The Archery Project
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The Archery Project
How to Buy a Used Bow Without Getting Screwed | FRIDAY KILL NOTES
Navigating the secondhand bow market can feel like walking through a minefield, especially for newcomers to archery. What appears to be a great deal can quickly become an expensive mistake without proper knowledge. Drawing from years of experience watching archers make costly errors, host Zakk Plocica delivers a masterclass on what to look for and what to avoid when purchasing a used bow.
The episode kicks off with a critical yet often overlooked consideration: eye dominance. Contrary to what many assume, your dominant eye (not hand) should dictate whether you purchase a right or left-handed bow. Zakk shares multiple real-world examples of right-handed, left-eye dominant archers who struggled until switching to left-handed bows. This single insight could save listeners hundreds of dollars and countless frustrating practice sessions.
Proper fitment emerges as another crucial factor, with Zakk detailing how to ensure a bow matches your draw length and weight capabilities. The financial implications become clear as he recounts stories of archers who purchased bows requiring expensive modifications sometimes costing more than the bow itself. His methodical approach to inspecting strings, limbs, cams, and risers provides listeners with a practical checklist to evaluate any used bow.
The most valuable takeaway might be Zakk's insider recommendation: complete transactions at your local archery shop where professionals can inspect the bow before purchase. This simple step could prevent disastrous outcomes, especially for those unable to identify potential issues. Remember, as Zakk emphasizes throughout, you're never obligated to complete a purchase you're uncomfortable with walking away from a questionable deal today could save you significant money and heartache tomorrow.
Ready to find your perfect used bow without getting duped? Listen now, and don't forget to share your own used bow buying tips in the comments!
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All right, ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of the archery project. I am your host, zach Placica, and today I wanted to talk about buying a used bow, what to look for and what to avoid. So buying a used bow can, as you know, save you a lot of money or it can cost you big. We've seen it time and time again. It's that time of year we have an influx of new archers, new people getting into bow hunting and I've seen it more often than not a lot of heartache when they buy a bow or you buy a bow that doesn't work for you. So we're going to cover some of the key signs on what a good deal is, what to look for, how to inspect these bows and then red flags as to when you need to walk away from a deal. So, like you know, not everybody wants to spend flagship money. I get it. Things are expensive and if you don't really know how into archery you really are, you don't want to go off the deep end and spend a lot of money. So you're out there searching for a good deal. Nothing wrong with that. There's a lot of great deals out there, but if you don't know what to look for you can get yourself in a lot of trouble If you've never bought a bow secondhand. You may have been in the archery game or bow hunter for years and you've never bought a bow secondhand and you don't know exactly what to look for. It can cost you dearly. I mean, we've seen it time and time again. So let's get started, shall we? And just so you guys know, I just shot an entire episode doing this and I didn't have the audio on, so I'm really, really crushing it today.
Zakk Plocica:So the first thing I wanted to talk about is right you're right-handed, right eye dominant, shoot a right-handed bow. You're left-handed, left eye dominant you shoot a left-handed bow Pretty cut and dry. Right Now, what I've seen an influx in this, particularly this year, it seems like, or maybe I've just noticed it more is right-handed, left eye dominant. You need to know what is your dominant eye whenever you are getting into archery, because if you're right-handed and left eye dominant I've seen more times than not they you're not able to shoot a right-handed bow. You need to go left to a left-handed option and we give you the option right. So that's what we do as a shop was we test, we check to see which is your right, your dominant eye, and then we let you shoot and see which bow works for you.
Zakk Plocica:Because I've noticed people that are left eye dominant shooting right-handed bows. They have a very hard time closing that dominant eye and focusing with the right eye and they can't be consistent the whether things are just blurry. They can't get their peep and sight to line up. It just doesn't work for them. And then we put them on the left-handed bow and boom, everything clicks. They're shooting lights out, the bow's performing, they're shooting, they're hitting where they need to. Um, it's a, it's a real problem that we've seen, because we've seen it time and time again.
Zakk Plocica:People come in right-handed, um, who've never shot a bow or don't know anything, but before they bought a bow secondhand, they ended up with a left-handed bow because they were holding it wrong. They come to get it set up and they were like man, this is a right-handed, this is a left-handed bow, you're right-handed. And they're like what now? I'm like well, you're out that money. You know, try to sell it. I don't know.
