2016 Mathews bows
Equipment
Anyone get a chance to shoot the new halon or the new no-cam yet. What did you think? Good or ...
Haven't shot them but the Halon looks really, really, really good. Looks like they sped up the No Cam quite a bit as well.
I haven't shot it either but I know I'd have a really hard time shooting a 5" brace height bow wearing heavy winter clothes.
Yeah. Mathews really isn't doing much that interests me. Short bows with short braces. I'm sure they are a quality bow though and they'll sell a bunch. If the HTR is still in the lineup, I might consider one of those.
Went to look at what the No Cam hoopla was all about. My only advice is "Don't shoot it!!" I made the mistake and ended up buying one which I had no intention of doing. Smoothest draw by far that I have ever felt. Quiet, no vibration and plenty fast. The smooth draw and release really improves accuracy IMHO. This will likely be my last bow. Love it.
I find the bows with really short limbs to be ugly. Halon fits that bill.
The halons series looks interesting as they have 3 differnt bows with the same basic name....5, 6, and 7.
The bows LOOK much better than is years past at least!
The new Halon is a nice looking bow offering anyone a brace height they'd be interested in. I think they could have done without the "5", but whatever. Best looking Mathews I've seen in a long time.
And we still have the slow cam, but what kind of sped are you really gonna get outta a round wheel bow. Plenty fast, for sure and last years model sure was a pleasure to shoot. Just wasn't for me.
amazing how folks these days think that bows that shoot in the 330's ibo are slow.
HTR is still in their line for 2016. They added the HTX - NoCam with 30" ATA, 323 fps with 75% mods (HTR is 325 with 75%), 6 1/8" brace height, $100 cheaper than the HTR. Could be a nice bow for women or smaller guys. It goes down to 23" draw length and you can get down to 40 lb limbs.
The Halon comes in 5", 6" or 7" brace height as mentioned above. 30" ATA and the 6 is 345 fps @ 75%. Kind of a shorter Wake with a few changes (besides ATA). Price is the same as the HTR.
Different strokes for different folks but nice bows if you like Mathews. I personally still lean towards the HTR but that is just me.
Also, they both have a new camo pattern - Lost Camo XD that is a bit lighter than their normal pattern. I think it will work better for western hunters. Don't know if all bows in their line are changing over to the XD or only the HTX and Halon.
TC, did you buy the HTX or the HTR? Thanks
The funny thing is, that is really is not a no-cam. The cam is built into the round wheel is all. I also could care less what a bow looks like as long as it shoots well and is quiet, speed is overarted. I like the new Mathews bows but do fine with my short ugly ZXT. Shawn
Definitely different strokes for different folks. I went and shot the no-cam when it first came out and wasn't overly impressed. I'd love to go shoot the Halon and see for my self if it fits the bill for me personally.
I had to stop myself from buying a No Cam last year. I shot in a winter league and guys that were stout Mathews haters were converted after seeing / shooting and absolutely getting their asses beat with the No Cam. I personally am not fond of the looks of the No Cam but would over look that for its shooting ability. I shot the Halon and now have one on order. I loved it! Arrives in three weeks just in time for Christmas.
Also I like the way the Halon looks....... Was getting a little tired of the same geo grid riser pattern on all of the last models.
I agree with the looks of the Halon. Different for sure but awesome.
There will most likely be a Halon 7 in my future. Mathew's combined technology from my two favorite bows (CHILL and No Cam HTR). I like the look of the new riser and personally enjoy shooting a heavier bow. With a 29-29.5" draw length I really prefer the 7" brace height. I'll shoot the 6" model to humor myself anyway.
Decent review on Mountainbowhunter.com
I have shot a little over one hundred shots through my Halon 6. Here's my take: I feel the draw is very smooth. It stacks up quicker than the htr and feels like I'm pulling more weight than the same draw weight htr but it is smooth enough for me to draw very slowly when I need to. The shot is very smooth and nearly vibration free. ( very little, and way less than most of the bows I've shot) it has tons of power for my draw length of 27". I'm getting 278 fps with 436 gr. arrow with the bow at 72 pounds. Plenty happy with that speed considering my htr launches a 413 gr. arrow at 271 when at that draw weight.
The bow feels very stable in my hand at the shot and doesn't move at the shot. To me, the bow feels longer than the 30" ata. Probably due to the large cams making the string angle less severe. I shoot the bow very accurately. Have been getting baseball size groups , or smaller, at 50 yards. And the bow is barely broke in and not tuned fully.
