PA,
How would you compare the " feel" of this bow to your beloved Havocs. Just curious......I' ve got a 80# Havoc w/ versacam on the way mostly because of your reviews of them (particularly because of your " How will they hunt" mentality) so I figured that you could compare them for me......I had been looking at a Extreme VFT Samson 80#.

Matt,

I did not have the peep sight installed when I shot the bow through the chronograph. I specifically wanted to get it as close as possible to a bare string when actually testing it. I left the brass nockset on instead of tieing in a serving simply because it was more convenient and I left the rubber ebutton installed for safety' s sake.

CG,

The feel of the Patriot DC is decidedly different than the feel of any of the Havocs that I owned. First off, as I mentioned, the weight distribution on both of the Bowtech " Pro" series riser bows was more " end weighted" than what you might find on the Havoc. The Havoc, because of its limb/riser configuration and overall size puts more of the weight in front of you as an archer whereas the Pro series risers and other bows with risers of this nature place more weight above and below your bow arm.

As for " shot feel" , they are similar. I never thought the Havocs had much if any recoil or vibration. In terms of noise the Havoc was definitely quieter and, again, the Patriot is significantly faster.

Basically, I think the size and weight distribution of the Havocs was more hunter friendly. But that is just my personal preference.

I still think my Havoc Redline was the best hunting bow I ever owned.

Thanks Frank. I fell in love with a Havoc about 2 years ago and shot the 2002 Patriot last year. I guess I didn' t care for the feel of the patriot at that time. I thought when I shot the Havoc (Redline I think) that it was the perfect hunting bow. Found a great deal on a Havoc ( I think the TEC risers are hideous but love Hoyt) w/ versacam and the poundage I wanted so I might have my perfect partner!! I like the idea of being able to adjust the valley on a one cam. Great report!! Now do one on a 90# Samson for me at your DL so my jaw can hit the floor.

PABowhntr, great review. I have a Extreme VFT I am getting ready to do a review on for the users here. I think the bowtechs have come a long way in the last couple of years.

Orions,
Can' t wait to see your review.....

Great report! I was looking forward to this one. You put it together well and I like pictures

CG - it isa good bow BUT after testing & shooting it it requires a higher level of bow tuning knowledge than most bows on the market...Maybe this weekend I will get it posted.

What happened to my post??

Frank, CAJUN & I were playing with each other. But now I' m serious! If people take the time to become accustomed to the Pat Dually they' ll be spending lots of money on arrows & vanes. I was shooting mine this afternoon and now have to repair vanes on half the arrows I took with me, and throw one away. Shooting a 365 gr arrow, pulling 55#, I can use one pin to 35 yds. Perfect for me, in IBO HC. I intend to try some lighter arrows soon. I found the same as you re: pulling arrows from 3D targets. I try to score and let someone else pull arrows.

Phil, you are not kidding about the umph! I havent checked mine to see how it performs on long distances. If I wasn' t selling it, I would use it for turkey hunting this spring. A 350 grain arrow with a 4 blade Muzzy would rock his world at 295 fps !