Planning on buying a new bow? Try your custom ideas on a myriad of bows with the Mathews Custom Bow Builder and explore the possibilities.
For 30 years, Mathews has been building, innovating, and bettering the bow. Couple that with education and conservation efforts, and you’ve got a group of passionate archers involved in the hunt from top to bottom.
Alongside their holistic effort to better archery, they’re also making custom bows that lend themselves to the personalities of the folks who shoot them. I built my TX-5 using Mathews’ Bow Builder, and even as a novice archer, the process was simple, fun, and intuitive.
With nine customizable areas and deep dives into smaller custom notes — like choosing the color of your harmonic damper or center and end serving — the Bow Builder creates a bow that’s entirely unique to you.
Once you’ve created a bow, you can add it to your “wishlist,” saving the bow for a future purchase. You can also email the link to loved ones, print it out, or simply cache it for another time. For example, I mocked up a custom Mathews VXR that you can see later in the article.
For more on how to customize a Mathews bow, read on.
Choose Your Bow & Specify the Basics
With 10 bows to choose from, Mathews offers a lineup with something for most archers. Draw weights begin at 40 pounds with the Stoke and top out at 75 pounds with the VXR line.
When starting the process of customizing a bow, you’re able to choose your draw weight, draw length, right-handed or left-handed setup, and your let-off. When it comes to the latter, it’s important to know whether your state has any legalities around let-off. Call your fish and game agency and ask what restrictions might apply for you.
Colors, Finishes, and Creating Your Look
The next five steps of the process involve choosing how your bow will look rather than how it will perform. This is where the detailing gets really minute.
With seven finishes to choose from — including Realtree and Sitka camo options — choosing your riser and limb finish sets the tone for the bow. For my bow, I wanted to keep it neutral, and I went with solid black. But if your kit is SubAlpine all the way, you can simply match to your preference.
From there, you spend two steps customizing the string, and it gets detailed. From the main colors down to the twist and over to the center and end serving, you can choose individual colors for a unique look or a steady vibe throughout. The custom damping includes customizing even your lower harmonic damper and the monkey tails on your string.
Choosing Your Add-Ons
The final three steps involve choosing whether you’d like to add a stabilizer, a rest, or a quiver. And within each of these steps, you’re able to customize each add-on to fully personalize your bow.
The stabilizer is offered in four lengths from 6 to 12 inches, and there are six color options available for each. I chose a smaller stabilizer for my TX-5, as the bow is a bit top-heavy, and it really allows me to get a better base when I shoot.
For you, it depends on the bow of choice and how you’ll be hunting. Reach out to Mathews or your local bow shop for help.
If you’re interested in adding a rest, Mathews offers the UltraRest Integrate MX and the UltraRest HDX. Both rests were designed in partnership with Quality Archery Designs specifically for Mathews bows. They’re compact, light, and adjustable both horizontally and vertically for spot-on shooting.
The final step is choosing a quiver. You have two options for the quiver, and both options are customizable with camo and solid finishes for the hood. And the insert is available in eight colors as well.
Final Thoughts
Dialing in your bow adds a new layer when you’re able to customize each piece for both performance and style. For my TX-5, I chose to go gray and black with hot-pink accents. It gives my bow some spunk, and I love a pop of brightness in the field. And, like blaze-orange, pink is a difficult color for deer to see, so I’m not hurting my chances by having a little fun.
For you, an all-camo, neutral vibe might suit your style. But whatever way you slice it, it’s a lot more fun to be able to dial in each detail to your own sense of precision. Kit out your dream bow, build your wishlist, and invest in a bow like no one else’s.
This article is sponsored by Mathews. Start your custom bow build now!
