
Top view of the QR plate on the bow riser.
The QR plate is mounted onto the sight bracket mounting holes. (also see below).
Blog about outdoor products I personally believe fit under the category of "HARDCORE" By this I mean not only well-made but totally functional for serious pursuits, either on land or beneath the seas. As a diver, caver and scientist, I want to be able to rely upon my gear.
El Cheapo Archery Butt made with Recycled Cardboard Boxes.
You've got all of your archery gear but now where to shoot? If you can safely shoot in your own backyard* then just go out and buy some archery butts. Well, no, because archery butts are very expensive for what they are and that's just a big block of high density foam rubber. Yes, they will not damage your 100 buck competition arrows but they might just damage the wallet unnecessarily.
Better to collect some old corrugated cardboard boxes and hence recycle them for a better purpose and make some home made archery butts. But what is that? Your are saying there is no way they will stop my arrows on my 70 lb (no closer than 8m shooting otherwise they will go through this butt design) draw weight bow! You must be crazy! Nope I'm not crazy I'll show you how.
I shot with these for years and one range, where I was a member at, used these extensively around the range in the bush, cheap to make, totally (with exception of the bag) 100% biodegradable, easy to extract field point from.
BTW, it is important NOT to compress the cardboard boxes too much.
*Disclaimer, never shoot in a suburban environment, or a public park etc. Never shoot where if one misses the target, the arrow will remain in flight to cause injury or death.
Check carefully the quality of the cardboard you use and do a test to make doubly sure it will indeed stop your arrows from passing through at close range.
The ExtremaRatio T4000C is the little brother to the T4000. I own the blackened versions of both of these models and absolutely love them, especially the T4000C, ie the compact model-which gets a lot of use from me. In fact, the T4000C is a very popular model. However, many were asking about a non-blackened version. WHY? Well, my understanding from the social media is that many seem concerned* with using knives with certain coatings for food preparation. The blackened versions are just fine for military purposes where anti reflection properties are a must. However, for the civilian that wants to use such a cool design for food preparation, well that's another matter. Nothing beats an uncoated blade for food preparation. I mean how many cooking/chef knives are coated?
Now there is no concern because ER have finally produced a satin polished finish of this great little model. The Extrema Ratio T4000C Satin finish not only looks great but is totally food safe and because of the polished finish, combined with the HRC of 58, this will indeed contribute to good corrosion resistance of this blade.
Sanlida Dragon X8
quick preview by BushCampingTools
There are many now who have posted about the Sanlida DragonX8 hunting compound bow and most reports, in fact I couldn't find one negative report on this bow model, so for me this means that the product has been properly tested at least for me to have a look at it and put in my ten cents worth. Ok so after waiting for about 2 weeks after i ordered mine (delayed shipping), the Bow shop spent some time with me outfitting and then tuning it up until they were satisfied. Their experience told them, about 1000 shots and bring it back to check the string length etc and the cam alignments/timing for a possible re tuning.
This model is the 0-60lb version (no way could I ever envisage pulling back 70lbs of Hunting bow string, super let off or not!.
The construction looks pretty damn good and I guess that's why I got one. Made in China by a renown bow making factory, using all of the modern equipment like anyone else, ie made by machines and CNC mills.
(courtesy of Sanlida)
In fact there is no earthly reason why this bow can't be any good is there? Unless for some strange reason the limb materials are crap? I doubt it, it comes with a warranty etc.
CNC machined T6061 cams, Al riser (cast) fibreglass? carbon string stop posts; ball bearings on the axels.
70-80% let off and it does fell like you are holding nothing.
it's not a particularly heavy bow at 3.8lb,s ie 1.72kg, LOL it's nothing really.
The limb bolts go straight into a tapped riser and this is one reason why it's a cheaper bow, the bolt threads if not properly cared for can damage the riser and render the bow unusable. But on saying this my BEAR is made exactly the same and once set one is usually never winding the limbs in and out. i will put a small piece of tape over the thread sights in the riser to stop dust or dirt contaminating the grease. In fact one can see a small ledge surrounding the window as if there could be some like rubber plugs to install there to do the same job but there weren't.
30" axel to axel, so compared to my old BEAR, it's short but that's better for moving around the bush too LOL..
310fps (probably wound up to 60lbs)
Draw length 18-31"
mine is set up at 28", may need redoing???
The crazy thing is that it comes with a sling (nylon cordage and a piece of thick real leather),
a rubber stabiliser, a UV illuminated sight (came with battery),
Accurate and well-defined graduated markings, no sloppy threading.
tooth brush arrow rest, peep sight,
D-loop
I'll be testing it out with some carbon 0.500" Savage Skylon arrows, 6.5 grains per inch.
it's a funky looking and sort of Alien-esque riser and I know this sounds stupid but people do buy bows on what the product also looks like, so if the riser looks like some tangled piece of metal then there is a good chance it won't be a good seller, even if it shots like no tomorrow.
One final thought, for a 28" draw length we did have to use a press as the bolt was occluded but anything else probably isn't going to be a problem without a press and or course to tune the cams a press is needed. hence I had the bow tuned in the shop whilst I waited.
Why does the Dragon X8 seem to cost so little?
They use a cheap string and cabling. Cheap as in it could be thicker and more abrasion resistant.
The limb bolts are threaded directly into the riser without the use of stainless steel thread inserts or the use of a separate opposing nut within the riser (eg as in the Emperor model). What this means is if one damages the threads within the riser the bow essentially becomes useless.
The riser grip is just "bare bones", ie no fancy wooden inserts etc.
The riser is cast aluminium and not CNC machined from a single billet. What this means is that aesthetically, it doesn't look as cool as full CNC milled riser; it may not be a strong as a fully CNCed riser (only if you are going to use your riser as a club to bludgeon to death a charing water buffalo!)
The bow is manufactured by a company wanting to deliver good value for money and it is a Chinese brand, not a foreign brand making bows in China, the latter is a completely different kettle of fish as far a QC goes IMHO.
What makes this bow so good?
They use bearings on the cam axel shafts. Even the equivalent poundage late model PSE does not feature this and the bow is a much greater price! The use of bearings can only make for a smoother movement of the cams and increase the longevity of the system overall.
The power and speed is as good as any USA branded bow in the same class.
The bow once tuned properly is essentially vibration free (it was in my hands anyway).
The Dragon X8 can be "pimped out" by putting a better string on the bow and better cabling that will last longer. One can also fit better sights, arrow rests etc etc.
One can also apply some "grip tape" or bicycle handle bar tape (the stuff which road cyclists apply to their bars to increase grip and handleability/comfort and or tennis racquet grip tape application for the same reasons. This simple custom addition will indeed provide some good insulation during shooting in cold weather.
I need to get used to it and as soon as i do, it will be going out for something different.
OK stick around for the field shoot out coming soon on BCT!!
You can also see the DragonX8 here:and see the latest specifications
http://www.sanlidaarchery.com/goodsshow.php?cid=1&id=88
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BCT