Recommendation for a good ladies bow

[antelope_hntr]

Hi everyone! I am trying to get into archery hunting with my fiance and am starting to look around for bows, unfortunately, there is just not much out there for ladies bows. According to the guy at Cabela's my draw length is 26" and I am not sure how much I can draw for weight since I have only done some internet research at this point and not tried shooting anything yet (although I'd like to think I am not a total weakling and I'm not scared to work up to a higher weight either). Due to the length and weight most guy's bows don't seem like they would work for me to start out and learn with. We will be doing backpacking and spot and stalk type hunting so weight is also a consideration for me. Main game we go after will be elk and possibly deer too. The salesmen at Cabelas and Wholesale sports both pushed a Diamond Razor Edge on me as pretty much my only choice. I came across Martin online and the bows seem like excellent quality and price, fairly adjustable, plus I love the fact they are made by a 3rd generation family in the USA and not some factory in China like Walmart crap. I was considering trying the Exile since it would fit my draw length and be adjustable for weight as I improve. Anyone else have any comments on what they think of the Exile? How do you feel it compares to competitor bows like the Razor edge? Does it seem to hold up to wear and shoot ok? Any input for what other bows I should consider? Sorry to bombard you with questions, but any advice would be great. Thanks!

[droppixel]

Welcome to the forums. Give this thread a look. Lots of good discussion and friendly banter.

http://martinarchery.com/mtechforum/...-for-my-fiance

[antelope_hntr]

Welcome to the forums. Give this thread a look. Lots of good discussion and friendly banter.

http://martinarchery.com/mtechforum/...-for-my-fiance

Thanks for the thread link, droppixel, there was some good suggestions in there.

I talked to the customer service at Martin and they said they discontinued the Exile Pro but were going to start making the Prowler Pro in June but with cast instead of machined risers or arms. Is this something you would recommend avoiding? The Exile pro and the Prowler pro appealed to me due to the adjustability in draw weight and low overall weight of the bow at 3.3lbs, but if one is discontinued and the other's quality goes down with being cast I might need a new option. I've seen some people recommend the Bengal Pro on here but although it looks like the axle is longer, it has the carbon fiber STS, and more VEM than the Exile does it is also half a pound heavier overall. Do you know if the regular Exile will still adjust down 35lbs like the others due to having the fury xt cam? What one of the Martin bows would you guys recommend? Thanks for helping me.

[antelope_hntr]

Thanks for the link, droppixel, there were some good suggestions on there.

I have another few questions for you if you don't mind. The main bows I was looking at due to their adjustability and overall low weight were the Exile Pro and the Prowler Pro. According to the posts on here and customer service the Exile Pro is discontinued and the Prowler will be made available in June now. However, the rep said they were switching to cast instead of machined. Do you feel this is a quality issue I should avoid? If so, what would you recommend instead? I know some people here suggested the Bengal Pro in place of the Prowler, but it is about a half a pound heavier. Do you feel the advanteages of double the VEM, the carbon fiber STS, and a slightly longer axle length make it worth the extra weight and $ compared to the regular Exile for a beginner shooter? And although I assumed so due to the same type of Fury XT cam, does the regular Exile adjust down 35lbs like the Exile Pro, Prowler Pro, and Bengal Pro said they would in their descriptions? Or am I better off going with another brand altogether? What are you thoughts? Thanks for taking the time to help me, I really appreciate it!

[madman350]

its good to hear that you would like to support a family owned American business' like Martin . you are probably not going to want a bow in the 45-60# lb range. most likely to stout and doubtful you'll need 60 lbs any time soon. so that leaves 35-50 lb range ( or 30-40 class, or even a 25-40 ) which 35# may be right at your threshold to pull back anyway.
the exile is probably a good bow size wise for you if you can get the brand new one (they have more adjustable cams) or a older 35-50 model, just cant say that i have seen one of them. You could maybe try and get a martin onza with the 1.5 cams (which has shorter draw) in the 35-50 lb and you would love it all tho not the cheapest option.
Try and locate a martin leopard online ( discontinued and not many available) it should fit you nicely, and their price is reasonable. a great bow, looks like a exile just maybe a little lighter in the riser.
the razor edge is nice, draws & shoots well, and is slender, you would like it. keep us posted on your search and dont forget to ask for more recommendations as the purchase draws closer !

