Long awaited, I finally got to shoot a VFT today. I was hoping to find a 30” at 70lbs but all he had left was a 29” at 70lb set at 80%. I’ve been shooting a Mathew’s Ultra Max for 5 years now and I have been anxiously waiting to shoot this bow. It is listed as having more forgiving dimensions yet the specs claim that it is faster than my Ultra Max. This is a great looking bow and seams to be well built. The camo and overall craftsmanship in the riser immediately caught my attention, top notch to say the least. I was also quick to notice the new handle, a much-improved design vs. last year’s models. The bows are noticeably lighter and balance much better in your hand.

I first shot a few arrows to get a feel for it. The draw force curve is slightly harder than my Ultra Max yet noticeably smoother through the entire draw. We all know the draw stop on the cam provides a solid back wall but I was happy to find at full draw I was able to relax without it trying to pull my arm off. Vertical Force Technology is a wonderful thing. This bow had no vibration to speak of, it was quiet and the balance (without a stabilizer) was almost perfect. I think a short lightweight stabilizer would be ideal.

Now to chronograph…..like I said the bow was 29” model and scale read right at 70lbs. It had the standard hush kit on it with one brass nock on the string. The first arrow I shot weighed 340 gr., just shy of IBO. The bow shot 307fps, 306fps and 307fps. The shop owner claims the 30” model shoots about 12-15 fps faster. I then shot a 450gr arrow. It shot 265fps three times in a row. Impressive, but I was somewhat saddened by these last numbers. Conversation’s with Bowtech last week, they said I should expect to get low 280’s with the string rigged for hunting as I explained (tubeless peep, one brass nock, eliminator button and string leaches) and 450gr arrows. With this bow only having the silencers and nock I was hoping for low 270fps, which should equate to about the mid 280’s for the 30” module. I guess I shouldn’t be spitt’n hairs just yet, at least until I actually shoot the 30”.

My current Ultra Max set at 30” at 70lbs with the string equipment as listed above is shooting a 410gr arrow at 285fps. Do you guys know the numbers/figures to estimate what the VFT should shoot with this same setup? The Bowtech guy figured it for me but he was rattling off numbers so fast I couldn’t keep up.

In the end I won’t make a decisive decision until I actually get to shoot the 30” bow. I should take mine with me and shoot them over the same chronograph for comparison.

Toby