2019 Bow Question

[samc]

Hey everyone,

So I am in the market for a new bow this year, and I think I have it narrowed down to a few different bows. Prime CT5, Mathews Traverse, or the Hoyt RX3 Ultra. Has anyone shot any of these bows? If so what did you think? Mostly concerned with noise and how the bow holds on target. Unfortunately my hometown shop only has a small (10 yard) indoor range and it's hard to get a good feel for a bow with the limited range. Thanks for any insight!

 

[eLightfoot]

ivs shot all of them except the hoyt. Carbon is way to rich for my blood. Depends what feel you like in a bow. For me it was a no brainer for the Prime. I felt like it did everything the best, usually there is trade offs between bows, but at least for me it was all prime. Best grip, best finish, best wall (if you like it solid), draw cycle was a toss up, felt best at the shot, held best at full draw and at brace, and the bow just does not move after the shot. The others like to fall forward on a clean release, prime stays right there. I could be a little bias because I was already in the Prime camp because my first REAL set up compound was a Prime Rival. But I did go to the archery shop to shoot all the bows with a completely unbiased point of view and pick the best bow. If the Prime did not impress me I would have ended up with a Mathews Traverse. My local bow shop is owned by a Mathews die hard. I was almost hoping to like the mathews best because I know he can super tune a Mathews very well. Too many reasons to like prime.

 

[samc]

ivs shot all of them except the hoyt. Carbon is way to rich for my blood. Depends what feel you like in a bow. For me it was a no brainer for the Prime. I felt like it did everything the best, usually there is trade offs between bows, but at least for me it was all prime. Best grip, best finish, best wall (if you like it solid), draw cycle was a toss up, felt best at the shot, held best at full draw and at brace, and the bow just does not move after the shot. The others like to fall forward on a clean release, prime stays right there. I could be a little bias because I was already in the Prime camp because my first REAL set up compound was a Prime Rival. But I did go to the archery shop to shoot all the bows with a completely unbiased point of view and pick the best bow. If the Prime did not impress me I would have ended up with a Mathews Traverse. My local bow shop is owned by a Mathews die hard. I was almost hoping to like the mathews best because I know he can super tune a Mathews very well. Too many reasons to like prime.

Thanks for the reply! Have you ever had any issues getting your Prime to tune well? I was talking to a guy who says they don't tune as easily as other brands (Bowtech and Hoyt were the examples he gave).

 

[eLightfoot]

Thanks for the reply! Have you ever had any issues getting your Prime to tune well? I was talking to a guy who says they don't tune as easily as other brands (Bowtech and Hoyt were the examples he gave).

Im no expert tuner but from people who really know what they are doing, Primes tune super easy. There are just no split yokes to chase out left and right tears from what I understand. You are left to tune your arrow spine until you get the horizontal tears out, and then can fine tune with the cable guard. tail high or low you and take out by advancing cam sync. Ontarget7/Shane Chunning put out a really good video bare shaft tuning a Centergy. Both times Ive put new strings on my Rival it shot a bullet hole just moving the rest and that was it. Broadheads fly with field tips all day

 

[samc]

Right on thanks again for the insight

 

[marktole]

I just shot all three of those yesterday so I’ll pitch in. I actually shot a CT-3, not the 5 from Prime though.

The RX-3 Ultra was awesome. It drew pretty smoothly and the string angle and feel of the bow at full draw was nice. Back wall was the “worst” of the three if you’re judging by solidness. It was a little spongy with the cable stops. Valley was good, didn’t feel like the bow was going to take off. It was probably my favorite of the the three. I didn’t really like the new grip Hoyt put on it, but it wasn’t a deal breaker by any means.

The Mathews traverse felt good at full draw, good strong angle for me and solid back wall. I really liked the new grip Mathews came out with this year, it felt better than anything they’ve had before I think. But, it felt really stiff to draw, although it was smooth. The valley was very small, I thought, easily could’ve been some shooter error, but the thing tried to take off on me if I relaxed even a tad at full draw. Of the three rbis one was my least favorite.

Prime CT-3, good bow. Draw cycle was pretty smooth, I love the back wall of a prime with the limb stops. Rock solid. Held at full draw nicely, again, the string angle of a longer bow is what I prefer and it was also nice on this bow. This one probably had the most post shot vibration of the 3, I’m sure a stabilizer or limb dampeners could clean that up. Grip had a different feel to it, and so did full draw, where the grip is placed more to the center of the riser vs Hoyt and Mathews who place it lower. It wasn’t a bad feel by any means, just different. All in all, a good bow. I have also heard these bows are really easy to tune.

If I was going to buy one of the three it would be the Hoyt. I like the way it felt the best and the spongy back wall could be easily fixed with some bomar stops. I think once you got it setup with a sight, stabilizer, and quiver it would feel great, just a little more weight to it. Now, that being said, I would only buy the Hoyt because I liked the feel of it. If a guy didn’t perceive carbon to be worth the extra money then that Prime is a great way to go. I wouldn’t even necessarily call the Hoyt the better bow, just what I thought I liked the best.

I went back and read your original post for what you were looking for, holds on target and noise, before posting this to see if I answered your question. I’ll be honest, I paid no attention to noise, I was indoors in a small space, they all sounded the same I guess. As for holds on target, the bows didn’t have sights and I just shot each one 10 times or so into a block 5 yards away, but they all felt good at full draw, very stable and well balanced. I would imagine that would translate well to holding on target.

 

[OFFHNTN]

I just shot all three of those yesterday so I’ll pitch in. I actually shot a CT-3, not the 5 from Prime though.

