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| Hoyt Charger |
When do you upgrade your weapon?
A good rifle and scope combo will last a lifetime, but it seems bows are a little different. the design and technology are constantly improving, So when do you upgrade your weapon if your weapon is a bow and arrow?
After shooting my Hoyt Magnatec for 10 years I decided to upgrade to some of the new technology in the archery world. I got my first Hoyt in 1992 a Superslam supreme. I settled on this bow because of the long axle to axle for finger shooting.
in 2003 I bought the Magnatec, the Magnetec was the bow I was most successful with in my bow hunting career. Shortly after I got the Magnatec, a revolution of sorts in the design of bows was introduced, Parallel limb design. When parallel limb design came out, it made a lot of sense that the force of the limbs would cancel each other out reducing the recoil and minimizing a lot of the hand shock. After I test shot some new bows, I realized how much hand shock the Magnatec had.
I sold my Magnatec and came up with some money to upgrade to a new bow. I liked the last 2-hoyts I had, and decided to remain loyal to the brand. Although when I went to the pro shop I did so with an open mind, shooting some other brands, After test shooting I stayed with Hoyt and settled on their price point bow for 2013 the Charger.
I did not have a lot of cashto spend on a rig, and I needed to upgrade all the components except the sight, I was limited to either a price-point/entry level bow. or cheaper accessories. My experience with the price point bows has been positive, I have never found the bow to be the limiting factor in my shooting abilities, however the components and accessories can make a real difference. Most of my bad shooting is due to user error, not bow error.
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| 2013 Hoyt Charger |
The Hoyt Tec riser is a visual trademark of a Hoyt, it is a love/hate design, some claim it looks like a twisted pretzel, from a design viewpoint it makes a stronger truss riser with less weight. if you like Hoyts, the Tec riser is a thing of beauty.
What sold me on the new Charger was the lack of recoil, minimal hand vibration, fast arrow speed. smooth draw cycle and a solid back wall, and a price of $500 The specs are almost identical to their Spyder 30 bow which sports a machined aluminum riser and $800+, vs. the cast riser of the Charger. The Casting of the Charger riser has come a long way from the Superslam Supreme and Magnatec, not that there were problems with those risers, but there was a lot to them: heavy and large diameter. The Charger has clean lines and a smooth arc riser, the grip is slim and feels good. the weight is listed as 3.8# for the bare bow. The only minor complaint with the charger is the arrow shelf design. it is flat and narrow. and it doesn't sport the u-shaped design of Hoyts higher end bows.
I am primarily a treestand hunter for whitetails, but mountain elk hunting is becoming a big factor in my equipment choices, A lightweight bow setup is important, at 3.8# it is on the light side, but it is also a very shootable bow.
I will be reviewing the rest, sight, quiver, and release in the near future
