Hi All:
Well, I JUST got in my first delivery of the new Bowtech StrykeForce. It is freezing rain and crappy out and we are running in circles to get out of here to go to NY for the holidays so I could only do a few quick "check it out"s before I gotta split but here is soem quick impressions:
Overall it is the same size, shape, weight, width, and just about everything else as the Desert Stryker except it has the HDGreen camo instead of that butt ugly desert camo. Visually the only real diferances is the limbs are a bit thicker, the cams are a bit "beefier", the pistol grip, and it has the factory snubber. Other than that...it was almost dissapointing as it looks JUST like a DS.
First thing I noticed is that the stripped bow (the way I stock them) does not have the rope aid with it. I was told it was included (I will check on that one, may have just been an oversite). Not a big issue, but this bow at 190lbs supposedly cant be cocked by hand. Well, since I only had a few minutes I grab ahold of the string and pull (since I just HAD to try it). Well, Bowtech is wrong, you CAN cock this by hand, but it is not for the faint of heart. Now that I have a cocked bow (no scope on it yet since I am in such a rush) I run outside and take a quick shot. This is where it gets interesting...
First thing is the trigger...my gauge is dead and I have to get a new one, but I will estimate it at 4lbs. OH my is that an improvement. I can only hope all of them are like this. It is about 2lbs lighter than my personal DS. Next thing is the noise. Well, the snubbers most certainly do their job as it goes "thump" and it is dead. NO vibration, NO residual noise, nothing. and ready for this...my personal DS shoots 88.4DB's. Pretty quiet for a crossbow. The StrykeForce shoots at 85.2db!!! I thought it was quieter, but that is stinking cool!. So, I dig out my arrow and go to a chronograph. Now the bow comes with a "performace sheet" where the factory tests it before it leaves. The sheet says 387fps. The arrow I was using is slightly heavier than the factory so as I launch it thru my chrono I get 379fps average for 3 shots. So, the factory and I are pretty darn close.
The pistol grip, though needing to move back for me, is very nice and comfy and though it took a moment or two for me to get used to it I really like it. the snubbers are pushed thru from the bottom of the brackets and are easily relpaced as they wear out (which I am sure they will do). The limbs are .025" thicker at the thinnest point on the limbs than the DS and .035" at the thickest with more mass along the length than the DS. The snubbers also look like a few minutes with a drill and tap and they could be retrofitted onto a DS (
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Overall, for a 10 minute review, this bow is the same price as the DS ($899 for a stripped bow $999 for a "kit"), is 30fps faster, and quieter. More thrashing is in order for a real review but this looks VERY promissing...
Wyvern [/align]
Bowtech Strykeforce initial review..
