lets have an honest discussion about buying a used bow.

B

Boom

New member
Aug 6, 2017
409
hey all!

in light of my recent bow shooting skills. :)  (re: "i stink!")..

now is as good a time to make the switch.  to come out of the left eye dominant closet.  embrace it.  i am essentially starting over.  i'm okay with it.

i looked at new bows, and the pricing is ridiculous to me.  i can afford it, but i dont want to.  especially considering this experiment may go down awful in a flaming ball of fail.

last night shooting, i came to full draw.  i started to line up the fuzzy pins to the fuzzy target, i paused to close my right eye and look at the pins with my left.  BOOM!  clear as day!  my .010" pins were clear glowing orbs of awesome.

i'm naturally left handed.  being chinese, my insane mother forced me to switch because she and every OTHER insane chinese mom thought it looked weird.  (dont get me started).  i can work chopsticks lefty, i can almost sign my name lefty.  i cant throw a ball.  i think i can switch up on the bow.

well here we are.  i'm shopping used bows.  any horror stories?  i worry about getting a blown up, POS.  i want a carbon HOYT, so used is really the best option, since  have to buy EVERYTHING lefty.  i suppose my wrist release and arrows can come with me.

thoughts?
 
i think a Carbon Hoyt 34" ATA, LEFTY bow, with 60lb limbs is gonna be tough to find.
 
Boom, Not sure if everyone is like me but my bow is more important than.....well let's say it's like one of the family..lol. There is no way I want my equipment to blow up on me so I take great care.
I know a LOT of bowhunters and they are like me with their equipment. In fact, most don't like to get rid of their old bows when they buy a new one and keep them as a back-up until they need to pay for that next rangefinder or hunt costs. Then there are the guys I know that "buy up" every time the next latest and greatest comes out and their "old" bows are practically new.
So with that said, if you stay in the hunting community, I don't think you have to worry about getting a POS. After some conversation, you will be able to to tell the guys that are serious and take care of their stuff.
If you find what you are looking for have your string/cable replaced (that would be the weak point), get it tuned and get after it.
Good luck with the search!

 
Im not opposed to buying a used bow, but I would check out the local archery shops to see if they have any for sale first.


Here's why:


They inspect the bow and replace anything that is suspect - i.e. string/cables/cam pins/cams/etc - before they put it up for sale.


They will get you set up and you can shoot it right there.


Maybe they have some on consignment too?


If you buy something 'second hand' [other than a archery shop], its prob still a good idea to take it down and let someone inspect it.
Just too many things can be hidden to the untrained eye - left or right :)


But thats just me
 
Cliff, another route to go along with Brad's idea is to check out eBay. There's a lot of archery shops that sell bows on there and that's how I found mine. That way you know you're buying from an actual shop that has reviews, etc, but it also doesn't confine you to a local shop.


It might be harder to find a lefty bow, but it sure seems to me that lefty bows sell for a lot less money than righty's do! Supply and demand  ;-)
 
Cliff, following my dominant eye was the best move I ever made!
You?re going to love it. 

As far as used bows go... they are all I?ve ever owned and I have had no issues.
 
I?ve never bought a used bow but I?m not opposed to it at all. My son bought a used bow a few years back. He bought from the classifieds on AT. Visually there was nothing wrong with the bow, it had new strings and cables as advertised. He had problems getting the bow to tune. He?s pretty good at tuning and very methodical. He took the bow apart and couldn?t find anything wrong with it until he measured the strings and cables. They were not built to spec.

I just throw that out there as one potential problem with buying a used bow. My son put new strings and cables on the bow and it?s fine. He?s lucky he can do all the work himself and gets strings and cables heavily discounted.
 
I have had much better luck on ebay that archery talk or anywhere else, other than a local shop where u can see and shoot the bow. On ebay make sure they have a high score on feedback, should have 100% positive if not awful dang close. Can usually get them a little cheaper there too, especially for a lefty bow. I bought a hoyt cst zt last year and it was spotless and cost about $650. Just make sure the seller is not overseas.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Have to agree with most of the posts especially eBay.  A few years back, when I felt ArcheryTalk was a little more "trustworthy", I ordered 2 bows that seemed in great condition and the sellers had good reviews.  I've got a 31.5" draw length so wasn't easy to find locally.  Now that alot of bows have adjustable cams, might not be as difficult today.


