New here, got some questions

Welcome.  First of all, the hand you draw the string with determines if the Bow is RH or LH.  Yours would be right handed.  With your questions, without knowing it, you kind of opened a can of worms.  With bows, so much of it comes down to personal preference.  Everyone has their little likes and dislikes, etc.  Like me, I can NOT stand the whisker biscuit, but I guarantee you there are guys here that swear by it.  And we would both be right since it's a solid product.  The absolute BEST thing I could advise, and most here would agree, if you can shoot the bows you are looking at buying and see which one feels best for you.  I bought a bow or two before I shot them and they didn't work out for me. 

Most of the major companies that sell the RTH packages usually have decent stuff, especially for a new person to compund bows.  Just depends on what comes with the package and the actual bow.  Once you get in to it a bit, you will probably be swapping stuff out like sights, rest or whatever.  I bought a Bowtech RTH bow a while back and swapped sights already.  As far as used bows, you can find some really killer deals on some great bows.  Archery Talk has a classified section that's pretty sweet.  Some of them will already be set up with stuff and some are bare.  If you are not sure, be sure to get a buddy to advise you before buying one just to be safe.

A word of caution, once you pick up a bow and start hunting big game, it's extremely addictive and can have a negative impact on relationships and employment.   

Hey Zakk welcome to archery! I pretty much agree with Crounsbd.  Whatever you end up buying make sure you talk to your friends or even post it on here first and get another opinion about.  Most any new bow out there is going to do the job just comes down to personal preference and comfort. I personally like a little longer bow axle to axle for accuracy.  I also like my brace height to be around 7 to 8 inches.The combination of the two makes the bow more forgiving especially at longer distances.  As far as acssesories I would stay away from plastic parts.  I would look for a 5 pin sight instead of the 3 you mentioned.  I would definately recommend a release with a D loop.

Now, I would also recommend you look at PSE first.  They have a great product and offer some great ready to shoot packages. Also anything PSE, I can get you a small discount on.  If you like something, shoot me a PM and I can get you a price.  I am also a firm believer that you get what you pay for, so like the rest of us it may be better to buy a little here and a little there instead of trying to get it all in one package.  Just my opinion hope it helps.

Good luck!

with some bows ive noticed they have a small weight pull like a 55lb pull with 305 fps, is this a fact?  also the weight of the bow itself some ive seen are like 3.6lbs some are even up to like 8 lbs is there a difference other than gee this one is heavy and this one isnt?

The speed that is posted on the tag of the bow is the IBO speed.  Which means they tested that bow at 70lbs and a 30 inch draw length with a certain size arrow and thats how fast it was.  Most of us dont get that kind of speed out of the bow cause we shorten the draw length and lower the poundage both of which take away speed.  The physical weight of the bow isnt going to have an affect on performance.. Just like you said this one is light and this one is heavy.  Now with that said to light of a bow is not going to do as well if you are shooting in windy conditions. But with that said you can always add weight to a bow with all the stabilizers that are offered today but hard to take away weight from a bow that is to heavy.

 For starters Zack IBO is based of 70lbs at 30inch draw length with a 5 grs per inch arrow.  and Second I would not recommend PSE but like what was said earlier its so much personal preference that you really have to shoot and handle every bow in your price range.  if you have ever shot a hand gun it is a lot like that. as far as some love glocks or 1911's and some people don't. i personally used to work at Bass Pro shops and am a Pro Staff shooter for Bowtech and i wouldnt recommend a RTH package. like the other guy said you will take a lot of the parts off and upgrade all the parts if you are really serious about hunting.  it is better to spend a little extra money right now when you get your bow then spend it later.  you will save money in the long run.  you will have more time to get used to your setup.  a nice mid range bow is the Diamond Stud, the Bear Strike or Assault, if you can find a used Black Ice that would be a good buy.  I cant completely bad on the PSE the Bow Madness XS is a good buy at 499. all in all getting a bow that is just striped down and add a nice say 5 pin Truglo, a QAD full containment fall away, a Alpine Bear Claw quiver. i would spend a little bit more money on a release though. maybe a Scott. trust me if you get the accessories you want you will be a lot happier with it in the long run. which Bass Pro did you go to?

i went to the bass pro in Rancho Cucamonga, the few bows i was considering were the Martin Pantera RTH, the Bear Charge RTH, and the PSE Archery Nova NI RTS. there are a few others i have in mind and will shoot all of them just really taking my time before i go out and get one so that way i dont get a bow and say darn i should of done this or that.

 well i used to work at that one! i wouldnt go with the Martin of the PSE. the Bear is better.  what i would do if i were you is go in there and talk to Garrett. he knows what he is talkin about and he will point you in the right direction. and as a Tech i wont let anyone but him or myself work on my bow. He really knows his stuff

See what I mean about personal preference?  I also prefer bowtech, but that's just me.  One big pearl of wisdom one of the guys mentioned is you get what you pay for.  I have this need to learn that lesson over and over again for some reason.  My bow guy is by far the greatest archer I have ever seen, he cuts cucumbers at 96 yards and is shooting groups now with 2 different bows at 170 and 180 yards.  Too extreme for me, but he has always tried to advise me on bows and gear.  I get excited, buy a RTH package, then end up spending even more replacing stuff.  Even some of the stuff I bought to swap out I got burned on.  You may pay a few dollars more up front, but it will more than pay for itself in the end.  And you will save yourself some painful lessons, you will already have enough of those.

