C is for cookie - HCA Iron Mace Review **UPDATE 6/24** 368 fps
06-20-2007, 11:03 PM
#1
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,716
C is for cookie - HCA Iron Mace Review **UPDATE 6/24** 368 fps
SEE Pg. 5 for speed/arrow numbers
Long story short, I'd been hunting with my old bow since 1999 - Jennings Airmaster - named Cookie Monster after my old hound dog. The original Cookie Monster was a warhorse - 76# - squeezing every ounce of KE out of it that the bow could muster.
I figured it out - I average 100 hrs in the treestand every year. 8 years works out to 800 hours, together, camped out in a treestand with nothing but each other for company. For being such a good wingman, I dropped Cookie out of the tree, dryfired it, causedit to skid down the road (left it on the roof of the car), and smashedthe solocam off my stand last year.
Here are some pictures of Cookie Monster I.
Apparently, when you dryfire the bow, this little bushing takes the brunt of it...
So, I had Cookie restrung - and she'll either be resold for a few bucks, or relegated to backup status.
Then, there was Cookie Monster II - a bow that I basically came across for nothing. Brand new Bear TRX 32 - but the draw was just too short, and I couldn't stand shooting it. CM2 is gone.
The search was on for CM3. It was a royal pain, trying to find a sweet hunting bow that wasn't something that everyone else has. I wanted something throwback, but I wanted a solid upgrade over the Jennings in every conceivable category... Bowtech, Hoyt, Mathews - everybody has those, so I didn't want one.
__________________________________________________ __________
So today, rather unexpectedly, Cookie Monster III arrived.
70#, 29" High Country Iron Mace. 34" ATA, 7.5" brace height.
Honestly, High Country always held a soft spot in my heart, b/c when I first started bowhunting, HCA was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the archery world. I dreamed of being able to come up with the dough for a Machined Supreme. But, I had champagne taste and beer money, so I was stuck using an el-cheapo PSE and arrows that I found laying behind a public 3d backstop.
Not long later, HCA went down the toilet. Unable to honor warranties, unable to meet order demands, mismanaged, undercapitalized - you name it.
HCA was able to continue to keep its doors open, and recently, the crippled dinosaur got a new investor. HCA subsequently merged with Newberry and adopted the Iron Mace, which would be their flagship bow for 2007, and would hopefully be the bow that put them back on the map.
The bow itself is lifetime warrantied down to 3 grains per pound. That means that I can shoot a 210 grain arrow at 70#, and still be under warranty. This is almost inconceivable by modern archery standards.
The bow is equipped with Barnsdale limbs, which are the gold standard. http://www.barnsdalearchery.com/ My research revealed that Dave Barnsdale is not only a world-class limb builder, but also a world-class archer.
The bow also came with winner's choice strings, which are also the gold standard in aftermarket strings. For the price, I couldn't go wrong.
Here she is - Cookie Monster III
The bow came with a 2-piece carbon fiber grip, but I had them ship me a fat, wooden grip from a sidewinder, and I stuck it on there temporarily until I can order a good aftermarket grip.
I put a Fuse biscuit on it, and a fuse slider sight with lockable pendulum. Sims stabilizer.
Long story short, I'd been hunting with my old bow since 1999 - Jennings Airmaster - named Cookie Monster after my old hound dog. The original Cookie Monster was a warhorse - 76# - squeezing every ounce of KE out of it that the bow could muster.
I figured it out - I average 100 hrs in the treestand every year. 8 years works out to 800 hours, together, camped out in a treestand with nothing but each other for company. For being such a good wingman, I dropped Cookie out of the tree, dryfired it, causedit to skid down the road (left it on the roof of the car), and smashedthe solocam off my stand last year.
Here are some pictures of Cookie Monster I.
Apparently, when you dryfire the bow, this little bushing takes the brunt of it...
So, I had Cookie restrung - and she'll either be resold for a few bucks, or relegated to backup status.
Then, there was Cookie Monster II - a bow that I basically came across for nothing. Brand new Bear TRX 32 - but the draw was just too short, and I couldn't stand shooting it. CM2 is gone.
The search was on for CM3. It was a royal pain, trying to find a sweet hunting bow that wasn't something that everyone else has. I wanted something throwback, but I wanted a solid upgrade over the Jennings in every conceivable category... Bowtech, Hoyt, Mathews - everybody has those, so I didn't want one.
__________________________________________________ __________
So today, rather unexpectedly, Cookie Monster III arrived.
70#, 29" High Country Iron Mace. 34" ATA, 7.5" brace height.
Honestly, High Country always held a soft spot in my heart, b/c when I first started bowhunting, HCA was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the archery world. I dreamed of being able to come up with the dough for a Machined Supreme. But, I had champagne taste and beer money, so I was stuck using an el-cheapo PSE and arrows that I found laying behind a public 3d backstop.
Not long later, HCA went down the toilet. Unable to honor warranties, unable to meet order demands, mismanaged, undercapitalized - you name it.
HCA was able to continue to keep its doors open, and recently, the crippled dinosaur got a new investor. HCA subsequently merged with Newberry and adopted the Iron Mace, which would be their flagship bow for 2007, and would hopefully be the bow that put them back on the map.
The bow itself is lifetime warrantied down to 3 grains per pound. That means that I can shoot a 210 grain arrow at 70#, and still be under warranty. This is almost inconceivable by modern archery standards.
The bow is equipped with Barnsdale limbs, which are the gold standard. http://www.barnsdalearchery.com/ My research revealed that Dave Barnsdale is not only a world-class limb builder, but also a world-class archer.
