# Reflex Caribou



## capool (Aug 5, 2003)

Any body tried one. Opinion


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## big cypress (Jul 31, 2006)

i'd also like to know .


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## Unclegus (May 27, 2003)

Never owned one, but have shot a few arrows thru one that was on the used rack at a local shop just for curiosity's sake. This is one pretty good finger bow.


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## mitchell (Mar 5, 2005)

They are supposed to be great fingers bows for the money. I owned one for a short time. It was painfully slow, and had some kick.

I was so new coming over from recurves, that somebody else needs to advise.


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## tothepoint (Dec 22, 2006)

Can you define painfully slow in FPS so we can better relate. I'll bet it was over 225fps which is quick enough to drop most game and will easily hit a target with accuracy at 100 yards. 

Everbody seem so hung up on speed now that we can't see the forest from the trees. In any form of archery where you are shooting a known distance a slow accurate bow will perform just as well as a accurate speed bow. IMO the only time a speed bow provides an advantage is when the shooter doesn't know the exact yardage. The higher speed provides a cushion for those who mis-judge the distance to the target. Speed bows became popular for this simple reason. Hunters and 3D shooters will tell you speed is a definite advantage. Which is sort of ironic since 3D shoots were developed to develop hunting skills, judging distance is a fundamental to every shot in the field. The crazy thing is that many hunters are shooting from tree stands and/or popup blinds. So for the most part they allready know the distance to the target. Those who don't hunt from trees and blinds usually carry a range finder. So againg they know the distance to the target. So IMO the only segment of the sport that speed bows have an advantage is at 3D shoots where each target is at an unknown yardage and the shooter is not allowed to use a range finder.


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## tothepoint (Dec 22, 2006)

sorry for posting 2 in a row, I haven't shot the reflex but I can tell you I shot a number of long A2A Hoyt bows for a number of years and they shot great. Take 20 minutes and do a search on Caribou and you'll find that just about everybody that ever owed one thought it was an excellent shooting bow.


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## Darton01 (Aug 25, 2006)

More like 150 fps.:mg:


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## mitchell (Mar 5, 2005)

I've got a 55# recurve that will shoot a 400g arrow quietly, right at 210fps. My Reflex at the same darw weight wasn't much faster. I might have gotten 220fps. I am having ongoing rotator problems, so I cannot shoot the heavier draw weights these days.

I've killed around 80 deer, and about half of them with recurves shooting 185fps, so I understand very well that speed is not necessary for much of our hunting. But I was just dissapointed that it wasn't faster. For hunting, the shorter bow is helpful, the let off is helpful, but speed is also helpful, ESPECIALLY if you are shooting at longer distances. Down here in the South, these dern deer are hyperactive, and invairably duck at the sound of the bow, no matter how quiet it is. I'd like to hunt with 235 to 240 fps if I can. I may be dreaming.

I hunted a couple of years with an Ovation bare bow. It was considerably faster than the Reflex, and just as quiet, with no kick.

Everything I read about the Reflex was that is was a great choice for a fingers bow. As I said, maybe you need to hear from a more experienced compound fingers person.


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## tothepoint (Dec 22, 2006)

I just bought 2, 06 Bowtech Constitutions which can achieve those speeds without any problems. BTW Bowtech seems to be clearing everything out to get the 07 stuff to market. I got each bow for less than the cost of a Caribou.


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## mitchell (Mar 5, 2005)

Sounds like from what I am reading that the Constitution would be well worth shooting. I'd like to find one in a shop somewhere.

That seems to be a problem with the fingers approach, at least down here; the local shops just don't carry much in stock. Their happy to order it for you. 

I'll check around and see if the local bowtech folks stock one. 

Thanks
Mitchell


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## compoundpuller (Jan 21, 2006)

*Caribou*

One fine finger shootin' bow BUT the mathews ovation is {imo} is a step above; no kick, quiter than a mouse wettin' on cotton; caribou, great bow, mathews ovation, better bow; :darkbeer:


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## Manhunter50 (Oct 23, 2006)

*Hat in the ring...*

Since I'm a finger shooter and I've shot all of the bows mentioned here pretty extensively, thought I'd throw my hat in the ring. I didn't own a Caribou, but my brother did. He didn't like it, asked me to shoot it for awhile, and I didn't like it either. I know that many of the guys who have owned them like them, but it felt like a club to me and it had considerable hand shock.

My brother now owns a Constitution. I've shot his quite a bit and a friend recently loaned me one for two months. Although I shoot a Ross 337 and love it, the Constitution would be my second choice - and not by much.

The Ovation is a fine shooting bow, but, for some reason, the cable rollers on them have a tendency to fail. I shot the Ovation very well, but after replacing the rollers twice, I switched to a Ross CR337, which I consider to be an excellent blend of speed, forgiveness, and shootability. Even though it only has an ATA of 37 inches, the large idler and cam gives it an effective ATA of about 41 inches. The only Mathews I would shoot is a Conquest 3 with the 65% letoff Max Cam; tried the Apex and didn't like it at all.


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## mitchell (Mar 5, 2005)

Manhunter50,

Thanks for throwing in your response. I have the Conquest; just replaced the super soft cams with the hard cams (have not spent any time with it yet); but have an itch to try something esle as well this spring. I have been reading, and just got through looking at the Ross web page. The Constitution seems to be pretty well received. But your comments on the Ross get me to thinking as well.

