CG

Jeff,
The question is WHY???? The MQ1 is light (3.6 or 3.8 lbs. ?) and quiet. VERY quiet. So they are very capable of making a light shootable bow. My question is why not make it available now? And 37" is perfect for a mountain bow. I don't have a stabilizer on my bow and the 37" a to a offers a very stable shooting platform without additional weight.

Also I wasn't personally attacking you and your walking ability. There is a very real difference in hiking vertically for 2 miles (several times a day) from 8000 to 10,500 ft. and walking into a tree stand. That extra few ounces does make a difference.

I love my MQ1 but I won't buy a bow over 4 lbs. for the above stated reasons. I wish Mathews would just offer some greater variety in their mass weights. I've shot the Legacy, LX, Icon, etc. and they are great shooting bows. But the MQ1 shoots just as well without the bells and whistles. Pretty much Mathews has not significantly improved the MQ1. They've just added weight and few more FPS.

CG

BB9,
I don't understand and the reason is that a half pound over the course of a day really adds up, especially when it is at the end of your fingers. Go to an ultralight backpacking site and browse for a little bit. What those guys do is basically what I and Elkcrazy8 and a lot of elk hunter do. Put on a LOT of miles at high altitude. They will spend $200-$300 to buy a camp stove that is 3 oz. lighter than the one they have. Not better, but LIGHTER.

If you want to put this in perspective. Find the biggest hill around your area, put a plastic bag over your head and poke a hole the size of a pencil in it to breathe through, and walk up and down it all day from sunup to sundown and tell me if you wouldn't wish you had lighter boots, lighter jacket, lighter pack, etc.[X(]

Greg / MO

Man, do I ever agree with CG on this one!

The first blatantly obvious thing that glared out at me when I picked up the Outback was its weight... bare bones, it far outweighs my MQ-1 with sights, quiver, wrist sling, and stabilizer. DEFINITELY a lot more heft there...

And the guys were right about the valley; there is none basically. Any creep at all, and she's gonna go. Maybe you loved the bigger valley Mathews had before, but this model ain't got it. The shop owner explained that's where Mathews was gaining a little extra speed at. It did draw smoothly though, just no valley.

Having said that, though, she does shoot smooth! I'm sure all the extra bulk does a good job soaking up the vibes. It seemed a touch faster just eyeballing the arrows on the way to the target (I didn't shoot through a chrono), and it was absolutely rock-solid. It honestly reminded me of the glowing reports everyone's been attributing to the Bowtech Liberty.

Having said all that... Would it be worth it to plunk down several hundred dollars more -- provided I could get a few hundred for my current MQ-1, either as a trade or outright sell? Nope. CG's right; the MQ-1 shoots almost as smooth, is very noticeable lighter, and is whisper quiet in its own right.

Unless you've just got to have the latest of the latest, you'd do well to save several hundred dollars and buy yourself a used MQ-1.

jsasker

ANYONE--what kind of speeds and how smooth is the draw cycle?

Greg / MO

IBO speed of 308, and very smooth draw cycle -- just no valley to speak of.

Archer18

I have to agree with elkcrazy the added is strenous by the end of the day, my first bow that i hunted with was a golden eagle falcon flame that is one heavy bow compared the bow im shooting now, a bowtech extreme solo and that few ounces is very noticable with the way me and my dad hunt. we cover some hectic terrain and this is how he gets his nickname mtn goat.

By the way elkcrazy beautiful bull! Congrats!

Jeff K

CG: I know the altitude you are talking about, but when climbing and all, all the bows are going to feel heavy after a long day of hiking and climbing, but the weight is not that much more, less than 1.5lbs, it is all going to be heavy, but I would rather use my LX over the MQ1!!

JeffB

I can understand the Elk guys wnatinga lighter bow. that's gotta be tough.

That said, as a lazy east coast whitetail hunter , me like the added weight for stability when shooting..especially on a super short axle to axle bow.

The only way you can get a decent brace height out of an extreme parallel limb bow is to make a longer heavier riser. In combination w/ the heavier aluminum "add-ons" of the Supressors, roller guard, and HD system that's where the extra weight is coming from. Were they to ditch the supressors, go back to a carbon guard, and lose the HD they'd drop probably 3/4 of a pound off the bow.

I'm curious about the valley comments. On the LX the valley is pretty good at 80% but very narrow at 65%..I'll see the bow this week, but I'm wondering if the valley is super narrow at the high letoff setting?

Greg / MO

Jeff, both bows I drew -- including the one I shot -- were set at 80%.

JeffB

If so then 65% is going to be brutal. I'll see if they will let a BowTech guy shoot one at the booth w/ 65% letoff (if at all! )