathews because it's a bit less expensive than the Mathews but it's made by the same company. Solid bow with a good solid backstop, no room for creep, and very quiet.
