Compound Bow Comparator

The Hoyt 38 Pro was Hoyt's accuracy-first long target and field bow from 2007 to 2009 - the forgiving, string-suppressed platform that carried the ProTec name's precision reputation into the StealthShot era - and today it is one of the more interesting used buys for a score-minded archer who wants real Hoyt target engineering without a flagship budget. The core numbers hold up for its purpose: a 305-to-306 fps IBO from the smooth C2 Cam and a half, a long 38-to-38.5-inch axle-to-axle and a tall brace near eight inches, laminated XT limbs on a machined TEC riser, a wide 40-to-80-pound and 25-to-33.5-inch fit range, and buyer-selectable 65 or 75 percent let-off. There is no published chronograph data and Hoyt never printed a launch price, so the honest read is a bow you judge on condition and buy for its geometry - a long, quiet, forgiving accuracy platform that came with the StealthShot and RizerShox damping most of its contemporaries made you add yourself. What stays with me about the 38 Pro is how little it asks of the shooter: the length and brace do the forgiving, letting the pin settle and rewarding a deliberate, repeatable shot, which is the entire point of a target bow. This is an excellent bow for the club-level 3D, field and precision-minded hunter who wants a stable, forgiving, genuinely quiet used chassis and does not mind a fresh string and a tune to bring it current, particularly strong on a range or field course where its length and hold pay off. Buyers who rank single-cam simplicity first should also look at the Mathews Conquest 4, and those who want the longest, fastest target platform of the era should weigh the Bowtech Constitution. Read full review...

In short, the Mathews Conquest 4 is a high end target bow with the long ATA and good brace height that is very capable of putting up great scores in stiff competition. Also one of Mathews' lightest competition rigs it isn't a bare to walk around the ranges all day. It is very customizable to the specific needs of most shooters; whether it is smooth drawing, fast shooting or forgiving as possible. A little on the noisy side but this bow is practically dead in the hand at the shot. With a good stabilizer this bow will become even more comfortable for most shooters and it is balanced very well at full draw so it won't take much before you can start pin-wheeling some targets. Read full review...

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• Long 38-plus-inch axle-to-axle and a tall brace near eight inches build a genuinely forgiving target-and-field platform that holds steady and hides small form errors
• StealthShot string suppression and RizerShox came standard in 2007 - an early built-in damping package, so a used 38 Pro shoots quieter out of the box than most bare-riser bows of its day
• Cam and a half Plus builds offer a draw-stop-peg let-off of 65 or 75 percent, letting a score shooter set a firm holding weight or a longer-hold comfort weight on the same bow
• Wide 40 to 80 pound and 25 to 33.5 inch fit range on the modular XT limb platform makes one used chassis work for almost any adult shooter
• Real Hoyt target engineering - machined TEC riser, laminated XT limbs, Cam and a half - at used-market prices rather than a flagship budget

• A very forgiving bow
• Pretty low amount of vibration in your hand
• 3 different cams make this a very customizable bow
• Conquest family has won more competitions than any other bow

• Very forgiving target bow
• Has a solid back wall
• Modular-adjustable eccentric system (except for 2005 version)
• Very stable bow that holds very well
• Very quiet bow with little shock and vibration

• Any 2007-2009 bow needs its strings and cables judged on condition - a fresh set and a re-time is the standard first step on a used 38 Pro and restores the draw and speed it left the factory with
• Draw-length changes run through the module and limb setup rather than a tool-free rotating module, so dial in your exact draw at a shop before committing to a used example
• Heavier in the hand than a modern target bow - many score shooters actually prefer that mass for a dead-steady hold, but anyone counting ounces may want to shoulder one first

• Choosing a cam can be a little bit confusing
• Draw length is cam specific - new cam needed for each draw length
• Lightest in the lineup but still feels a little bit heavy

• Narrow valley - if you creep it wants to go