JeffB

Finally managed to get a Liberty. However, due to the longer wait for 80 pound limbs, I opted for a 70 pound model, and ordered the heavier limbs separately.

I got the bow “rough” set-up last night. Loop, tru-peep, NAP 3000 arrow rest, short sorbotek stabilizer, and cosmic-lite sight. I shot it about a dozen times last night.

My observations:

1) Machining this year is superb. Very refined. Cam/Idler, limbs, riser, everything is top notch.

2) Camo looks nice. Did notice a minor dipping issue upon close inspection. Kind of a “swirl” in one place. No biggie AFAIC.

3) New pockets are excellent. Axle is “tight”..no slop whatsoever..

4) Balance as others have noted is very,very good. I prefer a little bit of top heaviness, so I’ll add a bit more weight up front. Bow “points” very well. I’ve been trying to think of comparison but there is none that I can recall. It feels very much like a finely tuned gran prix racer vs. say a 60’s muscle-car

5) Got a fast one according to the Birth Cert. 294 FPS IBO. 29” draw. Actual draw measured just a hair over 29 1/8” AMO. Peak is 71 pounds. Will zip one through the chrono soon

6) OK the Freedom-Cam: Again, I’ve been trying to find a comparison, and I can’t really come up with one. At first I was like "this is smooth..but 10 pounds is an exaggeration" Then I picked up my 61 pound ExVFT my 71pound 2002 PAT SC, and my 72 pound MagnaTec C.5, and started to draw them all to compare. It may be a very slight exaggeration, but not much: the 71 pound Liberty is not noticeably harder to draw than the 61 pound ExVFT as far as I can tell. It hits peak real quick and lets off almost as quick, however the transitions are EXTREMELY smooth; no bumps or dumps at all..front end or back end. Perhaps a good comparison would be the MArtin Z-cam? Close.It’s not quite as easy as the Mathews concentric cam on the Icon, but definitely easier/smoother than the Mathews SL & HP cams, or the C.5 from Hoyt. Valley is very good at least for me. Not too wide, even at 80% and not too short at 65% (which I set it for). Of course w/ the draw stop the wall is rock solid.

7) New Vibrablocks & hush kit are cool. More flexible/soft than previous versions.

8) The shot: If this isn't the best feeling bow at the shot I've owned, it's in second place. Incredible. Recoil is extremely low. With Limbs savers it very well may be the lowest recoil bow I've owned as I'm comparing it to bows I've owned that HAD limbsavers installed. Won’t know for sure until I test it w/ limbsavers. No vibe at all w/ the stock stuff & my sorbotek, shooting 388 grain 3-49's. I don’t see any reason for someone to need limbsavers as the new VBs work great, but I’ll still do a comparison later to satisfy my own curiosity.

9) Quietest bow I've had since my Ben Pearson Diamond-back. I shot it outside on my deck where there is an echo off the siding and every bow sounds kinda loud there. But the Liberty had just a barely audible "shnick" . Incredible. These new silencers WORK!

10) Super wide sight window is way cool.. something I’ve missed since I stopped shooting HCA machined risers in 1996. Love the wide field of view.

11) Grip is actually a bit thinner at the throat than the 2003's...just a bit..but still comfy...not really higher wristed by much if at all..just seems a bit more.... ergonomic..sculpted nicer perhaps...

12) BowTech is using a new string material from Brownell this year called either ST-1 or TS-1 (I’ve heard both terms used) that is supposed to be a bit faster than 8125. My string and servings definitely look different color and material-wise.

I shot it a bit more this morning before I went to work to get it rough sighted in. Initial impression is that it will be an arrow wrecker. I zipped off the vane and cracked the nock on one of my 3-49’s on the 3rd shot @ 25 yards.

I can’t really nitpick anything as of yet. I’ve got to put more arrows through it. I will say to make sure your sight and rest has plenty of side-to- side adjustment; that wider window requires it. The NAP3000 & cosmic worked just fine but I could see where some less expensive rests/sights (and even some more expensive ones) may not have enough adjustment.

