Martin Archery Jaguar Elite 45# Bow

Update: I bought a nap QuickTune 800 rest for this and a centerest to try and calibrate the bow for target archery. No matter how much i move the rest left and right, i get the same issue of the arrow flying to the right side. I even calibrated my sight to compensate for the flight but same result occurs. The problem lies in the riser being a compound and the center cutout is too far to accept a sticker arrow rest. Now I'm tempted to cut my loss and get a hoyt excel.Not a good starter bow by any means. Needs modifications to work right.Problems with the bow? There are quite a few things I don't like about the bow. Here are a few...1.) The bolts used to pin the limbs to riser is too long and the limbs sit loosely on the riser. They need to be 3mm shorter to fit snugly.2.) The limbs are a tad too wide and are pressed into riser groove instead of seating snugly. They cause a nasty wood smacking sound when fired. Something's loose here (points at the long bolts).3.) Arrow rest is super cheap and the arrow falls out a lot. Cannot fine tune the string to arrow because the rest turns with the whole unit. Arrows are notorious for falling off on drawing.4.) Side-handle grip has a nice feel and helps absorb some shock. However, the glue used on it failed and the grip is starting to fall off after 2 days of moderate use.5.) Handle design on the grip is poorly thought out. Drawing a 45# bow puts a lot of strain on the bow hand. Because of a rectangular design on the handle, it really cuts around meaty portion of your thumb's base after 10+ shots. The textured tape does nothing to protect your palm. Not comfortable to hold at all when drawing. This makes it VERY HARD to shoot.Good part:It is built like a tank. Riser is one solid piece and is cnc milled.ILF compatible but you'll need the correct bolt and adapter. Also, the mount to fit into the groove of the riser for the ILF limbs.A sexy looking bow but that's it.I would love to recommend this bow if they fixed the grip and fitment issues. I shot a lot more consistent with my 35# razorback and land the center more frequent.I hope Martin Archery reads this and can offer a handle replacement grip over this bare bar that the palm rests on.

I purchased this recurve bow to be used as a 45lb survival and hunting bow. This bow fits the bill! From the feather-light, magnesium riser, comfortable grip, Italian made recurve limbs, makes this a very smooth, fast and forgiven recurve! Here is how I currently have it setup: Added black and white puffball string silencers (yarn material),Black and Silver Fastflight flemish twist string, Limbsaver 8" carbon black stabilizer, limbsaver limb dampers, and black and silver bow harness. Arrows: 30" Victory Gamer, all Silver 500 spine arrows w/ 3" feathers. With this combination I am deadly accurate out to 35 yards! 3-4" group consistently! This bow has hardly any hand shock! Vibration is darn near non-existent. Forgot to mention, this bow is super light! I highly recommend getting this bow, well worth the price!Good luck!JD from Georgia

found this recurve too be very accurate,yes needed a little fixing but all tht means riser needed too be rethreaded which is easy for those that know most do not do there job well,well worth this price martin archery you have a loyal fan for life its perfect..this beats many out there pure smooth you will not be disappointed,just be prepared too have 3/8 thread reamer for riser clean out for limbs,well worth it

well i have shot alot of bows but i see now why they leave good reviews on this one. a little rough on the finish but shoots great quite with a little tuning. honestly if the price was higher id say its a rip off... however at this price its great, i am hitting 3 inch groups at 30 yards. glad to have it in my arsenal.

Purchased this as a starter bow for myself as it had a lot of positive feedback from many sources in and outside of amazon. The holes for the limb bolts in the riser are too small and the Limb bolts won't thread into the riser as a result. I'm not sure how this would happen outside of a manufacturer mis-drilling the holes. I will likely be sending it back as I don't feel I should have to fix it.

Very impressed, however it is the only bow I have shot or held......shooting 50 arrows daily and hitting the target.

Great Bow, I really like the design and shoots great, I think i probably should have went with the 40# but oh well, i will build up my strength, awesome bow!

Very good item