Darton bows, any fans here?
Equipment
I remember as a young kid, thumbing through magazines, seeing darton all over the place. And perhaps they still are and I don’t look in those areas anymore. Out here in Utah, darton just isn’t a popular brand. Nor are they even discussed. This is Hoyt, Mathews, PSE country for sure.
I was at my archery store of Choice the other day and saw they actually had a new darton. I asked my buddy, when did you start carrying these? He’d mentioned he was looking to get set up so he brought one in to see if anyone would notice. Well, I did. And I shot his bow. At 80 lbs, this bow was a definite shooter. So because I’ve had this darton itch, I decided to scratch it and placed an order with him.
This bow shot fantastic.
Shooting a Darton Spectre E-32 and it shoots as good as I can. Quiet and fast enough. Did not cost me an arm and a leg either.
Darton is top of the line and makes a lot of royalty money off their cam patents by the other companies. I’m surprised they don’t advertise more. We have a shop here that only deals Dartons.
Td not know the they were still in business
They are one of the nicest bows on the market, excellent shooting bow, very adjustable, very smooth, Im talking the latest dartons, the sequel's and consequence
Jeff,
Years ago when I shot a ton of 3D's my go-to bow was a Darton Cyclone. Without a doubt it was one of the best bows I ever shot, and I really wish I'd never sold it. Much longer ATA than today's versions (I believe it was 41" ATA); very stable and a rock solid back wall. I placed 3rd in the New England Regional IBO qualifier 2 years in a row with that bow; great to hear they're still around!
The local archery shop here in Cheyenne is quite impressed with them. I haven’t shot one, but I know they sell quite a few.
My brother just ordered one. They’ve been around and will be around as a good bit of tech the bow world has seen come/comes from patents of Darton designs.
Great bows. Quiet. Fast. Dead in the hand, etc….. But, bows are territorial. In areas people buy brands. Darton used to be big here. Now, you gotta order them to get them.
My first “real bow” was a Darton Apache. Got my first deer and turkey with it. I remember having to work up to shooting 45 lbs back then. Great little young teenager bow for sure.
Darton was purchased by Black Eagle Arrows in 2021.
I had a Darton back in the 90's. It was a great bow for me.
My first compound, in the late 70s, was a Darton SL 100. I only shot it for a few years before going back to recurves but it did well for me.
I'm glad they are still around.
I don't know how many remember but years ago there was a poster, I believe his handle was Len in MD who had and shared extensive experience with Darton bows. I really valued his insights and that was the prime driver in my purchasing my Darton Cyclone.
He was one of the gems I found on the Bowsite....
Mike, I knew Len in MD well. He was a great guy. I believe he was a rep for Darton. Charlie and I would always chat with him at the ATA show. I don’t know what happened to Len? It’s been many years.
I remember Len as well. He was a very valuable poster here who I trusted.
As far as Darton. I owned a Maverick CPS. It was a hybrid cam bow and that CPS system was the genesis for the Hoyt cam 1/2. It was an excellent bow.
Right now I believe that Darton offers the best tuning system on the market on their bows. The adjustable yokes they have for timing is ingenious and the adjustable deflections for the individual limb is great.
All of those tuning options are great. They are not a necessity but they sure do make it simple to tune a bow.
I was a shop/lanes owner 1964 thru 1982. Darton was one of my top lines & seller. I have shot some model Darton 45+ years now. My 3 Dartons are little older now but I use my 1 of a kind Darton Harley Maverick for all outdoor targets , 45#. My 3D Cyclone, 50#s is indoor only & my older Exec Pro 60#s is my dedicated hunter. They have served me well in competition & hunting for sure. Excellent in every way including service if ever needed. You can't go wrong.
I’m a stickbow guy but I bought a Darton sequel 33, the draw cycle is simply amazing. I can drive tacks out to 70 with it. I prefer it to any other compound I’ve shot. I took it out a couple times this year early season and passed on some does and then took the recurve the rest of the year. One thing is for sure, compound and stickbows are in entirely different categories. I fancy myself a pretty good shot with a stickbow and my yardage capabilities tripled within a few weeks of shooting the compound.
My accuracy of 25 yards with the recurve is equal to my accuracy at 75 with the compound.
There’s a reason archery tags are so hard to draw and getting cut year after year
Yardage increase when you chose a 6.5 creedmore versus a 30/30 too. Is that relevant to a thread about Darton bows?
I had a Darton Ranger recurve back in the day before getting my first compound...Darton Trailmaster. Great memories taking to the woods in the 70's with those bows but haven't shot a Darton since. Good times...
I am excited to get the bow and get going on it. You don’t know what you don’t know in life. I never knew much about them or ever shot one. Stepping out of our usual places can sure open your eyes and expand your horizon.
Red rocks archery in Grand junction co sell a lot of them
My first compound bow was a Darton SL50. They were made in MI at the time.
Growing up in Michigan, it was darton for quite a few years for me. The shop in Cheyenne is having a hard time keeping a sequel 33 on rack! I shot the 35 and was impressed, will try the 33 if I can. I was interested in the new Mathews but the darton moved up the list. Maybe coming full circle with the bows??
Stickbow man here also , but around fifteen years ago I purchased a brand new Darton Maurader. Excellent shooter, it served me well in the field. One of my sons owns it nowadays and still hunts with it . Like I shared I have been using recurves and longbows for the longest time however if my memory serves me correctly Darton had a claim on a cam design used by many compounds . Don't know if that's still the case .
The new sequel st2’s look fantastic. Look to be the easiest tuning system on the market
I started out with a Maverick years ago and loved it. Shot 3d and hunted with it. Up to that point I shot a Browning Mirage, which I really liked. I bought the new DS 3800 in 2011 and it was great, still shooting it. It is set at 56lbs, shoots a 465gr arrow at close to 270 fps thru chronograph . It's easy to tune, light weight, and love the grip. I looked at the new ones on their website, would like to have one but can't justify the price. This one will last me alot of years.
The two new tuning systems on the Darton bows are the best on the market. I recently shot the Sequel 35 and was very impressed.
Was looking at the new Dartons last week… they are a very nice bow. Very nice.
My 25-year-old Cyclone LD is still one of my best-shooting bows.
Still shoot my DS3800.....real good shooter
I don’t think the lead time On getting a bow is bad either.
The second compound bow I owned was a Darton Excel bought in the early to mid 90. Purchased it from Bowhunters Discount Warehouse catalog. I hunted with it for a number of years. At the time I loved it.
My second Compound was a Darton SL50. I bought it from Tom Nelson at Anderson Archery while on a family trip as a kid. I am now the PA/NY/New England Territory Manager for Darton/Black Eagle/Conquest and could not be happier with what each brand encompasses. I am happy to read all of the positive comments , keep them coming.
Shot my first deer with a compound in 19 years. Gets the job done this shot was a chip 30 yards…now back to longbows and recurves
When I DX out of the Navy the local archery shop was the main carrier for Darton in 1973, just recurves.
Shot a DS3800 since 2016.. Loved the bow. Had an opportunity to get a Mathews Lift 29.5 for a great price so I did it (I was helping a buddy out on his new shop also)
DS3800 is a great shooting bow. I never had any issues and I'll never give it up!
Bought an SL-50 when they first came out, it's still in my shop and gets shot once in a while. Used it to take a lot of deer over the years!
