When I was in high school, I found a screaming deal on a top-of-the-line compound bow for hunting. I had been shooting an old PSE Laser II, which was a decent bow in its time, but it didn’t have the draw weight I wanted, and other bows were recording much faster arrow speeds.
But I walked into Rocky Mountain Sporting Goods in Riverton one day, and the owner, Kevin, told me he had special ordered a Browning Mirage for a guy with extra-heavy limbs, but the guy never came to pick it up. He had already paid a deposit, and Kevin was having trouble getting rid of this beast of a bow. He said it had an 80-pound draw weight, and most people didn’t want a bow that heavy.
I don’t remember what I paid for that bow, but it was less than half the list price. I’ve shot that bow since then, but as I get older, that 80-pound draw weight and the meager 50% letoff are taking their toll on my rotator cuff. Granted, it’s whipping carbon arrows at about 340 feet per second, so I could hunt anything up to an elephant with it and not have to worry about penetration.
But other bows now are reaching those arrow speeds with two thirds of that draw weight. And the new bows have a lot more letoff. Most new bows are around 80 to 85% letoff. I think my rotator cuff would be very happy with me if I were to upgrade.
I’d do a lot more practicing with a lighter bow, too. I may have to think seriously about saving my pennies. As I said, I don’t remember what I paid for my Browning, but it was a whole lot less than the $1,500 and up a lot of these new bows are going for. But I keep trying to convince my wife that a $1,500 bow is still a lot cheaper than shoulder surgery. I’ll let you know if I have any luck with that.
