I have an old Mathews Z Lite bow that I am currently using. I am trying to rededicate myself a bit more to bowhunting and looking for opinions. If I continue to use this bow, I need to replace the sight and rest at a minimum. I also have a friend who hurt his shoulder and now uses his crossbow exclusively. He said he would be willing to part with one of his 2 Mathews bows, 1 being a DXT, the other he wasn't sure of, but said it wasn't as nice as the DXT. Both of his are set up to use right now (no need to upgrade the sight/rest). My question is, would you recommend simply upgrading the sight and rest on my current bow, potentially upgrading to a used DXT or possibly even buying something new (if buying something new on the low end would be worth the upgrade over what I am using)? Plan on borrowing his for a few days and shooting them either way, but wondering if people here with more experience have an opinion.
I definitely think that borrowing his bows are a good idea. I use a bow that I got off of Craigslist, as I don't have a huge budget for hunting. It works great, but I just tried out a newer Matthews bow that a friend of mine has and it definitely shoots much smoother, quieter, and is easier to draw back. Of course any bow can bring down a deer but the newer technology seems to make things a bit easier.
You might that it to a good pro shop to be checked over and fit to you. Shooting a bow that doesn’t fit you can lead to bad habits that are hard to break down the road. Of the 4 bows on my rack now, 3 can from eBay. I’m careful about the purchases and still have my equipment to work on them. Good luck and be sure to thank your friend for the generous loan.
I would recommend a new bow. But that's just me. You can pick up last season's "new" bows at a good price on Ebay right now. Bows that were $1400 going for $700...that's a steal if you ask me.
Thanks for the advice, but after thinking about it, I wouldn't know where to start to look on Ebay. New would give me the advantage of shooting it at a shop first. I suppose when I go I could shoot some new and see what I like and go from there looking at similar models from the previous year. Plan on stopping at the pro shop this afternoon. I have a little "play" money to throw at this, but going back and forth between going all in with something new or dropping a few hundred and concentrating on shooting properly before going all in. Maybe I'll do both. Shoot my old bow for 6 months working out some bad habits that I am pretty sure I have and then look at something new before next season. I should also have a better handle on what I like if I go this route.
Bring you old bow with you to the bow shop and have it checked out good. May have a problem you didn't see or find. I rarely buy anything new any more except clothes. That is just me and budget restraints. If all is well and you like your bow, a few bucks to get it updated and your in business.
It's in the truck waiting for me when I get out of work today. I have a hunch my draw length is long.
Thanks for the advice guys. Going to pick my bow up from the pro shop today. Learning lots on here and at the shop yesterday. Also inspired me to research the heck out of current equipment and looking to try a few models over the next half year. Might invest in a new bow before next season.
All I can say is wow. The difference the changes I made to my bow are noticeable. So much quieter and much tighter groups. Should have replaced the sight a long time ago! Now it's time to find a front mounted string suppressor that will fit. A link to my former sight: https://www.google.com/search?q=era...d=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=JBMKeuoaStGPoM:
i am new as well to bows. so i really didn't know what to look for in a used one. so i bought a "new" one from a buddy who bought it and never used it. it was a prime g5 quest, which is a budget bow, but it works great. i had a shop tune it to me and i have $400 invested. that was bow, bag, arrows, release, and the pro shop fee. i am happy with it. i think there are a lot of good bows for a good price its hard to justify a used one unless it is a really good, gently used one
