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Author Topic: New bow ideas  (Read 2593 times)

Offline Dreaded Archer24

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New bow ideas
« on: December 10, 2025, 09:56:06 AM »
Got the okay from the BOSS LADY(Wife)  To get a new bow Thinking about getting a Hoyt Vortex not the XT just the Vortex I got about 800 $ I can spend. Any ideas guys ?


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Offline blackveltbowhunter

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #1 on: December 26, 2025, 10:28:32 AM »
Any experience or is it a first bow?

Offline HUNTINCOUPLE

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #2 on: December 26, 2025, 10:29:59 AM »
Mathews. :tup:
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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2025, 10:44:27 AM »
Listen to what Blackvelvet above tells you.
You are already winning by having him respond.

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #4 on: December 26, 2025, 11:19:01 AM »
Think about getting a used-in-great-condition bow for that money. I bought a Matthews Halon 32" that was only a couple of years old for $700 and new, I think was around $1400 - not sure. Some guys buy the newest bow on the market every year or two and sell the last one.
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Offline furbearer365

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #5 on: December 26, 2025, 11:32:41 AM »
Honestly, asking an opinion is a good start, but never buy a bow based on brand.  Id have about 5 options to "look" at, then buy according to feel.  If possible, buy from a shop that allows you to shoot it first. If its your first bow, you be surprised how different they all feel.  :twocents:

Offline highside74

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #6 on: December 26, 2025, 09:03:50 PM »
$800 I'd look for a used top tier Mathews, Prime or Hoyt. Join archery talk forum. Their
 Classified section is a great place to find a good bow for less money.

The Elite in our Classified section is a great option and less money than you want to spend.
Ebay Prime RVX34 can be bought new for $800 if you aren't set on color or exact poundage. That is a great option.

Offline Dreaded Archer24

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2026, 10:16:42 AM »
That’s what I was thinking looking at a used bow instead of a brand new one get flagship quality without the price.  Btw .. Happy new years everybody!!


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Offline blackveltbowhunter

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2026, 10:03:58 PM »
Are you budgeting $800 for a bow only? Or entire setup including arrows and release? Do you plan to do your own work and setup or utilize a shop?

The torrex is a solid choice. Finding a package setup in the 800 range new should be easy enough.

If looking used, some prior research can save lots of headaches. If utilizing a shop for service, finding out what brands they are dealers for and prefer can save surprises when it comes to locating parts and/or adjustment and tuning nightmares. If new to archery get an accurate draw length and draw weight, if a shop will accommodate try and get actually fitted.
If planning on doing your own work these steps are not quite as important, but will still get ya in the ball park and save some drama if you end up with a mod  or cam specific draw length adjustment 

Once ready to shop, I would stick to bows 3 to 5 years old and one of the major brands. Bonus for new ( carries a warranty ) bonus for new strings and cables installed, bonus for accessories, double bonus if accessories are ones you actually would have put on yourself.


Offline Dreaded Archer24

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2026, 10:16:32 PM »
I have my own arrows and release and I have about 1300 to spend total on a boat. That’s why I was gonna buy a used Matthews and then just put aftermarket pieces on it through my bow shop.


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Offline hhack

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #10 on: January 03, 2026, 11:04:25 PM »
It’s not the arrow it’s the Indian. I shoot an 18 year old bear with original strings.

Offline JDArms1240

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #11 on: January 04, 2026, 06:33:50 AM »
Aw man you should definitely go shoot a bunch!  I thought I was going in for a hoyt, shot 4 different bows and the hoyt didnt feel as good as the mathews, so i walked out with a new mathews and couldn't be happier!  I second BlackVelt's torrex recommendation, i bought my wife one and its a real nice bow.  I think we got outta there at a little more than $900.

Offline WoolSocks

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2026, 08:39:14 AM »
This is like a random person on the internet asking what kind of shoes they should wear. It’s impossible to answer.

With that said, here’s a few things that help.

1. There is no tangible difference between the accuracy of virtually any compound bow. If you stuck a cheap $300 bow and a $3000 flagship bow in a testing machine, they would both shoot tiny little groups. With that said, cheaper bows are harder to shoot - generally less forgiving and tend to be hard to tune. Theres no correlation between cost and accuracy, but definitely a correlation between cost and frustration.

2. Buying a used flagship bow can be a gamble. You won’t know how quirky it is until you get it set up for you. It’s pretty common to get one that wasn’t strung correctly. It’ll shoot great, then when you switch to broadheads everything goes to the dogs and you wind up putting twists in and out of forks, etc.. the reason somebody is selling it is that they had the same experience, and didn’t want to deal with it. If you have a bow press and know how to use it, you can make it sing. If not, go ahead and factor in $$$ for somebody else’s time.

I’ve had cheap, terrible bows that I learned to shoot accurately through endless practice. I’ve had used flagship bows that spent hours on the bow press, then shot extremely well. Only thing I haven’t done is just walk into a store and buy a mid-line bow like a Hoyt Torrex or something. Guessing if I did it would save me a lot of time fiddling around.

Online kodiak06

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #13 on: January 04, 2026, 08:41:26 AM »
You'll get a bunch of "fan boy" answers. Go shoot some bows and pick what feels best

Offline hughjorgan

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Re: New bow ideas
« Reply #14 on: January 04, 2026, 09:01:16 AM »
I’d be looking for a used flagship bow. FYI the Hoyt torrex that has been mentioned utilizes cheaper manufacturing to get that price point, such as cheaper components and a cast riser vs machined. You can find good deals on eBay or archery talk. Spokane valley archery recently started selling used bows as well and they come with brand new gas strings installed and fully inspected if your gun shy at buying used bows. Put the link below…

https://www.podiumarcher.com/collections/used-bows

Lots of good suggestions on brands have already been made and I’ll throw a couple more at you to look at PSE with their EC2 cam and the newer bows have the EZ 220 shim system to adjust cam lean, they also can still be yoke tuned. Darton is also another great value with lots of great innovation and tech to make tuning a bow very simple.


 


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