The axel to axel advice was great and the greater the brace height, the more forgiving.  And the speed bow madness that has taken over the market has a lot of people trying to reach the IBO with their set up.  Do what's best for YOU.  I had a great bow that was cranking a 503 grain arrow at about 280 fps.  Lots of kinetic energy there!  I was driving tacks with it to 50 yards, but my shoulder is messed up and my form is flawed.  Past 50 yards the flaw was magnified 10 fold.  Just couldn't shoot it.  I got another bow shooting the same arrow at 253fps and more brace height and I'm shooting groups at 96 yards.  Go figure.  Another reason to try and shoot before you buy.

Once you find a bow you like, shop around!!!!  Internet, Archery Talk, pro shops, there are GREAT deals to be had if you look.

Good luck.

 Thank You Crounsebd.  Too many people out there are Speed freeks.  Ya speed helps minimize the margine of error if you are guessing yardage if you guess 45 and its only 40 a flat shooting bow isnt going to drop as much.  personally i shot my first buck with a hoyt set at 45 pounds and had a complete pass through at 30 yards.  so much of archery is shot placement.  you dont always have to a 60 to 70 pound bow to kill something.  i have my Bowtech Sentinel FLX set at only 65 right now even though i know i can pull back at least 75 to 80 but i can control 65 better and am a better shot with it.  get something that is going to be comfortable for you if you can only pull back 55 then dont try to be macho and get a heavier bow.  get something that you can pull back with the least movement and especially without havin to high draw it.  and with accessories get a sight that you will use.  i have an Armortech 7pin sight but i can proficiently shoot out to 80 and beyond with it.  if you dont feel confident in making shots out to that then there is no reason to have that many pins.  just dont go too cheap with it because it is addicting and you will want something better.  so if you can do it go with as good as you can possibly afford.  and if you can do it i would prefer the Binary Cam Bowtech's over the Single Cam Diamonds.  not to knock on the Diamond its a great bow but i do like the center pivot Bowtech and the only Diamond that has that is the Iceman and lets face it if you had a choice to spend 850-900 bucks on a Iceman or a Admiral id take the Admiral any day.  If you go into Bass Pro there in Rancho ask for Garrett.   He is also a Bowtech Pro Staff and doesnt feel no one a bunch of BS to sell a bow. He will be straight with you.  Just go during the week and before or after the 2nd thru the 8th of Sept because he will be hunting Deer and Bear with me.  Go shoot bow as many as you can. i can tell you what works best for me but you got a different feel for things then i do or anyone does.  dont let someone talk you into a bow that you arent in love with.  it is just really hard to beat the dead in hand feel of a center pivot binary cam bowtech. 

Rodger

Speed is awesome if........  You can control it, have tight form and practice a lot.  The most important aspect is being able to place the shot where you want it every time.  Without that, you olny miss faster.  Love my bowtech, but every manufacturer out there has great stuff to offer.

Zakk, I kind of envy you.  It's like new car shopping, it can be fun if you don't let things get to you and get frustrated with it.  Enjoy it.

Welcome, Zakk! I am happy to hear you enjoyed the seminar. These guys speak the truth. I will say that although holsher_12 doesn't like the PSE or Martin, I have shot both and thoroughly enjoyed shooting them. They both make an excellent bow. So do Hoyt, Mathews, Bear, Bowtech... and the list goes on. I have shot Browning, Bear, High Country, Martin and PSE and I liked each bow for different reasons. I shoot a PSE X-Force now and I bought it used off of one of our contributors here, wingbone. It's an excellent bow and fits me perfectly. I also shoot a PSE Vengeance as my back-up bow. Another great bow. My point is that somewhere out there is a bow that will fit YOU and do what you want it to do. You just have to look for it. I have purchased used bows in the past and have had great success with them. Don't worry about speed and kinetic energy so much. You can go crazy with the details. Worry about shooting a comfortable bow with at least 50lbs of draw weight (if you plan to hunt) and making accurate shots. Even a 50lb bow with the right set up will be capable of bringing down game. I've been an archer for 26 years. I shot my first whitetail at age 14 with a Bear bow with a 50# draw. He ran 60 yards and dropped within sight.

Good to see you asking questions right away, too! Even us old timers ask plenty of questions.

Zack IBO is not a 5 grains per inch arrow it is 5 grains for each pound of pull so it is a 70 lb bow and 70 lbs multiplied by 5 grains equals a 350 grain arrow so they(ibo) test the bows at 70 lbs with a 30 inch draw and a 350 grain arrow and they come up with the ibo speed.

Zakk i now shoot Hoyt.....but as FC stated i shot PSE for some time i do have another PSE X-Force with Fuse Quiver,Fuse Stabilizer,SpotHogg 7 Deadly Pins Sight,Rip Cord Rest...28"Draw@60-70lb. limbs all adjustable oh and a couple dozens PSE pro xweave arrows all for $ 500

Well Bought my new bow. im a proud owner of a Bear Charge RTH Set up. now i do realize that i will be changing alot of the things on this bow down the line but upgrading from a 10 year old recurve to this one is a big diffence so i am just getting my feet wet i can tell already but i am looking forward to taking it out and doing some damage with it, and being on a budget and looking around it didnt seem like a half bad deal.

HOLSHER 12 R WE GONNA SEE U AND GARRET AT THE IRONMAN SHOOT THIS YEAR?  WE NEED SOME BOW TECH PROSTAFFERS DOWN THERE.