By Jason Reid
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- Each of the new bows I shot in Louisville I think deserve real test runs in my scrutiny filled bow range to fight their way into my heart as I make decisions on what my set up will be going into this fall.
But until that happens, here are my first look notes on each of the major bows released at ATA 2016.
Elite Impulse Bow:
Elite has continued to impress me since they began standing out on the bow scene several years ago. Considering my personal bow is five years old, this was a night and day difference. With the field of archery manufacturing seeming to become more and more complex, Elite continues to remain fairly simple in design while offering leading features. Elite is well known for their shootability. The Elite Impulse Bow can offer a speed of up to 343FPS while not sacrificing what has made them a popular option among hunters. Although the draw is a bit aggressive on the Impulse, my favorite aspect of this bow is the back wall. Using duel draw stops on both cams, you have a much longer, “Dwell Time”. Essentially, this means you can hold the bow longer before it feel like the bow wants to jump from your hands to shoot. It was the very best of all the bows I shot at ATA. When I need to hold on a big bull or buck for long periods of time in the final moments of the hunt, I want to feel like I am holding nothing. Elite also worked to improve limb alignment this year with their enhanced limb pocket by designing the limbs to drive pressure directly downward.
Gearhead Archery T24 Bow:
New To the game, Gearhead Archery brings a different look and feel to bows, and as expected has mixed feeling from shooters. Rightfully so, it looks different, and different always takes time to catch on. The Gearhead Archery T24 Bow is built for the sheep and goat hunter although can be used in any situation. For the guy or gal who is packing everything on their back into the alpine, you might want to see this. It is a shoot through riser and is only 24.5” axle to axle. It drew smooth and the arrow can cruise at top speeds of 355FPS. The body is a military grade aluminum and can be switched in minutes to be right or left handed.
Yes, it looks different, but it didn’t creep on me all that much at my anchor point. I believe shooters should give this bow a chance to prove itself on the market before handing down judgment.
Xpedition Xception Bow :
Truth be told, I’d never heard of Xpedition until a few months ago and didn’t give it much thought until a friend invited me to the booth to give their new solo cam Xpedition Xception a test run. In my search for simplicity, I naturally gravitated to this bow on the rack. It was one of the smoothest, easiest drawing bow I picked up at ATA 2016 and for a solo cam had a surprisingly solid back wall.
This bow pushes arrows at a top speed of 328, which for the speed freak isn’t a drop in the bucket, but an option for the everyday hunter concerned with smooth reliability.
PSE Carbon Air Bow:
This bow lives up to its name for sure and there is a lot going on with this set up. I cracked a smile when I picked it up mostly for all the Western hunters who will use this come fall. This is a bit different look from other risers we have seen. In simple terms it is a single piece carbon tube, not a fused hollow carbon tube. One will see it is an arched riser which helps increase stability according to the company. The interior of the carbon tube is filled with PSE’s S-Rac Technology, to dampen vibration. The PSE Carbon Air Bow comes with the popular X-Force limbs and their Hyper Drive Cams. I found it to have a good back wall and great speed one would expect from PSE.
This bow certainly is a great combination of speed, portability and forgiveness.
About Jason Reid:
Jason Reid is a writer and business professional from upstate New York. After deciding to pursue his dream of becoming an outdoor writer, Jason started a blog from his dorm room at Houghton College, growing it and working hard to earn opportunities. While bowhunting big game is his ultimate passion, Jason welcomes all outdoor challenges which force him to push his limits. Jasonís work can be viewed on his website Pushingthewildlimits.com