Short Bow Instability
01-31-2004, 06:38 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Shakopee MN USA
Posts: 1,001
Short Bow Instability
I read your report on the new Vipertec. Excellent report BTW! You and a few others had stated that when shooting longer distances(30-40), the bow seems to be a bit unstable...along with the Razortec. My question to you or to others is, why is this? Is it because it's so light? I know a little bit about bows, but not a ton. You might have to dumb it down for me. 
As I stated in a different post, I'm looking at either the Razortec and the Vipertec, but I don't want to put down all that cash without doing quite a bit of research on what bow is the best for what I want. #1..quiet, #2..smooth, #3 speed(I'd like to be around 285-300+).
As I stated in a different post, I'm looking at either the Razortec and the Vipertec, but I don't want to put down all that cash without doing quite a bit of research on what bow is the best for what I want. #1..quiet, #2..smooth, #3 speed(I'd like to be around 285-300+).
01-31-2004, 10:52 AM
#2
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Lehigh County PA USA
Posts: 12,157
RE: Short Bow Instability
The instability of short bows is due to their overall design. Yes, their lightweight plays a part in it but so does their short length. Short bows have a smaller distribution of mass weight. This makes it easy to cant them either clockwise or counterclockwise at full draw. Canting even a few degrees with a short bow can result in a miss of a few inches at 30-40 yards. Short bows also have a sharper string angle at full draw thus making it difficult for some folks to get proper anchor positions. It can also lead to nock pinch if you do not compensate for it.
If you are looking for something a bit more stable then the Hoyt Xtec is probably a better choice. I have one in my possession and I will admit that I can get better accuracy out of it at 30-40 yards than I can with the Vipertec I owned. If you are not stuck on the Hoyt lineup then I suggest some of the new Bowtechs. The Patriot single cam and the Liberty are two sweet bows that fit everyone of your criteria.
1. Both are extremely quiet with the hush kit factory installed.
2. The Freedom cam on the Liberty is arguably the smoothest fast cam on the market
3. The Patriot SC can probably put you there with relative ease (depending on your setup) considering it has a 320-328 IBO speed rating with a 7 inch brace height.
Hope this helps.
If you are looking for something a bit more stable then the Hoyt Xtec is probably a better choice. I have one in my possession and I will admit that I can get better accuracy out of it at 30-40 yards than I can with the Vipertec I owned. If you are not stuck on the Hoyt lineup then I suggest some of the new Bowtechs. The Patriot single cam and the Liberty are two sweet bows that fit everyone of your criteria.
1. Both are extremely quiet with the hush kit factory installed.
2. The Freedom cam on the Liberty is arguably the smoothest fast cam on the market
3. The Patriot SC can probably put you there with relative ease (depending on your setup) considering it has a 320-328 IBO speed rating with a 7 inch brace height.
Hope this helps.
01-31-2004, 08:42 PM
#3
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Yorkville, IL
Posts: 423
RE: Short Bow Instability
I think Hoyt needs to come up with a new design to add stability to their shorter bows, I noticed that too when shooting a Vipertec, and I thought it was unstable at 20yds, I think the Mathews Outback, does a great job at those distances, it has to be a bow that has a higher weight, which the Outback does, especially for a 31 1/2" ATA!
