The original and the XT are as solid a rig as have ever been made. Neither one is a speedster but they are great hunting rigs. I would probably say the the Switchback line is responsible for the demise of more four legged creatures in the history of modern compound hunting. They need to be yoke tuned to shoot really well and are very dead in the hand. Great bows.


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Classic bows never grow old. Had two.. wish I still had at least one. Beautiful camo pattern and smooths as butter.

 

Cons to a switchback? No

 

Cons to a switchback? No

Well..... They eat strings like there's no tomorrow but other than that yes. I had one and it shot well. I'd buy one again.

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Super smooth. Vibe free. Fast enough. Hard to say a bad thing about the XT

 

Bought one in 2006, still have it, won't sell it. Haven't shot it in 5 or 6 years.

 

Still have one for my back up. loved it ,just went for more speed. I loved the way it draws

 

Nice draw cycle and good back wall for a single cam... but too short of an axle-to-axle for me, but that's not that big of a deal. The deal breaker for Mathews of that era for me was the horrible, easy to torque, inconsistent huge wood grip.

 

I've found those big clunky grips to actually be my favorite, after a couple cuts in the right spots.. I cut the lump off the right side and remove the other bulge by the shelf. Night and day difference.

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Yeah I'd say speed was the only thing that made me part with mine. Got a Monster in 2010-11 and had that for a couple of years. The SBXT was great though.

 

The chunky grip is something I would have trouble with. I typically just take them off and shoot no grip on any bow I buy. I figure that's what I'll do to the switchback. On the issue of speed, I wonder how it will do with the heavier FMJs I have. They weigh in at about 550 grain. Is that about to get me a stupid slow setup. I know speed ain't everything but I'd at least like to keep it up in the 200s.

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the switchbacks were some of the first parallel limb bows ever produced and they just looked freaking awesome compared to everything else out there. They shot good and smooth but are freakish slow. There are so many better bows out there to choose from that outperform the old switchbacks so you would be better off finding something else. The strong following of the switchback is based on the guys who got them back in the day because they really were that awesome compared to everything else offered.

For example my brother got a matthews drenalin in 2007 and it is way faster and just as smooth and quiet and the fit and finish is better than a switchback but it didn't have the same following because many other companies had strong offerings that caught up to what matthews was putting out.

I am shooting a old bowtech destroyer 350 that really can spit out arrows around 350 fps if you want it to because I did it back when I was a speed freak. I upgraded to barnesdale limbs and now only shoot it at 52lbs and it still spits out arrows almost 300 fps at that low poundage. There is no way I would pick a switchback over the destroyer so keep your mind open and you can research the stuff out there.

 

the switchbacks were some of the first parallel limb bows ever produced and they just looked freaking awesome compared to everything else out there. They shot good and smooth but are freakish slow. There are so many better bows out there to choose from that outperform the old switchbacks so you would be better off finding something else. The strong following of the switchback is based on the guys who got them back in the day because they really were that awesome compared to everything else offered.

For example my brother got a matthews drenalin in 2007 and it is way faster and just as smooth and quiet and the fit and finish is better than a switchback but it didn't have the same following because many other companies had strong offerings that caught up to what matthews was putting out.

I am shooting a old bowtech destroyer 350 that really can spit out arrows around 350 fps if you want it to because I did it back when I was a speed freak. I upgraded to barnesdale limbs and now only shoot it at 52lbs and it still spits out arrows almost 300 fps at that low poundage. There is no way I would pick a switchback over the destroyer so keep your mind open and you can research the stuff out there.

The drenalin was 2 fps faster than the switchback.

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I have an original Switchback, a XT and a Z-7. The Switchback was a Godsend for bad shoulders compared to old Hoyt Defiant (hand shock). Probably was the reason I am still shooting all these years later. They are 318, 315, and 332 IBO. The XT is easy to draw and quieter than the original but I believe the Z-7 is even quieter and noticeably faster with a very smooth draw (it does have more of a "hump and dump" than my Hoyt Spyder but it is not bad with my set-up). I like the fat grips but 315 is a pretty slow bow. I would use one of the on-line calculators and check the speed versus your goal. These old bows have a different draw curve so you may be able to increase the draw weight to make up for it. I have to shoot the Spyder at about 3 lbs less than the XT. In the end you need to shoot one and if the feel is different than you are used to, you may need to shoot it for awhile to really know if it works for you.

 

I have an original Switchback, a XT and a Z-7. The Switchback was a Godsend for bad shoulders compared to old Hoyt Defiant (hand shock). Probably was the reason I am still shooting all these years later. They are 318, 315, and 332 IBO. The XT is easy to draw and quieter than the original but I believe the Z-7 is even quieter and noticeably faster with a very smooth draw (it does have more of a "hump and dump" than my Hoyt Spyder but it is not bad with my set-up). I like the fat grips but 315 is a pretty slow bow. I would use one of the on-line calculators and check the speed versus your goal. These old bows have a different draw curve so you may be able to increase the draw weight to make up for it. I have to shoot the Spyder at about 3 lbs less than the XT. In the end you need to shoot one and if the feel is different than you are used to, you may need to shoot it for awhile to really know if it works for you.

