# Mathews Ovation?



## Harperman (Sep 3, 2006)

A fella I know has a very nice condition Ovation for sale....The A-T-A and brace height specs out nicely, and the draw is very very nice...I love the way the bow "Holds"......So far, I've been told two things about the Ovation....#1....Extremely forgiving.....#2...very slow....Anyone on here owned an Ovation before??...How did You like it?...Also, with a 28" draw, a proper tune and set-up, just how "Slow" would this bow be with 5 g.p.p. arrows??...I figure that it should be at least as fast as the old Mach 9 with the Vector "Cams" on it....Thanks in advance........Jim


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## jgean (Mar 7, 2005)

The slow part is right. I just bought another one recently.I didn't buy it thinking I would be shooting over 300 fps with it. Not to say you can't. I love the way the bow shoots ( I dont shoot fingers tho).


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## Ack (May 13, 2005)

I have been shooting an Ovation for about 4 years now and still feel that it is one of Mathews' best finger bows made. While it may be slow by todays standards, it is plenty fast enough for both target and hunting, and the smooth draw is what makes the bow a dream to shoot.


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## Harperman (Sep 3, 2006)

Ack said:


> I have been shooting an Ovation for about 4 years now and still feel that it is one of Mathews' best finger bows made. While it may be slow by todays standards, it is plenty fast enough for both target and hunting, and the smooth draw is what makes the bow a dream to shoot.


ACK.......Thanks for the reply..Jim


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## CutTheLoop (Dec 26, 2007)

I think it was called the slOwvation for a reason. 


But it's brace height and cam makes it a shooter for sure.


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## Harperman (Sep 3, 2006)

CutTheLoop said:


> I think it was called the slOwvation for a reason.
> 
> 
> But it's brace height and cam makes it a shooter for sure.


............CutTheLoop....Thanks ......Just for squats and giggles, what kind of arrow speed do You think I'd get with a tuned bow, and 5 g.p.p. arrows, at 28" draw?....Mathews listed the slOvation @ 300 f.p.s IBO , so I'd expect around 270 with a peep and tied-on nockset??...My Hoyt Pro Elite,with XT-3000 limbs, and Cam 1/2's was around 270 f.p.s.....Should have NEVER sold that bow.....I've heard folks say that some of the Mathews bows are over-rated on their I.B.O. specs, but my Conquest 3, and Apex were both pretty much dead-on, with allowances for draw length, and Peep in the string...Thanks for any info.......Take care......Jim


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## Unclegus (May 27, 2003)

Maby the only Mathews I've ever considered buying.


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## Harperman (Sep 3, 2006)

Unclegus said:


> Maby the only Mathews I've ever considered buying.


UncleGus....I'll be shooting an Ovation this weekend....Fella traded one in at the shop, excellent condition, all camo color.....I "Might" be doing some bow hunting this fall, I thought that the Ovation would make a good quiet, stable Finger bow for hunting....Soooo.....I wanna try it out , and see how it compares to my old Apex...The wooden grip on it is pretty slim, and it seems that I will be able to shoot it with a low wrist ( like I prefer, but low wrist and Hoyt's dont go together...L.O.L..)....I thought that the fella wants too much $$ for it, but after doing a search on the A.T. Classifieds, it seems that the asking price isnt too shabby, it also has almost new Winners Choice strings on it...Been shooting Fingers a bit, and gettin' back in the groove...If I keep what's left of my mind right, maybe I'll be a full-time Finger flicker again soon....Uncle Gus, 'Ya wanna buy an Ultra Elite??...L.O.L.....Jim


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

Jim, don't sell the Ultra Elite. Guys here are going back to them with 2000 and 3000 limbs and spirals, and shooting lightout, they say they like the lite bows, even one is trying a MOJO. I still have my UE and just put a scope on it for target which should help with my TP. That why Hoyt hasn't drop it from their line. At lease for a now.....LOL. dd


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## Harperman (Sep 3, 2006)

DDSHOOTER said:


> Jim, don't sell the Ultra Elite. Guys here are going back to them with 2000 and 3000 limbs and spirals, and shooting lightout, they say they like the lite bows, even one is trying a MOJO. I still have my UE and just put a scope on it for target which should help with my TP. That why Hoyt hasn't drop it from their line. At lease for a now.....LOL. dd


.......Double D....I'm just funnin' with UncleGus...The Ultra Elite is staying....I have been though ALOT of compound bows, and I havent found a better all-round bow than the Ultra Elite....it does everything well....Only complaint is the grip, I just wish that it was flatter/more squared off , like a PSE Moneymaker...I find myself looking for a good place to set my hand into the grip on this Ultra Elite, and sometimes I have left-right issues with it..I had thought seriously about machining a slip-on grip for it, similar to the aluminum slide on grips that folks put on the Mathews bows..As for the Mojo, I've shot all three versions of the bow a good bit, and the Mojo 3-D is pretty harsh...The Mojo with the longer limbs shoots pretty good, as does the single cam version...Those bow really benefit from a string stopper....Just kicking around the Pro's and Cons of the Ovation.....it seems to be a really easy bow to shoot well...The Ultra Elite is a super good bow, but with the C-2 cams, you have to shoot a strong shot, and since I'm shooting it with a Hinge, it's too short to shoot Fingers with...I've got the cams a bit over-rotated as it is to get my draw length...I could put XT-3000 limbs on it, buy different cams, and strings, but to be honest, I'm just digging the way the neutral/deflexed riser bows that I have shoot for me with Fingers...If I gonna bowhunt this year, I dont want a bow that is in any way sensitive or tricky to shoot...Thus, the Ovation....Take care, Double-D!.........Jim


