# My impression of the new 101st Airborne...



## slim9300 (Dec 4, 2004)

I am switching to this bow from a #70/30.5" DL 2007 Tribute with smooth mods at 80% let-off (crackerized). So keep in mind that's what I have to compare it to. 

The new bow is a #60/31" DL 2008 101st Airborne with the only mods anyone should be using right now, the fast mods. The bow is crackerized with only the factory string suppressor and setup at 80% let-off. It was setup with two originally, but I just couldn't stand having the lower STS getting hung up on my shirts and distracting me. The reason I went with the 31" dl is because it's my true dl and it allows me to anchor with my index knuckle behind my earlobe, something I couldn't do at 30.5" without bending my arm more than I would like.

So enough with the lead up. This bow is a feat of engineering. And here's why:

First off, it is fast. It shot at 306 gr. arrow 343 fps and my 422 gr. hunting arrow 294 fps. That is 3 fps faster than my #70 Tribute with the same arrow! And I am making 81 lbs. of KE with a #60 bow. 

The bow has basically zero hand shock. I mean, it has less than the Tribute with smooth mods and that was impressive. 

The bow seems to hold more steady than the Tribute. However, that may have something to do with having the ability to have a solid anchor point now. I don't know for sure.

The draw on the bow is very different than the Tribute with smooth mods. It pulls much easier (as you would expect with #10 less dw) until you reach the breakover point right before the valley. At this point it gets somewhat tougher. A better comparison would be to the Tribute with fast mods (which I had on at one point). In this case I would say the draw is basically the same if you were to drop the Tribute to #60. It may seem like you were pulling 2-3 more lbs. at that breakover point, but no where near the 7-10 lbs. that I have heard some people say. I think these people must not be used to Bowtech's in general with fast mods, which is definitely a different feel coming from most single cam bows. So enough of that.

The bow was easy to tune with a Whisker Biscuit. I was shooting bullet holes very quickly and I could shoot them consistently from 6 ft. to 20 yards. 

As soon as I got dialed in I was pounding spots in no time. Back a 50-60 yards I was shooting the same groups as I did with my Tribute on the first three shots. (about 4-5" circle on average) It seems to be a little more forgiving then the Tribute on the errand shots at 60 yards. These shots I might miss the spot by 5 or 6 inches in any direction worst case scenario. This was something I worried about going with a slightly shorter BH. But I am guessing the 5" or so longer ATA length helps alot with accuracy for me. To summarize: tack driver!

Some technical things I really like about the bow are the new InVelvet finish, which really seems to protect the bow better and it looks amazing. Also, the sight holes are for once in the correct location. With my Tribute I had to adjust my Spot Hogg sight all the way down and I still had my 20 yard pin in the middle of my sight. Now I can have the 20 yard pin easily at the top and have room for longer pins. 

The only place where the bow didn't perform as well as my Tribute was with regard to noise. The bow is by no means loud. But smooth mods really quiet down a bow. The bow sounds just like my Tribute did when it had fast mods. The noise is a thump that seems perfectly acceptable to me. As a matter of fact, my best friend with a #70 Tribute (w/ fast mods) was standing next to me when I first shot the bow. His first reaction was: man, that was quiet. So I am guessing it's louder to the shooter than whatever is within earshot. 

So wow, that was alot of rambling. I tried my best to cover everything so that if someone was unsure of what to expect they would get a comprehensive answer. Let me know if you have any questions...

I attached a picture below. The string and cables color should match the new Octane Quiver perfectly. Hopefully this was helpful to someone.










Here is the link to my thread in the General Archery Discussion forum:

http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthread.php?t=649465

For the record here is my exact arrow:

29" Gold Tip 55/75 Pro Hunters (100 grain tips, 20 grain weight screw in the insert, and 27 grain nock) 422 total weight.


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