How do you evaluate a new bow?

[snowplow]

Guys, I am trying out a new bow and need some advice. Its a little difficult for me because what I am trying is not so familiar to me. So I get to wondering, do I not like it or am I just not used to it? You can certainly get used to a lot of things, but then again certain things will for sure naturally work better for you.

I have been thinking about this problem and think if a new bow is going to work better for you I am thinking you must know it almost instantly. As in you should be able to shoot as good or better than your old rig from the get go.

I have tried to get used to things in the past and haven't really had it work out so far. But I haven't found anything that felt just right yet either. And I dont get my hands on too many bows. Do I keep what I have until I find something that just instantly feels better or try to get used to something that I like better and is close enough?

What do you guys think? I might go crazy soon. 

[Bowguy67]

Why don’t you like about it? Most times if it’s way off I’d just forget it but there may be some things we can do to help. Give us some info

[Orion]

Hmmmm.  That can be a problem.  I've bought and sold a lot of bows over the years.  For me, anymore, I can tell in the first five minutes if I like the bow or not.  Now, there isn't a bow style out there that I haven't shot, so I pretty much know what to expect for any given style of bow before I get it.  I don't buy too many new bows anymore.  My preference is to attend trad archery shoots and try before i buy.  That's the way I buy most of mine now.  No surprises.

But, I do buy a new or used bow now and again without the opportunity to try it.  Sometimes, I'll work out with the seller to return it if I don't like it.  I always offer that option for any bows I sell.  Can't say that I've owned any bow that I didn't like so much that I got rid of it immediately, but if I don't like it, it goes up for sale within a few months. 

If I decide I don't like a bow, the dislike seems to grow with every use, and that's no fun. So many good bows out there, I just sell or trade it and look for another.

Not much help.  Good luck on your decision.

[ron w]

For me it’s how the whole thing works, is the grip friendly, can I reach full draw smoothly with out stacking. Is it pleasing to the eye, and how it shoots !! I have a bunch of bows, maybe I’m not that fussy or my likes are few!!  I have had some ugly bows that shot great and some real beautiful ones that were dogs. Go in with an open mind and just give it a good test!!

[Tedd]

They are not all first round draft picks. If you are experienced, you will know within a week or two of shooting it. Assuming you ordered a couple kinds of arrows to try and did your best tuning and shooting.  The hype on here for certain bowyers is sometimes just bull. I once had what I thought would be my last bow purchase and after a couple weeks of shooting this beauty I was embarrassed that I spent that much money on it. I must tried 5 different string type and a dozen arrow combinations.  After 40 years of shooting it was one of the worst.
So if you are not impressed, make sure you do you work with it, contact other users of the same bow. But some bows are just over hyped.
Tedd

[hybridbow hunter]

For my taste a very good bow has a friendly grip, it is easy to tune for arrow selection and to get a silent rig, and it is dead in hand at release. Then there is the 30 yard accuracy test :if I can hit a 4" spot at 30 yards reliably and repeatedly without struggling too much then I keep that bow.

[Bowwild]

I have a very narrow view towards bows. I only shoot or care to shoot recurves. I like more mass in the riser than less.

My check-offs
- Condition
- Aesthetics
- How it feels in the hand, grip and weight distribution
- Smooth draw (I'm short, nothing stacks)
- Sound, some bows seem impossible to quiet
- How I shoot it
- Except for a single bow I've owned FPS (I used to chronograph all of em) is pretty much the same.  That single bow checked every box above but was an obvious dud in the FPS dept. from the very first shot.

I have to admit, after receiving and moving a few dozen bows since 2009, I shoot almost every new bow well the first time I shoot it. Then about the same as everything else.  When I begin to have doubts about a bow, it is doomed to hit the classifieds.

Based upon my criteria, my favorites have been Blacktails Sitka and T2.

[Wudstix]

Have been lucky I guess, send a hand drawing to bowyer and they all have come feeling good.  Hand positioning is a key element and smoothness of draw/release with speed are important.  MOAB is probably the best, but my Big River bows are good, as well.
 

[McDave]

If it is a style of bow that you are already familiar with and like, and just want “more of the same, but better,” then you should quickly know if the bow fits that ticket.  As was mentioned earlier, the grip is critical, but can be overlooked in the throes of a honeymoon, so make sure the grip is comfortably seated in your hand with no tendency to slip off to the side one way or the other or to torque.  It should be immediately obvious to you if the bow draws smoothly or not.  Hand shock is something that may not be immediately obvious, but will certainly be noticeable over time.

OTOH, if you are switching to a different style of bow, recurve to longbow or vice versa, or wood trad to metal ILF with carbon limbs or vice versa, then it is more likely that you might not immediately like it, and may require more time to become accustomed to the change.

