Buying a Used Mathews..
Equipment
due to heavy bone spurs in my shoulder from 35yrs of traditional bows,, I need to find a compound that is 50 to 55 max draw @ 27" (27.5) loop,,, I decided to buy a used Mathews off Ebay because I can't find nothing locally, I shoot mostly sticks but my current compound is a 65# rival pro I bought brand new when they where #1,, the best bow I've ever owned and the only reason for another one is I need 50#, if I found a 50/55# rival I'd be ecstatic!
okay so for you guys that are very familiar with Mathews is there any bow I should avoid, was there any issues or problems with limbs in the past? I do live near a mathews pro shop and they can help but I'm hoping its just with helping me get it set up maybe a new string, I don't want to deal with a bow that has had known problems and everyone knows to avoid it. I'd love to get a bow with a long 35 to 43" A to A the longer the better but its not a deal breaker,, keep in mind a 43" bow is like a kids size bow to me where I'm used to shooting longbows that are 68" from my treestands.
My dad had a conquest pro that he loved to shoot. I believe it was 40" Axle to Axle
The only reason he quit shooting it was because it got stolen from his truck
Have your local Mathews dealer order you a set of 50# limbs for the rival.
May want to look for a Mathews EZ7. They are about 5 years old. Good luck! C
Mathews Ez7 or Switchback XT
Or
An Elite Synergy
See if you can find an mQ1 great bow very smooth solid wall and easy to tune no hand shock at all, love mine set at 60 pounds blows thru deer like they were a paper target! Good luck!!
thanks for the posts, so what about bad stuff where there any models that had issues i might want to avoid? not trying to pull up dirt on the the brand because I want one.
I would love to get a set of limbs for my rival but I like the bow so much I don't want to mess with it,,, heard conquests where nice and I did spot a couple on ebay. MQ1 was nice but too short for me if I can get something longer. I'l search for that EZ7 and see what it looks like.
thanks again.
Mathews Ez7 or Switchback XT
Or
An Elite Synergy
what about a Mathews 2012 MR7 are they decent? found one with my draw length and 60# limbs which should mean it will come down 10#,
I'm a fan of the Mathews Ovation, if you are looking for a long(ish) A to A bow. Not the fastest out there to be sure, but smooth and forgiving. The best thing you can do is shoot them. I know that's sometimes difficult, especially when looking for a used one, but there is really no substitute to how they feel to YOU. Personally, I'd be very careful buying a used bow from someone far away as you won't be able to inspect it or shoot it first. For example, how will you know if the bow has been dry fired or not? If it were me, I'd only buy either from a dealer (who will stand behind it) or from a trusted friend. Other than that. I'm buying new.
I'll second the idea of getting new limbs for the bow you have. If need be you can always put back on the 65 pound limbs later.
Ace what you said makes sense I forgot about the dry fire risk, what do new limbs cost and can I still get them for a Rival pro?
Even if your current bow is minimum 65#, you may be able to back it down low enough.
I wanted to turn my Hoyt (55-65 pounds) down for target shooting. Hoyt said I could go 8 turns back from bottomed out. When I did this, my bow was at 43 pounds!! 12 pounds below the minimum rated weight.
See how many turns Mathews will let you back it down and try it. You just might be able to shoot that bow with no modifications.
If you can find a Switchback XT they've long been heralded as one of Matthws' best bows ever, and because they are now 8 years old or so can be bought for a song.
I shoot Mathews Drenalin LD at 37" axle-to-axle. Best bow I've ever owned. The bow I shot prior was the Mathews Ovation at 40" axle-to-axle. Nice bow, but absolutely no comparison.
What pav said. Hate to say it, but if you want questions answered on a specific bow, Archery Talk might be your best bet. You can get on the forums and do a search for just about any bow. There is also a brand specific Mathews forum on AT where you could do a search for a specific bow.
The C4 has been their best bow up to this years TRX.
Ted, I was in the same boat. I need a full shoulder replacement and I shoot a Mathews ZXT. It is super short but I draw 27.5"s and it is very nice to shoot, same cam as Z7 I believe. A buddy at the pro shop I go too had a set of 50-60 limbs and I had them put on. No issues what so ever as far as changing them and he can change them back in 10 minutes. I have them at 58#s for now. I went and found an arrow that was 2 gpi lighter so it worked out I was shooting same gpp of draw weight. I did not have to touch my rest or my sight. Worked our perfectly. I would just get a new set of lighter limbs. If your pro shop has a set of limbs they may even give them to you depending how friendly you are with them. Mine were free but as I said I am close friends with the giuy who runs it. Scooby
Switchback is an excellent model.
The Drenalin is a great bow.
Just bought a used Switchback XT, it is a lot shorter than what you are looking for, but wow, what a sweet shooter. Not looking for speed anymore, just wanted something easy to draw and shoot. Found it, shouldn't have been surprised, loved my MQ1 also.
I have 2 Switchback XTs and love them. Best Mathews bow I've ever shot. Stay away from the Z7 Magnum especially with your shoulder issues. I have one and hated it. I know you are not supposed to creep forward any at full draw, but if you do with the Z7 Mag, it will about jerk your arm out of socket.