Zakk Plocica:But one of the big things, the big takeaways, is knowing your dominant eye. Nine times out of 10, whatever your dominant eye is, is the bow that you end up going with. So if you're right-handed, left-eyed, dominant, we see more times than not those individuals opt for a left-handed bow because they are able to shoot it better. Same thing left-handed, right eye dominant we see them go to a right-handed bow so that they can use that dominant eye and they don't have those focus issues. So those are. I would strongly suggest you know your dominant eye and then your dominant hand and then make your decision on buying a bow based off of that. So no, if you're right-handed or left-handed, and then what your dominant eye is, just so you don't make the mistake, because you know it's hard to shoot a bow whenever you've got to close your dominant eye and try to focus.
Zakk Plocica:Some people just can't do it. I've had a handful. I had a gentleman yesterday that, or it might've been even this morning, I don't remember all the days of running together but he came in. He was right-handed, left eye dominant. He tried to shoot a right-handed bow, couldn't do it. We put them on a left-handed bow, perfect, everything worked out well. Same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago with some of the kids in my youth camps that we put through. You know we give every week. We let them try both and it turns out, majority of the time right-handed, left eye dominant. They end up with that left-handed bow and they just shoot it so much better and it's just more natural for them, it's not forced. So I would consider you, I would tell you, to take that into consideration before making the purchase on that bow secondhand, if you're doing it yourself and not going through a shop.
Zakk Plocica:The other thing is fitment, right. You need to make sure the bow that you're buying fits you and fits you well, right. I've seen time and time again where somebody buys a bow and the bow can fit them, but it requires a full cam, right. So now they got to spend a couple hundred dollars on a cam they didn't factor that cost in and now they've got to spend an additional hundred to $200 on a cam in order to have that bow be shootable for them. So you need to make sure, one, that that bow can accommodate your draw length. So I would encourage you one measure yourself measure, fingertip to fingertip, your wingspan divided by two and a half. That your starting point for your draw length.
Zakk Plocica:Figure out where your starting point is and then make sure that that bow can accommodate those draw lengths. And then, taking it one step further, how does it accommodate those draw lengths? Is it on a rotating mod? Is it on an individual mod based off the draw length, or do you have to change out the entire cam? Those are all things you need to factor in when it comes to price-wise, because if you need to change the cam, it can cost you a lot of money in order to get that bow to fit you correctly. So you might be having to wait a couple of weeks, or even if they still make the cam, in order to get it down to your size or up to your size. Those are all things you really need to consider.
Zakk Plocica:So make sure that bow fits you and, adding onto that, if you're a bigger individual and your draw length is over 30 inches, you really need to be cautious, because there's a lot of bows that you that will not fit you. They only max out at 30 inches. They do not go 30 and a half, 31, 31 and a half. So you need to be equally as cautious and make sure you know the specs of the bow so that you know that it'll accommodate your draw length. Because we've seen it before, we've had bigger guys come through their 30, 31, 31 and a half inches, they've got a bow that maxes out at 29, 30 inches. This bow they can't shoot that well. They're so scrunched up on it It'll never fit them. And guess what? There's no returns on used bows. So you need to make sure that that bow is able to fit you and that the cam the cam that has haunted can accommodate your draw length.
Zakk Plocica:So keep that in mind, be very cautious when it comes to fitment and from there, draw weight too. Right, I had a guy come in I think it was last year, brand new to archery got a killer deal. Right, it's an 80 pound bow. The guy couldn't draw but 60 pounds. After we found a bow that would you know, he was able to get back. So he had a bow that was 80 pounds that he could do nothing with aside from put new limbs on it, and new limbs 250, 350, 400 bucks. After it's all said and done, he's in a flagship bow now you know. So it was a waste of money. Now he's got a bow that one doesn't have a warranty and two, he spent all that money just to get it to work. So be cautious of that. Make sure you know what weight you can draw and then again what the specs of the bow are I don't know why that's so hard to say so that you can have it fit you correctly and you can actually shoot the bow and you're not over bowed.
