Winchester compound bow any good?

[Carlo Pelser]

I have the opportunity to get a Winchester Thunderbolt not sure if it is the SS or not. Is the bow a decent bow? Good enough for hunting?

 

[mdwest]

I am by NO MEANS a bow expert (I am a neophyte that has only been shooting a few months myself)..

I picked up a Winchester bow (not sure if it was a thunderbolt or not) when I was first looking for a bow back around December.. It seemed nice enough.. but again, at the time I had never even fired an arrow yet.. I considered it.. but waived off after I found a really great deal on a parker hornet..

Armsrack doesnt seem to think too highly of the bow (see below).. but the bow tech at Cabelas I spoke with about it said he thought they were a decent product for the money.. He also told me that Winchester didnt actually make the bows.. they licensed their name/logo to Falcon Outdoors who made (makes?) and exclusive line of Winchester bows and crossbows..

http://compound-bows.armsrack.com/l/198/Winchester-Thunderbolt

 

[billc]

they are just that not a bad bow but not a great bow by the specs posted above . If its max is only 52lbs it seems more like a kids bow. My sons first bow was a diamond by bowtech from cabelas and it went to 60lbs and was worth the money. I myself would say save the bow and get a little better bow if you can.

 

[Carlo Pelser]

I am by NO MEANS a bow expert (I am a neophyte that has only been shooting a few months myself)..

I picked up a Winchester bow (not sure if it was a thunderbolt or not) when I was first looking for a bow back around December.. It seemed nice enough.. but again, at the time I had never even fired an arrow yet.. I considered it.. but waived off after I found a really great deal on a parker hornet..

Armsrack doesnt seem to think too highly of the bow (see below).. but the bow tech at Cabelas I spoke with about it said he thought they were a decent product for the money.. He also told me that Winchester didnt actually make the bows.. they licensed their name/logo to Falcon Outdoors who made (makes?) and exclusive line of Winchester bows and crossbows..

http://compound-bows.armsrack.com/l/198/Winchester-Thunderbolt

View attachment 178255

Thanks for the reply. I seem to hear pretty good things about the brand on youtube but cant really find anything on the thunderbolt specifically. Any way i have a Hoyt but its not really strong its only a 40 pounder and dont really want to risk not making a good hit on a animal so i need something stronger.

 

[mdwest]

If its max is only 52lbs it seems more like a kids bow. My sons first bow was a diamond by bowtech from cabelas and it went to 60lbs and was worth the money..

Thats what we bought our daughter for her first bow.. the diamond infinite edge, by bowtech..

Cabelas just had them on sale last week.. complete bow package for $299 (normally $349).. huge range, capable of adjusting from 5lbs to 70lbs.. super adjustable in draw length.. 310fps IBO, etc.. We thought it was an excellent first bow choice for her..

She's shooting at about 20lbs right now and consistently knocking the x-ring out of targets out to about 15 yards..

Honestly, had I found this deal before I found the parker that I bought.. I probably would have gotten myself one too.. its proven to be a pretty awesome bow for the money so far.. and hers is comfortable to shoot (she, my wife, and I all three think the grip, balance, etc.. is all really comfortable..and has fit all of our hands well, etc..)..

 

[BRICKBURN]

Licensed a name..
A history with firearms does not translate to quality in a bow.

Test any product to see if it meets your needs.

 

[billc]

Thats what we bought our daughter for her first bow.. the diamond infinite edge, by bowtech..

Cabelas just had them on sale last week.. complete bow package for $299 (normally $349).. huge range, capable of adjusting from 5lbs to 70lbs.. super adjustable in draw length.. 310fps IBO, etc.. We thought it was an excellent first bow choice for her..

She's shooting at about 20lbs right now and consistently knocking the x-ring out of targets out to about 15 yards..

Honestly, had I found this deal before I found the parker that I bought.. I probably would have gotten myself one too.. its proven to be a pretty awesome bow for the money so far.. and hers is comfortable to shoot (she, my wife, and I all three think the grip, balance, etc.. is all really comfortable..and has fit all of our hands well, etc..)..

It is a great bow to start and your daughter will enjoy it for a long time. My son shot his for 7 years and it still works well I just felt the need to up grade him to a new hoyt for his 18th birthday. More people should look at it for there first bow over some the named youth bows. The diamond has way more long term use and to be honest one would never need to really up grade because of need.

Just watch once the string stretches some it will get out of tune and need the string twisted some. One day my boy had his shooting go bad and it was all because it went out of tune. There is lines on the cam the string must stay with in to be tuned right.

 

[mrpoindexter]

Licensed a name..
A history with firearms does not translate to quality in a bow.

Test any product to see if it meets your needs.

I wouldn't get any more excited about a Winchester bow than getting hyped on a Lamborghini rifle or a Rolex telephone.

If one is looking to get a youth bow, my suggestion would be to start with a very adjustable bow that can change draw lengths easily. The Hoyt listed above can do that. My kids had Mission Craze bows. One still shoots hers and the other upgraded to a Mathews Avail (which is NOT a cheap bow but a huge step up). I don't expect either to hunt with the Craze because of the lower IBO speed compared to some better, albeit more expensive, bows out there today.

If you have any ideas of your kid actually shooting an animal with their youth bow, look very hard at the IBO speed rating of that bow. Any lower number rated bow will be much slower and the only way to make up for the loss in speed is increasing their draw weight. An adult can easily shoot an inefficient bow and still get enough power to down an animal, but a child is not going to have the advantages of superior strength that an adult possesses, and the height advantage of a much longer draw cycle.

 

[mdwest]

I see the Winchester Thunderbolt package deal on overstock.com right now for $286....

Strongly recommend you look at the Diamond infinite edge package deal at cabelas.com @Carlo Pelser ... I just checked.. the sale is still on.. its just $299 shipped.. its faster, more adjustable draw, more adjustable poundage, etc..etc.. and just $13 more..

I paid $50 more for the diamond when I bought it for my daughter.. and still think it was an excellent deal at the $349 price point..

 

[Carlo Pelser]

I see the Winchester Thunderbolt package deal on overstock.com right now for $286....

Strongly recommend you look at the Diamond infinite edge package deal at cabelas.com @Carlo Pelser ... I just checked.. the sale is still on.. its just $299 shipped.. its faster, more adjustable draw, more adjustable poundage, etc..etc.. and just $13 more..

I paid $50 more for the diamond when I bought it for my daughter.. and still think it was an excellent deal at the $349 price point..

Hi, thanks for reply. If i lived in the great USA my problems would be non existent, bud sadly I live in South Africa...

 

[mrpoindexter]

Maybe you can order it and have it shipped? Or have a hunter here take one over with them?

 

[mdwest]

If youre near Joberg, Ill be traveling to RSA in the first half of June.. and there is a Cabelas just a few miles from my house..

I'd be happy to pick up your order at my local Cabelas and mule it over to you as long as youre willing to cover the extra baggage fee... and deliver it to Joberg..

Just an offer to consider..


This is the bow I am talking about... when I was in the local store last week they had them available in black, camo, and pink camo... and had a couple of left handed ones available in black as well..

http://www.cabelas.com/product/INFI...6T6FSMq6FCD4_-4vmPCIwaAgT88P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds