Which way do you "lean"?
 

I'm saying this in reference to bows in general. Like speed bows or smoth drawing single cams. Lately where I have been shooting more and more different bows at the shop I have learned that I am willing to lose fps to have a bow that draws smooth. Like for instance, as most of you remember I was about to buy a Tribute and went and shot one and I didn't care for the draw at all (with both speed and "smooth" mods). I then went and shot Ross again and decided that it was no contest with me. I decided to get a 337 for hunting and more specifically spots when I get the Cardiac in. I just needed a bow to get me through just in case the Cardiac doesn't get here in time. I got to shoot a Vectrix tonight because they had JUST gotten a lefty in and I have to admit it was pretty nice. If I were to get a hybrid cam bow it would DEFINATELY be a Vectrix, but they are REALLY heavy compared to others. Despite being heavy it seemed to hold on the target really well and didn't want to jump out of your hand at all. If I for some reason don't like the Cardiac when it gets here I'll trade it in for a Vectrix. So what kind of bows do you guys seem to prefer?

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I'll always give up fps for a smooth drawing,light recoil quiet bow.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Hey I forgot now you can have both fast and smooth.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Cougar I am sure there are a lot more knowledgablebow hunterson here then me but I can tell you this for a FACT ...no matter how fast that bow is the sound will get to the deer before the arrow does ... after alomost 30 years of bow hunting my first and foremost consideration is stealth during and after the shot ..

dd

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Personally, I got the best of both worlds. My Vectrix is super smooth, and shooting 320 fps.....Why settle for one if you can get both? ;)

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

When shooting from my treestand... I tend to lean forward.

I don't really care what bow I shoot. I like quiet, and little shock, and it has to fit me. Other than that, I don't care who made it, what pattern it is, what the KE is... long as I can shoot it well.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Mo, I want the shop to get in some LH Vectrix's so I can shoot one. I would consider one more if they weren't as heavy as a boat anchor :D. Can't seem to find the weight of them on their website, maybe they're afraid to put it. It's gotta be about 5lbs. In all seriousness I like the looks of the Vectrix, but I'm done buying bows for this year.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I agree with DD on this one. stealth is everything I personally want a quiet smooth bow that is light. speed is the last of my concerns when it come to choosinga bow.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Vectrix is just a tick over 4 lb's.....

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

It just feels heftier with all the extra metal on the riser. No doubt they are nice bows and I will give them a hard look next year and if I for some reason don't like the Cardiac I'll get the Vectrix for sure.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Ok, Ill be the first to go the other direction, I started out 30 years ago with a Bear Whitetail, man, you talk about slow, but I killed some animals with it. Around 1989 I bought a Oneida Stike Eagle, man what a difference, my set-up I was shooting 282fps, I also noticed longer shots were able to be made with sucsess. I would still be useing it today"instead of it hanging on my wall" if it wasnt for an arm injury, I need alot more let-off now. My next bow was a Reflex I got in 02, good smooth shooting bow, my only drawback is it has no stability, if you draw and shoot you do fine, if you draw and hold there is too much slop " windage movement", I got frustrated with it last year and started shooting different bows. Between Mathews, Martin, Ross, PSE, Hoyt and Bowtech I liked the feel of the Tribute the best, At 70lbs with 85% let-off I can pull it back with no problems, and with the Bianary cams both being the same I dont get all the slop when holding for a long period of time. I also like the speed to use a little hevier arrow set-up to increase the energy, I like pass-through shots. The moral of the story is different strokes for different folks, thats why there are so many companies out there getting all our hard earned cash.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

We finally got our Cardiacs in a couple weeks ago. I had one ordered, 30" on 70#'s....I got it, shot it, put it back on the wall. The draw was horrible, and it was slower, on higher poundage. My Vectrix is on 69 #'s, and shoots my arrow 320 fps.....The Cardiac shot the SAME arrow, on 74#'s 314....And I didn't like the draw......Heavier or not, the Vectrix wins hands down.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

What was so horrible about the draw? You've got me wondering now. PM me if youd rather.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I havn't shot too many bows. but I like my dad's drenalin pretty much. It has the best draw IMO. I love the way the Guardian shoots. Wasn't too thrilled when i shot the Vectrix, but I still think it's a great bow. I don't like the pse/bear/whatever else pse makes too much.

I like my cheapo old reflex the best[8D]

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Light, accurate, fast, smooth and quiet in that order for me. I like a short axle to axle for spot and stalking, tree stands, and ground blinds...the bow must be easily maneuverable. My experience has been "boo" whether whispered or screamed in close proximity creates a jump. I want my arrow on target as quickly as possible.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I tell ya what. I've had the opportunity to really play around with the PSE line over the past few weeks/days and their bows are starting to look and preforn a little better. I can say that the Rogue is a VERY good bow for the money. I think the X-Force sales speak for themselves aswell. The Firestorm X is probably the best bow PSE produced this year, it's not as fast as the X-Force but then again what is? The X-Force is a good bow but it will rattle your arm off and the DL on the 6" model runs wayy long. PSE producing all of these parallel limb bows this year has proved benificial.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

The good news is that there is always a choice for a happy medium.
You don't have to choose one or the other. Speed vs. smooth.
I'm surprised you didn't like the Tribute. I think it is very easy to draw and hold. I can't comment on the Vectrix , I didn't shoot one but one of my buddies says it's the best bow there is.

