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What To Look For In A Used Bow

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Jski90

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A friend of mine is looking to sell his PSE compound bow. I'd like to get into bow hunting, as it seems like a load of fun and the least expensive form of deer hunting to get into. What should I look for when I check out his bow?
 
The first thing I check is the limbs to look for any cracks in them. You can find a lot of deals on used bows but always keep it in the back of your mind that there's a reason why the person is selling it for something else. It could be that they took care of the equipment and just want something newer or different. And it could be that they never had it tuned right and couldn't hit anything with it....blamed it on the bow and wanted something else. At worse...they could have dropped it, pressed it wrong and damaged it, dry fired it, etc. I mostly look at the limbs for cracks and cams to see if they are bent. A dry fire might not crack limbs but seldom do they not cause damage somewhere...it might be a bent axle or slightly warped cam or module on the cam. Strings and cables are the cheapest things you can replace on a bow so those never worry me. I do like a well waxed string though.

Hop over to archery talk and check their classifieds. Its full of deals and steals on some good equipment. There are several 2011-2012 bows on there for $300+ less than what they cost new and they are practically new. Some are closeouts by dealers...new in box for $200+ less.
 
Crow Terminator said:
The first thing I check is the limbs to look for any cracks in them. You can find a lot of deals on used bows but always keep it in the back of your mind that there's a reason why the person is selling it for something else. It could be that they took care of the equipment and just want something newer or different. And it could be that they never had it tuned right and couldn't hit anything with it....blamed it on the bow and wanted something else. At worse...they could have dropped it, pressed it wrong and damaged it, dry fired it, etc. I mostly look at the limbs for cracks and cams to see if they are bent. A dry fire might not crack limbs but seldom do they not cause damage somewhere...it might be a bent axle or slightly warped cam or module on the cam. Strings and cables are the cheapest things you can replace on a bow so those never worry me. I do like a well waxed string though.

Hop over to archery talk and check their classifieds. Its full of deals and steals on some good equipment. There are several 2011-2012 bows on there for $300+ less than what they cost new and they are practically new. Some are closeouts by dealers...new in box for $200+ less.
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Yep check for obvious abuse and the limbs and cams. That being said bow hunting is probably the most expensive form of deer hunting imo every time you shoot you are taking the chance of losing $20 arrow and broadhead compared to a $1 bullet but i love it and wouldnt give it up for nothing
 
If you are just getting into bow hunting. You need to find someone that knows what they are doing and determine your draw length and pull some bows back and see what poundage you can draw. The last PSE I had (Bow Madness XS) had a module on the cam you could get rotate to change the draw length. However, I am not sure if they are all like that or not. Like I said above, you need to find someone to help you figure out what you need in a bow. It doesn't matter if you buy a used bow or a brand new one off the rack, if it doesn't fit you right, you will be starting of wrong and can develop a lot of bad habits. Also, I wouldn't say that bow hunting is the least expensive form of deer hunting. Maybe it could be if a person really wanted it to. My bow cost more than any rifle I have ever bought, and that's not counting all the accessories on it or arrows and broadheads. That being said, a person could definitely get cheaper accessories than I did. I'm just saying, I think it will be more expensive than you might think.
 
This is gonna sound funny...SMELL IT! I bought a used bow last year. I got it home & realized that anything porous on the bow or in the case smelled like cologne. So the case, case foam, quiver, bow dampeners, release are all basically no good to me. I have done just about everything to get rid of the smell. No luck with that. I could have bought a much nicer bow for the original price plus replacement gear My conclusion, the guy would come home from work & shoot his bow (after his morning application of the sweet smelling stuff). I'm done venting.
 
Thanks guys. I'll keep all of this stuff in mind.

Crow Terminator, another friend told me about ArcheryTalk, too. I'll be sure to check it out.

TheAirMan, my roommate is an avid bow hunter and said he'd show me the ropes.

BigBeef, I'll make sure it doesn't smell like Aqua Velva haha
 
BigBeef said:
This is gonna sound funny...SMELL IT! I bought a used bow last year. I got it home & realized that anything porous on the bow or in the case smelled like cologne. So the case, case foam, quiver, bow dampeners, release are all basically no good to me. I have done just about everything to get rid of the smell. No luck with that. I could have bought a much nicer bow for the original price plus replacement gear My conclusion, the guy would come home from work & shoot his bow (after his morning application of the sweet smelling stuff). I'm done venting.
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I keep an Earth Scent wafer in my bow case. Everything smells like dirt. I like it, the wife not so much.
 
Least expensive form would be a muzzleloader. You can get a Wolf with all the accessories needed for under $200. That would cover ML and gun season. For archery, you need to go to a shop and get measured and find the bow that fits you.
 

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