I just started bow hunting a little over a year ago when a friend gave me one of his old bows to try. I never thought I'd be able to shoot a compound bow since I had my elbow reconstructed in college. A year later my elbow is holding up just fine, so now I want to upgrade my bow. The reason for the post is the friend who gave me the bow said that he gets a new bow every 2-3 years since the bow loses power. I have no problem throwing down $500+ on a gun, but its harder to swallow 700-800 on a bow that I will have to replace every few years. Thanks for the advice and while I'm asking any pros cons for mathews switchback?

Can't answer your question on bow life although I suspect that it is a lot more than 2-3 years. I suspect that your friend just wants to get the latest model, latest technology, and fastest bow! Same with golf and drivers. I have a Mathews switchback and really like the bow. I am not an expert and did not compare bows on the range, which is difficult as Mathews is sold only through dealers and they don't sell competitor's bows! Technology may have changed since I bought the bow but at the time, Mathews was highly regarded and was a 'safe bet" for me.
Peter.

How long have you had your switchback? Have you noticed any drop in speed? The bow that he gave me is a Bear TRX32 and he said that he had lost alot of speed in the 2 years that he had hunted with it.

I still have and shoot my Mathews MXZ that I bought brand new in 1996. Brand new it was rated for 305 fps at 70#. I always ran in the high 290's due to my long draw length and heavy arrows.

I keep the bow updated with new string, sights, rests and better arrows. Even shooting fingers and no overdraw im still in the high 290's 12 years later.

Buy a quality bow and it will have a good long life if your not into needing to have the new camo, new design, whopping 5 more fps, shorter limbs ......................... on and on and on and.........

More guys replace their bows because they want to have the newest, latest and greatest than because they've worn out their bow!

I shot a Browning Nomad bow for well over ten years, and even then it was still killing whitetail. The guy I sold it to is still shooting the bow.

You need to occasionally replace the string/cable system as they will stretch. A stretched string will reduce arrow speed. I replaced mine every other year and everything was working well.

As for $700 - $800 bows, I agree that the price is ridiculous. That's one of the reasons I shoot Forge bows. The Woodsman is a legitimate 305 feet per second bow and its cost is around $400 if I remember correctly.

quote:

Originally posted by Peter:
which is difficult as Mathews is sold only through dealers and they don't sell competitor's bows!

My dealer sells Mathews, as well as Hoyt and Bowtech. I was able to try them all before I chose my Drenalin.

As far as life-expectancy goes, the older technology bows, especially recurves of the 60s and 70s did have a limited shelf life. I'm sure some of the older compounds do as well but I think that with proper maintenance and care a modern bow will remain consistent indefinitely.

Mathews Switchback is a great bow, btw

Just my 2 cents.

Regards,
Scott

I would guess that a visit to a competent archery Proshop for new cables and strings and a complete tuneup would surprise the heck out of you. That is usually 90% of the performance let off over a year or two. Heck, I've got a PSE 4-wheeler from the mid-seventies that shoots almost 80fps faster than it did new. Set of more aggressive cams and some careful tuning...

Rich
DRSS

quote:

My dealer sells Mathews, as well as Hoyt and Bowtech

I am quite surprised as they are direct competitors
Peter.

I bought a used Jennings Barracuda Air back in 1998, and sold it to my brother about 6 years ago. He's been blowing arrows through big deer with it ever since-guess nobody told him or the deer that his bow needs replacing.

Thanks for the info guys. It sounds like now I need to go play with some bows this weekend. The switchback and S2 are on my list to try out. But I found a matthews MQ32 on the local craiglist, doesn't $425 sound a little high for an older bow?

NO, it sounds a lot high. I saw one in the local pawn shop for $275.00.

originally posted by Vanderhoef

quote:

As far as life-expectancy goes, the older technology bows, especially recurves of the 60s and 70s did have a limited shelf life. I'm sure some of the older compounds do as well but I think that with proper maintenance and care a modern bow will remain consistent indefinitely.

I'm sure this is true but I was at the archery range monday shooting my old red wing pro 70# recurve my father gave me for my sixteenth birthday. It is still straight as ever and I shot it better than I ever have and I'm now 50. You do the math on the shelf life of this one.

I personally suspect there is more of the "need for new" technology operating here than much real loss of velocity.

