4 of mine do,.... one don't.
2 PSE, 2 Browning, One "kinda antique" 50's era Bear recurve target bow.

All good advice above.
Until you feel comfortable shopping for gear, ask a Pro.
Not the part-time pimple-faced teen-aged clerk at the local sporting goods store.

Note:
NEVER "Dry-Fire" any bow, and especially not a compound bow.
Drawing and releasing the string without an arrow WILL cause damage to the bow, and possibly you.

 

When I started, I bought a used browning, and hunted with it for a year. I did have it professionally fitted to me.

Then, once I was sure which direction I wanted to go, I sold it and bought a nice brand new martin. nice bow.

I didn't want to spend a ton of money on something I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to do. The $150 I spent on the used bow (sold it for $100) saved me from spending $1000 or more on a fancy new one while I decided if I wanted to continue bowhunting or not. I also didn't have to worry about breaking it or anything while I was learning the ins & outs.

The $50 loss I took on the browning was well worth it to me.

 

I started with what everybody else called a cheap piece of junk. When I was using that bow I couldn't miss. Decided that I was to good for it and went out and bought the most expensive setup I could and hated it. Been through several bows in the 16 years since then and still haven't found one I liked as good as that cheap one.

 

I shoot a Hoyt Rapter it is about 7 years old, i guess it about time to get a new one, do a search of local Archery shops, those are some of the best places to get the information you need, The one i use would never sell me a Bow just because I wonted the Most expensive, But would sell me based on what i needed

 

it might be hard to find a used bow with your specs

My dad and i had the same draw length but i could never shoot his as well the same as i could my own or did it feel comfortable,

 

I hit Sportsman Warehouse and talked to a knowledgable guy there for awhile. He was really helpful in answering all my questions. I'll more than likely go with a Martin he suggested and have him set it up with me. It seemed like they were really patient and concerned about setting me up right and letting me get used to shooting it there before sending me off. I'll probably make a move in the next week or two. Thanks everyone.

 

http://www.diamondarchery.com/home.php Check these out. They are reasonably priced, compact, light weight, and fast. I started out with a PSE edge when I was 15 and could miss with it. I took a first and second place trophy with it in a league target shooting event. Then I too thought I was too good and needed something faster and more up to date. So I bought a Jennings. I shoot it so much now a days I forgot what model it was. Last year I did stick a big 4x4 Muley at 50 yards though. Shop around a bit more. Get more than one opinion. The pro shop I went to for my second bow was more interested in sales than customer service. Now he is out of business and the first shop I went to is still running and has been for over 15 years.

Good luck to you!

 

go for a take down recurve I shot a compound for years ang got fustrated by all the addons and weight
I switched to a 50lbs recurve 3 years ago, so far 2 pigs and an AK caribou
easier to shoot, easier to pack, lighter, much more natural
no training wheels

 

Herrin821, Sounds like you have a problem with cabelas. PSE, Junk? Where are you getting your information? PSE has been around for over 30 years. I have two PSE bow's after having nothing but problems with Hoyt. I now have two PSE's that shoot better than the $1200 Hoyt I have. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good bow these days.

 

I've won a few trophies with my PSE "trash".
My PSE 3-D bow is setup with an overdraw.
I have a 30" draw length, shooting 24 1/4" 2213 arrows.

 

My peice of junk I mentioned was a PSE Phaser if I remember right. A $100 got me the whole setup. Cheap by even yesteryears standards. Best bow I ever had.

 

In my quest to find the bow for me, I shot darn near everything....

Martin
Mathews
PSE and Browning (same thing)
Fred Bear
Reflex and Hoyt (same thing)
Diamond and Bowtech (same thing)
Jennings
High Country


When it came down to it, the Mathews was it....Weight, noise, vibration, feel.....All of it....Bowtech, Fred Bear, and Hoyt came in close seconds....
But the others The Martin was a rattletrap, the PSE/Browning weighs as much bare as my full rig does...The others just didnt have the quality as the Mathews did....

I also listened to my friends and co-workers, who own (or have owned) almost everything on the above list....The consensus from the guys with the less expensive rigs was "I wish I had saved up for a (insert name here) bow"....

Hey I'm no pro, this is my first bow....But I thought long and hard about it before I made my purchase....Like I said, pay now, and have a good one that will hold some trade in value, or get a lower priced one, and spend more in the long run....

 

Not arguing here. If you have the money to spend, Matthews is a very good bow. I might even buy one one day. But As I posted before, a $1200 Hoyt is sitting on the shelf while my little 'cheap', but very effective PSE is getting the job done. I often travel far to hunt and take more than one bow. Lesson learned, any bow can be damaged. After many years of hunting, I now have two bow's for those long trips. Enjoy your Matthews and good luck hunting!

 

I agree Herrin...it doesn't get much better than the Matthews; light, quiet and smooth.