My only gripe is regarding balancing the bow with my quiver on it. With the wide limbs I can't get the tight spot quiver as tight to the riser as I prefer. I used a stabalizer off set and it now balances very well for me.
Overall it is a very personal choice regarding picking a bow and I tend to pick the one I'm most accurate with. I think this bow will be my main hunting bow this year, but I have not shot all of them yet.
I have not found a perfect bow yet, but Several have come close. I will rate a few recent bows I've shot and state a short reason for the rating so you may have something to compare it to.
No cam htr 9/10. Basically a little slow for what I want, but I shoot it more accurately than just about every bow I've ever shot.
Hoyt defiant 30 - 7/10. Draw is awesome, but balances weird for me. (Nearly all of the shorter Hoyt's feel out of balance to me so take that with a grain of salt.)
Hoyt Carbon spyder 34- 8/10. Nearly as accurate as the htr in my hand and faster. Side to side balance a little off with tight spot due to the zt on the 2015's. 9/10 for the 2014's.
Elite energy 35- 7.5/10. Shot it very well, but felt heavy, and slow at my draw length. I loved the back wall, but had to tune let off to a max of 80% because of where I hunt. It had 85% let off to begin with.
Halon ( so far) 8-9/10. Wish it was 32" ata and slightly lighter to allow for the extra weight it took me balance it to me. I may like it more as I shoot it more, but I haven't been able to shoot it at long distance. Shooting bows at 80 - 100 yards shows me how well the bow if it's me and its balance.
No cam Htx- 8/10. Shoots great but I like the feel of the longer htr. Gained about 4 fps over my htr. Not enough for me to give up my htr or Hoyt's.
Sorry for the long post but hope it helps.
Bucman, your thread was great! Lots of good info. This is the type of info I like to get before I lay out $1000 or more for a bow.
I shot both, the new halon is phenominal. Just ordered one!!! Smooth draw for such a fast bow but what really got me was the solid back wall, no jumpy cam, and most of all absolutely no shot vibration and that was without a stabilizer. Mathews hit a home run with that one!!
"Side to side balance a little off with tight spot due to the zt on the 2015's. 9/10 for the 2014's."
That is why I no longer use a Tight Spot quiver. Good post nonetheless.
I was waiting to hear what Dave Watson had to say about it
No cam htr 9/10. Basically a little slow for what I want, but I shoot it more accurately than just about every bow I've ever shot."
I agree and was waiting to either buy another HTR or a Halon. After shooting both quite a bit I chose another HTR.
Felt the Halon shifted side to side much easier and didn't hold as well. Great bow but man I love that HTR and didn't care for the HTX.
No cam htr 9/10. Basically a little slow for what I want, but I shoot it more accurately than just about every bow I've ever shot."
I agree and was waiting to either buy another HTR or a Halon. After shooting both quite a bit I chose another HTR.
Felt the Halon shifted side to side much easier and didn't hold as well. Great bow but man I love that HTR and didn't care for the HTX.
HDE, what quiver do you use now? I've stuck with tight spot because of how well it hold my VAP arrows. Also loyal towards montana companies. But if I'm missing out on a better quiver then I want to know, so can try that one also.
I shot the Halon 6 and No Cam HTX today (I own a No Cam HTR).
Even at 29", the Halon 6 was great to shoot. I will most likely order a 7 but could certainly get away with the 6. The extra speed of the 6 is much less important to me than the advantages of a 7" BH. When I find myself in an awkward shooting position the last thing I want to worry about is the string hitting my jacket.
The HTX shot every bit as good as my HTR. The shorter ATA will be welcome to those that prefer to hunt out of a ground blind. The new riser looks great but didn't add or detract from the way the bow shot.
I personally thought the CHILL was a much better bow than the CREED and its good to see similar technology in their 2016 flagship bow (HALON).
"HDE, what quiver do you use now?"
An ARROW RACK 2-Piece.
Thanks he'd. That is what I have used in the past. May give it another go.
I'm holding off till Mathews releases the rest of their bows in January because I heard rumor they are going to release a 33 in ata Halon .
I would like to see the flagship bows have some longer ata options, 34"-38".....
Does anyone know if the long ATA zero cam is finger shootable at a 28" draw?
bucman baseball size groups at 50 yards or smaller, that is truly world class. I do like the new Halon but that type of accuracy sounds unreal out of most any bow and the best shooters in the world. Shawn
I'm also considering the No-Cam or Halon this year so thanks for this thread.
deerman406, are baseball size groups at 50 yards really world class...? My 1998 Mathews MQ1 shoots groups like that so maybe I don't need a new bow...
How about the difference between the halon and the elite impulse 31? Just curious?