The bow also came with winner's choice strings, which are also the gold standard in aftermarket strings. For the price, I couldn't go wrong.
Here she is - Cookie Monster III
The bow came with a 2-piece carbon fiber grip, but I had them ship me a fat, wooden grip from a sidewinder, and I stuck it on there temporarily until I can order a good aftermarket grip.
I put a Fuse biscuit on it, and a fuse slider sight with lockable pendulum. Sims stabilizer.
06-20-2007, 11:09 PM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,716
RE: C is for cookie...
I didn't get to play with it much tonight - but it definitely wasn't what I was expecting.
The bow was marketed as a scorching speed bow, and my suspicion was that it was going to be a bear to draw, even at 70#. Turns out that the draw cycle is fantastic - better than my one-cam, and it locks back rock-solid. You could hold it all day. It was like going from a Yugo to a Bentley.
At 29", 70" it shot an IBO legal arrow 305 fps(350 grain arrow). That's with 2 brass nocks (no time to put a tie-nock in), peep, kisser, stabilizer, sight, WB rest already installed. I figure I'll pick up an easy 5-10 feet with the tie-nock. I also have enough room for another 1/2" of draw length to monkey around with. I'm thinking 315 IBO after I'm done with it at just over 29". I'd say a 30" draw could hit325 at70# with a full complement of sights, quiver, stab, string accessories, etc... but that's about the limit. That's top-end speed for a bow with a7.5" brace height.
Also, I got a dozen speed pro 5.5 gpi (HCA Exclusive) arrows. I still have to get them crested and feathered over the weekend, but once they're finished, and I add 100 grain broadheads, I'll tip the scales at around 270 grains per arrow. I have no idea how fast this arrow will go, but it'll be cookin'.
I had about 1/2 hr to play around at the range, and this bow is ridiculous. Whisper quiet, smooth as silk, and it POUNDS. 10 ring, 10 ring, 10 ring, 10 ring.... I could've never shot like that with my old bow. Never. ...And this was the first time I've even shot at all since last November.
More bow porn:
I'll be sure to post more data after this weekend when I get time to crest my ultralight arrows. I'm hoping to get 340 out of them with a 100 grain head.
So far, I'm totally amped about this bow - machine work is beautiful, the camo dip is perfect, top-of-the-line aftermarket strings/limbs - both came stock, and the price is totally ridiculous.
Buying this bow was totally a leap of faith. I've never met anyone who had ever even SEEN one first-hand. So, it was purchased sight-unseen, having never drawn it or held one in my hands. Honestly, I was expecting it to show up with shoddy dip coating, maybe some visible tool marks or rough machining. Really, I was pleasantly surprised to see the quality and worksmanship on this bow.
HCA is back.
The bow was marketed as a scorching speed bow, and my suspicion was that it was going to be a bear to draw, even at 70#. Turns out that the draw cycle is fantastic - better than my one-cam, and it locks back rock-solid. You could hold it all day. It was like going from a Yugo to a Bentley.
At 29", 70" it shot an IBO legal arrow 305 fps(350 grain arrow). That's with 2 brass nocks (no time to put a tie-nock in), peep, kisser, stabilizer, sight, WB rest already installed. I figure I'll pick up an easy 5-10 feet with the tie-nock. I also have enough room for another 1/2" of draw length to monkey around with. I'm thinking 315 IBO after I'm done with it at just over 29". I'd say a 30" draw could hit325 at70# with a full complement of sights, quiver, stab, string accessories, etc... but that's about the limit. That's top-end speed for a bow with a7.5" brace height.
Also, I got a dozen speed pro 5.5 gpi (HCA Exclusive) arrows. I still have to get them crested and feathered over the weekend, but once they're finished, and I add 100 grain broadheads, I'll tip the scales at around 270 grains per arrow. I have no idea how fast this arrow will go, but it'll be cookin'.
I had about 1/2 hr to play around at the range, and this bow is ridiculous. Whisper quiet, smooth as silk, and it POUNDS. 10 ring, 10 ring, 10 ring, 10 ring.... I could've never shot like that with my old bow. Never. ...And this was the first time I've even shot at all since last November.
More bow porn:
I'll be sure to post more data after this weekend when I get time to crest my ultralight arrows. I'm hoping to get 340 out of them with a 100 grain head.
So far, I'm totally amped about this bow - machine work is beautiful, the camo dip is perfect, top-of-the-line aftermarket strings/limbs - both came stock, and the price is totally ridiculous.
Buying this bow was totally a leap of faith. I've never met anyone who had ever even SEEN one first-hand. So, it was purchased sight-unseen, having never drawn it or held one in my hands. Honestly, I was expecting it to show up with shoddy dip coating, maybe some visible tool marks or rough machining. Really, I was pleasantly surprised to see the quality and worksmanship on this bow.
HCA is back.
06-21-2007, 05:38 AM
#9
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,913
RE: C is for cookie...
Nice new rig Fran...hopefully you remember to actually take it with you when you go hunting.[8D]Keep us posted on the new arrows, etc. With a bow that fast, you can step back down to the 60lb club with the rest of us candy asses 
[8D]j/k man....congrats on the new bow!
[8D]j/k man....congrats on the new bow!
06-21-2007, 06:16 AM
#10
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Heaven is my home, temporarily residing in WNY :)
Posts: 6,679
RE: C is for cookie...
Fran, very nice review and great lookin' bow! I remember when HC was top of the line, and I am also glad to see they have come back to play with the big boys .....
BBM ..... LOL!
BBM ..... LOL!