Zakk Plocica:From there you know some things, some key things you need to look at with these bow whenever you do your own inspections. One the string and cables right Check for any fraying, bone inspections. One the string and cables right Check for any fraying, any serving, separation, excessive wear. And then I would ask the seller when's the last time the strings were replaced? They should be straight up with you and tell you. There should be no question. If there's hesitation I'd be a little cautious Because if it's been over three years that bow is probably due for strings. So a set of strings and install run between 150 and $200 when you go to a shop. So if that bow needs strings you need to take that, factor, that price, into the equation so that you're not you know you got this bow that's on its last leg because the strings are serving or whatnot's coming undone, you know now you're at another $200. You need to think about that and consider that whenever buying that bow secondhand.
Zakk Plocica:The next thing are the limbs. I think it's because I've already done this podcast once on mute. Check the limbs. You need to make sure there's no cracks, splinters, delaminations with these limbs. I would take and have a cotton ball run it over top of the limbs to make sure it's not catching the cotton. Um, and you need to be able to kind of distinguish between cosmetic and structural damage for those limbs, because if you need to replace limbs on that bow you're looking at hundreds of dollars and again, not a good buy. I mean, if those limbs are cracked we can consider maybe it was dry fired, so that might require you might have bent cams too, bent axles.
Zakk Plocica:Need the strings replaced. Dude, buy a new, throw it away. Buy a new bow. It's not worth it. Check that stuff over. Make sure the limbs and everything are in pristine condition. There's no hairline, fractures, cracks. Just do your due diligence.
Zakk Plocica:Look that bow over head to toe. Again, we've seen it before. Check the riser. Make sure it wasn't run over. I'm straight up seeing that happen. Before Bow that was run over, there was a bent riser or a warped riser from some of the old carbon bows. Again, it's a deal breaker. If it's warped you're never one. They're not going to warranty that bow because you're buying a second hand to that bow is never going to shoot like it needs to. I have an RX eight down here that we ran over with a um 3,500 dually and you know there's cracks and chips in the riser. I would never sell that to somebody, but I'm sure there's people out there who would do that.
Zakk Plocica:Don't be on the receiving end of that and buy a dud. You know thinking you're getting a good deal. So you really need to know what to look for structurally with these bows. You need to be able to inspect the strings, cams, limbs, all of that. Make sure everything's working. You know. Again, getting back into the axles and the bearings and the cams, make sure when you draw the bow back that doesn't make any weird noises, it doesn't derail whenever you draw it back because the cams are bent All things you need to consider.
Zakk Plocica:When it comes to accessories. I'm not too concerned about accessories. It's just not as big a deal to me. You can replace all of those easy. But when it comes to the platform, you really need to be cautious and make sure that bow is in working order and working well, just so you don't end up with a dud, because it can be some serious heartache. You spend a couple hundred hard-earned dollars and that bow one is just it's out of the fight, out of the hunt. You can't do anything with it unless you put hundreds of dollars back into it to get it back up and running If you can even do that because it's an older bow, if you can still able to get parts and whatnot for it. So just err on the side of caution when buying secondhand, especially when you do not know what you're looking for.
Zakk Plocica:So major red flags when to walk away from a purchase is again any cracks in the limb, even hairline cracks, fractures, any of that hard pass. Don't buy the bow, move on, find another deal. Any unexplained creaking or weird noises that it makes that full draw. As somebody new getting into it or somebody that's looking for a backup bow or whatever it is, the last thing you want is to have to sink a lot more money into it because you're trying to save money. If it's got creaks or grinding, count on there being an issue with it. Pass on it. What else have we got?
Zakk Plocica:The other thing is looking at the individual seller that you're buying the bow from right. If they're avoiding questions or rushing the sale dude, hard pass, don't even deal with it. Don't mess with them. There's something they're hiding or maybe they just don't know what they've got and you can end up with a dud and that's the last thing you want. So I would feel the seller out as well.
Zakk Plocica:If you met them over social media, go back and do a little bit of history, get a little bit of history on them, you know, do a little bit of digging. See, you know how into archery are they. You know what's their experience, based off images and stuff that they posted, videos, and that'll give you an idea of the kind of person you're buying from. Because typically your bow hunters and your archers take care of their stuff For the most part, from what I've seen, they're meticulous about their equipment, they take care of it, they maintain it pretty well, and someone who doesn't have any of that posted, you don't know how into archery they are, what they know, what they don't know. So again, I would err on the side of caution if they're not willing to answer questions or let you test the bow.
