carbon bows

[Kodiak13]

PSE Levitate 2.0. I don't think carbon is worth the $ personally, I got a killer deal on a barely used one. Some of the Xpedition aluminum bows were light before lightweight was cool. Their riser designs were slim and efficient reducing additional weight by design. Not a huge fan of these 'newer' bulky risers but it seems like a few are slimming it down again to cut weight (APA, Mathew's Lift) in addition to offering magnesium alloys (Xpedition). Like a gun, heavier is more stable but I'm there with ya wanting a lighter setup given the conditions and brutal terrains where I live/hunt. I'd keep an eye out for a used Xpedition X30 or X33, sub 4#'s and you can get them dirt cheap IF you can find them! $350-$400 range. I also have the X30 and really enjoy it

 

[Kodiak13]

I have been shooting a Mathews VXR for the last 4 years, but I just bought a carbon PSE Mach 30. I am really liking it so far. It is more enjoyable to hold, shoot, and has a really nice draw cycle. I enjoy shooting it more than any bow I have owned in the last 40 years. I think I like shooting it mostly because of the draw cycle (EC2 Cam). I believe fully rigged out the PSE is a little over a pound lighter than the Mathew's.

Also, Mathew's has made a lighter bow for this year. It is still an aluminum bow but is only a few ounces heavier than most of the carbon bows. It does have a stiffer draw cycle, however….

EC2 cam is so enjoyable!

 

[ARlife4me]

Are any of these an adjustable draw length? I haven't shot any compound bows since like 80-82 (14-16 years old)

 

[Kodiak13]

Are any of these an adjustable draw length? I haven't shot any compound bows since like 80-82 (14-16 years old)

Yes most the newer ones are draw length adjustable in ranges, cams may change based on your DL range and some manufacturers may include modules that are draw specific like Mathew's. Very easy to swap in and out. The industry has come a long way in that regard.

 

[sdakotaguy]

Are any of these an adjustable draw length? I haven't shot any compound bows since like 80-82 (14-16 years old)

Been a couple years, then. Yes, All of them have adjustable draw length within there given range. Do you know your draw length Or approximate draw length? If you hone in on a bow that your interested in, then you can visit the company web sight & see which fit your draw length.

While I am a Hoyt fan & will likely shoot my 2017 Carbon Defiant for years to come, If I were in the market for a newer bow today PSE is likely the way I would lean with todays offering's.

Do you have a pro shop in your area? If you do not know what you are doing tuning your bow a good pro shop can be key. In my experience not all outlets for a given bow have a good tech available to get you set up. For this reason I have acquired knowledge & equipment to allow myself to be more proficient in keeping my bow in tune.

Mind you a good Tech will run circles around me. More recently we have a very good Tech within 25 miles of me that I may utilize next time I re-string my bow.

 

[ARlife4me]

Been a couple years, then. Yes, All of them have adjustable draw length within there given range. Do you know your draw length Or approximate draw length? If you hone in on a bow that your interested in, then you can visit the company web sight & see which fit your draw length.

While I am a Hoyt fan & will likely shoot my 2017 Carbon Defiant for years to come, If I were in the market for a newer bow today PSE is likely the way I would lean with todays offering's.

Do you have a pro shop in your area? If you do not know what you are doing tuning your bow a good pro shop can be key. In my experience not all outlets for a given bow have a good tech available to get you set up. For this reason I have acquired knowledge & equipment to allow myself to be more proficient in keeping my bow in tune.

Mind you a good Tech will run circles around me. More recently we have a very good Tech within 25 miles of me that I may utilize next time I re-string my bow.

It's changed quite a bit since being 15 and now 59. Only have grown 8" since (insert sad face) and have no idea what it was back then? Best guess would be between 27 and 29? Is there a good way to measure w/o a bow? Would i stand in fully drawn position and measure front bow hand and nock/string?

 

[ARlife4me]

Forgive me if I forget names of components/parts. It's been way to long and have 6 kids that filled the change

 

[Kodiak13]

It's changed quite a bit since being 15 and now 59. Only have grown 8" since (insert sad face) and have no idea what it was back then? Best guess would be between 27 and 29? Is there a good way to measure w/o a bow? Would i stand in fully drawn position and measure front bow hand and nock/string?