Very impressed.

pdq 5oh

Sounds like this bow may make you happy. I noticed the same thing re: rest and sight. I can say a NAP 1000 will not go far enough left to make center shot but, a Tropghy Taker will. The two sights I tried on the P40 F cam have worked. The Extreme Sniper and a Copper John Deadnuts both worked fine. These F cam bows are definetly going to be a big hit in 2004.

PABowhntr

Ya got me droolin' again Jeff.

4) So, if you don't think it is top heavy then the balance is probably going to be perfect for my tastes.

5) A fast one? I am curious as to your comment since, from what I remember, the IBO rating is 300-308 fps conservative. With an extra pound of draw weight which normally equates to roughly 2 fps and throwing an additional 10 fps on there for the inch shorter draw length that would put the bow right at 302 fps at IBO specs wouldn't it? Like I said, I am curious of your thoughts on this.

6) Considering those comments it looks like I will have to pick up a Freedom Cam bow to try out after the MM VFT. Can't have too much of a good thing.

7) Glad to hear it. That could potentially make them more durable which seems to have been the chief complaint with the old style.

8) I will be interested to see how it fairs compared against the Vipertec I just sold...in regard to recoil.

11) I like thin grips and have never really found one that was "too thin" for my big hands.

12) Definitely let us know which way that string is named...and I am also curious as to its composition.

Tell me more when you get to play with that baby a bit. I just had to pull the Patriot SC out of the closet to "tune it up" as our late archery season is almost here.

BowTech_Shooter

Frank,

It's Brownell TS1.


It sounds like Jeff's got a new friend.... Now let's have one of your famous long, er even a short, boring bow reports.

Jeepnut

Congrats on finally getting your new Liberty Jeff! I was planning on waiting to try any new bows until some of the other companies release their '04 models, but the Christmas bonus came in this week & is burning a hole in my pocket so I may have to make the trip to check out the new Bowtechs a little sooner. If the Liberty is as nice as you all have been reporting then it'll be hard to not buy one before waiting to check out some of the others. I, for one, would appreciate you NOT doing a full report on your new bow because it'll just make the waiting all that much harder for me.

I did have one question for you, and I apologize for it being a little off topic. I thought I remember you saying in another post that you had fletched up your ACC's full helical in anticipation for the arival of your new bow. I also use a NAP 3000 rest & was curious if fletching contact was a problem for you with the helical fletching.

Rangeball

Like most, can't wait to hear more

Now that you've drawn it at 71#s, do you think there will be any issue when you get the 80# limbs?

JeffB

Frank. 300-308 is IBO w/out Hush kit. Subtract a few FPS for the hush kit, and then drop about 3 to 3.5% from that. That will put you right in the top end for the 29" draw length speed-wise.

JeffB

Alrighty then


We'll see.

JeffB

Jeep...Definitely check the liberty out. AFAIC it is everything it's been advertised as.

and don't apologize! Since when does this place stay on topic for any great lenth of time!?

As for the helical fletch. I had set up some 3-71's in anticipation of the 80 pounder w/ 3" helical feathers. It's not a massive helical but fairly good (as far as degrees, I have no idea). On the larger diameter 3-71's, prong clearance is no issue whatsoever. However the 3-71s I'm sure will spine too heavily for the 70 pounder. I plan on picking up some more arrows this weekend as I'm nearly out of 3-49's. Regardless, I'll fletch whatever they may be in the same manner. I have shot 4" helical feathers out of the NAP3000 on my 3-49's w/out a problem before , though it takes a bit of tweaking at times. The 3" should prove very easy to get to clear the prongs w/ their shorter length.

JeffB

I don't see 80 pounds being a problem on this cam if one is truly comfortable at 70 pounds or so on a harder cam like the Infinity or some of the other hard singles (original Maxcam, etc). The Freedom cam has (AFAIC) a nicer draw than the various hybrid cams on the market I've owned or handled..doesn't "dump" like a CPS or c.5 on the back end..even at 80% letoff.

If it's as fast as the birth cert reads then it is definitely a very good performer for the amount of effort expended. The Birth cert is showing a rating that exceeded my Legacy by several FPS (at the same measured draw length), and the SL3 cam is not exactly an easy draw.

I'm anxious to zip one through the chrono this weekend...however....my enthusiasm to get to a showing of The Return of the King is much greater at the moment, and the bow testing may have to wait till after X-mas