Zakk Plocica:So the other thing looking at is if the price is too good. I know there's a lot of good deals out there and I have seen some incredible deals. You know I had a guy this week or two weeks ago I think, that bought a brand new lift X pretty much I'm talking brand new lift X from a pawn shop, got a steel. I would never buy a bow from a pawn shop. I would encourage you to never buy a bow from a pawn shop. But he got a deal on it and he got lucky. But if the price is too good, it probably is. You know, someone's just trying to offload something. And if you don't know what you're looking for and you're looking at it and that price is that good, I would just be very, very cautious because it may need more work than is worth. So err on the side of caution. You can do your own research. You can Google that bow, see what it's going for on eBay, see what the kind of the common price is with that platform, and the pricing should be somewhere within that realm. If it's that good of a price. Be cautious, my friend, be cautious. And so let me give you a little bit of tips on from a shop owner on buying a bow second hand and what I would look for and what I would do.
Zakk Plocica:Number one I would avoid a pawn shop. I've already said it don't buy a bow from a pawn shop. They are a pawn shop. They're looking for deals. They are not techs. They have no idea what they've got, so you can't even ask them good questions about the bow because they don't have history on it, right. They they're not the original owner. Don't buy a bow from a pawn shop. Please don't buy a bow from a pawn shop. If you're looking for a deal, don't go there. Search the interwebs, find a deal from there. Buy from a seller.
Zakk Plocica:The best thing too is if you can buy in person, and even better than buying in person. Bring the bow, and the individual have to meet you at your local pro shop. We would encourage you to do that here at Extreme Outfitters. I would have you. I would rather you come, do the transaction in our parking lot, in our store, whatever you're comfortable with, and do it in front of techs so they can make sure you're not getting hosed and getting a bad deal right.
Zakk Plocica:You can take and have techs go over that boat and make sure it's not a dud. It can fit you. The draw weight's not too great. If it needs parts, they can give you an idea what parts will cost, how much strings will cost if it's on a rotating mod, you know, or if it's just not a good deal. I mean, that's what we're here for. We're here to help you out, and a shop is going to have way more experience and the techs behind the counter are going to know exactly what to look for, versus you just taking a chance, especially when you have no idea what you're getting into.
Zakk Plocica:It's important you don't waste your money, because then you're buying twice or you're out and you just bought this dud and now you can't even get into the archery game that you wanted to. So the best thing you can do, buy in person. And better than that, buy in person at a local shop. Or take the time to go commute to some local shops and shop their used bows, because you know when those bows are on an archery shop's wall, they've already been inspected and vetted by a tech, so you know that they're good to go. There's no issues with them, right Structural or cosmetic issues that can be catastrophic in the future. You know it's just going to save you a lot of headache and then two, a good shop is going to make sure the bow fits you. Let you test the bow.
Zakk Plocica:I would encourage, if you're buying from a seller, you test the bow, don't just take their word for it. Oh yeah, it works great, I'm sure it does. Don't take their word for it. You need to know that the bow performs and works well In a shop. Any of the techs will be able to do that. One they'll be able to make sure because, as a new archer, you have no idea what you're looking for how the bow should shoot, how it should feel, how to anchor, how to shoot the bow. A tech is going to walk you through all that. So a good shop is going to do that. Anyways, we're going to teach you one make sure the bow fits you. Two, that you know how to shoot the bow. Three, the arrows that you get for the bow are set up and it lets you know of any potential upgrades that need to be made to the bow. Maybe the bow does need new strings. We're able to let you know that ahead of time and kind of give you a quote on that. So just be very, very cautious and take your time with the buying process.
Zakk Plocica:I would encourage you, err on the side of caution, buying secondhand, especially when you have no idea what you're looking for or you've never been in this. It's just, it's smart. It's going to save you a lot of headache, because I see time and time again people come in, they bought this bow, they think they've got a fantastic deal and it turns out it's just not the deal they thought it was and you know now they're out this money or it costs them a lot more money to get the bow back up and running or to where it needs to be in order for them to shoot it and shoot it well. So err on the side of caution. And then you know, when you're dealing with an individual seller.
Zakk Plocica:This goes back to kind of feeling out the seller. You need to ask them the bow's history and somebody who is into bow hunting or archery is going to be very transparent with you, at least from what I've seen with the individuals that we deal with, you know. Ask them. You know when's the last time the bow was restrung, what's the maintenance like for them? You know, have they had any issues with the bow? Um, was the bow ever dry fired? Hopefully they'd be transparent and honest with you. If it was, I mean, usually it's very fixableable. But that's something that I would want to know if I was buying a bow secondhand.