[justin]

Ok did some double checking..... the 2012 exlie has a draw length ranger of 24.5 to 30 inches and a weight range of 35-70 # in the 70 # model. Thats right. So if you end up with a 60 pound model, you can work your way up to 60. And i realize 25-35# isnt a whole lot of draw weight, so its good to know aproximatly what poundage you plan on starting at, and what you may want to work up to. A max poundage closer to what you will be shooting will be more efficient and give you more speed. All that being said, make sure you are looking at a 2012 bow with the fury xt cam, as the accutrack cam only offers 15#s of draw weight adjustability.

[elkslayer4x5]

Did a quick search on Ebay for Leopards, found two. Both are 2011 packages, one is 45-60 lbs for $299, the other is 35-50 lbs for $330, both ship free.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Martin-...item2ebddb526d


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Martin-Leopa...item5649d576bc

[antelope_hntr]

Did a quick search on Ebay for Leopards, found two. Both are 2011 packages, one is 45-60 lbs for $299, the other is 35-50 lbs for $330, both ship free.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2011-Martin-...item2ebddb526d


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Martin-Leopa...item5649d576bc

Thanks for the info, guys! I agree with you about the adjustability and was planning on trying to go with a bow that had the Fury XT cams for that reason. I haven't quite figured out what my draw max might be, probably closer to 50 and definitely not over 60 I think, but I didn't know that I should select a bow closest to it for best performance. I think I could handle something in the 25-35 range right now, but I will have to check into it at an archery store this weekend. I did break my upper right arm a few years back and needed surgery so I am not sure if drawing a heavy bow back will irritate it or not. I'll have to test it and see.

The Leopard sounds interesting. The info from the link you posted sounds like it has a lot of the same features except for the accu-track cams, the TRG (which I read people didn't care for on here), and it would only adjust 15# for me. Is that 15# adjustment included in the 45-60 or 35-50 then? Seem slike the Exile would allow for more adjustment for me as I improve if that is the case. Are there any other features between the two that you feel gives one an edge?

I have read a bunch of reviews on the Diamond Razor Edge. Mostly good, but a few negative ones where people complained about quality of parts, the cable coming off the top cam, the valley, and a few other string/cable issues on newer bows. Always hard to tell how much credit to give unfavorable reviews. I could test shoot it though since I know a few stores here have them.

Did anyone have any comments on the machined vs casting of parts? It was my impression that the cast was inferrior to the machined but I don't know much about it. Thanks again for all the help!

[antelope_hntr]

keep us posted on your search and dont forget to ask for more recommendations as the purchase draws closer !

Ok, so I called the 6 stores within 2 hours of me that were supposed to carry Martin and only 1 of them still does. It is an hour drive away so I haven't made it there yet but plan to try this weekend. The guy I talked to said they don't have the Exile in stock, but they do have a Bengal, Cougar FC, Pantera, and Onza. The Cougar and Bengal have the fury XT cams so I think I might ask to try those two. I noticed a lot of the guys on here seem to like the Nitro cams better than the Fury XT, but how adjustable are they for draw weight? Also I've been told I was 25.5 by two dealers not 26 like Cabelas said, is that bad at all to be just at the end of the draw range for what the bow can do? Since I haven't been able to try a Martin yet I have tried a few others for comparison and shot the PSE Stilleto, Bowtech Heartbreaker, Mission Craze, Hoyt Ruckus, and Bear Homewrecker. Kinda having a hard time comparing them all since I'm not quite sure what to look for and every sales guy pushes a different one on me. Do you guys have any recommendations as to what is most important to pay attention to? Any draw characteristics that make it harder/easier to shoot that I don't know of? Sorry for the long post, just trying to figure things out so I can make a good choice, and compared to me you guys are like the archery gods, ha ha. Really appreciate the help!

[antelope_hntr]

Also, one more question. I was playing with the backcountry bowhunting archery calculator today and it said that 50ft-lbs or more were required for elk (what I plan to hunt with my future bow). Well, when I started testing it out using my draw of 25.5", draw weights and IBO's of the manufacturers ladies bows, and changing the arrow grains and string weights, it seemed that the only way I could hit 50 ft-lbs was with a max draw weight of 60lbs and an IBO speed over 320. The only ladies bows that would do it due to listed IBO were the Mathews Jewel and Passion. I know speed isn't everything, and I wouldn't try shots over 30-40 yards, but not having enough ft-lbs to penetrate well seems like a definite concern. I don't want to wound stuff and lose it. I read some forums that said not to go under 50lbs and stay closer to 60 if possible. The martin bows seem like they would do just fine as long as I can work up to pull 50-60lbs, but the women's choices just seem weak. The more I look around the better the adjustable Martin bows seem as an option. How concerned should I be about it? Do you think I would be ok for elk with a Martin if I could get in the 50-60lb draw range with having a 25.5" draw length? Thanks!