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## AKRuss (Jan 10, 2003)

My UltraElite has the XT3500 limbs with C2s and I'm really starting to like it - which is nice since I purchased it in 2007, shot if for Field league that summer and simply neglected to sell it. It shoots whisper quiet and smoothly. I do have to keep my back tension up at anchor or it will shoot without me. I'm just getting use to the narrow all metal grip and do a pre-draw placement right in the life line of my hand where the grip fits and stays quite well. Loesch makes a glue-on wood grip for the Apex but last I checked did not make one for the Hoyt integral grip. 

I shot an Ovation for a while with the standard grip and found myself doing a horizontal group. I traded the bow but wonder how it would have shot with a Leosch grip or no grip at all.


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

Jim, that's why I have a 2005 UE with black side plates, blue fusion riser, one of two in AZ. I, too, never liked the newer 06 and up grip. Mine just fits my hand every time. I have C2's on it now, but thinking of working out a deal on a set of spirals that may feel more like the Z3 cam.5. I have a buddy thats shoots a newer UE better than his X8 or ProElite. As a fact, he just sold the X8 and stop shooting the Pro to focus on the UE with spirals. He said if the draw and the arrow/nock combination are just right its the best shooting bow so far. I have to say I have been using mine to gauge all new bows by? Just pick it up and in a couple days its like old times. I tried a couple Mathews, but they remind me of my old Jenning Buckmaster with Airspeed limbs, single cam, that I gave away one day to a friend that need a bow. It never felt right but seemed to aways hit and be one of the fastest bow todate. I stop shooting it because it look odd against the newer bows with it short riser and long limbs. talk about hand shock.......LOL. dd


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## Ack (May 13, 2005)

AKRuss said:


> My UltraElite has the XT3500 limbs with C2s and I'm really starting to like it - which is nice since I purchased it in 2007, shot if for Field league that summer and simply neglected to sell it. It shoots whisper quiet and smoothly. I do have to keep my back tension up at anchor or it will shoot without me. I'm just getting use to the narrow all metal grip and do a pre-draw placement right in the life line of my hand where the grip fits and stays quite well. Loesch makes a glue-on wood grip for the Apex but last I checked did not make one for the Hoyt integral grip.
> 
> I shot an Ovation for a while with the standard grip and found myself doing a horizontal group. I traded the bow but wonder how it would have shot with a Leosch grip or no grip at all.


I shoot a Torqueless on my Ovation and like the feel a lot better than the standard grip. Let's you get a lower wrist than the standard grip also.


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## Harperman (Sep 3, 2006)

DDSHOOTER said:


> Jim, that's why I have a 2005 UE with black side plates, blue fusion riser, one of two in AZ. I, too, never liked the newer 06 and up grip. Mine just fits my hand every time. I have C2's on it now, but thinking of working out a deal on a set of spirals that may feel more like the Z3 cam.5. I have a buddy thats shoots a newer UE better than his X8 or ProElite. As a fact, he just sold the X8 and stop shooting the Pro to focus on the UE with spirals. He said if the draw and the arrow/nock combination are just right its the best shooting bow so far. I have to say I have been using mine to gauge all new bows by? Just pick it up and in a couple days its like old times. I tried a couple Mathews, but they remind me of my old Jenning Buckmaster with Airspeed limbs, single cam, that I gave away one day to a friend that need a bow. It never felt right but seemed to aways hit and be one of the fastest bow todate. I stop shooting it because it look odd against the newer bows with it short riser and long limbs. talk about hand shock.......LOL. dd[/QUOTE........Double D....The '04, '05 Hoyt Elites with the little smidgey sideplates is the best Hoyt grip ever...The SuperTecs had the same grip, as well....As for the Ultra Elite VS. the Pro Elite, I think that the Pro Elite "Holds" better for Me...At least with XT-3000 limbs...R.E. on the C-2's, vs. Spirals....The way that I have my Ultra set up, I would say that the draw cycle on the C-2's is a closer match for the Z-3's draw cycle...Spirals draw pretty nice, if they are a tad UNDER rotated, from my own experiments...And Spirals draw kinda harsh if they are too far OVER rotated...This is just my opinion, but I wouldnt trade a set of C-2's, for Spirals....The C-2's draw is smoother, a tad bit more valley, they dont seem as finicky about rotation, and shoot within a few f.p.s. of the Spirals and oddly enough, a C-2 cam bow is quiet...C-2's in proper rotation feel a bit LIGHTER weight than the bow actually scales, and Spirals always seem to feel a bit heavier than the bow actually scales....This is, of course, all just my opinion, and my results from playing around/experimenting with different cams from Hoyt...My Ultra Elite is maxed at 61#, 27 5/8" measured draw length, Fletcher peep, and loop, 2 brass nocksets at each end of the string, near the cams....Shooting 305 grain arrows, I'm just a few f.p.s. OVER 300 f.p.s....Draw weight and arrow speed checked with the Easton "Bow Mapper" testing equipment....I'll NOT fist-fight a set of Spirals, with smooth pulling, easy to tune numbers like that with the C-2 cams...Even with shooting a B.T. Hinge release, I cant tell the difference in the hardness of the wall between the two cam designs...Sorry so long winded, I just wanted to fill You in on my own results.....Take care, Double D!..........Jim