I used to have Switchback XT. It was a sweet bow. If you can find one, I'd highly recommend it.
thank you guys for the posts,,, it be nice if I was a millionaire but think I found something locally I will be checking out next week. its far from the long A to A I wanted but after talking with so many people about that which might of made sense to have a longer bow back when my rival pro was brand new nowadays its not so,,,, or so I'm told!
so I'm going to try a 5yr old mathews that is 30" A to A think it was called a Helim and the next bow from another guy is a X7 I think it was,, I may buy both to replace the two I do have now.
being honest I know you guys are recommending some nice bows but I doubt I have the experience to even notice a difference like like alot of you would,, I'm old school the only thing I'd hate to change is my 4" chartreuse helical feathers (might go down to 2.5 or 3") , a decent size fixed blade head like a thunder head and I'd really love to be able to still shoot ACC's, many arrows are better I'm sure but this arrow just gives me confidence and has made some amazing shots for me..
so thanks again for all the great advice, if these bows don't feel right I will be checking the models some of you mentioned..
I shoot a Z7 with 2216's and 5" feathers with a drop away rest. All I can say is those arrows fly like darts and the bow is incredibly accurate. Don't be afraid of shooting traditional style arrows from a modern compound. I have no idea how fast the bow is (and I don't care) all I know is my groups at 30 yds are better than my old bows at 20!!!
Helim is a nice bow. It is very light which is nice to tote around, but may make it a little tougher to hold steady. I've also heard that some guys prefer to replace the draw stop with a smaller diameter one which gives the bow a slightly better valley. My buddy has one and he loves it. Good luck with it. BTW, I hope you aren't a finger shooter. Probably not a great bow for that.
I've had two SB XT, I think they may be the smoothest shooting bow ever made. I now own one, as my back-up bow (Z7 is my primary bow), and I don't think I'll ever sell the SB XT.
I have a Drenalin, that I bought new nine years ago and also a Heli'm that's got a few years on it.
The Drenalin is extremely forgiving and my favorite bow, and the one bow I'll never sell. I bought sixty pounds limbs for it (have seventies also) to shoot more in the off season. It's nice with bulky clothing and after sitting in very cold weather. I to have some shoulder and elbow issues.
The Heli'm is also a great bow but it will not let you creep even a little. Which is good for accuracy, but tiring to hold at full draw for extended periods. The smaller diameter draw stop is a good idea.
If you are not going to change the string, make sure the bow is put exactly back to spec as far as cam timing, ATA and brace height, DL and weight. That would obviously be done if changing the string to.
Like you, a number of years ago I was looking for a new bow with a longer ATA. Went to a local Mathews dealer who after showing me what I was looking for, pulled out an SQ2. (Short ATA. Shot it and loved it. Years later pasted it on to my son and bought a used switchback XT. My favorite bow. Last year I spring for a new HALON, probably out of vanity, or because my son got one. It is a great bow, faster, some features I really like, but not as soft on the shoulder as my sbxt which remains my favorite. Point is, don't be afraid of going to a shorter ATA. Cam's can be changed to get the right draw length.
I have just got a Mathews Swichback xt in 50 to 60 lbs peak weight. I set it up at 52 lbs and it sure does shoot great at that weight and 29 inch draw for this oold archer who is 75 years young.
listening to everyone about the heli-m I'm dropping in weight from a 65# bow to the 50# bow so I hope it doesn't hurt my shoulder with the cams it has,,, I'm seriously going to blame that on the shorter bow only and just avoid them all. if it happens I'll buy a 2017 fingers bow for the longest A to A and the softest cams. the pro shop here reedys will only get it set up decent enough to hit at 20 with fletching and then be there for maintenance help afterwards they only set everything up by eye ,, so if I buy new I think it will be a reputable out of state pro shop that can seriously tune it for me,,, I'm talking bare shaft tuned to perfection and if I can't find a Mathews dealer who does it I'll consider another brand as long as its 40 to 45" A to A and the bow comes in some form of camo,,,,, Keeping in Mind I'm so inexperienced with new compounds I wouldn't notice a difference from bow to bow,,,, I do need that wood grip though so the deal breaker from brand to brand would be if the bow only has that frame grip and doesn't have some form of shaped grip either optional or aftermarket that will fit on then forget it,,,, in which case I will continue the search for an older bow and save 1500.00
for whoever said to get new limbs for the rival pro I called the shop from work and whoever answered the phone said "I doubt it" when I asked if I could get new limbs and a new string and cable for a Rival Pro he said that bow is discontinued, he said he will check and to call back but it was exactly what I expected I need to talk to the owner though.. some friends told me about a pro shop not far away that sells PSE's so not sure about their line of longer A to A bows.
You could look in to the mission bows you can get a new one for half the price of a used mathews and they are great bows
find a Mathews mq2xl or mq1, triumph, conquest ect. You can find these cheap, they not super fast but will give you what ur wanting
