Bow Chat Stew

When taking up the sport of bow hunting, many people concentrate solely on the process of buying a compound bow without giving a lot of thought to the other accessories that it is necessary to use. Actually, it’s not necessary to buy many of the bow accessories that are offered to bow hunters, but it is if you want to shoot accurately with any consistency.

So what are the various bow accessories that help make the hutner’s job that much easier?

Carbon arrows – they are designed for the powerful compound bows that are being shot today. You can use other types of arrows but the carbon arrows give you the strength and spine that you need.

Bow Sights – everyone needs to be able to line up the shot correctly and choosing a bow sight will provide you with all the assistance you need.

Arrow Rests – the arrow only touches the bow in a couple of places, the bow string and the rest. Choose an arrow rest that gives you the cleanest, smmothest release possible.

Bow Release – speaking of smooth release, there are devices available that will ensure the arrow is released perfectly aligned with the target, choose from the many different releases for the ultimate assistance.

Stabilizers – powerful bows are full of vibrations as the energy pings around the frame of the bow when the string is released. A stabilizer will absorb much of the vibration to smooth out every shot.

The accessories mentioned here represent merely a start to the range of equipment that is available. Attachments to the bow and other sundry items can all be bought to improve comfort and performance.

Uncomplicated ideas, when they are properly created and realized, can be particularly useful and the innovation of lighted nocks is undoubtedly one that is gaining increasing acceptance from hunters. The concept is that the rear end of the arrow is fitted with a small led light that raises the visibility of the arrow as it is released from the bow.

There are several benefits to using an arrow that has a light affixed, the obvious is it is a lot easier to see the arrow during it’s flight. It means that the shooter can observe exactly how his or her arrow flies through the air and the light trail which is left behind will indicate the path that the arrow took exactly. If alterations are needed it is going to quickly become clear and this will help on subsequent shots.

The illumination will also supply a secondary advantage to the shooter and that’s to prevent arrows from getting lost. In the event the target be missed for some reason, depending on the density of the foliage, it is quite simple to lose your arrow. In most cases these arrows will be high-priced and the last thing you want to do is to replace them all every time you go out. The led light on the end of the arrow nock will enhance visibility of the arrow as it lies in the undergrowth making certain that it can be recovered without a large amount of looking.

Despite the fact that these nocks are likely to cost more compared to the typical old plastic nocks they might be thought to be offering good value for money, especially if you bag more deer or retain all of the arrows every time you shoot.

The new bows from Quest Bowhunting have been on the market for some time now and they have been getting some pretty good reviews. Here are the specs of each of the bows from the 2011 range to get an idea of the differences and similarities between all of them.

Quest Hammer – a performance bow at a budget price.

Draw Weights : 50, 60, 70lbs
Draw Lengths : 26-30”
Axle to Axle : 33″
Brace Height : 7.25”
Mass Weight : 4.2lbs
Effective Let Off : 80%
IBO Speed: 312-315 fps

Quest Primal – speed bow with a forgiving brace height

Draw Weights : 50, 60, 70lbs
Draw Lengths : 26.5-30”
Axle to Axle : 32″
Brace Height : 7-1/8”
Mass Weight : 3.9lbs
Effective Let Off : 80%
IBO Speed: 330-332 fps

Quest Rev – comfort and forgiveness with the new SYNC cam.

Draw Weights : 40-50, 50-60, 60-70 lbs
Draw Lengths : 27-30.5″
Axle to Axle : 32”
Brace Height : 7-5/8”
Mass Weight : 3.9 lbs
Effective Let Off : 80%
IBO Speed : 320-324 fps

Quest Smoke – light, quiet and powerful

Draw Weights : 40, 50, 60, 70lbs
Draw Lengths : 26-30.5”
Axle to Axle : 33″
Brace Height : 7.25”
Mass Weight : 4.1lbs
Effective Let Off : 80%
IBO Speed: 320-324 fps

Quest Torch – a bow designed for the ladies and youth shooters

Draw Weights : 30-45lbs
Draw Lengths : 24-28”
Axle to Axle : 33″
Brace Height : 6”
Mass Weight : 4.2lbs
Effective Let Off : 80%
IBO Speed: n/a

The bows from Quest Bowhunting have been designed to give the hunter the best of all possible worlds.

The newer release compound bows tend to garner quite a lot of chat in the various archery forums around the net. The opinions about bows can be a tricky affair with cheerleaders for particular brands jumping in with all kinds of ridiculous statements aimed at guiding their fellow chatters towards their favorite manufacturer.

The PSE Dream Season EVO is one of those new bows that everyone has an opinion about and that makes it a bow of interest to see what everyone is saying about them.

