Free: Contests & Raffles.
To answer a couple of your question... YES the condition of BOTH limbs and strings and cables is important. Especially if buying used. Heres my Go to a pro shop and get fitted first and foremost along with figuring out a comfortable poundage. I have heard mixed reviews on cabelas service, but have no firsthand experience with their shop. Second - if your serious about buying used, do your best to enlist the service of a knowledgable friend or experienced person to take a look at the bow prior to your purchase. Limbs can weaken with time, strings and cable stretch, and servings wear. cam lean and tuning issues may be huge. All of that takes money to fix and could cut into what you think your saving. Third- As has been said, if your going to buy new shoot as many as you can in the same price range prior to purchase. I personally dont see a compelling reason to shoot a bunch of new models if your pretty set on buying used. You already are limiting your selection being a lefty, then to try to factor in a certain brand and model, ( and you may not have even shot that model instore, since they usually only carry bows that are last year models or newer. ) it can be done, but may be a daunting task. Theres a ton of info out there and some great shops as well, I bought my first bow on consignment from a pro shop and still have it today, its outdated but still a shooter. Good luck and Feel free to PM with questions.
before you get scared off at the thought of buying a used bow, just know that some of the older used bows are much more forgiving to shoot and more times than not, they will be mechanically sound. just make sure you ask plenty of questions before you buy.first off, do you want to shoot with a release or fingers? if fingers, i'd not shoot anything under 40" ATA. jmo look for something that has as little reflex (the riser comes back toward the string in the grip area) as possible...... the more reflexed it is, the more you will have to be shooting with perfect or near perfect form to stay consistently accurate..... i'd imagine that the first time you draw on an animal, your heart will be pounding so hard that you will forget your name, much less be able to keep your form clean. try looking for something with a deflexed riser.... they don't hardly exist in the newest of compounds but they are definately on the used market.let-off..... the lower the % of let-off (more weight at full draw), the more you can get away with form errors because you will not be able to torque the bow as easy..... if shooting fingers, you can also "get off the string" a little cleaner.wheels are more forgiving than mild cams, mild cams are more forgiving than radical cams. the longer the bow, the more stable it will be..... the more stable, the more forgiving it will be when you jack your form up a little in the heat of the moment.most importantly...... don't get caught up in the speed game. about any 20 year old 50@28" compound can take any animal on the north american continent with ease. a wounded animal doesn't care how fast the arrow was going..... nor does the animal that had a perfectly placed arrow. hit the thicks spot on a bull elk's shoulder blade and many more times than not, it is game over...... even with the fastest bows.consistent accuracy is the key here and as a new archer, you want as forgiving of a bow as possible...... and there is a BIG difference between the least forgiving and the most forgiving bows.
Don't listen to these Hoyt guys..you need a Mathews. Ok..in all seriousness... get what you can afford and don't worry about much else. The cheapest, crappiest bow will do just fine. Whatever you do find a good archery pro to help you before buying the bow. Nothing sucks more than getting set-up with the wrong equipment.
