I got the opportunity to shoot some of the long riser bows this weekend (which is minor miracle, considering my location). I shot the BT Extreme VFT, ' 03 Patriot SC, Pearson Freedom, and the Mathews Legacy. I was very impressed. The biggest thing I noticed was how much they felt like a longer a to a bow at full draw. Seems to me that this design is would " allow" much less torque in a shot ala long a to a bows. All of the above bows had about the same feel as far as the perceived stability. Any thoughts on this....Is this going to be the trend?? BTW- I personally fell in love with the VFT after shooting them all MANY times. I' m gonna get one before fall.....It' ll have to be one heck of a shooter to pry my Hoyt Havoc out of my hands (the most forgiving bow I' ve ever shot) but it will have a place somewhere in my arsenal. I had another thread about the " Bowtech in the Boonies" program Huntersfreind.com is running. Can all Bowtech dealers ship to someone that does not have a local dealer????

All I can say is I enjoy very much my new VFT. I did try all the others you mentioned except the Ben Pearson, plus I also added in the Hoyt Razortec and the Patriot DC for effect. I liked the VFT the best because of speed, price, quiteness and lack of hand shock. All of the bows you mentioned are quality bows and yes I believe the VFT type limbs are a trend on the rise. When choosing between these it just boils down to personal preference.

My Bowtech VFT is a 70 lb, 29" model. The Bowtech birth certificate says 317 IBO. My actual is 306-307 with a 367 grain arrow. That' s with string loop, peep, and standard Bowtech hush kit. I am truly amazed at how quite and shock-free this bow is, especially when generating this much speed.

If that is a 31 inch draw length Havoc you are thinking of parting with then I just might be interested....

I have heard about the " Bowtech in the boonies" program but know very little about it. I do believe that it originated actually from a post over on the Bowsite last year. It had to do with Huntersfriend selling Bowtech bows online if I am not mistaken.

The BowTech In The Boonies system requires you to be atleat a 2 hour drive from the nearest BowTech dealer. If you have one closer, you can' t use the system. I am not sure if Huntersfriend is the only place doing this, but, it is the only one that I have seen.

Also, as far as the long riser bow, they are very very sweet shooting bows. They really do make a difference in the overall performance of a bow. They just aren' t my style. Why? I don' t really know, they just don' t feel right to me, I guess if I owned one and got to shooting them alot, I would probablly fall in love with it, but, for now, my MightyMite fits me perfectly.

Also, I do believe that they are going to be the new trend, and for good reason. It actually wouldn' t suprise me if you see some of the other companies (Martin, Hoyt, PSE, Browning), starting to use this system in the near future. It reduces handshock drastically, and it does balance the bow out.

What was amazing to me was the speed the Bowtech produced w/ the total lack of handshock and noise.....I will be the first to admit that nearly all these bows shot very well and that I would put the Legacy and Patriot in a perfect tie with the VFT as far as handshock, noise, and " shootability" ....but the VFT was shooting a 350 grain arrow at 321 fps at 29" !!!! The Legacy setup the exact same (29" ....tied in nock) was doing 295 fps. The patriot 310. I was VERY impressed w/ the VFT!! I' m not a speed freak but I am a KE freak and I can see some serious energy out of this bow with a 500 gr. arrow.

PA,
Sorry man!! The Havoc isn' t going anywhere!! Love that little bow!

CG,

Yes, the VFT is perfect for those KE freaks. Heck, I bought my MightyMite and was originally thinking of getting a blazing fast speed out of it that still had decent KE, but, now I think that I am going to get a really heavy arrow, and still be shooting fast, but, have enough KE to knock an elephant off its feet

Buckmagnet,
Yeah I think that bow will put me a lot closer to my goal of actually, physically knocking an elk over!!

FWIW, My buddy shot the MM and fell in love with it!! I really liked it too...It reminded me of my Havoc, which I dearly love...BUT of course it' s about 25 fps faster....

Yep, I love it It is amazing to look at BowTech' s bows. They are all putting out BLAZING speeds, and yet, are so very shootable. My MightyMite has the specs of a hard to shoot bow, but, man, I LOVE. Actually, I just had it out for a little while. Had to get a couple shots in with it today. Right now I am shooting my arrows from last year, which are 31" Beman ICS Hunter 400' s. They have a total arrow weight of 394.4 grains and MAN, they are FLYING out of that bow. I have it set at 30" draw length and it is maxed at 72# draw weight.

I just can' t wait for archery season. The deer better watch out

Another thing that I love about BowTech is the diversity of their lineup. They have everything from ultra short to long a.t.a. bows. From Average (TomKat) to BLAZING fast bows (MightyMite, BKII, Extreme Solo, ectt.) You have got your choice of single cam or dual cam, a bunch of different brace heights, ect. They just have something for everyone.

CG - the VFT shooting a 2315 just might knock an elk down! ok enough kidding but man that thing is fast & hits hard. I am very happy with mine & it is slowly growing on me more & more.