# New to Archery....Real New (Bow Buying Questions)



## BackstrapAssasn (Jan 30, 2010)

Hey, 

New to the forum and to archery, a little embarrassed to admit this but I've never even drawn a bow. I plan to use my bow for hunting whitetail. Good news is I'm not new to hunting, outdoors, safety, etc just happen to know NOTHING about bows. I've been constantly researching everything I can and decided to join the forum to get some questions answered more quickly. I am 5'8" 155lb male and it's my understanding that my draw length will be approximately 26.5" and weight 50-60lbs. Reguardless of what exactly it would be for a small frame adult I want to have a bow I can grow into (strength wise) and have narrowed my search down.

Questions:
1.) Is the Martin Cheetah a good beginner bow?
2.) Is $329 (bare) a good price?
3.) Is the whisker bisket a good rest?...is there such a thing as a starter rest?

That'll do for now, I'd really appreciate it if you guys could answer any/all of these questions. Look forward to being a part of the forum, more questions to come! Thanks ~Dan


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## Little goo (Jul 18, 2009)

Welcom to AT. Nothing to be embarrassed about. It's better to ask questions now then to waste money on a bow that will not suite you. I suggest you find a shop and shoot as many bows as you can. Find someone that will show you the basics. Any good pro shop will be willing to help you. Take time to read all you can on here and you can learn alot. Not sure on the price of the Martin, I am sure there will be more replys to follow. Good luck and welcom.


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## BowBoy78 (Aug 17, 2009)

BackstrapAssasn said:


> Hey,
> 
> New to the forum and to archery, a little embarrassed to admit this but I've never even drawn a bow. I plan to use my bow for hunting whitetail. Good news is I'm not new to hunting, outdoors, safety, etc just happen to know NOTHING about bows. I've been constantly researching everything I can and decided to join the forum to get some questions answered more quickly. I am 5'8" 155lb male and it's my understanding that my draw length will be approximately 26.5" and weight 50-60lbs. Reguardless of what exactly it would be for a small frame adult I want to have a bow I can grow into (strength wise) and have narrowed my search down.
> 
> ...


I had a cheetah bought on the internet until the guy lost contact with me
but i think it is ok
the wiskerbiskut is great and keeps arrow in place
some say it slows your arrow down but shot through a chrony it is 3 fps slower with standard vanes which isnt a lot

dont jump into something you will regret 
go to the local bow shop and get your exact comfortable length and weight

sometimes the local shop will have a killer deal on a bow that has ben used for a season and traded back in
thats how i got my mathews


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## mdewitt71 (Jul 20, 2005)

*welcome aboard..............*

This is a GREAT place to get info. 
First off I would try to get to a local archery shop. Go there NOT to buy a bow right away but to hold, draw, feel, and shoot as many as you can. 
Take your time ask lots of questions. 
There are so many models out, I will not say one is better than another. 
You should be able to get a nice setup for a decent price. 

I gotta stay up all all night (working a 24hour shift) and will gladly answer any question to the best of my ability, if you wanna PM me. 

Good luck and good shooting. :darkbeer:


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## shec6135 (Jan 2, 2010)

sorry i don't know much about the cheetah but the whisker biscuit is perfect for beginners, i know a lot of good hunters that use them. also like everyone has said don't settle for something, or let yourself be talked into a brand, go to a shop and shoot all the ones you have been looking at. with your draw length i would look for something that has a high ibo speed (300+) mainly b/c you loose speed having shorter arms already. also keep in mind what type of hunting you will be doing, if hunting out of a blind or tree stand, you might want something with a shorter axle to axle height, or better yet parallel(sp) limbs. for a beginner bow you might want to stick with the higher end of brace heights meaning 6.5"+ for the simple fact that they are more forgiving if you use poor form and have tendencies to torque the bow you will still be more accurate with a larger brace height, but you give up speed the bigger your brace height, so you'll have to find a happy medium. as far as quiteness and hand vibration, i recomend getting a bow with a string stop, but my first bow didn't have one so it's not needed, but very nice IMO. once you have shot a bunch of bows and know the one you can't live without, check out e-bay and see what they're going for so you have an idea, also if you find someone on archerytalk you might get a better deal.hope i'm not making your head spin, but i would have wanted someone telling me all this ahead of time. G/L:wink:


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## shec6135 (Jan 2, 2010)

after posting i looked up the cheetah and even though i don't know much about martins, i do know they've been around for 50 some years and the cheetah looks like a great starter bow, but like everyone's said DEFFINATELY shoot it before you make the plunge, even if you have to drive an hour or two. also i know most companies only have lifetime warranties for the original owner of new bows. this being said you can get a new cheetah for around $450, that would be worth taking an extra look into if you end up shooting and really liking the cheetah. :darkbeer:


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## rubenmromero (Jul 1, 2009)

*answers to Cheetah bow and whisker biscuit*

Hey, how you doing bud? I have owned the Bone Hunter model which is the Cheetah made by Martin Archery for Dick's Sporting Goods Stores.Same bow sold with a different name thats all. It is a very fine bow quiet,fast ,shock free and arel good price.Trust me you wil like this bow. I have tried all the rests out there also and for spot and staulk hunting you can not go wrong with a whisker biscuit. don't worry about arrow speed loss, it is not significant. just make sure you have quality arrows with god stong vanes like norway,blazer, and easton are also good . $329.00 is the average price retail for a Cheetah.Lok around on this site or E-bay and you can get it cheaper. Hope this advice offers some help. Welcome to archery its a sport you wil find very addictive.


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## BackstrapAssasn (Jan 30, 2010)

*Thanks, thanks, thanks*

This is awesome, I did not expect such a warm welcome and so many replies with awesome advice. Keep an eye out for me as I will be posting more under other threads to get more concise answers for my new questions. I am trying to exercise some restraint in waiting to buy my bow until I can get into a bow shop and shoot. I gave in a little today and bought a sight.....haha it was only 60 bucks if it doesn't work out I'll put it up for sale but I have to get my hands on some equipment. 

Thanks again everyone.......... ~Dan :thumbs_up


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## kunas (Dec 15, 2008)

good for you for admitting your inexperience. most people wouldn't do that. 
I don't have much advice for you since I'm fairly new to bow hunting myself, but I will say this site has tons of information. that's both a good thing and bad thing. most guys on here think their gear is the best but there are guys who truly know a little about every brand and will tell you it's good, but you'll soon want better. 
I use a bisket and love it. it doesn't get any simpler. 
but I also use fairly cheap equipment (truglow, walmart shafts, trufire release) and plan to upgrade to nicer stuff as I get more into it.
good luck and read all you can.:darkbeer:


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## whack & stack (Jan 13, 2010)

*Cheetah is a great bow*

I have a friend that bought a Martin Cheetah this year and it seems to be a good, quiet and fast little bow. I would highly recommend this bow and the Whisker Biscuit is a good beginners rest.
You can't go wrong with this bow. He got his at Scheel's fully equipped for $399.


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