If we all liked the same thing , life would be boring and we wouldn't be able to tell our wives and girlfriends apart from one another.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I could have lived with it but I liked the Ross better.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I could have lived with it but I liked the Ross better.
[/quote]

Nothing wrong with that. A real quality bow.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

if you remember from when you told us about your new job, you starting to see the light!

but in all seriousness, all the bow's you've mentioned are good. As we all know, it is personal preferance,i actually like my trykon because it's a little on the heavier side, i don't hunt out westoften or spot and stock much, so i don't really need a light bow!

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I think I have the best of both worlds. I shoot a Bowtech Allegiance....and I don't think the draw cycle is harsh, at all (I have the smooth mods).

Mobo.....what weight arrow are you shooting to get 320fps out of your setup? You're not talking IBO? My bow IBO's faster than yours....and I'm not getting those speeds. Curious.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I think I remember reading somewhere that his arrow is weighing right around 350grs. Match that with 30" draw and right near 70lbs and you have 320. Maybe his are 348? not sure.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I tend to lean a little to the left :D...wait what was the question again???

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I have to agree with others. Speed is no good if you cant shoot it good. The best bow configuration is the bow you can shoot the best. Hell, I kill as many deer with my slow recurves as I do my smoking fast compounds. In the end, the animals are just as dead.;)

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Cougar,

Don't know where I "lean," but I'm guessing since I shoot a Tribute with Speed mods, you would
put me in the speed camp. But I'm going to violate my own standards and say that this "smoothness"
thing is partly one of personal preference. I really like the heavily frontloaded draw cycle of
the Tribute. It seemed like a steep ramp-up (where all your natural power is), and then evens out
for a lot of the cycle. I like it, whether other people call it "smooth" or not.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I think speed bows have always gotten a bad rep from the hunting public. Honestly,two of the best shooting bows I've ever shot were speed bows (Black Knight & HCA Iron Mace).

The problem is:most of the people buying them in the past hadn't been shooting long enough to "know how to shoot it" - usually on a speed bow, you're going to have a shorter BH, a harder draw cycle, etc... But it is what it is, you're still drawing X pounds - same as you would be with a "smooth" draw cycle - there's just more area under the force-draw curve. You are doing a little more "work." Still peaked at X, though. With the short brace, if you're not holding it right, you're eating watch straps. You need a solid follow through. You need to be able to hold it. Most guys just weren't good enough to shoot those bows (bad form, bad grip, bad follow-through, bad everything).

Technology has gave us the ability to get past those concerns, however. With string loops to keep you from torquing the release, dropaway rests (that are a crutch for "peaking," "torquing," and "deathgrip"), and STS units to keep the string off your arm on short BH- almost anyone can shoot a speed demon, and shoot itwell.

It used to be that when you picked up a real racehorse (I'm thinking back to the top end PSE Mach bows) - with the cams preloaded up, overdraw, thin strung, pencil arrow, tiny BH - and you shot it - it was really something. Sounded like a bomb, tore the skin off your arm, and was not pleasant at all.

Compare that to an Allegiance or an Iron Mace or a Black Knight or a Vulcan. There's no contest. These bows are as smooth and soft and quiet as their "smooth" competitors (or at least very comparable).

Maybe that's just me trying to justify why I do what I do (b/c I'm a "speed guy"), or maybe there's some truth in there. Riding a racehorse isn't hard anymore. You have beginners out there shooting XForces, and doing it very, verywell. That should tell you something.

Also, as some of you know, I've been doing a little bit of "high speed" testing of my own. You wouldn't believe the difference in yardage markings between my old bow (285), and my new bow (365). I really think the new "speed bows" are giving us the best of both worlds. They're really no louder than theslower competitors, other than the increased string vibration (hum) that comes with a higher string speed. Put an STS or some leeches on there, and you're looking at a bow that's as quiet and soft as any other bow on the market.

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

Ditto!, thats why i'm still shooting an 04 Bowtech Liberty. :D

RE: Which way do you "lean"?
 

I used to agree with Quick and opt for speed so long as I didn't sacrifice too much silence. Now, after a number of years shooting speedy bows with harsh draws my shoulders are paying the price and I now look more for a smoother draw.

As Quick mentioned technology has caught up and made speed bows much easier to shoot, but it has also caught up and made smooth bows a lot faster. So, I'll take a smooth draw with the speeds that I used to have on speed bows I'd have to pull hard through the entire cycle and enjoy my shooting a lot more.