Phil, I understand what you are trying to say, thanks for explaining your view. Point of this is tho, WHO is to say how much stress(and speed) a carbon riser can withstand compared to an aluminum riser? Certainly not you or I my friend, we have no definitive means of testing them! But, the factories do, and I can assure you they will not let things out that are totally unsafe to use as it certainly will not benefit them in the long run. What I can say is that we DO know that the military-grade carbon is many many times stronger than aluminum,(this is documented in many areas , not just archery) and the carbon-riser bow HAS withstood many thousands of dry-fires, multiple times more than any aluminum. So again, who' s to say it cannot withstand 3 grains per lb for an average lifespan of a bow? If we do not feel safe about it, we don' t have to shoot that light of an arrow, simple. Yes, some guys will try to hit that 400fps marker, no doubt. I believe it can do it too, I saw bows years ago shot with CAST risers at 425fps,(fastest bow contest) and most withstood the 3 shots needed to qualify before failing at as much as 110lbs! Todays' bows can withstand alot more than we think they can, and the carbon just makes things even safer.

The Bowtech BK2 was also thought to be a radical design that was totally unsafe to shoot at it' s speeds when it debuted. I' m quite sure a percentage of them have failed also, but we are not pointing fingers saying they are complete junk and are totally unsafe anymore, are we? Fact is, with the carbon being so much stronger than the aluminum, I would be willing to bet the HCA design CAN withstand much more stress than it' s aluminum cousins and be readily capable of shooting 3 g per lb. Seems HCA is willing to stake something on this too.... One failure(or even a few) does not a bow company make, whether it was done in someones' basement, or at the ATA show. As stated earlier, that could' ve happened to anyone.

Again, I do not condone shooting bows that are unsafe, but seeing as I used to myself shoot with cast risers and insanely lightweight arrows at poundages of 85lbs or more and speeds well over 340 fps,(and I' m still standing here!) is proof enough to me that a 60-70lb bow that is hundreds of times stronger than those bows of yesterday will safely shoot speeds upwards of 375 with little trouble, especially if they are now being put into production with advertising to match. Companies cannot afford the lawsuits and bad press, so they must have some serious faith in this design. I' m going to try one soon, my curiosity has now been raised due to this discussion. Just my own thoughts, Pinwheel 12