Outside of my scope…
Equipment
I have a nephew/God-son with whom I hope to chase Elk this year, God Willing. He and my brother spent a solid 20 minutes or more within about 20 yards of a young 6-point bull last fall in a new area they were hunting, which gave them plenty of time to curse their luck for having 2 ML cow tags between them.
So this year, he’s thinking Archery. Except he doesn’t have a bow yet. He’s a solid go-getter kid: valedictorian in a class of about 800; Eagle Scout, Air Force ROTC Engineering major and an Officer commissioned directly into the Space Force.
But he’s leaning Compound. And he’s a foot taller than I am. I got Nothin’.
If you guys were going to set up a rig for someone 6’ 4” or so, Colorado-legal specifications, expecting to use fixed-blade BH and a premium on easy-to-shoot over raw speed… what would you recommend?
He and his bride are both Military, so something he could get used-in-great-condition or something he could pick up at a BX would be a plus; he’s not gonna drop 4 figures on this thing.
I will only say that a drop-away done me wrong once, many years ago in a snowstorm and I would be pretty leery of a biscuit for the same reasons. Almost makes me wish I still had that Bowtech Commander to give him, except I don’t know where I would come up with DL modules to fit him and I may well be carrying the bow that I traded the BT for…
There are so many good bows out there nowadays that he should just go shoot a bunch and figure out what fits him best. Once he finds a couple he likes, look on the local marketplace and see what he can find used.
Tough logic to refute! Everybody gets so much ego invested in having “the best” that they overlook how good just about “everything” really is..,
I’m a southpaw, so no help there, but if you’re wanting options on which rangefinder to go with, I’m more than happy to give you my opinion….
Go to the forum that is inferior to Bowsite in all ways expect the classified section archerytalk. I bet he can find something nice that won't break the bank there. Also I'd guess buying a used bow and being 6'4" a little like being left handed. A lot less selection but also a lot less demand for what you are selling so often good deals to be had.
Maybe try to find an older Mathews Conquest. Great finger bow. Curious? Does he need a range finder as well?
Will this be in one of the over crowded OTC units, or one of the units suffering from point creep both of which are due to releases and RF's? Asking for a friend...
Going to be tough though shooting that compound of the shelf since you ruled out both drop away and a biscuit. But sure you will figure it out I have not seen a topic you don't have an expert opinion on. ;)
T-Roy x 2. I got nothing on the bow. But, the rangefinder I’m educated on.
A good pro shop will fit him with something in his 'price range'. Don't need a 'flagship' bow to shoot well.
I’d recommend finding the longest axle to axle compound, something more forgiving for a finger shooter.
Here's a Commander on Ebay, great bow
Why exactly did you anticipate that? It certainly not the norm on most folks thread?
Why you are over at archery talk looking through the classifieds, be sure to drop in on every post and tell everyone that rangefinders and mechanical releases are the devils spawn. You’ll get as good a reception over there as you have here.
Go easy. No need to break them in with your definition of ethical at first. You don’t want to turn them all against you right off the bat. At least wait until you find him a bow.
First order of business would be to get an idea of his draw length. Wingspan divided by 2.5 will get you close. Assuming he'll be over 30" draw length if he's 6' 4". If he's over 31" that will limit his options.
Set him up for success. Recommend either a whisker biscuit or a drop away. And use a dang release. He's going to shoot a lot better with both and spend less time banging his head against the wall.
I would bet that if he got an idea of his draw length, and posted a question on here asking for a used bow, that he could buy a good bow maybe even already set up
FTR, I’m not going to expect him to shoot fingers when there are really no finger-shootable bows on the market. And he can use a drop-away or a biscuit if he wants, but there are other good rests on the market which allow you to tune with good precision but won’t freeze up. They might not be “ideal” at 80 yards, but if he wanted a 60-80-yard weapon, he’d stick with the muzzleloader….
But yeah, he may well end up looking at something used…. I had no idea that sights and rests have gotten to be so expensive…. Looks like a lot of you must have more tied up in peripherals than the cost of a very good, lightly-used Custom stickbow…. Or maybe even a brand new one.
12 yds. is right! Get the draw length figured out first. But if less than 31in. check out the Bear Adapt. Should be less than 450 dollars new. Great bow for the money.
Real question - Does he actually you want your help finding something or are you doing this unsolicited?
Find a good bow shop and go see what used bows they have on hand and let him shoot some. They can check his draw length and give you some starting data for his shooting specs. Try some multi pin sites and some single pin, I shot my compound instinctive and with fingers way back in the day. I'd keep it a simple setup for this year then tweak as he gets more into it.
Yeah, fortunately there are some good shops on the front range. Hadn’t thought about finding a good, used bow at a shop, but that could be a good option because they’d want to have it all checked out and solid…
35-odd years ago I shot a compound barebow with fingers… now I might be more inclined to shoot a recurve with a peep and something like the SRF.
