For the last 4 years I have been a one bow shooter.  My Hoyt Ultra Sport pulled double duty as both my hunting rig and my competition bow.  It wasn’t until this June that I expanded my archery stable.

 

 I knew what I wanted.  A bow with a 36 inch axle to axle length, but not necessarily a parallel limb model that has become so popular.  Many of the 2008 bows are in the 32-33 inch axle to axle lengths, and I seemed to find that a 36 inch or longer model held easier and had more stability against torque.  I wanted a fast bow.  Not so much to shoot a light arrow at 300 fps plus speeds, but to still have decent speed with a heavy hunting arrow.  I wanted a dual cam bow.  Nearly all of the manufacturers who are creating fast, accurate bows have some sort of Binary Cam system.  Because the two cams are linked together with cables, both work together to hurl the arrow down range.  You will find binary systems, of various brand names, on nearly every brand of bow. 

 

I narrowed it down to the two brands I had the most experience with.  Hoyt, and Martin.  I shot both the Martin Slayer X and the Hoyt Katera, and it could have come down to a coin flip and I would have been happy with either. But Martin’s famous support won out and I ordered a Slayer X with C.A.T. Cams from Mike Camp and Cindy Taylor at Back Room Archery.

 

Features

Now these Slayers have been one of the hottest new releases from Martin Archery.  It’s new C.A.T. Cam System is their fastest yet.  In fact the speed of a 300 gr. arrow with 70 # draw weight and 30 inch draw, (AKA IBO speed)  is a blistering 350 feet per second.   This is due to the cam system and the relatively short brace height of 6 inches.  In fact Martin had to reinforce the standard limbs used on the Slayer to accommodate the radical cams and lowered brace height.

 

The draw cycle of the Slayer is best defined as Stiff.   Much as you would describe the ride of a sports car.  If you want a smooth drawing bow you will give up speed, just as a smooth suspension would hamper the handling of a sports car.  After a few shots you begin to appreciate the draw curve.  Luckily the 15 pound draw weight range of the Martin bows means you can dial down the draw weight pounds, and still shoot an arrow faster than many bows that have a 10 pound higher peak draw weight. 

 

The bow holds well.  Even with a short valley, the adjustable draw stop allows you to tailor the let off to suit your preference.  The standard let off is 80 percent, but if you prefer a lower letoff percentage, just move the draw stop peg to accommodate your desired holding weight.  Draw length adjustment is simple too.  The C.A.T. Cam Modules simply have two screws that you loosen and move to adjust the draw length.  No press needed.  The standard modules aradjust from 27-29.5 inches, and long draw modules are available as well for the 30-31.5 inch draws.

 

Other features that sold me on the Slayer X include:

• Rear mount STS (shock termination system.)  Stops the oscillation of the string for a quieter shot
• Vibration Escape Modules (VEM) in the riser to absorb unwanted vibration and hand shock.
• Stone Mountain Bowstrings standard.  A premium bowstring maker from Orofino, Idaho
• All metal limb pockets. No plastic or rubber for a consistent and durable marriage between limb and riser.
• Three grip styles

 

Accessories

I outfitted the bow with a Spot-Hogg  dovetail mount Hoggit 7 pin sight.   On the sight I have.010 fiber optics, illuminated with the new Hoggwrap.  I had this setup on my 5 pin sight on my previous bow and I have been very happy with its performance in low light.  With the dovetail mounting system, I can change to a 5 pin sight with the turn of a screw if  I want to be Bowhunter Freestyle legal in an NFAA tournament.

 

I chose the Ripcord rest because of it’s trouble free performance I’ve experienced previously. It was a challenge getting the low brace height to work with the drop cord, but once I had the position right on the cable, it worked like a champ.  Ripcord uses a little Football shaped clamp to attach the drop cord to the downward traveling cable.  It makes it very easy to adjust and tune the drop timing.  I think the Ripcord, with the spring loaded drop is one of the only rests that can get out of the way as that  arrow comes ripping forward.

 

I put a Fuse Satori quiver on to hold 6 hunting arrows.  If I want to take it off, a simple lever releases the quiver.  One piece quivers have the reputation of being noisy, but that is not the case with the Satori.  The10 vibration dampening Shock Rods absorb any excess noise.

 

On the string I have a ¼ inch Fletcher Tru peep , and a D-loop.  The Premium Double helix strings come with speed nocks mounted near the cams. 

 

Performance

I made up a batch of carbon arrows for this setup that measure 29 inches, at a shaft weight of 9.5 grains per inch.  At the rear I used Bohning Signature press fit nocks behind 3 two inch Blazer vanes.  At the front of the arrows,  20 grain insert holds a 100 grain tip, to bring the total arrow weight to 423 grains.  That is a respectable hunting arrow, not light by any means, suitable for most any game in the lower 48 states.  My peak draw weight is 70 pounds, and I am holding around 18 pounds at full draw.  (75% letoff). 

 

Through the chronograph, it tested at 292 fps with the arrow mentioned previously.  That makes a Kinetic Energy number of just over 79 ft. pounds.  60 pounds and higher is recommended for elk and moose, while 45 pounds is considered the minimum for deer.

 

I set my sight at a distance of 20-100 yards.  The bubble level serves as my 100 yard mark, and I have pins for 20-80 yards in 10 yard increments.  While I don’t plan on shooting game at those far distances, the long range practice from 60-100 yards will certainly magnify any form faults.  The bow will group the arrows tightly, it is just up to me to hold steady!

 

I look forward to using this bow in the upcoming archery seasons.  If you have questions about the bow or components I’ve used, click on the link to my Gear list above.  Each piece of gear is listed with a link to the manufacturer’s page detailing each item.