Is this bow worth my time?

[Chris76239]

I got an older bow dirt cheap $45 USD It's a Bear WhiteTail 2. I got it because I want to start bow hunting this year and I figure I should start cheap. The bow is older double cam bow but it was brand new in box still sealed in plastic with all the paperwork and parts to adjust the draw.
It's set to 70# with 29" draw

Now I have seen whats on the market now and am questioning my judgement is it worth spending the money to install sights and rest etc..
on this bow or is it too outdated to be useful? Any opinions would be great!:confused:


Chris

[greybark]

8) Hey Chris , No problem with learning your form with that bow . I would recommend that you find someone in helping you set it up with an up to date sight and stabilizer (if possible) that you could transfer to your new bow as your brain would be familiar (comfortable) with it and the learning and confident curve continue .

REMEMBER -- Keep Your Fingertab On --

[kgriz]

I used to be a successful competetive shooter and let me assure you that trends change in archery as fast as clothing fashion. I used to shoot in the unlimited category with all of the bells and whistles and now mosty shoot a longbow ( with hunting success ). Once you know the fundamentals of shooting, the equipement you use as long as it is reliable is just a function of how much time you can commit to practice; in general, the more bells and whistles, the less practice and expertise required to be an average shooter. If Howard Hill and Fred Bear could shoot as amazing as they could with a stick-bow I'm sure that your new (used ) bow will work just fine. The only caution I should give is that the older 2-cam bows will kick like a mule; be careful not to develope any flinchy habits.

[Chris76239]

That's good news now I just got to figure out what components to install, I was told by a fellow that all the newest stuff can still be installed on this bow cuz it has standard mounting (whatever that means).

[Chris76239]

What's a reasonable amount to spend on setting up a bow for hunting? What's the basics needed and is there a certain brand of stuff I should be looking for or staying away from?

[Bow Walker]

Basics.........hmmm. Are you going to be shooting with fingers or are you going to use a release?

A pic of the bow would help a lot as well.

I.m going to assume that you'll be using a release because it is inherently more accurate (sorry greybark).

You'll need the following - I'll suggest some inexpensive, reliable options as well.......

Arrow rest - try a Whisker Biscuit about $100
Sight - a three pin Spot Hogg Real Deal is tough as nails and quite reasonable at around $85 - $90
Peep sight - probably about 1/8" or 3/32" about $20
D-loop on the string about $3 (installed)
Stabilizer about $30
String silencers Oh yeah, a Release - about $95

You should be able to get all the above and have it set up on the bow for less than $300.00

Where do you live? Maybe we can suggest an inexpensive place to get this stuff.

[Chris76239]

Ok so I went and picked up a few things,
Whisker Biscuit
1/8 Peep sight
Toxonics K95 3-pin sight ( sorry BowWalker :mrgreen: )
Picked up stuff for Specialty Shooting Sports in Langley.

That as much as I was going to spend in one day anyway.

I got a question though I went to mount the arrow rest a the bow I have (Bear WhiteTail II) has a plastic arrow rest stuck to a flat piece metal that has a tube that slide into the center section of the bow. The tube has a set screw that holds this into the center section. This flat piece and tube has a threaded piece that was covered plastic arrow rest that the bolt from my new threads into.

I have to say mounting the rest to that tube piece looks like $#!? . And the end of the tube when pushed in enough so that the rest sits in the right place, ends up in the path of the arrow.:confused: Is there a piece I need to get to replace this other offending part? Or do I just cut of the flat piece and use a tap and thread the whole tube? ( And potentially wreck a piece I my not be able to get anymore? )

Chris

[willhunt]

stabilizers may be a waste of time and an inconvenience I do not use one any more and never will again. my first bow was a bear white tail 2 and it is HEAVY compaired to most modern bows and I cannot tell the difference with the stabilizer on or off.
can you show me what your problem is with a picture? that tube is what is supposed to keep your cables away from the string if that is what you are try'n to do . there should be a screw hole(s) in the sight window where the arrow rest should be mounted. the sight window is the shelf like area just above the grip.

[Chris76239]

Sorry my camera is not working right now. But it's not the cable position rod I'm messing around with. It's the factory arrow rest that's giving me problems. There is a hole that is above the hand grip and arrow landing that runs horizontal and this tube ( which I now found out is called the arrow rest carrier) slides in there and is held in place by a set screw.

What I need to do is find a way to mount the whisker biscuit to handle with out the arrow rest carrier because it with the carrier the bracket for the whisker biscuit is too far away from the handle the center the the biscuit. I though about using a bolt but that just doesn't seem right.

:confused:

[Bow Walker]

Chris - is this what your Biscuit looks like?

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Whisker_Biscuit.jpg

Do you mean that the bristle part with the hole in it will not line up with your center shot?

Center shot should be where your sight pins and your string, and your arrow rest hole all line up vertically when the bow is in a perpendicular position.

If the biscuit is behind the bow 'handle' (we'll get to the correct names later) by even as much as 1 1/2 inches it should not matter. as long as everything is in line.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/odyssey-jumbo.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=5660&size=big&cat=500)

See how the arrow rest is behind the arrow shelf? It's supposed to mount that way.

Sorry if I'm being overly simplistic here but it's hard to know just how knowledgeable you are.

Dan.

[Bow Walker]

Chris - in case you're not too familiar with the parts of a bow, here's some basics to get you introduced. Hope they help.

Dan.