When asked about a comparison between the Axe 6 and the Dream Season EVO we saw a few interesting responses.

“I have shot both and eneded up with the axe 6 the brace height is a non isuues and these new pse are shooters for sure, I have hit my arm with other bows but never have with this one. I whent with the axe over the evo Just because they were not all that different to me and the axe was quite a bit cheaper. And i like the skull pattern on the axe vs the camo on the evo. Only 2 in stock. Im sure you will like both bows and both bows in my mind are very close”

“I have an Axe7 Target and just got an Evo. The grip is a little different on them. The Evo is a little better for me. I have not had a chance to shoot the Evo very much yet, but it seems to hold steadier for me. I don’t know if it is because of the design of the bow or just the grip for me. This is my first 6″bh bow and I need more time with it, but no regrets this far.”

“To answer your question, IMO, the EVO is all that and a bag O’ chips. I ordered mine shortly after shooting the Axe 6, EVO, and Omen Pro side by side by side….Tough choice, but the EVO was smooooooth, and vibration/shock free, and the draw cycle is sweet. I almost went with an Omen Pro, that’s how much improved the draw cycle is on that speed demon…still has a hump, but no where near what it was in years past.”

All of these posts appeared to me to be quite useful information, the kind of thing you would hope to read when talking about a comparison between bows.

On another forum someone asked if anyone had tested the Dream Season EVO against the Mathews Z7, quite a reasonable question and was probably hoping to spark some lively comparison-type discussion about it. The response that came back?

“both bow is good, but i’m not a mathews fan but i like pse also i’m not shoot a both but i would say go with PSE as they give u more speed u can get.
might u want to check out hoyt bows ?”

Are yes, the usual complete bullshit response from someone who then went on in another post later in the thread pushing another completely different bow, highjacking the site away from the intended topic.

There is an interesting phenomenon about some of the bow manufacturers outside of the ones that are considered to be the leaders in the industry. A question was posed recently in one of the forums around the joint about Darton Archery and why their popularity had been in decline.

Not surprisingly there were quite a few bewildered responses from those who have been using Darton bows for years and those who had just bought one. The general consensus was that there was no such decline in popularity. In fact Darton was still as popular as it ever was. The fact that they don’t blow their trumpet in the same way as other bow manufacturers doesn’t necessarily mean they are no longer building quality compound bow or that people aren’t using them.

Sometimes it is refreshing to come across a bow manufacturer that doesn’t feel it is necessary to proclaim that every compound bow they produce will take you to new heights in rapturous about the smoothness and speed of their bows. The fact that you are encouraged to try the bow yourself is a much more classy selling point. Just my opinion of course.

So anyway, Darton has not dropped off the edge of the map. They are still producing new bows that are catering for the broader market of bow hunters who are looking for solid bows.

There are numerous ways in which you can improve your shooting ability. Or at least, there are numerous products you can buy that promise to help you improve your accuracy. Some of these products will actually make a difference and should make up part of your arsenal. Here I am thinking mainly of things like bow sights and possibly a bow release.

There is one thing that you absolutely must do if you want to see any improvement in your shooting ability. Unfortunately it doesn’t come in a package that can be bought and added to your compound bow and voila, you are now going to shoot straighter. The truth is that constant and regular practice is a sure fire way of improving.

The more you shoot your bow the more familiar you will become with it. It will feel more comfortable in your hands and you will understand where the optimum places to aim are, you will understand that it shoots a little high at such and such a distance or that one type of arrow will perform better than another.

Talking to or getting tuition from an accomplished archer is definitely going to be a big help. This is particularly going to be the case if there are major flaws in your stance and draw technique. Generally speaking, though, it is going to come down to a lot of hard work and determination on your part.

Compound bows are being made with even more focus on providing you with a smooth draw and quiet release not to mention the power they are capable of. All of that will be for nought if you fail to put in the hard work and hit the practice range whenever you are able. And this is even more important when you buy a new bow and are trying to get used to how it shoots.

The market for designing and selling compound bows is becoming increasingly competitive with top quality bows being manufactured by a growing number of companies. Although archers are not all necessarily looking for a compound bow with the latest and greatest gimmick, they are looking for a bow that will provide them with an edge and a reason to buy it.

Compound bows are being made to provide speed without making it at the cost of smoothness of draw and quietness of shot. Archers want to feel comfortable when they use their bow but they also want to experience the sense of power that comes from a compound bow shooting at over 300 feet per second.

When you look around the various archery stores you will inevitably come across the odd hidden gem of a compound bow. This might be a bow that not only supplies great focused energy into the arrow but does so with a whisper quiet release. When you find this type of bow you should hang onto it tightly and make sure you treat it right so it will last for many years down the track.