The RX-3 Ultra was awesome. It drew pretty smoothly and the string angle and feel of the bow at full draw was nice. Back wall was the “worst” of the three if you’re judging by solidness. It was a little spongy with the cable stops. Valley was good, didn’t feel like the bow was going to take off. It was probably my favorite of the the three. I didn’t really like the new grip Hoyt put on it, but it wasn’t a deal breaker by any means.

The Mathews traverse felt good at full draw, good strong angle for me and solid back wall. I really liked the new grip Mathews came out with this year, it felt better than anything they’ve had before I think. But, it felt really stiff to draw, although it was smooth. The valley was very small, I thought, easily could’ve been some shooter error, but the thing tried to take off on me if I relaxed even a tad at full draw. Of the three rbis one was my least favorite.

Prime CT-3, good bow. Draw cycle was pretty smooth, I love the back wall of a prime with the limb stops. Rock solid. Held at full draw nicely, again, the string angle of a longer bow is what I prefer and it was also nice on this bow. This one probably had the most post shot vibration of the 3, I’m sure a stabilizer or limb dampeners could clean that up. Grip had a different feel to it, and so did full draw, where the grip is placed more to the center of the riser vs Hoyt and Mathews who place it lower. It wasn’t a bad feel by any means, just different. All in all, a good bow. I have also heard these bows are really easy to tune.

If I was going to buy one of the three it would be the Hoyt. I like the way it felt the best and the spongy back wall could be easily fixed with some bomar stops. I think once you got it setup with a sight, stabilizer, and quiver it would feel great, just a little more weight to it. Now, that being said, I would only buy the Hoyt because I liked the feel of it. If a guy didn’t perceive carbon to be worth the extra money then that Prime is a great way to go. I wouldn’t even necessarily call the Hoyt the better bow, just what I thought I liked the best.

I went back and read your original post for what you were looking for, holds on target and noise, before posting this to see if I answered your question. I’ll be honest, I paid no attention to noise, I was indoors in a small space, they all sounded the same I guess. As for holds on target, the bows didn’t have sights and I just shot each one 10 times or so into a block 5 yards away, but they all felt good at full draw, very stable and well balanced. I would imagine that would translate well to holding on target.

Good review.
Thanks.

 

[elkguide]

Unfortunately, you have to decide what fits you the best. My son won't shoot anything but a Mathews and I just can not get comfortable with their grip. (even their new and improved grip) There have been a couple of very good reviews of these bows above but do you like a high wrist or a low wrist? Do you like cable stops or limb stops? Do you like a long or a short axle to axle bow? Speed bow? How much of a valley do you want?

Now the point of a good local bowshop could play into your decision but if you are crazy like me, I drive an hour, each way, to get to a bowshop that fits me. And unfortunately one of my best friend has a bowshop just 2 miles from my house but I just can't get comfortable with the bows that he carries.

I love trying out and finding my new, best hunting friend, I mean my next new bow.
ENJOY!!!!!

 

[Gumbo]

I'd suggest shooting a Bowtech as well before you buy. For me they shoot and feel WAY better than the Hoyts, Primes, and Mathews I've shot and they tune great. I currently shoot a Reign 7 (for 2 years now) but have owned and sold a 2017 CD 34, 2018 Double XL, and a Centergy Hybrid over the same period. I have also shot a Triax my buddy has a little. None of them are any where near as comfortable or forgiving in my hands as a Bowtech Reign 7.

 

[samc]

I just shot all three of those yesterday so I’ll pitch in. I actually shot a CT-3, not the 5 from Prime though.

The RX-3 Ultra was awesome. It drew pretty smoothly and the string angle and feel of the bow at full draw was nice. Back wall was the “worst” of the three if you’re judging by solidness. It was a little spongy with the cable stops. Valley was good, didn’t feel like the bow was going to take off. It was probably my favorite of the the three. I didn’t really like the new grip Hoyt put on it, but it wasn’t a deal breaker by any means.

The Mathews traverse felt good at full draw, good strong angle for me and solid back wall. I really liked the new grip Mathews came out with this year, it felt better than anything they’ve had before I think. But, it felt really stiff to draw, although it was smooth. The valley was very small, I thought, easily could’ve been some shooter error, but the thing tried to take off on me if I relaxed even a tad at full draw. Of the three rbis one was my least favorite.

Prime CT-3, good bow. Draw cycle was pretty smooth, I love the back wall of a prime with the limb stops. Rock solid. Held at full draw nicely, again, the string angle of a longer bow is what I prefer and it was also nice on this bow. This one probably had the most post shot vibration of the 3, I’m sure a stabilizer or limb dampeners could clean that up. Grip had a different feel to it, and so did full draw, where the grip is placed more to the center of the riser vs Hoyt and Mathews who place it lower. It wasn’t a bad feel by any means, just different. All in all, a good bow. I have also heard these bows are really easy to tune.

If I was going to buy one of the three it would be the Hoyt. I like the way it felt the best and the spongy back wall could be easily fixed with some bomar stops. I think once you got it setup with a sight, stabilizer, and quiver it would feel great, just a little more weight to it. Now, that being said, I would only buy the Hoyt because I liked the feel of it. If a guy didn’t perceive carbon to be worth the extra money then that Prime is a great way to go. I wouldn’t even necessarily call the Hoyt the better bow, just what I thought I liked the best.

I went back and read your original post for what you were looking for, holds on target and noise, before posting this to see if I answered your question. I’ll be honest, I paid no attention to noise, I was indoors in a small space, they all sounded the same I guess. As for holds on target, the bows didn’t have sights and I just shot each one 10 times or so into a block 5 yards away, but they all felt good at full draw, very stable and well balanced. I would imagine that would translate well to holding on target.

Thanks a lot for the review!