Zakk Plocica:So just feel the seller out, be able to ask questions and get the history of that bow and then, like I said, take the bow to a pro shop, have it inspected, do this transaction at the pro shop. That's the best. That's honestly the best thing you can do. This transaction at the pro shop, that's the best. That's honestly the best thing you can do. It's just going to save you a lot of headache, a lot of heartache, right? The last thing you want is to spend four to $700 on a used bow. It turns out you need a $200 set of strings or $150 set of strings. You know, $150, cam. You know now you've got additional $300 in here. You're getting close to flag flagship um price bow, getting close at least a couple hundred dollars more. You have a brand new bow with a warranty. So just be very cautious, um, take your time with it.
Zakk Plocica:And, the biggest thing, don't be afraid to walk. Don't be afraid to walk away from the sale. Say no If you're not comfortable with it, if you get a weird vibe, if the bow is not what you thought it was going to be, be willing to walk away and say no. I know it's very easy to get sucked in. You feel obligated. Somebody drove to meet you. You're obligated to nothing. Same thing when you walk in a shop you want to test bows, you're obligated to nothing. Take your time, make sure you're comfortable with the sell and the seller themselves. Again, I just don't want you to waste a lot of money. I just see it every year.
Zakk Plocica:We get people who are super excited to get into this thing and, man, they feel like they've got this incredible deal and they didn't. They've got a piece of junk that doesn't work, parts you can't get for it anymore, so it will never fit them. There's a host of issues. Or they bought a left-handed bow and their right-handed shooter and there's no returns on any of that. So have yourself the heartache.
Zakk Plocica:Go to a pro shop or at least do your research and know exactly what you're looking for. Know the specs of the bow you're buying from this individual. Know your measurements, know your capability, know how much weight you can draw. You can go to a shop, test a bow and say, okay, I can pull 70 pounds or I can pull 60 pounds. This is an 80 pound bow. I don't want that. You know what to look for within the bow you're buying.
Zakk Plocica:It is critical, it's important, it's going to save you a lot of headache and is going to make your archery journey much more enjoyable when you don't feel like you've just blown a bunch of money on nothing. So you don't feel like you've just blown a bunch of money on nothing. So that's my little rant, guys. Like I said, I just want to save you guys a lot of headache. I've had a lot of experience with seeing people come in and buy both second hands and, yes, there are some really incredible deals out there. But the incredible deals are only incredible if you know what to look for, how to approach the sale and what your measurements, fitment and all of that entail, because if not, again you are going to just be throwing money away. So that's it. Hopefully this helps some of you guys.
Zakk Plocica:Guys looking for backup bows, maybe archers getting brand new into the game and looking for their first bow. I just hope these little bit of information helps guide you through that buying process secondhand and, as always, if you have questions, reach out to your local shop. Reach out to us here. Go to your local shop, meet up, have somebody inspect the bow before you buy it. Again, you're obligated to nothing. Do not feel obligated to a sale you are not comfortable with.
Zakk Plocica:I just had a bow come in the other day. I don't know if I said this or not, but I had a guy that bought brand new to archery, super excited about getting into it, bought a bow secondhand. The bow came in. It was strung completely wrong. The string was on upside down. It was just a host of problems that could have potentially been catastrophic, and looking at it made me believe that the bow was probably one derailed or dry fired. And luckily there was no bent cams or anything and we were able to run the cables and strings correctly and get everything up to speed and make sure the bow fit him. But he could have been out a lot of money and not been able to get into the game right away and ended up with a bow that was. You know, somebody was just trying to offload.
Zakk Plocica:So just be cautious, take your time, do your due diligence, make sure you are methodical with this process and if you have questions, reach out to somebody who knows what's going on and knows bows well, not your buddy who randomly shoots, who thinks he knows. Reach out to a professional, ask questions. I hope this helps, guys. As always, thanks for listening. Drop some comments. Give some tips to people who give some of your best tips for people who are getting into archery or those looking to buy secondhand. What tips would you offer them? Drop them in the comments, as always. I appreciate you guys listening. We'll see you guys in the next episode of the Archery Project.