Iraq ruined my hunting season!

shootin296 · 12-01-2003, 06:52 AM

I am a bowhunter who is currently missing season #2 in a row thanks to my job. I am a soldier currently in Iraq with the 4th infantry division, in support of operation Iraqi Freedom. I can' t wait to get home and shoot the newest (and best?) bows on the market. Among the ones I have been hearing so much about thanks to magazines and brothers who hunt are:
Bowtech Black Knight Pro, Extreme VFT, and Patriot
Hoyt Razor Tec
Matthews LX
PSE Firestorm Lite

I was wondering if any of you out there have shot any of these bows and could sling me some advice on which of them are better.

I' ve heard the RazorTec has a problem with the cams not being in sync. (which I' ve often wondered if it' s supposed to be like that, thus calling it the cam 1/2 when it' s actually a 2 cam bow-isn' t it?) But, the reports and reviews say that it' s the smoothest, most accurate bow on the market, and they claim it won eight out of it' s first nine IBO tournaments. Is there any truth to this?

I' ve also heard from a friend who was able to take mid-tour leave that the BowTech Black Knight Pro came off the shelf shooting 296 fps at 29" and 60#...amazing, but then again, do any of you think otherwise?

Matthews has always made a good product, just wondering if their " new technology" is actually just the legacy or Q2 with a bolder look.

PSE...never shot one, but the reviews seem to be first class in BowHunter magazine.

Thanks for your advice!

Jason Hyde

formula1 · 12-01-2003, 07:11 AM

Jason,

First of all, thanks for the job you and your fellow soldiers are doing for us over there. I for one, appreciate the freedoms I have at home, thanks to you and the 4th infantry. My 17 year old is just about to join the Marines (he' s a Bowtech fan), so I' m sure I' ll feel an even closer kindred to our men in arms!!!

I have the Bowtech Extreme VFT in 70 lb, 29" and I' m currently shooting a 367 grain arrow at 306 fps. It is truly amazing that you can get this kind of speed from a bow, considering how quite and shock-free it is in your hands. When I bought mine, I also tried the Razortec as well and it was equally smooth and quite and pleasant to shoot, just not quite as fast(I don' t know about cam sync issues, but I' ve heard it' s won alot of tournaments). The Patriot Single and Dual Cams are great, too. I think that when you make it back home, you' ll find that you have some truly super new designs to choose from in 2004 as well. I hope you make it back home real soon!!!

Trushot_archer · 12-01-2003, 09:55 AM

Hey Jason,

Many thanks on behalf of my entire family for hangin' tough out there in sand village. You are ensuring the freedoms we enjoy here (Bowhunting included

) and I have much respect and pride for the whole gang of you over there.

As for the bows...You can' t get better than Bowtech IMO. This is obviously bias, as I' m a huge fan. The reality is all the bows you mentioned have pros and cons.

The best advice I can give is write down your " dream bow" specs.
Is a smooth draw the biggest factor you look for in a bow or are you looking for the ferocious speed and ke? Are you solid enough to feel comfortable shooting a 6" brace or prefer somthing a little wider? How long of a bow are you looking for? The Razor is 3 1/4" shorter than the BK... a big difference in the scheme of things.

Bottom line is... Bowtech has made the biggest leaps in Technology the past few years and they have a bow that will fit about anyone' s specs now that the freedom cam has arrived. They are all incredibly fast, accurate, durable and have great customer service as well.

Kevin Strother (the engineering guru behind Bowtechs bows) has even made a fgew appearances on the board. Answers questions, listens to hunters and archers and makes changes that WE THE PEOPLE ask for. Pretty damn impressive IMO.

While all the bows you mention are worthy of noting, none of them touch the bowtech line.

Stay safe.

Rangeball · 12-01-2003, 10:15 AM

Jason, another big thanks for all you and your buddies are going through... It is not taken for granted by everybody.

I agree, while you have the time, think long and hard about what your ideal bow feels, looks, draws and shoots like, then ask some questions regarding which bows fit those specifics.

And while we don' t yet know what others will have in store for ' 04, Bowtech clearly seems to be the leader out of the gate for speed, lack of recoil/shock and shootability.

I for one can' t wait to shoot some of their new line up...

Deleted User · 12-01-2003, 10:49 AM

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TFOX · 12-01-2003, 11:33 AM

I just want to say THANKS FOR SERVING.

Also,the cam 1/2 has no problems with sinc,if anyone tells you this,they are misinformed.Don' t believe the Mathews adds.No it is not a 2 cam.Basically it is a 2 cam that has cables like a 1 cam.This is in lamens terms of course but that is the basics.There may be some tuning involved,as with any other cam system, but I have found that to be a shooters preference more than anything else.

Again,THANKS.

Raymond van Halm · 12-01-2003, 02:15 PM

Hey Jason,
All the way from Europe I would like to let you know we really appreciate what you are doing there.
I sure hope you can pick up our great sport as soon as possible and wish you all the luck in the world when you do.

Keep up the faith.
We thinking about you.