Anyway, thanks.


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## Bowfishen Sully (Jun 2, 2005)

Manhunter50

Your getting along with the 70% let off on your Ross alright ? 

I bought a 337 this past spring and TRYED to shoot it all summer  With out a doubt it was one of the finest feeling bows I have ever shot BUT IMHO was the mosy inaccurate bow I ever shot also     

I finaly sold it and went back to my Ovation BUT with that said the Ross I owned may have been a lemon like the Ovation you owned sometimes a bad one gets out of the factory.


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## wind in face (Apr 29, 2003)

I have 2, both 05 xt4000. These bows are far and away a much different breed than the other past Caribous,,just possible my favorite compound for fingers I have ever shot.
Not a speed demon,, but these bows are tack drivers,no shock at all.
I am really glad I purchased them. For the price, forgivness and accuracy, these bows, 'Caribou xt 4000' could not be beat. For a finger shooter, looking for a good hunter.:darkbeer:


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## ruffme (Aug 4, 2005)

I have both models of the caribou. The early Caribou II and the 05 Caribou.
For a finger shooter it is one of the best. I put MeanV's STS on it and it is whisper quite. I missed at 15yds this year and it is so quite I got a second shot.

Not the fastest, but plenty of go at 60# for me. It is heavy and at 46 inches you aren't going to stalk with it. But I hunt tree stands exclusively and I love this bow. I shoot it year round and enjoy it every time I shoot it.

I have a trophy ridge free style drop rest on it.


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## Dave2 (Jan 24, 2003)

Thinking about trading for a hoyt protec with 3000 limbs, anyone have any experience with this bow, if so what is your opinion on it for a finger bow, thanks, Dave


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## Manhunter50 (Oct 23, 2006)

*Could be...*



mitchell said:


> Manhunter50,
> 
> Thanks for throwing in your response. I have the Conquest; just replaced the super soft cams with the hard cams (have not spent any time with it yet); but have an itch to try something esle as well this spring. I have been reading, and just got through looking at the Ross web page. The Constitution seems to be pretty well received. But your comments on the Ross get me to thinking as well.
> 
> Anyway, thanks.


It could be that you got a lemon, but Doug Hutchison (designer of the Ross bows and COO) told me that the Ross bows weren't designed for finger shooting and couldn't offer a lot of suggestions. However, he also told me that some guys were shooting the 337 with fingers very well. Doug and Andy Ross both told me to pass to them any observations and recommendations on shooting the Ross with fingers. For those of you who might be entertaining the notion of shooting a Ross, here are a few of the observations and recommendations that pertain specifically to shooting the 337 or Competition with fingers:

1. They are very sensitive to idler lean. The idler should be parallel to the string; if it's not, it'll do weird things to your arrow flight. (Not an issue unique to Ross by any means.)

2. Larger arrows, like my Beman 9.3s, shoot best at or very slightly outside of center shot. Center shot on Ross bows is 3/4", or precisely .767" if you have a micrometer. On both of my bows, .767 is the center shot. With smaller arrows, like the Easton ST Epics I shoot in my hunting bow, center shot is set at precisely .780; both of my bows shot them very well at that setting.

3. The Ross cam and idler are designed for the straightest nock travel of any single cam. I realize that, theoretically, a two-cam or hybrid cam will have perfectly straight nock travel, but that is rarely the case. Whether a two-cam or a hybrid cam, something is always going to creep, be it one or both cables, a buss cable, control cable or string. For best groups, the nock point is a little higher than I shot on any of the Mathews bows that I owned. With my Beman 9.3s, they shoot best at 5/16"; on my hunting bow, with the Epics, it shoots best at 1/4".

4. From my perspective, one of the distinct benefits of the Ross bows is the quality of materials and assembly. Both of my bows are identical in every respect - aside from color. They use Winner's Choice strings and cables and, once they're set, they're set. There's virtually no creep and no peep rotation. I admit that there are other custom string makers that make strings every bit as good as Winner's Choice, but they're far superior to any string used by any of the other major companies, IMHO.

I'm still working the bugs out of mine, since I just put a new string and cable on it, but I can honestly tell you that any problems I've had have been between my ears and not with the quality of the bow. On some days, I'll go to the range and shoot nothing but 29s and 30s; on other days, it's a different story entirely. They're really like any other tool - you do your part and they won't fail you.


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## hunting1 (Jun 11, 2002)

Had 2-of them and they were nice, but I sold them. The Constitution now is my favorite. 28 1/2 62lbs with 470gr arrow it gets 260fps and smooth. I can hold it back all day with no strain. Love it!


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## CMR (Jan 13, 2006)

Wanted to chime in here on my experiences with a few bows.....
Haven't shot the Caribou so really no opinion.
Have shot the Constitution. very fast, accurate, hand shock. More than I was expecting.
Have shot the Ross 337. Very smooth draw, very fast. Some hand shock though.

But I tell ya what, I'm really impressed with Darton. My local shop has the prototype of the Pro3000. Wanted to try it, even though I shoot fingers. Surprising, no finger pinch. Very smooth draw, EXTREMELY fast, very accurate, and no hand shock!!! If I was to get another compound, I'd seriously consider Darton.
I wouldn't mind trying the Maverick and Tundra too. 

FYI, see my signature for my current setup.:thumbs_up


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