New Archery Product Lines for 2009

by: Scott

With hunting season for many of us right around the corner and the anticipation of “Mr. Mossy Horns” or that monster bull elk walking out and allowing you to make that once in a lifetime shot! I know most of us shoot the “ole faithful” bow that has carried us through many seasons and it is like a pair of well worn jeans, you can pick it up and shoot X’s with it out to 40 yards and never change a thing. What would you think about switching to a new bow or getting a new sight or rest, even something as simple as changing arrows and broad heads? There is some amazing equipment out this year that I would like to share with all of you. Upgrading to a new set up will help you shoot better, make cleaner and more ethical shots, and possibly extend your effective range by 10 yards.

Speed seems to the be the highlight of the last 2 years in the bow world and there are a few new bows out there that are pushing the limits of speed to the 370 fps range, something that even 5 years ago none of us thought arrow speeds would ever get to. PSE set the bar last year with the X-Force, shooting an IBO speed of 350 fps, and they have taken the next step and pushed that speed another 16 fps with the X-Force Omen.

X Force Omen - http://pse-archery.com

For those of you that are not sure about IBO ratings, here is how they do it: 30” bow at 70 pounds with a 350 grain arrow on a shooting machine with nothing but a nock point on the string.

PSE has completely redesigned the cams on this bow and with a 5.5” brace height it shoots unbelievably smooth and quiet. The draw cycle on the X series bows tend to be a bit on the aggressive side, but once you get a feel for it, it draws and holds like a dream with a rock solid back wall. The axle to axle length on the Omen is 33.5” with adjustable effective let off of 70-75% and with draw lengths from 26-31” it will fit just about anyone.  It is available in draw weights from 60-70 pounds. This bow is advertised at an IBO speed of 366 fps. Personally I have not shot this bow yet, mainly because PSE has not released this bow to any dealers yet. They have incorporated a string suppression system on this bow and with Americas Best Bowstrings on all the pro series bows this year, they have very little creep and peep sight alignment have no issues at all.

Hoyt has stepped into the speed world this year and brought out a bow that has taken Hoyt to a new level. Anyone who has shot Hoyt knows that they are not known for light weight but with the new Alpha Max they have lightened the bow up almost a full pound from last year’s Katera. This bow has really made a foot print this year and has brought many disbelievers of Hoyt over to them. I can tell you first hand that this bow shoots like a dream and in my opinion Hoyt has underrated the speed on this bow by just a bit. With an advertised IBO speed of 321 and a 7” brace height, it is by far one of the smoothest drawing bows on the market this year. The 75% let off makes for a wonderfully smooth roll over – the wall is just awesome! The built in string suppression system also adds to quiet this bow even without string silencers. Draw lengths are easy to adjust with modules and are available from 23.5”-30” and draw weight ranges from 40-80# again able to fit just about any shooter that would be interested in this bow.  Hoyt offers this bow in two different lengths 32-35” axle to axle and has teamed up with the Bone Collectors and offers the bow in camo riser and black limbs with Bone Collector signature of Michael Waddell. They also offer a blacked out version that looks really cool.

Hoyt Alpha Max http://hoyt.com

Mathews has really shaken things up in the archery business this year with the introduction of four completely redesigned bows for 2009. Having been known for uncompromising accuracy, smoothness, light weight, and innovation, they have taken a step in the speed world this year with both single cam and now the double cam world. Probably the biggest buzz this year in the single cam world is the new Mathews Reezen 6.5. This bow has a completely new riser design for ’09 and the perimeter weighted cam makes for a new draw cycle not familiar by many die hard Mathews shooters. Very smooth and forgiving, it completely changes the way you will look at single cam bows. With an IBO rating of 340 fps, which in the single cam world is virtually unheard of and will make for some very happy speed freaks out there who want the simplicity and smoothness of a single cam.  I have shot this bow in several different configurations, and I can say it is unreal. Speeds at 27” (my draw length) with a peep, loop and my hunting arrow at 362 grains running right around 309-311 fps. Just awesome!! They offer this bow in a 7.0 version as well in Lost Camo and their blacked out version for an additional cost. Draw lengths are available from 24-30” , weights from 40-70# and 80% let off.

Mathews Reezen 6.5 http://mathewsinc.com

The biggest innovation that Mathews has out this year is and the biggest talk of the internet forums and pro shops alike is the Mathews Monster. Manufactured under the McPherson name, it is the pinnacle of twin cam technology. Offered in two versions, the standard Monster and the Monster XLR8 (pronounced Accelerate if you say it quickly). Both will blow your socks off. The Monster IBOs at 353 with a 6” brace height, draw length options from 25-30” and weight ranges from 40-80# with 80% let off. Speed combined with smoothness does not get much better than this - this will be a Pope and Young’s worst nightmare!

With a 5” brace height and all the same specs as the standard Monster the Monster XLR8 speed increase is about 20 fps over and above what the standard model has. Both use the AVS (advanced vectoring system) that helps make the draw unbelievably smooth and even with the short brace height it shoots very well. Both bows weigh in at 4.4 lbs which is different than we have seen from Mathews in the past, but it helps balance this bow out nicely. The XLR8 IBO’s at an advertised 360+, but I can tell you from experience that it will do closer to 370.

Mathews Monster XLR8 http://mathewsinc.com

Shooting todays hi speed low drag compounds will do nothing but help many of us in our shooting ability as well as increasing accuracy and may very well give you some bragging rights as well. Technology that we thought was smoke & mirrors just 3 years ago has become reality and coupled with today’s high quality accessories, will without a doubt help the novice archer become very happy with their set up, and give the seasoned bow shooters a chance to see what the bows are capable of! This year is filled with innovations and new products that I could spend an entire week on, but I will follow this article up with some new accessories next month.
Until next month…..Keep ‘em in the X ring!

Tags: animals, Antelope hunting, archery, autumn-leaves, hunting, outdoors