Without a bow or a buddy, rule of thumb is wingspan divided by 2.5. It'll be close. But being spot on will make your life much easier, less variables to think about lol.

 

[sdakotaguy]

Without a bow or a buddy, rule of thumb is wingspan divided by 2.5. It'll be close. But being spot on will make your life much easier, less variables to think about lol.

WS will defiantly get you close though working with a good shop to nail it along with tuning your bow would be a great way to finalize your spot on DL & help you with your form & anchor point.

 

[sdakotaguy]

A few more important details IMHO the more common purchase mistakes is buying the wrong draw length along with too much draw weight. If most folks think 70 lb DW will work well for them then 60 lb dw most likely would be better. If 60 is what you are striving for 50 may be better, allowing longer practice sessions. Proper DW will keep the sport more enjoyable.

A few folks 80 lb dw works well for. We are our own individual. No reason to strive for too much though.

 

[dfanonymous]

There is a point where dropping weight starts affects lethality. So in that regard if it's for hunting, you really need to have the highest weight you can pull. Most state minimums are like 45 lbs, but you would be hard pressed to have an arrow flying good at western distances.

Now, if the goal it to just shoot archery than I would definitely just drop the weight to whatever is comfortable.

 

[dfanonymous]

It's changed quite a bit since being 15 and now 59. Only have grown 8" since (insert sad face) and have no idea what it was back then? Best guess would be between 27 and 29? Is there a good way to measure w/o a bow? Would i stand in fully drawn position and measure front bow hand and nock/string?

The good news is like others said, almost all of them are adjustable to a large degree. There's no way to really get a perfect measurement. This method will get you to the closest half inch. There's some other variations of this method too. They even make a draw length arrow for proshops to use to help dial in the accuracy. How to measure draw length

The reason there's no good way to tell without the bow is because the D loop can very in length, you anchor point might be different than say another person, and the type of release you use can change your anchor point.

As someone that has his own personal use archery shop, I would second that working with a reputable pro shop is the way to go. I will double warn about reputable. I build my own bows for a reason. A big part that is I outgrew what a proshop can do, but also because I've had a lot of people incorrect installs that created tuning issues.

 

[Kodiak13]

The good news is like others said, almost all of them are adjustable to a large degree. There's no way to really get a perfect measurement. This method will get you to the closest half inch. There's some other variations of this method too. They even make a draw length arrow for proshops to use to help dial in the accuracy. How to measure draw length

The reason there's no good way to tell without the bow is because the D loop can very in length, you anchor point might be different than say another person, and the type of release you use can change your anchor point.

As someone that has his own personal use archery shop, I would second that working with a reputable pro shop is the way to go. I will double warn about reputable. I build my own bows for a reason. A big part that is I outgrew what a proshop can do, but also because I've had a lot of people incorrect installs that created tuning issues.

Heard that! I'm in the process of setting my 'shop' up. Bow press will be the final tooling needed. I live in a pretty remote region and very few techs I trust are in this area, best to learn and do things yourself. About 5 years ago I had a shop cut my arrows, 2 doz, and they cut them too short. That was the final straw and that's when I began tooling up

 

[dfanonymous]

Heard that! I'm in the process of setting my 'shop' up. Bow press will be the final tooling needed. I live in a pretty remote region and very few techs I trust are in this area, best to learn and do things yourself. About 5 years ago I had a shop cut my arrows, 2 doz, and they cut them too short. That was the final straw and that's when I began tooling up

I have Last Chance Archery Ez press and draw board. It's pricey but it's made in USA, and unlike reloading, I think I actually save money vs going to the proshop.

I have the Decut arrow saw, last chance archery square up tool, and to save time I have a grip of Arizona E fletch ( 3 degree R helical).

I have a bike vice I use as a bow vice. I've been waiting for Baker bow vises to be back in stock since they make an adapter to go into the EZ press.
…and a bunch of hand tools, levels and tuning devices.

It gets expensive, but, because so many tags I get are archery, it's just how this ended up going .