Pimp my Bow

I was handed a pretty descent bow by a buddy. I haven’t bow hunted on probably 15 years! I need a complete make over. I’m looking to purchase the following and need ideas/help:

Sights. I had lighted pins on my old bow but things look a lot more complicated now days

Arrow rest. Again, I had the tiny black plastic tab that would hold my arrow. Do I go drop away, containment, whisker…

Arrows. Only had aluminum when I last shot.

Broad heads. Fixed or expanding. 3,4 blade???

Think that might be it? I have a release but may need to upgrade.

I’m going to hit up a archery shop for additional help but would like to go in knowing something. LOL

THANKS
CC

I was in the same boat about 5 years Ago. Shaffer’s archery in south metro was great to work with. They had my 25 year old bow dialed in to 40+ yards. 3 years ago I upgraded and went with his rest and sight system, couldn’t be happier and my new bow shoots more than I can personally shoot. Not cheap, but a good drop away on a dumpy bow is better than a good bow and crappy rest IMO.

Everything on your list is a matter of personal choice EXCEPT arrows,definetley carbon,either broke or not,no slight bends to worry about,and with the speed todays bows have achieved I couldnt imagine how erratic the flight will be.They dont have to be the most expensive or straightest,I dont believe most people shoot well enough to see a difference between .001 and .006.
I have a couple Hoyts setup for hunting,one with a single pin moveable shooting fixed blade,the other a 5 pin shooting expandibles,I like my 5 pin for stalking muleys in the badlands but find myself using the moveable more all the time,of course that bow is a little smoother drawing also.
I think the whisker biscut is one of the best hunting rest ever made,but dont use them on my setups,the bristles wear and weaken with lots of use,and will cause you a flyer at some point,I prefer limb driven,but nothing wrong with a good fallaway.
As far as releases I use all styles but prefer a hinge for target,and the thumb for hunting,the best advice I could give here is shoot what is comfortable to you,but dont go cheap,a release with a crappy trigger is going to give you form issues,get as crisp of trigger as you can.
Just my opinions and others will vary,but I’ve been at it a long time!!
Good Luck!!

If your buy Hudson Wis , A1 Archery will get you fixed up. If your bow is tuned it should shoot any well spined and weight arrow . A fixed 3 blades killed alot of animal’s, 1 bow is tuned .2 a clean release. 3 follow thru you’re shots, which means keep your sight on target till arrow hits no peeking, no dropping your bow. A few tips been bow hunting since 71. DK

Yep probly 3 of the best tips you can get!!Been at it since 74,my bus driver was president of our local archery club back then and he still is today!!

A1 will get you setup

Good info. Thanks

Regarding rests, I thought I read somewhere that drop away was the loudest??? Truth to that? Or not enough to worry about?

Can’t tell you about that I shoot a drop away , but I have had to many 671 Detroit Diesel,rock crushers , jack hammers, Dozer’s,ect, ect in my life !

Thanks for bringing this up Bob, great information from these guys! I soon to be in the same boat and will be picking up a trade in bow by the end of the year to replace my 20 yr old pawn shop special.

For my contribution, tuning seemed to be very important regardless of what you were shooting, and after tuning my bow I noticed a significant improvement on shot placement.

Congrats and have fun!

ClownColor wrote:

Good info. Thanks

Regarding rests, I thought I read somewhere that drop away was the loudest??? Truth to that? Or not enough to worry about?

Had a rip cord on my old bow and the mathews one that came on my mathews I’ve had the last 10 years (which to me looks pretty much like a rip off of the ripcord) and I would not say they are any louder than the old prong style I had before. I do put a small wrap of felt at the bottom of the ‘U’ of the holder amd with carbon arrows I dont hear really any noise on the draw. When I first put a drop away on my previous bow (2004-ish??) I was very skeptical of adding more moving parts (why I still refuse to try expandables too) but it didnt take long to forget my worries, groups tightened up instantly and not long after the switch I changed to one arrow per bullseye when target shooting as I was getting too good at shooting off nocks/fletchings of the previous arrow.
I too am hesitant about going back to aluminum arrows and like the carbons as it’s pretty cut amd dry, they are good or they are junk once you get a hang of what to watch for.
Sights, a lot of guys go hig wild over their sight but IMO the sight is not going to make you a better shooter, your comfort and experience shooting the weapon only does that. I couldn’t even tell you what brand mine is, it’s got 4 pins but I dont even use 2 of them as I will not shoot past 40 yards in the woods and would really rather not shoot over 30 (I hunt in thick areas and dont like carving out great big wide open shooting lanes so just too much risk of twigs amd what not you cant see at or beyond 40 for me, not that I can’t I just won’t, if I cant get them close enough than I didnt do my job right as I see it).
As i said above I’m not an expandable guy, some guys love them, I just cant get over the mental hurdle of adding even more moving parts to my set up so I’ve been using the G5 Montec’s for the last decade, I’ve hit one deer that didnt die and that was my poor shot and not the broadhead fault (low in brisket). One of my heads has been through two deer now, nice thing with those montec’s, as long as they are not damaged (after visual inspection I shoot it a few times at broadhead target to watch for any flight inconsistency also) you cam just sharpen them back up on a stone and away you go.

