shootin296

I am a bowhunter who is currently missing season #2 in a row thanks to my job. I am a soldier currently in Iraq with the 4th infantry division, in support of operation Iraqi Freedom. I can' t wait to get home and shoot the newest (and best?) bows on the market. Among the ones I have been hearing so much about thanks to magazines and brothers who hunt are:
Bowtech Black Knight Pro, Extreme VFT, and Patriot
Hoyt Razor Tec
Matthews LX
PSE Firestorm Lite

I was wondering if any of you out there have shot any of these bows and could sling me some advice on which of them are better.

I' ve heard the RazorTec has a problem with the cams not being in sync. (which I' ve often wondered if it' s supposed to be like that, thus calling it the cam 1/2 when it' s actually a 2 cam bow-isn' t it?) But, the reports and reviews say that it' s the smoothest, most accurate bow on the market, and they claim it won eight out of it' s first nine IBO tournaments. Is there any truth to this?

I' ve also heard from a friend who was able to take mid-tour leave that the BowTech Black Knight Pro came off the shelf shooting 296 fps at 29" and 60#...amazing, but then again, do any of you think otherwise?

Matthews has always made a good product, just wondering if their " new technology" is actually just the legacy or Q2 with a bolder look.

PSE...never shot one, but the reviews seem to be first class in BowHunter magazine.

Thanks for your advice!

Jason Hyde

Jeff K

Hey Jason, well, I shoot a Mathews LX, it is not the Legacy or Q2, it is all new designs, including the HP cam, and V-Lock limb system, which hold the mibs and riser tighter, and prevents the limbs from moving. It is fast, it is forgiving for a bow with a 6 5/8 Brace height!

The Razortec, this weekend a friend and I went and looked at the new Hoyts, he is looking to get a hoyt, I don' t like them very much, but I liked the Razortec, it has the Cam and 1/2 system, which is very good, it is perfect length, and has a nice slim grip!

Bowtechs are all about speed!

c903

shootin296:

You remain alert and primarily concerned with staying alive and in one piece.

Thank you much for your service and your sacrifices.

portable ladder

shootin296,

i shoot a pse firestorm, with muzzy 4 blade 100 grain broadheads, i really like this bow, so far i' m 1 for 1 with it......thanks for your service to our country.....hope you come home soon

Dacotah

Jason,

First of all, thank you for your personal contribution in this troubled time. We very much appreciate it.

I haven' t shot any of the bows you mentioned, but had a question I had been wondering about. I know they are trying to get better R&R for you guys. Would it be possible to have your bow shipped to you so you could shoot in your off time? Or would they consider that a weapon and never go for it? It just seems if I was over there, it would be a great way to get my mind off things by doing some target shooting. Maybe find some other shooters and set up a league? or is it wishful thinking?

shootin296

First off, thanks to everyone for your responses, and for your appreciation of the troops. That boosts my morale ten times just hearing fellow hunters say such kind things.

Hi, Dacotah.
Great great question! It' s funny you should ask that, as I (along with my batallion XO, who is also a HUGE hunter, and another couple of hunters and archers) have been working on setting up a bow range here. It started as a joke as we talked about how we couldn' t wait to get home and try the newest of the new equipment out there. Then we decided to try and get something going. what could it hurt, right?
We started by writing some of the major companies...Matthews, Hoyt, Alpine, PSE, BowTech, etc. We told them that we were trying to set up a range here in Iraq, and wanted to know if they would offer us any incentive or military appreciation so that we could advertise/use their products here. We first heard back from Matthews, who wrote a very impersonal form letter letting us know that they are sorry about our current " situation" , but possibly we could drop by our local retail store and catch something discounted or on sale. Furthermore, they hope that we can shoot a Matthews in the future. It was a huge disappointment to get such a response from a company in whom many of us have already invested and appreciated so much. But then we heard from BowHunter Magazine, who apologized for not being able to do more, but sent us 4 or 5 years worth of back issues, videos, books, and a nice McKinzie 3D target (the eight point).
Then, BowTech came through, offering to send us eight of their newest bows (brand new). Then sight companies, rest companies, arrow companies, target companies, etc...all jumped in. We are really setting up a range, when the equipment gets here. We just can' t wait!
I have always loved Matthews, but have decided that unless the LX is head and shoulders above the rest, I probably won' t support them anymore. It isn' t because we wanted free stuff, but a letter of appreciation at least would have been nice.
On the other hand, I can' t say enough how much we appreciate what the other companies have done/ are doing for us. We are sending them batallion coins, certificates signed by our commanding officer, pictures, videos...the works. And, when we get home, they are going to get alot of business from alot of Army guys who appreciate those who support us. It' s a great deal all around.
So, in answer (a long one at that, sorry!) to your question...we are setting up the range in Iraq primarily for morale. But it' s also a great way to keep ourselves " honed in" while we' re out of the mix.
Once again, thanks for asking. And thank you all for your advice on the bows.
Take care and God bless,
Jason

shootin296

Oh, by the way.
I don' t think I would want my personal bow sent here. I' m just not sure that I would trust others around it. (dry fire, dry fire, dry fire)
Then there' s the climate/dust factor. I just am not sure I would be able to keep clean as I would like.

Dacotah

For some reason, the responses you received do not suprise me. The Mathews Customer Service and PR department seem to be doing the company a great disservice as of late. It' s great to hear that many companies are helping you out, and that doesn' t suprise me either.

Once you get everything, I think you should post the names of all the companies who helped to give them a little positive PR. What goes around comes around, you know?

It' s great to hear it is all working out.

AKDoug

I' m glad to see it working out. Have you contacted Martin, Dartin, or Newberry Bows yet? I' ve delt with all three companies and they are top notch. I' d bet they' d send some too. Give them a shout.

Jeff K

Mathews, is of late been great to me, you might have sent it to Matt McPherson, the head of the company, he might have sent you a better reply! But if you sent it to the general customer service people, they would have sent a response like the one you got, I am not sure how a company that competing for the top spot in archery, can afford to send something like that, they should have sent some of the new products! Instead of deciding right now that, you don' t wan tot support them, I would send another letter telling them how disatisfied with their support to the country, and how they must not like selling bows! But if it was up to me, the LX is way above the rest of the bows!