I admit that I am a practical bow hunter. I do it because it offers extra time in the woods and has always put meat in the freezer.

I have several compounds ... I traded a newer Parker to a friend for an older Parker as the newer one was so short it wasn't working for me well. The older one must have been 10 years old or older when I got it ... has been blowing arrows through deer for three years in my hands. May have lost some speed, but it doesn't need it.

I don't expect to have to replace it any time soon.

I couldnt say what the average bow life is. I own 5 and 3 of them are 30 years old and going strong. I had to get rid of one recurve that had the limbs twist after roughly 20. Average? Probably not but a new string once in awhile and general care will give long use. I have never had a bow that delaminated.

I did have one Browning bow limb delaminate and "blow up" on me. But when you consider how long I've been shooting bows, and how many arrows I've flung downrange, that's not a bad record.

I stand by my assertion that guys want a new bow long before they need one.

for all the wives out there,

Of course bows wear out after a few years. You can't expect a mechanical device to last forever. If your husband says his is getting old, he's right and clearly needs a new bow.

Your welcome.

BTW, currently dusting off my PSE that I got second hand when I became an Eagle Scout 18 years ago. Hopefully, this year, it'll still kill deer. Isn't the purpose of Bow hunting to get back to the elements anyway? Don't most of us bowhunt because shooting them with a cannon at 100's of yds was too easy? I know for a fact that I can kill deer, and in fact shoot clean through them, shooting this old bow at 260 fps. I don't think a new whizbang going 350 fps. is going to make that much of a difference. I'd truly be more inclined to make my next bow a recurve rather than the latest and greatest whizbang.

Most good bows will come with a lifetime wtty.

I don't think I have ever heard of someone wearing out a Mathews.

I sold an LX last year that still shot 305 fps and I'm sure it is still going strong.

Went with the Switchback XT this time and love it. It's alittle slower than the LX, but at 295 fps, I doubt any animal will notice the difference

Have a Good One,

Reloader

Thanks for all the advice. Guess I'll be using the 2-3 years excuse if I ever need to tell a wife why I need a new bow. I went out and shot bows this weekend and now have a mathews DXT on the way should be here in time for a little practice then ready for the tree stand. Anybody used or saw the new cobra boomslang? Trying to decide on what sight to put on it. Any advantages of a whisker biscuit over a hostage rest?

The only advantage of a whisker biscuit rest is in its simplicity. Yes, some will say that it holds your arrow no matter what position the bow is in, and that your arrow can't fall off the rest. And that's true.

But, I prefer to wring the last bit of speed and performance out of my bow and arrow, so I prefer the Quality Archery Designs (QAD) Ultra Pro dropaway rest. It too is a full capture arrow rest, your arrow cannot fall off the rest regardless of bow position, but it falls away upon release giving you much better arrow flight.

Thanks for your original post 280, and thanks for all the responses. I took my Mathews Switchback to the pro shop yesterday and asked them to replace the cables and string! I have had the bow 2 years and bought it used so I figure that after about 3 years it was due. At the very least I will now know when this stuff was replaced.
Peter.

Be sure and get the good strings and cables. Don't put the same old black factory things on. I used to go that route and they were bad about stretching. Good ones are made with a good deal of pressure on them and they dont stretch out. I used to have to reset my peep every time I waxed my string but not after switching to high end strings. I belive mine are Archers choice.

SS you are correct. I got the bow back and I am having to readjust the sights. I have a 3 pin sight so I am hoping that once I get the 20 yard pin sighted in the others will be close. We will have to see as I was having a fit after I got it back last Friday.
Peter.

If you look at the new catalogs, you will discover that last years bows are always obsolete and only good for doorstops! Of course mechanical things do wear out eventually, but I'll bet it isn't one compound in a 1000 that actually gets worn out. The limbs don't lose strength and I take exception that the "old" technology bows get weaker, sitting on the shelf. I have a number of recurves that are 20,30,40 years old and shoot just fine, in fact I am sure they hold up BETTER than compounds, since there is nothing mechanical to wear out. Of course it is possible for any bow to fail and one that is 40 years old, has at least 40 times the opportunity to fail as one that is a year old.