You will get many opinions on specific arrows and arrow weights to shoot, personally I like heft, but again I dont shoot long distance. I’m planning to replace my arrows this off season and going to shafts in the 11-12 grain/inch range from the 9 grain/inch ones I have now (test shooting results pending first though).

Archery HQ in Rochester is where I would go, the drive is worth it. Stacy is a great guy to work with and will spend the time getting you on the right foot. Bow tuning is more important than what you throw on it, spend the time to get it dialed in right. Equipment is all preference, but here’s my take.

Schaffer sights are awesome, but they’re a little complicated. To me, it’s worth it and I wouldn’t want anything else on my bow. John is a little full of himself but rightfully so, he makes a great sight. I have a Copper John MK III pro that I like also, but the Schaffer gets my vote.

Schaffer rests are nice, but I made the switch to a QAD HDX and didn’t look back. Never have I noticed any more noise with it and it functions flawlessly. The QAD hunter series is far less expensive and works almost as well.

To me, arrows are all about preference. I have Easton Axis and CE Maxima Hunters. Haven’t really noticed a difference in either.

IMO, all broadheads should be expanding and all expanding broadheads should be a Rage 2-blade. I know there’s some extreme opinions here and many that hate them, but they’re a proven design that have never let me or anyone I know down. I tried a Montec once and the whistle they gave off was an immediate turnoff.

The Tru-ball Max 3 Hunter are nice releases. The last couple deer I’ve shot were with the Max 3 and found it’s a lot easier to use in thick clothing than a wrist style release. I leave it hooked to the bow in the stand.

I am not bashing, but giving a heads up, if a broad head is considered barbed it is illegal, in some states,do some checking, where you are going,and what your shooting,might save you some trouble

How about quiver/bag/bow carrier?

As life is catching up quickly, and the reason for this post, I’m planning on hitting 3-4 states up each year bow hunting…mainly deer but elk, pronghorn and bear will be mixed in.

If you have any backpacks recommendations for hiking that’ll hold arrows, gear, and possible quick access to my bow, please throw out some ideas as well.

Thanks,
CC

Tight spot gets my vote for quiver,solid quivers,quiet,grip arrows firmly and alot of versatility for mounting.They are a little expensive,and there are companies that have solid offerings too,but none will come close to thier warranty.
After breaking 2 quivers in 2 consecutive years,with no warranty,out about the price of the tightspot,I switched and wont look back.

I have 2 of these, Vortex, new dawn outdoors ,quiver, they lock up tight no wiggle what so ever, I have the 5 and shoot with them on . Very good quiver. DK.

Came across this today. Anything similar on the market? I like the concept.

Well, it’s the off season. I got set up last year but need to fine tune and get my set up where I want it. I know someone said carbon arrows but would like some more input.

Anyone shoot 550 grain or better?

Are 200 grain single bevel broad heads to much?

Aluminum better at achieving heavier weights?

I’m going to build a relationship with an archery shop this spring to help answer questions and set me up but it’s nice know some thing prior to this. A lot has changed since I last bow hunted!

Arrow weight is all personal preference. A Heavier arrow= A slower arrow is generally the trade off. The upside is you will have more inertia behind your arrow should it hit bone on the way through an animal and theoretically end up with better penetration because of the added force.

Heavier broadheads are one way Arrow weight can be manipulated. You can also add weight by adding different grain weight inserts to achieve the set up you want.

Right now my setup is around 450. Arrows are 10.4 gpi shooting 100 grain heads. I have used it for whitetail and plan to use it for bear when the time comes. If I were fortunate enough to go on an elk trip I may change things to achieve more weight but there is something to be said for sticking with something you’re comfortable with if it will get the job done.

Bill Sackenreuter wrote:

If your buy Hudson Wis , A1 Archery will get you fixed up.

This ^^^. Just go to A1 and get it all done there. Fantastic, no-pressure, great service.

All of the items you mention are down to personal preference and budget. Go in and look at options and make your choice.

Grouse

Are single bevel broadheads even legal in MN? I’ll follow up with a Q&A to the DNR but from what I’m reading, must have two metal cutting edges???

Have you tried using a crossbow? I think it’ll be a little cheaper and faster to prepare for a shot. Tried hunting with a block bow, I felt uncomfortable because of its size, of course it’s a matter of habit.

It’s MN…

ClownColor wrote:

Well, it’s the off season. I got set up last year but need to fine tune and get my set up where I want it. I know someone said carbon arrows but would like some more input.

Anyone shoot 550 grain or better?

Are 200 grain single bevel broad heads to much?

Aluminum better at achieving heavier weights?

I’m going to build a relationship with an archery shop this spring to help answer questions and set me up but it’s nice know some thing prior to this. A lot has changed since I last bow hunted!

I shoot leagues with a handful of guy that are shooting 600+ grain arrows with very high foc. If you have FB they were talking about a FB group about building and shoot heavy arrows.