Anyhow, this allowed me to shoot both bows and made my decision much easier.  I turned around and sold the other bow for what I paid less shipping.  That was a good $20 spent for S&H!
 
i'm in talks with a hoyt seller on archery talk. 

i'll call him here in a few.  a voice to voice talk will help ease my uneasiness, i think.
 
DTP said:
Cliff, following my dominant eye was the best move I ever made!
You?re going to love it. 

As far as used bows go... they are all I?ve ever owned and I have had no issues.
Click to expand...

just got the tracking number for a NEW TO ME carbon hoyt.  LEFT HAND bow.  this is going to be interesting. it's like dating a new woman...some fresh!!
 
cohunter14 said:
That's awesome Cliff! Which one did you go with?
Click to expand...

i punted!

i got a 2017 Carbon Defiant 34.  it was "almost" perfect.  i wanted 50-60 limbs..this one had 60-70.  i'll crank it down until i get stronger.  (if i get stronger)

i shot a 70 lefty before and it was no big deal.  i hope that is still the case. if not, my bow buddy in Tuscon..i will get him to get me new limbs and do the swap for me.
 
i DO NOT think i will be ready for spring turkey.  i am keeping my righty until that is over. i'll be a switch hitter for a while. 
 
I've got a hunting buddy that is a lefty, but right eye dominant.  Once he too switched he got dialed in nicely, his form also tightened up quite a bit.

Also for someone looking for a used bow, every so often there is a diamond in the rough at pawn shops.  Odds are most likely you'll have to check one a month for a year, but I know a couple guys over the years that have found quite the deal.  Generally after season and when they need more space for other things but it never hurts if you're on a budget or looking for gear deals.
 
Boom said:
DTP said:
Cliff, following my dominant eye was the best move I ever made!
You?re going to love it. 

As far as used bows go... they are all I?ve ever owned and I have had no issues.
Click to expand...

just got the tracking number for a NEW TO ME carbon hoyt.  LEFT HAND bow.  this is going to be interesting. it's like dating a new woman...some fresh!!
Click to expand...
I know this is a few days old but what bow did you end up with and how do you like it?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 
Bowfreak said:
Boom said:
DTP said:
Cliff, following my dominant eye was the best move I ever made!
You?re going to love it. 

As far as used bows go... they are all I?ve ever owned and I have had no issues.
Click to expand...

just got the tracking number for a NEW TO ME carbon hoyt.  LEFT HAND bow.  this is going to be interesting. it's like dating a new woman...some fresh!!
Click to expand...
I know this is a few days old but what bow did you end up with and how do you like it?

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

i ended up with a 2017 Hoyt Carbon Defiant 34.

since i bought used, i didnt get the 60lb limbs i hoped for.  i got the 70's.  i can draw 70 lefty, but i dont want to.  i read the instructions and took 4 turns out of the limbs (about half of allowable).  much easier.

what i didnt know!  i need $250 adapters to my bowpress to work on that bow.  damn!  so i need to take it to a bowshop for now to have them help me move the peep way down.  you kinda need a peep and bowsight to work on perfecting anchor and form.  i have a broken lefty 7-deadly pins sight i am using just to "line up circles" for now.  but i need to have the peep moved. for sure.

the bow has ZERO valley..any tiny bit is right there at the back wall.  oddly enough, this kinda helps me aim..and since i am using my dominate hand to old the bow, i think i am actually steadier.

i might send my bow to my buddy in tuscon to have him install 60 limbs.  i am hoping this is my last bow ever..might as well get it perfect.  still way cheaper than new.

no time to get it ready for spring turkey.  work is ramping up, and the season is next week.  righty bow at 20 yards shots i predict.  or just go pellet gun 100%
 
I had the very same bow with 60 lb limbs. I replaced it with a Rx1 Ultra after it got stolen.

Make sure you keep your front shoulder down at full draw. If you allow your shoulder to rise you will creep causing the string to want to jerk forward as you are coming of the stops at full draw.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 
I switched from righty to lefty 6-7 yrs ago. It is just something I found myself doing.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 
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