Hoyt CRX - Nock ON

The
Hoyt CRX:
John Dudley of JDA International in the US gives his
opinion on Hoyt’s CRX bows.
W
The specs
The CRX comes in two models: the 32-inch and the 35-inch
axle-to-axle. Both of these models sport a 7-inch brace height,
which in my opinion is the perfect brace height for any bow
and any shooter. My best competitive scores and my best shoot-
Hoyt USA Force Draw And Efficiency Rating Report
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Hoyt USA Force Draw And Efficiency Rating Report
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hat is great about being a consumer in today’s archery
market is that one is constantly seeing the results of
highly competitive companies pushing the envelope in design.
Bows continue to advance with remarkable technologies and
we, the consumers, are the ones who get to reap the rewards
of such engineering. Last year Hoyt introduced the Carbon
Matrix, which changed the world’s view of compound bows.
This year they again made additions and advancements to that
carbon technology. There was a huge market of people willing
to pay the price for such advancements and it seems that all eyes
have been fixed on the Carbon Series. But for those of us who
don’t have the cash to tackle such a price tag, I would recommend looking past page 8 in the Hoyt catalogue, where you will
find one of the best-kept secrets. Hiding out in the shadows
of the carbon line-up is the Hoyt CRX – a bow that is sure to
impress any diehard archery enthusiast and gobble up any portion of the outdoors you want to serve it. The CRX32 series
is a tremendous aluminium-riser bow, packed with great features that in any other year would have dominated the market
without contention. My best analogy would be that the CRX is
like a tag-team wrestling partner that is hanging over the ropes
and stomping its feet to be tagged in so it can come kick some
butt. It has an overshadowing brother in the family but the same
tough blood runs through the CRX. If you are looking to buy a
new bow this season then I would encourage you to look at all
the options and not just focus on the frontrunner of marketing.
The CRX 32 and CRX 35 are built tough and in some ways have
even more to offer!
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Hoyt USA Force Draw And Efficiency Rating Report
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Hoyt USA Force Draw And Efficiency Rating Report
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BOW REVIEW
an all-round
workhorse that
is easy to shoot
and has great
performance
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The
curves of the CRXDraw
32(in)and CRX 35.
CRX 35 @ 30"
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ing hunt rigs have always been bows with the 7-inch brace. As
a writer and coach I can honestly tell you that I field a lot of
questions regarding what axle-length bow is best for accuracy. Honestly, for forgiveness, axle-to-axle length is much less
important in my opinion than the brace height. Even if a bow
has a shorter axle length it still can be very forgiving to shoot as
long as the brace height stays at or over the 7-inch mark. This is
very important for target archers but actually even more important for hunters, because you can really choose a length that is
manoeuverable in the field as well as in a blind. As hunters we
commonly shoot in awkward positions and we typically have
more clothing, bulkier clothing and fuller sleeves than a target
shooter. If you choose a bow with a short brace height just so
that you can have a little extra speed then you are setting yourself up for a disaster should you have contact with your arm or
clothing. The 7-inch brace height on the CRX series is ideal.
The CRX 32 is also a lightweight 3,95 pounds with all of its
standard features attached. For weight in the hand, the CRX
32 comes right out of the box under 4 pounds and there are no
hidden components to that measurement – it is exactly how you
see it pictured. Unfortunately, in other companies’ marketing
you really need to read the fine print on the spec charts because
other brands can be extremely misleading about their bows’
weight. Another important aspect of the CRX is the longstanding Tec Riser design. It is a truss-like system that is by far the
most structurally stable aluminium riser on the market. The
CRX packs the sleekest and leanest Tec Riser design to date,
which quickly factors into those long hunts toting your rig in
the field. In addition to the size and feel of the CRX you also
need to carefully look at the performance. The speed for the
CRX 32 is advertised as 323 fps and the speed on the CRX
35 as 318 fps. These are accurate and honest speeds that are
the results of some extremely efficient cam development and
they very strictly conform to the ATA standard in speed testing.
It has been my experience that Hoyt’s speed and draw-length
measurements have by far the best integrity in the industry.
Lastly, the CRX will fit nearly every archer out there with its
draw-length range. For the CRX 32 it is 24,5 to 30 inches and
for the CRX 35 it is 25,5 to 32 inches.
New XTS Pro Arc limbs
An important factor for the South African way of hunting is
the power behind the limbs. The CRX 32 and CRX 35 sport
a brand new beyond-parallel XTS Pro Arc limb system. Most
importantly for the South African market is that the CRX series
has the option for the heavy 90-pound limb weight. This is a
feature that is super important for the dangerous-game hunters
out there. If one thing can be said about Hoyt it would be that
their durability and torture-testing stands alone in the industry.