I think that the difference with recurves is that they are stored unstrung, whereas compounds are always under some tension. I suspect that you are correct about the limbs not losing strength, however, I can attest to strings/cables stretching as I am having to undergo some major sight adjustments with the new setup. I am wondering if the proshop had to take off the sights in order to replace the cable and strings?
Peter.

There is no reason for the pro shop to have moved or removed the sight. My guess is that you're either hitting high or low. If that is the case, then you'll have to move the peep in the string.

If you don't know how to paper-tune a bow, I would go back to the pro shop, shoot the bow and have them paper tune it to make 100% certain that your bow is shooting arrows as straight as possible.

Depending upon how far off center your bow/rest/sight combination is with the new string and cables, you might have to readjust the sight.

The shop said that they paper tuned it before giving it back to me. They did tell me that I would probably have to adjust the sight as it would probably shoot high. Made sense to me as I would expect the new string and cable to be "tighter". However I had to adjust the windage as well. I am well on the way to getting things "back together", I was just not expecting this much work! basically each of the 3 pins has to be sighted in again.
Peter.

I leave my recurves strung all the time, unless I am traveling, recurve bows rarely get damaged shooting, its the stringing and unstringing, especially unproperly that gets them. Modern materials in limbs, glass, carbon fiber, epoxy resin etc. dosn't fatigue. Strings do stretch, but mostly when they are new, the string materials in use now, stretch very,very little after the initial break in.

My Black Widow is a 94 model and I have left it strung for 2 years before. No loss in draw weight. I have 3 bear bows that were made in the early 70's , still in great shape
Not that famillar with compounds but it seems they would not last as long w/o replacing bushings etc. alot of moving parts there.

Hey Big Mo, I have an 1988 model Black Widow that has only ever been unstrung when I had to take it on an airplane somewhere. I've retired it a half dozen times, but could never make it stick. Now I have decided to just keep using it until I run out of 2317's!

I have 2 newer Bw's but still keep going back to the older MAII and prefer cedars. It will shoot aluminum, carbon just fine but cedars are the best. Heck I still have the little fiberglass bow I shot when I was 7 !!

The oldest Widow that I have is a Silver Anniversery that I ordered in 83. I have pretty much retired it now since it is considered "collectable". The 88 MAII, I may have killed more animals with that bow that all the others combined. I have an SAII riser and two sets of limbs 79# and 84#'s, I am actually fairly deadly with that bow.

Have been shooting a Matthews Outback for about 4 or 5 years, still works great.

I shoot Browning rage for at least 5 years now and it is holding surprisingly well for such a cheap bow. Not that I would not upgrade, but I can never justify it to myself.

Think in terms of beautiful women: A 2009 beauty queen is much more desireable than a 1966 beauty queen.

What you say might be true, but it doesn't matter how good she looks, or how sexy she is, some guy, some where is saying...

THAT $&(*@#$ bitch....

Ole Miss,

living in Alabama...? Isn't that heresy?

About the 66 vs 09 ladies. Depends on whether you graduated high school in 66 or 09. If you're a 66 the 09 model will burn you to the ground in about two minutes. That's the good news. After she quits laughing at your abysmal performance...

Well, never mind that; it just gets pretty ugly after that.

That said, have you seen Cheryl Tiegs or Raquel Welch lately? They still stock spare parts for them, you and me...uh-uh!

Rich

Guys, I work at a Sportsmans Warehouse here in Oregon. I can tell you that the archery industry thrives on this very notion that the equipment has a short shelf life and you MUST keep up with the latest gear. It is frankly a crock, designed to make money for the industry. Yes, cables and strings can stretch, but they are relatively easily replaced. Yes, new cam designs come along with a little advantage here, usually at some other cost there. But if you are happy and accurate with your outfit, there is no need to churn it every year or two unless you like spending money.

And Rich: I'm still in love with some circa 1966 centerfolds

I am still shooting a Matthews switchback, it has been on 2 african safaris in the past and has a lot of pig and whitetails in Texas under its belt. I will probably restring it before next season. I had a Matthews outback before it, the Switchback was a little smoother on the draw and I let my PH in Africa have the outback as part of his tip,,,,worked good for both of us. I will probably buy a newer model this year,,,,, Just because I want one.... not because I need it and if anyone sends this to my wife I will get even!!!!