KAP Winstar II riser or Hoyt Gold Medalist?

[jaben76]

Hello, everybody.

I started archery a month ago, and im enjoying it a lot. At my local club ive been shooting with some wooden risers at 18 m indoors.

Now im looking to buy my own bow. This should be something that can help me try the sport out for real, without going all in budgetwise. At the club they recommended at 70" bow for me, and that should be spot on, since im 198 cm tall. Poundage wise, they recommended something that could reach 90 m when summer kicks in.

All right. So i looked at the KAP winstorm carbon limbs, and im tempted to go for 34 or 36. Maybe too heavy, but im willing to train.

My question, here in Norway, i can get the venerable Hoyt Gold Medalist brand spanking new for the same price as the KAP Winstar II riser - which is the better one?

All answers are much appreciated.

[N.Vodden]

i started with a Winstar II and used it for my first year, its a really nice riser for the price. Looks good, takes the full range of ILF fit limbs and any accessory you can throw at it so its good for recurve or barebow. Has a nice shot reaction as well. I kinda regret selling mine to be honest

not to knock the GM though, it is a tried and tested time proven winner! but i would go for the winstar for its looks and feel.

does look nice tooled up http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c92/Igneas/bow.jpg

[jules]

They are both pretty good entry level risers. I have a winstar II and my husband has a Hoyt GM. The GM isn't being made anymore and the quality of the risers is very variable. The first gm that my husband had was not a very good one. The quality of the casting was poor and the the bush for the longrod was fitted badly, not allowing the longrod to seat correctly, thus coming loose all the time. He took it back and the shop replaced it with another one which is completey different. The casting is far sharper and all the bushes are fitted properly.

The gm is a great riser but look at it very carefully before purchasing one as there probably wont be any replacements available if you get a pup!

Hope this helps.

[Tom]

I shoot a GM and have done so for years But I have to say if I was new to the sport again and wanted a 1st "proper" bow I think I'd go for the Winstar 2 out of those two options. It really is a nice riser.

However, that said they are both good risers for the money.

[sambow]

Originally Posted by jaben76

... Poundage wise, they recommended something that could reach 90 m when summer kicks in.

All right. So i looked at the KAP winstorm carbon limbs, and im tempted to go for 34 or 36. Maybe too heavy, but im willing to train...

What weighjt are you currently drawing? 34-36 seams quite alot if you've only been shooting one month. If you stretch yourself too far on poundage your form will suffer. I would recommend starting at a draw weight you are comfortable with and then change up as your strength increases rather than pushing yourself for 90M

[phil_r_58]

Originally Posted by jaben76

Hello, everybody.

I started archery a month ago, and im enjoying it a lot. At my local club ive been shooting with some wooden risers at 18 m indoors.

Now im looking to buy my own bow. This should be something that can help me try the sport out for real, without going all in budgetwise. At the club they recommended at 70" bow for me, and that should be spot on, since im 198 cm tall. Poundage wise, they recommended something that could reach 90 m when summer kicks in.

All right. So i looked at the KAP winstorm carbon limbs, and im tempted to go for 34 or 36. Maybe too heavy, but im willing to train.

My question, here in Norway, i can get the venerable Hoyt Gold Medalist brand spanking new for the same price as the KAP Winstar II riser - which is the better one?

All answers are much appreciated.

Either riser will shoot to, and beyond your current capability, so maybe choose the one that looks good to you. It's a bit like buying a car, the one that looks ugly to another may be your dream car.

I am more concerned about the limbs. It's not just about training and strength. I would start with a comfortable weight that you can handle for 144 arrows first. Then when you are shooting better than the limbs can perform, start moving up the weights in increments.

I don't know much about the archery trade in Norway, but here in the UK, a number of dealers will part exchange your old limbs for better ones as you progress. I know my friends at Merlin archery offer such a service.

[cestria]

Originally Posted by jules

They are both pretty good entry level risers. I have a winstar II and my husband has a Hoyt GM. The GM isn't being made anymore and the quality of the risers is very variable. The first gm that my husband had was not a very good one. The quality of the casting was poor and the the bush for the longrod was fitted badly, not allowing the longrod to seat correctly, thus coming loose all the time. He took it back and the shop replaced it with another one which is completey different. The casting is far sharper and all the bushes are fitted properly.

The gm is a great riser but look at it very carefully before purchasing one as there probably wont be any replacements available if you get a pup!

Hope this helps.

My first bow with ILF's was a Gold Medalist which I did enjoy shooting. Mine was OK but I was told by a retail shop that some of the later castings were very suspect. Luck of the draw I'm affraid.

[clickerati]

Jaben, does your club in Norway rent out bows to new members? That tends to be the case here in the UK. Draw length and poundage change so much in a year, but there is no pointing taking on too heavy a poundage and "working up". Better to train on something comfortable while you learn your form.

[Thunk]

Go for the Winstar. The GM is old-fashioned and getting older, and as has already been pointed out the quality is very variable.

As to poundage - who in the world expects you to be shooting 90m by the next outdoor season? In my opinion that's very bad advice indeed.

Firstly, you don't need 'poundage' to reach 90m, or even 100m. What you need is good form and technique. A lady archer of my acquaintance shoots 90m with 28lb limbs and outscores a great many very competent archers! If you start with too high a poundage you will not only find it impossible to develop the required technique but you may also cause yourself severe, and possibly permanent injury.

Secondly, reaching 90m is only of any value if when the arrow gets there, it hits the target. Someone once told me that at each 10m increase in distance, the difficulty doubles. I can attest to the increase, if not to the doubling. I would not expect someone to be shooting that sort of distance much before the end of their first year, if then. In my opinion, you should buy limbs no more than 4lbs (absolute maximum) heavier than those you are using now.

[Neo]

I started with a Winstar 11 and they are fantastic bows, I shot my PB portsmouh with it 572. The only reason i changed was because the Matrix came on offer which i think i will never change now. Nt shot the matrix indoor yet properly so cant compare scores.