All right, after a week of obsessive intarnetting, I’m about ready to buy something.
I’m leaning two ways, either a Hoyt Gold Medalist, which is an older style but apparently all the bow anyone needs until the olympic committee is calling you, or buying a newer all-in-one package like the KAP T-rex.
The one thing I haven’t been able to determine: Is the GM riser, which was the best in the world back in the 80s, superior or inferior to an intermediate-grade riser being produced today? Everything else is swappable, but I don’t know if the technology has moved fast enough that the GM wouldn’t be considerably better than a $150 riser now. (or $100, or $75)
Are you going to take on Green Arrow in the Night Olympics eventually? I recommend you not shoot the guy who gives you your villain name. He might be able to provide bail money later.
As for your riser question, the Gold Medalist riser is still considered a good standard for entry to mid-level. It’s still one of the lightest out there too. I have read that people don’t find them as well balanced as say the Matrix riser, but then you’d expect the Matrix to be better since it is roughly twice as much.
Since you are starting out, it’s definitely a good choice. Your shooting limitations won’t be due to it. :)
Amazed to find that this is the only real archery thread on the site. Anyways, going to get into archery two or three decades after having a lot of fun shooting paper grocery bag soldiers in my backyard as a kid. I picked up a recurve bow that should arrive today so looking forward to some nice relaxing morning shoots at the local range near the coast!
I haven’t shot in years but for sure there were two items that propelled my shooting a long, long way. Note that if you’re going for realistic full experience bowing (and you may be based on a recurve,) then ignore my advice.
But if you’re going to do more than sport or target shooting, I would -highly- recommend a mechanical release and decent bow sight. For hunting especially, time to adjust range to target and efficient reproducible release are must-haves in my opinion. I had an old Bear compound when I did shoot and man I wish I still did, they are worth a fortune, especially all kit’d out.
Yep, just recreational barebow, nothing too fancy, thanks though! Can’t see ever going hunting, except for 3D targets. I want to say my old kid bow was a Bear, at least that’s my memory of a little graphic on it. Red with a rubber arrow rest and probably like a 5 lb draw :D.
You still might want to look at a forearm guard and a fingertip glove(or pinch release.) Anything to ease the transition through forearm whelps and finger blisters. :) And you don’t need to spend much on either of those and additional protection/padding is better than none.
Model & Barbie guitar for scale! Got the Spyder XL bow and it looks great. Hopefully it doesn’t end up raining here this weekend so I might get a chance to go shoot.