You simply won’t find a more reliable limb and pocket design
on the market. For many years I traveled the globe for hunting and competitions with multiple bows just in case something
went wrong on my no. 1 bow. I used several brands and unfortunately there were times where I had to put the backup bow
to use because something failed me. However, since shooting
Hoyts I have traveled with only one bow for nearly five years. I
have never had any issues with limb failures and that includes
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The Perfect Balance stabiliser – ideal for perfectly balancing a
bow that is loaded to one side with a quiver full of hunting arrows.
The Silent Shelf provides a dead-quiet pad for the arrow when
the hunter uses a fall-away arrow rest.
bows that were in excess of 90 pounds for massive game animals. The Hoyt limbs use a five-layer lamination that is darn
near bullet proof.
Fuel Cam 1/2
The New Fuel Cam ½ system is a slightly tweaked version of
its XTR predecessor. What I like most about the details of these
cams is that you can change the draw-length modules without
using a bow press. This is especially useful for people who need
to slightly alter their draw length without having to drive long
distances to find a bow press. The Fuel cam is specially tailored
around the Pro Arc limbs to give you maximum efficiency with
minimal effort. When it comes to compound cams the bottom
line is that efficiency equals the performance you achieve com-
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draw limbs, reinforced components, a wood grip, and custom
dangerous-game limb graphics. The high energy deliverance of
the 80 and 90-pound options sets the stage for ultimate penetration through thick hides and large-stature animals.
T
Bells and whistles
The CRX has a couple of sweet features that you also won’t
find on most other bows. For one, the CRX riser is custom engineered with what Hoyt calls the Perfect Balance stabiliser offset. This ¾-inch bushing offsets your stabiliser from the bow’s
centreline. It is ideal for perfectly balancing a bow that is loaded
to one side with a quiver full of hunting arrows. In addition to
the Perfect Balance, the CRX also has a simple feature that I
have wanted to see for years – a built-in arrow pad! The new
Silent Shelf is an integrated rubber pad on the riser shelf. This is
a must for a dead silent landing pad for your arrow when shooting a fall-away arrow rest. It is virtually 180 degrees of quiet
protection when allowing your arrow to rest on the riser shelf.
The CRX is also equipped with the successful In-line roller
guard system, which minimises friction and torque. Finally, to
round out all the bells and whistles there is the newly improved
Stealth Shot string deadener. This new shape and material
destroys what little residual string vibration there is at the shot.
This is a great system and it weighs near to nothing.
Sometimes it is a little overwhelming to have too many options
in models and styles of bows. In my opinion this year really
stands alone in that there are multiple frontline bow options
for the consumer. Unfortunately for the Hoyt CRX, the Hoyt
Carbon Element and Carbon Matrix have cast a huge shadow
over all the other bows on the market as well as the ones within
the Hoyt catalogue. This CRX is a very noteworthy star that
can easily outshine any of the other bows in its category. Like
I mentioned before, I think that in any other year this model
would have created plenty of buzz on its own, but it simply was
in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hoyt states that they
recognise a large market of archers that still utilise the aluminium riser, and the CRX series was developed to exceed the
demands of those archers. With my draw length of 31 inches
I have to fit into the CRX 35. It is a great shooting bow and is
very smooth on the shot, and honestly a little steadier in the
hand than others. The silent shelf and the perfect balance offset are really practical features that make sense to the hunter.
The speed is a great and allows me to shoot a very heavy
arrow that delivers massive kinetic energy. I think that this bow
is perfect for someone wanting an all-round bow that is good
for shooting some target archery in addition to the trips in the
bush. It is an all-round workhorse that is easy to shoot and has
great performance.
Dangerous-game option
Hoyt is offering a Dangerous-game set-up for the CRX 32 and
CRX 35. This custom package is equipped with extra-heavy
CONCLUSION
pared to the amount of effort you give. Ultimately you want to
work less and get more performance out of your effort. The Fuel
cam gives you great performance without being demanding on
the pull. You work less and gain more.
The way I see it
Dr Adrian de Villiers, one of South Africa’s most experienced bow hunters and game-farm owners, gives his
views on things he sees happening in the bow-hunting
industry.
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he African sun is one of the biggest causes of skin cancer
– statistically we have one of the highest incidences in the
world. That is why you will always see me covered from head
to toe in camo. Not only does it help the walking and stalking,
but I get as little sun on me as possible. Sun block works well
on exposed bits but is usually sweated off within half an hour
to one hour. Professional hunters love to look macho with their
short sleeves and shorter pants, even in the dead of winter, but
please listen to me: cover up and stay out of the sun. Trust me,
melanoma is one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat
cancers. If it can’t be cut out completely, you will most likely
succumb to the condition. Stay covered up and constantly apply
sun block, thank you.
I am at present designing a full-piece jump-suit camo outfit
with Cassim at Sniper. It will keep you covered and show you
an innovative new idea for camo.
T
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Covered from head
to toe – the author in
1983 with an Indian
water buffalo
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