Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Just a little teaser for you folks that like to see some of the new 2005 bows as soon as possible. I had the opportunity to pick up an '05 Jennings 3.4R recently. In truth I did not have high expectations as many of their recent offerings in past years have fallen short of what most of the other "pro shop only" bow lines have been offering...both in terms of performance and design.

They have been advertising their new lineup for a few weeks now and the first bows are just starting to show up at dealerships. Having seen the ads in various bowhunting publications I was expecting something with a riser and limbs similar to a Buckmaster G2XL with the exception of the limbs being of solid design. I also did not know what to expect with their new single cam offering.

This last point is exactly why I think Jennings has been falling behind many of the other leaders in the industry. Though the second generation "perimeter weighted style" single cams will always have their place they lack several design characteristics (smooth draw and level nock travel) that some of the more recent third and fourth generation single cams possess.

It is with these thoughts in mind that I setup and proceeded to shoot the new Jennings offering. Without ruining my opportunity for a more comprehensive bow report on this model I will say that the bow does deliver as advertise. No recoil or handshock whatsoever though some vibration in the riser. This was easily remedied with the addition of a Sims modular stabilizer. No limbsavers or leeches and yet the bow was very quiet overall.

Two thumbs up so far and I do believe Jennings finally has a "contender".

The Jennings 3.4 R with the J-Rev single cam and Force Neutralizing Technology (FNT).

- 34 inch axle to axle length
- 7.5 inch brace height
- 4+ pound mass weight
- 305 fps advertised IBO speed rating

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

I like the looks, but then I've had a preference for the lighter camo patterns. I also dislike the looks of the parallel limb models out there. The curved limbs are more appealing to my eyes.

I'm looking forward to your bow report. :)

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Hey Frank....did you have any issues with that cable guide roller thingy??

Every bow I've seen from them and FB (about 3;)) come through the shop I could NEVER get sufficient feather clearance woth and no way to adjust it that I could find.

Did you get one or just fondle??[8D]:D

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

I bought one to play with. :)

As for the swing arm cable guard, the earlier models were not adjustable but more recent versions are. I have not yet adjusted this particular unit from the factory setting and yet it still seems to provide more than adequate clearance.

Straightarrow,

Based on your comments I would think that this bow would be right up your alley. The entire bow design is more of a parallel limb one and yet it still retains much of the traditional bow design as well. More to come when time allows. :)

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

The bow looks pretty good, but I wonder about the cable guard. I'm just looking at the picture but it looks like it is hinged and has some lateral force on the hinge. Could this be a week spot in this bow?

Let us know how it shoots. After all that is what matters most.

Good luck with it,
Allen

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

AllenRead:
I was worried about the same thing. Hinges like that are great when equal force is applied to it, but when it's all on one side, it looks like it would stress it pretty bad. Seems like the first place to develop squeaks.
Looks like we're moving further away from the KISS theory. (Keep It Simple Stupid!)

But really, let us know how it shoots and holds up! I really like the looks of it!

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Prioritize, man... :)

Few quick questions to add to the mix now or when you do a full blown review (fingers crossed) later-

1- Hardware/cams look flashy/shiny. Is it just the pic, or do you think this would be an issue in the woods?

2- Are they using Merlin limbs? Their ad write up sounds similar to Merlin's.

3- How much did it run $ wise?

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Lets see if I can address some of these issues. For starters, the cable guard....

Jennings first introduced the design back in '99 or '00. I forget which exactly. They have used them on a variety of bows and the only major issue that I am aware of is problems with fletching clearance on some of the earlier models. I have owned at least three of the swing arm cable guard style bows in the past (Fred Bear TRX/Epic Extreme) and did not experience any problem with the design of the swing arm cable guard itself. In fact, a hunting buddy of mine is still using the original Epic Extreme that I bought back in 2000 without any problems (I just changed the string/cable on it recently).

For those of you unfamiliar with the design it actually rotates towards the centershot of the bow when the bow is at full draw in order to reduce torque on the limbs and damage to the buss cable serving (decreased string angle). It is also positioned almost directly in-line with where the arrow fletching passes by the cable/return string which, again, reduces the string angle and stress on the limbs.