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/bowillustration.jpg

[Chris76239]

Yep that's the way I have the rest setup behind the arrow rest. The problem is there is no threads in the handle of the bow to bolt the arrow rest on to. I guess that's one of the difficulties of having an older bow and put new stuff.

[Chris76239]

I just saved that pic thx.

[Bow Walker]

By The Way...............stabilizers are a balancing tool primarily, and a vibration absorbing tool secondarily.

I haven't yet shot a bow that cannot be helped by the proper stabilizer attached.

That's why every target shooter (other than bare bow shooters) use a stabilizer of some sort or other.

Dan.

[Bow Walker]

Yep that's the way I have the rest setup behind the arrow rest. The problem is there is no threads in the handle of the bow to bolt the arrow rest on to. I guess that's one of the difficulties of having an older bow and put new stuff.

On the pic with the parts named.......see where it says "arrow Shelf"? See where the little indicator circle is? Right beside that (just to the left) you can make out a hole in the riser. I

t's called a "berger hole". Does your bow have a hole like that?

The hole should be right through the riser and it should be threaded. Is yours?

[Chris76239]

Ok now we are getting somewhere, Yes the bow has a Berger hole but mine is not threaded. My bow has another fun piece the slides in the berger hole that my manual calls an arrow rest carrier and it's held in place with a set screw that tightens from the back of the riser.

[Bow Walker]

Chris - if the berger hole isn't threaded, it shouldn't be too difficult to get it done. Just match it with a bolt that fits the rest and the hole. Problem solved?

Hope so.


Dan.

[Bow Walker]

Ok now we are getting somewhere, Yes the bow has a Berger hole but mine is not threaded. My bow has another fun piece the slides in the berger hole that my manual calls an arrow rest carrier and it's held in place with a set screw that tightens from the back of the riser.
Without seeing t he bow..........

It sounds like there is something there to enable finger shooting, which needs a whole different rest than release shooting.

Is there what looks to be a "flipper" or a piece of spring-type wire that would support the arrow?

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/car358.jpg

Does it look a bit like this?

[Chris76239]

Yes except the flipper is a plastic piece that is 2 sided taped to the carrier I guess that would be the thing that the flipper is attached to in your pic.

The hole in my riser is 7/16" and the bracket for the biscuit is 5/16". I thinking I might have to cut a 7/16" piece of steel or brass and drill and tap it for a 5/16" bolt, and then cut the piece to the width of the riser and use the set screw to hold it in place. Essentially making a nut inside the riser.

what do you think?

[Bow Walker]

If you want to shoot fingers - such as "nails" here on this forum does - then that's all the rest you need.

If you plan on using a mechanical release then you need to get rid of that rest that's already on the bow and clean up the arrow shelf so you can use your WB instead of the flipper rest.

Meanwhile, here's a couple Cdn sites for ordering stuff. Or keep using Mike and Rhonda at SSSO - they know archery. Talk to Mike about hunting.

http://www.ca.nationalarcherysupply.com/

http://www.northprosports.com/

http://www.trophybookarchery.com/

http://www.bow-shop.com/index.html

[Chris76239]

Well I fixed the arrow rest problem, Turn out a piece of alum 7/16" in dia. and 20mm in length on a lathe, drilled and tapped it for the 5/16"-24 NF thread bolt from the whisker biscuit. Installed it in the riser and tightened up the set screw. Problem solved. :D :D :D

Now the bow is all together, Mike at Shooter's is installing the d-loop for me. should be ready to shooter end of the week. I will post pics of the finished product when I get my camera back.

[Bow Walker]

Lookin forward to actually seein this "relic".

[Chris76239]

Ok finally got some pics. Here is the almost complete Bow ( Just missing the stabilizer and wrist sling.) http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b9/BreakinSouls/Picture089.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b9/BreakinSouls/Picture092.jpg

And here is the part that I made to fit in the riser.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b9/BreakinSouls/Picture090.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b9/BreakinSouls/Picture091.jpg

Sorry wasn't sure how to make the pix fit. ( I ain't very computer savy)

[willhunt]

well lets hear how well it shoots. I see you must have children those stains are reminiscent of when my boys were tots .

[Bow Walker]

Yeah.........who spewed on the carpet? Kids or the dog or "gremlins"?

[Chris76239]

Those are from the previous Tenant who had a 3 year old. I just haven't got around to tearing up the carpet. Damn industrial shampooer couldn't remove it.

I'll have some new arrows and a stabilizer on friday. then will see how it shoot. really needs a stabilizer to balance it out. It leans back quite a bit after release. seems to shoot fast though.

[Bow Walker]

PM on the way......

[Chris76239]

Well I finally got to put a good 2 hours of shooting in at the range. And I have to say this bow shoots extreme well for it's age. Quite and smooth. I did end up turning the weight down a little though the 70# draw was burying the arrows a solid 12" in a pretty firm target and they were really hard to remove, not to mention 70# is pretty rough on the shoulder.

i backed it down the 55# and it still drove arrows in 8" seemed just as fast. Anyway really happy with the rig in general and I like having some older stuff in my collection. Thanks for the help and advise. Now it time to look for something I little lighter.

[Bow Walker]

Glad you like the bow - now get out there and bring home the "bacon" with it.

...well, maybe next year...

[Chris76239]

Ya, will have to get my stuff together I little earlier I think. it gives me all lots of time to practice and maybe look for something lighter maybe. I can't imagine lugging that thing around for miles.