Mathews guy, switching to Martin, need some recommendations...

[gravedigger]

welcome to the forum
the Cougar FC with nitro cams would be my choice,maybe get the cams in cloaked that would look nice.the bow has great specs and my next bow will be a cougar.

[coastie hunter]

I started shooting mathews back in 1996 I shot mathews until 2006. I traded my switchback for a bullet x and have been shooting martin since then.martin makes a great bow for me they are alot easier to tune than mathews,they are fun to shoot,and I like the fact that they are a family run business and they put the customer first.I also like the fact that they are made in my home state of washington. not to many companys are making bows affordable now days but martin has made inovations just to keep there cost down. that comes in pretty handy when you love archery and you have 3 kids that all love archery to, my family and I will be shooting martin for a long time to come.

[Matrix]

I think this will help you decide

[bfisher]

Longshank,

I've stayed out of this fracas for a while and for my own reasons. I shoot similar specs as you in that I'm 5'8" tall and shoot right at or near 27". I don't hunt any more but have had my share of years in a treestand.

I'm not a short bow fan for several reasons. One is that I came up through the years with compounds around 48" and never lost a shot due to this excess length; that's all that was available back then and that was a lot shorter than a 60"+ recurve. That being said I also am of the opinion that I hunted a few months of the year actually taking less thn 1/2 doz shots during a season. I did a lot more shooting during what some call the off season, shooting target, field, and 3D--maybe 10,000 shots a year. So I always chose my bows with this in mind. I wanted more stable bows and this meant a longer a2a and more mass weight.

I've found that I get the most cosistent accuracy with bows about 38" long. I've owned bows as short as 32" and shot them well, but not as easily as with the longer bows. I'm finding that with today's parallel limbs and bigger cams a shorter bow can be shot accurately, but for me that means at least 32" and closer to 34" to 36" a2a. With a given cam (Nitro?) a slightly longer bow will draw just a bit smoother, too, when set to the same draw weight and length.

While we're on the subject of "smooth" let's discuss it further. Many people think that buying a smooth drawing bow set to a certain draw weight is the cat's meow. I've done my own human testing with both the Nitro/Hybrix (speed) cams as compared to the "easy" drawing MPro cams. One bow was a 2008 Martin FireCat and the other was a 2009 Moab; identical except for the cams with the Moab having the "smooth" cam. I had a chrono at my disposal and this is how I propose people compare bows.

Do not set them for a given draw weight for comparison. Set the smooth drawing bow for your desired draw weight and shoot it a bit to get used to the feel. Then shoot it over the chrono and record the speed. Now take the "hard cam" bow and do the same thing. It's probably going to be faster. Now back the weight off about 7# and chrono it again, adjust till both bows are shooting the same speed. Now alternate and shoot them both and see just how much differenc there is in draw cycles.

I'll be you won't find that hard cam bow so hard any more. And because you'll be drawing 7-8# less weight it won't wear you dwn as quickly when practicing. Longer mre frequent shooting sessions means you can work on your form and build better muscle memory and stamina; all good for hunting.

Now please consider that this is just my opinion on the subject, but is based on actual shooting of two bow identical except for the cams. Somehwere along in my career I learned to leave my ego at home when it comes to draw weight. Afterall, it's just a number and a dead deer isn't counting numbers.

[Longshank]

Thanks for all the great advice guys! It is really appreciated. I am travelling to East TN this week and found a dealer that is right on my way to Bristol. They have several models that I'll be able to shoot. Really leaning towards the Cougar right now but I'll talk with them about what I'm wanting out of a bow and we'll work it out from there. I'll let you all know what I decide. Thanks again!!!

Shank

[Tosi]

Pantera, Pantera, Pantera. I too have changed from another leading bow manufacture in the past few years. I purchased a 2009 Pantera and now own 2011 Fire Cat 400, 2012 Cougar with the Fury Cam and a 2012 Pantera with Fury Cam. The guys are right in saying the Fury Cam is a little rougher but with the 34 A2A and 7' brace of the 2012 Pantera, it make up for a lot. I do like the Pantera and will most likely be my main hunting bow this year. I will tell you that the Fire Cat 400 is right their, if not better. The 2011 Fire Cat is basically the Cougar FC Nitro Cams, smooth fast and accurate. I shoot the Panter with greater accuracy, don't know why, and just do. You can't go wrong with any of the new Bow from Martin.

[jwatts]

The back valley of the fury cam is a little ruff if you are not used to it. I have shot the bengal and the scepter, the nitro cams are
much more smooth. I would get a Cougar FC if your looking for a hunting bow. If a Target bow go with the scepter I love mine.

Enjoy your Martin

My thoughts exactly. I am the same size as you with a 27" draw. I am waiting on my cougar fc pro with nitro cams as we speak. Nitro's seemed much smoother for me.

[Longshank]

Well, in a few weeks I'll be the proud owner of a 2012 Cougar FC Pro with Nitro Cams. Shot the Bengal, Pantera, and the Cougar. Knew as soon as that first arrow was released that the Cougar was the one. Thanks for all the great advice and help guys!

Shank

[droppixel]

Good news!

[mdodraw29]

congratulations on the new bow.