This latest version of it has been beefed up from the original design. However, for those of you that prefer a simple carbon cable guard rod, there is a hole tapped in the riser between the sight mounting holes and the rest mounting hole to allow you to mount one. It was not included as part of the package I purchased but will be available as an after market add-on.

RB,

1. The shiny glare is from the flash of my digital camera. I took the pictures last night and was forced to use the flash in order to get a detailed pic of the bow. The single cam is somewhat "flashy" with its silver and gold styling but I doubt it would be that detrimental in the deer woods.

2. Not to my knowledge. I was told that the limbs are of their own design. They have been using the carbon/glass limbs on several of their other bows for the last two years.

3. I was wondering when somebody was going to ask this one. :) This is another area where I think Jennings is trying to hang with the "big boys" in that the minimum advertised price is $599. Not as bad as some but worse than others.

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Looks like a nice bow, Frank.

Good to see you back in the bow review saddle again, especially during Archery season. Thanks for taking the time.:)

As far as the swing arm cable guard, I had quite a bit of trouble with the one that came with my '97 Speedstar XLR, but no trouble at all with the one on the newer 2002 Golden Eagle. The adjustment is easy, and the hinge is rugged and solid. Nice not to have any concern about letting a bow down, but with a manageable draw weight, that is not really a problem anyway.

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Some time ago when their ads started to appear for this bow I raised the question of Jennings finally scoring a hit (with me) after years of what I felt was inferior products since I bought their Carbon Extreme XLRS back in 1993.

I will anxiously await your review. This bow certainly is appealing to my eye. I will be interested to see the accuracy of their draw length in relation to the advertised IBO speed of 305. Quiet and shockfree you say, very interesting. :)

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

I can say this much about draw length...I have not measured it yet but this bow feels very short on me with its 29 inch draw length. There is no adjustability with the cam itself in terms of adjustable string posts (previous Jennings' offerings) but rather via different draw length modules.

Definitely quiet with no recoil. A little vibe like I said but the stabilizer took that away very nicely. The bow sits very dead in my hand at the shot. I am curious as to the speed issue though. That is one topic that I think some of the NAAG bows in general have been lacking...in reference to their listed rating.


Jeff,

No, thank you for taking the time to read and respond. I appreciate hearing others' thoughts on this bow as I think it could be somewhat of a sleeper this year. We need to set something up so we can get together down at the shop sometime and you can shoot it all you like.

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

PABowhntr:
I think you do us all a favor by your review. I'm relatively new here, but one of the main reason I joined was to read reviews about products on the market. And to tell you the truth, I've noticed that the reviews section of the bow hunting forum to be more a Q/A forum for people than a true reviews section. Hopefully, after I get a little more time on my hands and use my new equipment more this year, I can post some helpful reviews here -- with the hope of assisting people in purchasing the right equipment for them.

Thanks again!

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Frank:

By a little vibration in the handle, would the Buckmasters 4000 be a decent comparison? I would guess this bow might recoil a bit less than the 4000, but it sounds like that little bit of handle vibe might be the same or similar.

I am currently trying to get a barely adequate # of hours in the woods. Lots of other people (not just the wife) seem to have ideas about what I should do with my time right now.[:@]

I have a few promising stand sites, just have to get in the stands for them to possibly work!;)

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Jeff,

I thought the two were similar to some extent though I thought the BM 4000 to be more like the G2XL in terms of overall shot feel. The CK 3.4 R is much more well balanced. It feels smoother around the grip area and yet still has some heft to it. Vibration is the only noticeable shot characteristic that I felt the need to comment on. All of the others were insignificant in my opinion.

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Thanks for the update. IME, the fairly thin, highly stressed and curved Bear/Jennings limbs respond as well or better than other limbs to the application of Limb Savers. Should be a very nice bow to shoot. It is also nice to see B/J come up with a cam design that looks at least somewhat original.;)

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

Thought Quicksilver might like to see this one.;)

RE: Jennings, Back in the mix?
 

I haven't shot one yet but it is on my to do list.