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## DDSHOOTER (Aug 22, 2005)

Jim, sorry I misled you. I really like the C2's! But, I have found that for some reason when I bought/converted the UE I went to a shorter draw lenght, so to makeup for it I have been shooting it with the draw stop out and over rotated. Which, I might add, has lead to my TP, not able to hold steady. (this sounds like a comercial...lol) So when I converted the Vectric XL over to Z3's the draw was way to short and man that has been painfully point out to me lately. Panic!

So, now that I am going back to the Elite, (because I figured out the Vectric and completely started over), I have to figure out the draw because I know it wouldn't be the same as the Vectric XL because of the AtoA lenghts are so different making my peep, anchor, and nock different (everything higher on the shorter bow). All the result of the string angle. Thats why I need to change the cam. So a really good finger shooter here said to go to the old spiral if I can. See, he has installed all of Hoyts cams on his bows at one time or another and he says the old spiral are the best, yes they are different, I think less smooth on the string. And yes it true what you said about the over/under rotating. But, there is a twist .....lol. Set them up with lower poundage. He said the spiral produced the same speed at about 7 pounds lower than the C2 or Z3. So I would like to try this. Do you know of any old Spirals #4.5 RH silver? This bring up a point that I saw, long time ago, A guy had used different Mathews bow parts to make up a Ultra bow. It was in the Bow tuning section. I think he started with a Ovation riser?

Anyhow, Sorry for getting off subject. dd


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## OhioRed (Feb 7, 2009)

with a bunch of help from a fellow ATer I put an apex 7 cam on my Ovation and it's shooting great! I'm currently shooting it with a release but wonder how it would be with fingers, I'm thinking of switching back. Specs are 39.5" ata, 6.75 brace height, 29" draw, 62# and 308 fps with lightspeeds a little over 5gr per pound


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## Krooz (Jan 17, 2004)

I love my Ovation. Pulling around 64# and shooting a 432 gr arrow around 265fps. Not too worried about speed as I only hunt within 30yds and do the occasional 3D. Forgiving bow and I need it with my fingers!

OhioRed -I'm curious what the Apex 7 cam does for you? More speed, smoother? 

Thanks

Krooz


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## Harperman (Sep 3, 2006)

Krooz said:


> I love my Ovation. Pulling around 64# and shooting a 432 gr arrow around 265fps. Not too worried about speed as I only hunt within 30yds and do the occasional 3D. Forgiving bow and I need it with my fingers!
> 
> OhioRed -I'm curious what the Apex 7 cam does for you? More speed, smoother?
> 
> ...


.Krooz......Thanks for the post.....You say that Your pulling around 64#, and shooting 432 grain arrows at 265 f.p.s....What is Your draw length, and what's on the string, if You dont mind telling Me??....Your thoughts on the Ovation are kinda what I was thinking, if I end up with an Ovation, or something similar, it will be pretty much a Hunting bow, and I think that a forgiving, smooth ,quiet bow at 260-265 f.p.s. with a hunting weight arrow will be ideal for Me...Most places around here that I've bowhunted, 25-30 yard shots are a bit long, more like 15-25 yards is normal.....Please, if You dont mind, let me know ........Take care!.......Jim


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## OhioRed (Feb 7, 2009)

Krooz- the apex 7 cam makes it MUCH faster, smoothness is about the same


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## Krooz (Jan 17, 2004)

Harperman - I have a 29.5" draw at 65% let off and I'm shooting Gold Tip XT hunters - 75/95s with 5" feathers (55/75 were under-spined) . At present my arrows are 30" but I ordered a doz at 29.25" (see discussion on length further down the forum). BH are 125 grain mechanicals, Wasp Jakhammer SSts and Rocket Steelheads are my fav's but I ordered some 2 blade Rage just to try (with 25 grain boosters) - I figure with 67lbs KE they should work fine.

I have a Vapor Trail string, pull with 3 (one over 2 under)but drop the ring finger for release. A lot of grief for a) shooting fingers and b) shooting a Slo-vation but I like the bow and the deer don't seem to mind a bit slower projectile!

While I hold my max at 30yds, realistically my shots all seem to be under 20 as well....

Krooz


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