Finding the right bow for you
It can be a very overwhelming experience when you go to purchase a new bow. There are so many opinions out there about what bow is the best. How do you know who to listen do? Do you listen to friends or maybe you should get a brand that you see advertised all the time?
Everyone has their own opinions, but we are going to talk about how I feel you should select your new bow. There are a few things that I feel you should look at when getting a new bow. It is very important that you give every brand a fair chance. Ignore the brand right now and just starting shooting some bows.
The first thing you need to decide is how much money do you want to spend. It is very easy to drop over a thousand dollars on a bow, but do you have to spend that much to get a good bow? The answer to that question is no. There are good bows in all price ranges, and spending more money doesn't mean you will shoot the bow any better. It is important to only spend what you can afford. Set your budget and stick to it.
The second thing to look at is how does the bow feel in your hand? How does the grip feel? Hold the bow as you would if you are shooting (do don't draw with out a release and arrow in the bow). You should hold the bow with a relaxed hand. Do not use a death grip on the bow. I will cover proper grip in a later post.
The next thing to look at is how does the bow feel when you draw it? If you are testing a bow that you are interested in trying you need the draw length and weight set correctly. If you are comparing different models they should be set up the same. It is very important to shoot a comfortable draw weight. You want to see how comfortable you are when drawing. You are going to be shooting this bow a lot so spend some time at this step.
Now you are going to see how the bow holds at full draw. Are you comfortable holding it? Does the bow hold steady or is it shaking/bouncing? In hunting situations you may have to stay at full draw for an extended period of time. Will this bow fit that need?
Once you have narrowed down your choices to bows that are in your price range, feel good in the hand, are comfortable to draw, and are comfortable at full draw you will want to shoot them side by side if possible. If that isn't possible you want to shoot them as close together as possible. At this point these bows should all feel good to you, but you need to select what feels best.
After you go through all of these steps you should be able to narrow your choices down to one or two bows. Your final choice should be much less overwhelming at this point. Now you can look at things like what bow is quieter, faster, or anything else you can think of.
Here are a couple of things to avoid when looking for a new bow. Do not buy your bow based on the brand name. One brand is not better than another for every person. Don't buy a bow because it shot more accurately in the test range at the store. Not all bows are properly tuned when you are testing them. Any bow can be tuned to shoot accurately. Don't buy a bow the first time you shoot it. If possible come back a second or third time to reshoot the bow. If you still like the bow just as much as you did the first time then that is the bow for you,
Hopefully listening to these suggestions will make your next bow purchase a little less overwhelming. Let us know what you do to pick out a bow. If you disagree with anything we said then comment here and let us know why, or comment here if these suggestions helped you.
Good luck on your next purchase.
Everyone has their own opinions, but we are going to talk about how I feel you should select your new bow. There are a few things that I feel you should look at when getting a new bow. It is very important that you give every brand a fair chance. Ignore the brand right now and just starting shooting some bows.
The first thing you need to decide is how much money do you want to spend. It is very easy to drop over a thousand dollars on a bow, but do you have to spend that much to get a good bow? The answer to that question is no. There are good bows in all price ranges, and spending more money doesn't mean you will shoot the bow any better. It is important to only spend what you can afford. Set your budget and stick to it.
The second thing to look at is how does the bow feel in your hand? How does the grip feel? Hold the bow as you would if you are shooting (do don't draw with out a release and arrow in the bow). You should hold the bow with a relaxed hand. Do not use a death grip on the bow. I will cover proper grip in a later post.
The next thing to look at is how does the bow feel when you draw it? If you are testing a bow that you are interested in trying you need the draw length and weight set correctly. If you are comparing different models they should be set up the same. It is very important to shoot a comfortable draw weight. You want to see how comfortable you are when drawing. You are going to be shooting this bow a lot so spend some time at this step.
Now you are going to see how the bow holds at full draw. Are you comfortable holding it? Does the bow hold steady or is it shaking/bouncing? In hunting situations you may have to stay at full draw for an extended period of time. Will this bow fit that need?
Once you have narrowed down your choices to bows that are in your price range, feel good in the hand, are comfortable to draw, and are comfortable at full draw you will want to shoot them side by side if possible. If that isn't possible you want to shoot them as close together as possible. At this point these bows should all feel good to you, but you need to select what feels best.
After you go through all of these steps you should be able to narrow your choices down to one or two bows. Your final choice should be much less overwhelming at this point. Now you can look at things like what bow is quieter, faster, or anything else you can think of.
Here are a couple of things to avoid when looking for a new bow. Do not buy your bow based on the brand name. One brand is not better than another for every person. Don't buy a bow because it shot more accurately in the test range at the store. Not all bows are properly tuned when you are testing them. Any bow can be tuned to shoot accurately. Don't buy a bow the first time you shoot it. If possible come back a second or third time to reshoot the bow. If you still like the bow just as much as you did the first time then that is the bow for you,
Hopefully listening to these suggestions will make your next bow purchase a little less overwhelming. Let us know what you do to pick out a bow. If you disagree with anything we said then comment here and let us know why, or comment here if these suggestions helped you.
Good luck on your next purchase.