Ultimately the best compound bow you can possibly buy is the one that you are most familiar with. It should feel good in your hands with a bow grip that provides you with a comfortable feeling when you grasp it. It takes a reasonably long time to get to know your bow so you should be reluctant to buy a new one unless you absolutely have to.

Forget all the talk about new technology and breakthroughs in this and that. If the bow you are using is still performing strongly and you are shooting accurately with it then you should continue to use it as long as is practicable.

There have been a few good reports about the Carbon Matrix compound bow over the last year or so with the general consensus giving it the thumbs up.

For the most part those who have shot the bow have reported on how light the bow is, how quietly the bow shoots and how little hand shock there is on release. The new XTR cam system has been given approval too. It builds gently and then drops away into a steep valley. The back wall is solid thanks to the peg in the bottom cam.

On the downside the price predictably gets the thumbs down. At well over a thousand dollars this is hardly surprising. One of the comments that floats around is that the bow looks a little like a toy thanks to the carbon material it is made with. This belies the power that it is capable of, of course.

One of the aspects that many people had to deal with was the look of the bow. The famous Hoyt Tec Lite riser was adapted into a close approximation of the Tec riser of old and this caused a lot of criticism on how ugly the bow looked. Naturally, this is kind of expected for any bow that strays in looks from what has been seen before. As the bow got older and was seen by more pairs of eyes it has become more accepted.

So that more people can get to try out the Carbon Matrix or even consider buying one the wait is on for the bows to start being offered for sale at places like eBay for prices that are approaching reasonable.

So, do they like the Hoyt Carbon Matrix compound bow? The answer is an unequivocal yes with the only problem being affordability. The original $1600 price tag is falling on the used bows with more and more being offloaded for under a thousand.

A compound bow riser is the component of the compound bow that doesn’t move. All of the other parts of the bow, the limbs, the cams, the string and the cables work together in harmony as the string is pulled back. The limbs flex the cams turn and the cables travel smoothly to build up the tremendous forces required to unleash the arrow at such devastating speeds.

Around all of this, and required to withstand a great deal of opposing forces is the riser. It is designed to be strong and, with an increasing number of bows, it is designed to be lightweight. Traditionally the riser has been made of forged aluminium to provide the required rigidity although magnesium risers have also been built. More recently companies have been bringing out compound bows featuring newer riser innovations such as the Carbon Matrix and Carbon Element from Hoyt with risers made from a tubular carbon compound.

To make it perfectly clear where the riser is on a compound bow, it is the part of the bow that is held by the archer. At least, it’s the part of the bow that contains the bow grip that the archer holds onto. It is also the place where the arrow rest lies and where a bow sight and a bow stabilizer are attached.

Although it may seem as though there is not a lot that can be done to a riser to make it different from one bow to the next, this is an area that has seen a lot of progress is. The length of the riser will alter the performance of the bow, whether the riser has a reflex or deflex curve to it as well as the weight will all impact on the way the bow performs.

One of the important features that is just about always referred to in the manufacturer’s release about each new bow is the material used in the construction of the riser. It is a crucial part in how the bow looks as well as how it performs.

Archery forums are used to exchange information about compound bows and other archery equipment. It is inevitable that there will be a few complaints about certain aspects about some of the more high profile bows around. Here are a few observations about various problems encountered with the Mathews Z7 compound bow.

#1 – I have a new Mathes Z7 and I have put about 150-200 arrows through it so far. I am having a problem with string slap making a ton of noise or something making a bunch of noise…. Has anyone else had these problems. I have shot it and tightened every allen screw this thing has and it dont seem to stop the noise. It is tons louder than my dxt and I really think its string slap because everytime I shoot my Z7 and my brother shoots his, our peeps never line back up and we always have to twist them. I took mine to my Mathews dealer and he installed a new peep and we paper tuned it and it still dont seem to cure the problem. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on what could be going on please let me know

#2 – I have the same thing. The other day I was in the back yard shooting and when I pulled the string back I heard a weird noise. I let down easy and looked at the cam (thats where I heard the noise).The red mod was bent and the string wasn’t lined up.I packed up,took it to my dealer, he looked at it, called Mathews, and on thursday he should get the cam. It turns out that the mods aren’t replacable. They have to replace the cam. I don’t know if the two are linked togather or not but I’m hoping they are.

#3 – I just bought a Mathews z7 a week ago. I havent been able to get it to shoot tight groups and maybe this is why? It just started making a real high pitch dinging noise when I shoot sometimes. It sounds like metal hitting metal. I cant figure out what it is. Everything is tight on my draw module.

IT may be that returning the bow to the supplier will result in a fix for the perceived problems. To my mind it appears that there are relatively few complaints about this bow when you consider the number that will have been sold to date.