[GCook]

I have a bow I shoot very well that I don't like.  It's the grip that is the issue but it must work well because the consistency of the grip plays a large part in how consistent you shoot it.  I've killed a few deer and pigs with it.  Probably kill some more.  But when I decide to i will shoot it for a few days before I hunt, let the wind out of one, the unstring it and it will hang on the rack until next time.
My point being if you don't shoot it well then ditch it.  If you do but don't like it it may be harder to decide.
After Randy refinish this one it will hit the sale block.  I have other bows I shoot as well that I like shooting.

[Sam McMichael]

I have always shot a bow before buying. If it just doesn't feel right, I pass it by. If I like the grip, I tend to like the bow unless there are other glaring issues. However, in my mind, a bow can only be properly evaluated for performance after tuning. If it shoots well, is quiet, and I feel confident with it, then it is generally a good bow. I also want it to look good. My general preference is the simple elegance of a Hill style ASL.

[MnFn]

I’ve had close to twenty -thirty bows.  There were only two that I could not get used to.
Mostly, the rest were ok.  I could have hunted with any of the others. But I got caught up with searching for the one best bow for me.
I like Tall Tines, Javamans, Black Widows and Black Tails.  The Black Widow seems the most stable, I suppose because of the weight.

But then I had to try an ASL.  Straight grips all. For some reason I enjoy shooting them, but I still shoot my recurve better. JD Berry, Northern Mist, and Liberty.

I have said before that I am done buying bows.  So I won’t ever say that again, but I’m close. 😁. That was for you, Chase.

[Etter]

This is a tough one for me. I have bought a bunch of custom bows over the years and initially loved most of them. Black canyon, kannati, zipper, stalker, etc. I hate the tuning process but once that is done I pretty much always discover that my widows were always my favorites and I shoot them best.  I recently bought a stalker coyote. Without thinking about it I never asked about the tiller. It turned out to be tillered 3 under and while I loved the bow, I didnt like the knock height required to shoot split. The grip was my favorite ever though so I ordered a widow made with the stalker grip. Best of both worlds.

I do know this though.  Ive never even had an inkling of a doubt with my widow bows. Have loved them right out of the box.

[dnovo]

For me the most important thing is the grip. If I pick it up and it feels comfortable I am set. I don’t want one that I have to wiggle my hand around to get it right. When I’m hunting I want to pick up the bow and be immediately ready for that shot. Now if the bow is a dog that won’t cut it either. I’ve been fortunate in that respect.

[buckeyebowhunter]

A lot being said about the grip which is probably the most important aspect of any bow in my opinion. But something that I think gets overlooked a lot on bows is the shelf. I like a radiused shelf that gets the arrow close to my hand but not on top of it. I do not want my arrow coming in contact with a glove in cold weather. Also I like the shelf to be somewhat wide so that the arrow does not have a tendency to slide off. The way the shelf is shaped also helps immensely with tuning in my opinion. The old recurves with the flat shelves always seemed so tough to get a good tune off of. I think that's why you see so many with the bear weather rests on them.

[Huntschool]

First and foremost for me is the grip....  I start out looking at a bow based on the grip.  Next I go to smoothness of draw. I use a calculated 28" draw although I draw a bit less.  Next, for me I want a solid cut to center or even past as I have experience tuning that type of setup (based on the arrows I like to use).  Next is speed (again based on the arrows and points/broad heads I like to use).  Lastly, and really this is minor cause you can have anything ya want built the way ya want, is its looks.  Life for me is too short to shoot an ugly bow.  I'll even give up just a little speed for a good looking bow.

All the above being said, I found Black Widow bows to suit my wants.  Sure, the grip is different between my MA and my PL's.  However, I am willing, and in fact I like, to form the grip myself.  Then its no ones fault but mine if it does not fit right.

Just some thoughts.....  After a while ya just know what works and what doesn't.

[GCook]

Clear as mud ain't it?

[kennym]

A lot being said about the grip which is probably the most important aspect of any bow in my opinion. But something that I think gets overlooked a lot on bows is the shelf. I like a radiused shelf that gets the arrow close to my hand but not on top of it. I do not want my arrow coming in contact with a glove in cold weather.

This covers it for me.

[slowbowjoe]

Does it not feel right, or are you not shooting it as well, or both? What's different from the other bows you're used to?
It often takes me a while to really get to know a new bow. Bow I'm shooting now, didn't feel quite right to me when I got it, and I thought seriously about trading it for a while; I was bummed. But, after a couple of months, turns out it fits and shoots perfectly for me. Learning how it likes to be gripped and the spine it likes are key.

Help us out with a little more about what you've had and what you have now, what does or doesn't feel right, maybe it'll help.

[tom cunningham]

I've found that I won't give up on a bow until after I've had a premium string on it for a while...