What bow to buy?

Im looking to buy a new bow and get back into the archery thing but I cant decide between the Mathews z7 or one of the Bowtech Destroyers, Any suggestions on the two/three bows? What would you buy and why?

 

i shoot a Z7. i bought my bow from an idiot shop and they had the bow set up wrong on many levels. i finally got tired of it, and pulled out a portable bow press and pressed my bow. i had to fix my idler wheel lean. well, the last guy fixed the lean, but he twisted cables opposite of each other. i got it shooting GREAT! because of the bad twisting, my cable prematurely ate themselves up. i have new strings here, but i am leaving it alone because i am going hunting monday.

the Z7. not that forgiving to shoot. your grip has to be pretty consistent. idler lean really affects this bow. if the idler isnt perfect, the bow is a beatch to tune. centershot, is really close to the riser (like all mathews) and you cut off about 30% of your bowsight. not as fast as the two bowtechs. there are problems with the quick disconnects, and they make noise. but most shops fix this by sanding them smooth before sending it home with you. i had to DIY this part. single cams are tough on bowstrings. and drawlength tend to be on the long side.

but..bow is dead in hand. no vibrations! i find it easy to aim. i can get my pin to sit still on the target. i tend to punch the release a bit. and my form is weak..or i would be deadly. it is fast enough to kill. i gained about 15fps from my switchback XT. i love the short ATA. single cam is easy to tune as far as timing. killer warranty. i heard the bearings in the bowtech can freeze in extreme low temps, and make noise. no prob for you, island kid.

 

if i had to buy a new bow, i would take a long hard look at that ELITE GT500. double cam. binary cam system so the cams are tied together, minimizing timing issues (bowtech does this too, i think) smaller company so you wont have a clone of everyone else's bow at the bow range. great reviews and i cannot find a "Trouble" thread on the internet. plenty of complaints about the mainstream guys. and a fully bulletproof warranty.

fast!! expensive tho. $849 for bow only. that is more than mathews and bowtech, i think.

 

I agree with aficianado on all counts. Love my new Z7!!!

 

Thanks guys, my problem is finding dealers in the islands that can bring them in, there are two Mathews dealers in the state, one said $850 bow only with a two month wait!!!! WTF, and the other has some in stock but he said it's about 1 grand for a bare bow...double WTF. Didn't find a bowtech dealer yet.

 

holy crap$!!! keep in mind, mathews will only warranty the original owner. so i cant buy one here and bring it to you.

if i lived on your island, i would DEFINATELY own a bow. $1000 is insane. for that kinda money, i would buy a used Z7. lots of them for sale on archery talk.

 

My uncles friend was the only Mathews dealer here on Maui so he is trying to get in touch with some Mathews people to get one so I'm crossing my fingers on that.

 

Any bowtech guys on here?

 

Mathews.... nothing compares.

 

I have the Bowtech Destroyer 350 and could not be happier.

 

I really want the z7 but if my guy can't come through then the destroyer it is.

 

dude the destroyer is the smoothest quietest bow i have ever shot hands down not even close!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i still have my hoyt am32 which i love, but my destroyer walks all over it.
i bought the 340 and am shooting a 420 grain arrow at 29 1/2" draw and i am getting 310 FPS. i would recommend the 340 over the 350 more shooter friendly.

i am not a fan of the z7, i used to shoot mathews (for 7 years) then went to hoyt, and just switched to bowtech. just smoked a ok buck with it also. (see my blacktail thread below). i would wait a month or 2 the new bows will be out and last years stuff will drop a couple hundred dollars.

 

You kinda sold me on the bowtech now I just gotta find a dealer.

 

you can call the factory pro shop and see if they have any second's. they sale them for $750.00 still have the warranty, and the one my buddy just bought you could not tell anything was wrong. i bet if you wanted to you could have them ship it to you and if not i live 1 hour away you could pay them and i could send it to you. if i was going to buy another one i would either do that or wait and see what comes out in November and December then see what you can get one for. let me know if you need my help i will be at the factory pro shop on Saturday shooting.

 

Thanks man, I'll let you know.

 

HOYT

 

i just called the factory pro shop, they have a hardwood 340 in stock for 750. they will not ship but you could pay by phone and i can pick it up and ship it to you like Monday. that is if you want, shipping should not be to much maybe $30?

 

x2 for HOYT

 

check archery talk classifieds also. warranty might be an issue but you can find deals on there also.

 

Alright nontypical I gotta talk to my guy to cancel looking for the z7, I'll pm you later today/tonight, thanks