I love my switchbacks, the original has always been my favorite.. and still my first choice!! I really like the z7cam but found the short ata on all models to be a little too short for my taste. I put together an outback and an original switchback with z7cams. The switchback-z is easily my favorite z-bow. I've got an old Lx that's waiting for the same cam swap once I get some free time.

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no cons to really think of except its age, but the beauty is mathews will still replace any part of that bow today

 

Hadn't seen a picture of one for a while, that is a freaking good looking bow.

 

I love older hunting bows, My old destroyer has killed a lot of deer and been banged up and dropped and driven through a lot of brush. But when a 175 inch buck stepped out last nov and I smoked him with it at 16 yards I can't think of a bow I would rather have done it with.

I hunt in pretty thick missouri cover so most of the time I really don't have a shot past 30 yards. I don't like babying a bow so dropping tons of money on new ones just aint gonna happen. These bows from early 2000's really do make good hunting bows and the xt is one of them.

 

I wish I never sold my original Switchback. Best all around bow I ever owned. I sold it in favor of a Z7 that I never really liked.

 

Tag

 

I still have a switchback ld that i keep as a back up bow . i like the way it draws and is smooth

 

The ONLY thing that bow has against it over any new bow today is the IBO speed. It was a 315 IBO and most archers today have been programmed to not tolerate that and buy newer ones and get with the program.........lol.

Who cares how smooth it draws, quiet, forgiving and accurate you shoot it.....you can't do anything with a bow under 330 IBO everyone knows that.......just ask folks here.

 

The ONLY thing that bow has against it over any new bow today is the IBO speed. It was a 315 IBO and most archers today have been programmed to not tolerate that and buy newer ones and get with the program.........lol.

Who cares how smooth it draws, quiet, forgiving and accurate you shoot it.....you can't do anything with a bow under 330 IBO everyone knows that.......just ask folks here.

Pretty much nailed it!!

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Slow compared to the new stuff but a damn nice bow


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I think the gentleman above was referring to the serving seperation near the bottom cam. Ive had 4 and they all did it. Tune doesnt make one bit of difference, if you shot it very much at all the serving would prematurely seperate. Either way, of all the bows to grace my arsenal, by far my favorite, and shot as well if not better than any of em.

 

I bought switchback xt in 2008. Only trouble I ever had was camo limbs delaminating. Matthew’s replaced both times. They replaced with black limbs last time. Still my only bow. Love it. Shot four deer this year out to 35 yards. Smooth and very forgiving. Rigged out only shoots around 280 fps at 65 lbs. still great bow. Love it

 

I bought switchback xt in 2008. Only trouble I ever had was camo limbs delaminating. Matthew’s replaced both times. They replaced with black limbs last time.

It's funny but I guess that's why I never liked black limbs and camo bows. That was a telltale sign of bad limbs and a generic factory fix for all bows because they didn't want to make the different finishes.

Now it's a fad....along with dull one color primer looking risers.........lol. So you were just ahead of the curve. As a hunter I'll still take a full camo bow....it just looks "finished" too me....not like a starter bow they cut corners on.

 

Makes me laugh people rave about this bow. I have one and keep it for fun, has a tail left tear and laugh when people say i can fix it. 5 have tried all have failed. Rest slammed against riser fletch so close to cables have no idea how there isn't contact. As someone stated earlier mine eats cables and strings also. Grip is terrible i took mine off and it helped a lot. Bow is slow, and draw is smooth but there are smoother single cams out there. Mine was given to me and good thing because i would have been jacked if i paid money for it. i say buy something better there is a lot better iut there.

 

I've heard nothing but good things about these bows ever since they came out. Everybody that has ever shot one that I've talked to loved it. I'm contemplating buying one but I'm trying see if there is any cons to the bow. Do any of yall not like them and why? I appreciate any help I can get

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Do you hunt where its cold? Like 10 degrees or lower and you're in the stand cold? If so you will discover that those rubber string stops freeze solid and it sounds like a freakin cannon is being fired when taking a shot in those conditions. Ask me how I know!

 

I have the switchback xt, traverse , zxt, and bowtech destroyer 350 with Barnstable limbs.. .. like them all for different reasons. There is no perfect bow. It’s the bow that you like and shoot the best and that fits you. Every single one of these will kill a deer dead as dirt.. they used a heck of a lot let less tech many years ago. Look at all the amazing animals Fred bear took back then.. society today wants everything perfect and the Best…

 

Its all about that massive brace height. So accurate and forgiving. A joy to shoot.