Archery Gear Ahead of its Time
Equipment
Let’s look back at some archery products that were ahead of their time.
I will start:
Easton ACC, looking back these were so far ahead of the arrow curve when then came out that they lasted on the market for decades. In fact Easton is still building on this platform for some of their best current models.
Slick Tricks. Gary was way ahead of the broadhead curve in his day. He took a steel ferule and incorporated a replacement blade retention system that was heads and tails better than anything at the time. In fact they still have better retention thmany heads on the market today.
Those two come to mind for me. Let’s hear what products from back in the day looking back you feel were ahead of their time.
Vortex broadheads, originally designed in the late 1980's I believe and still one of the best MBH designs on the market.
Frank Eicholtz and the addition of fiberglass to bow limbs.
Frank Eicholtz and the addition of carbon to bow limbs
Doug Easton and the introduction of tubular aluminum for shafts.
Earl Hoyt and the creation of the ILF limb and hardware.
The Rigid … The first Parallel limb bow It had a 34” Axel to Axel when they were in the 50” range. manufactured late 70s to mid 80s in the greatest place any bowhunter could grow up…. Jersey City NJ
Actually the same guy who made the bow also invented the RPS replacement point system to switch arrow heads
I think it might have been Hoyt that replaced the standard steel cables that had the metal teardrops with bowstring material back in the late 80’s.
Far and away the one innovation that increased accuracy the most was the mechanical release aid. It also allowed the use of drop away rests, made high let-off bows shootable, and allowed for more comfort with high draw weight bows. But with all that, it's also largely responsible for shots at distances more suitable for the range than in bowhunting.
The Pine Ridge Arrow Inspector is an arrow spinner adapted from an RC airplane propeller balancer made by a company called Du-Bro. The original was adapted by me, and the idea was presented to Pine Ridge by a friend of mine. That was in the mid 90s. There wasn't a decent arrow spinning tool available before that.
Cam development has been amazing when you think of the improvements in arrow energy they generate along with improvements in Draw cycle.
The development of those Super curve recurve limbs could only be done with the improvements in Carbon fiber tech.
But then when it comes to BH's- is there really any BH better than a straight 2 blade that has been around since the Middle Ages? [that should get some bowhunter hackles up- grin]
The 2 arrow rest… Shot 2 arrows at the same time… Bad-Ass
“ But then when it comes to BH's- is there really any BH better than a straight 2 blade that has been around since the Middle Ages? [that should get some bowhunter hackles up- grin]”
Yes. Pretty much any other design is better for modern compounds with energy to spare.
I can remember guys critiquing the Slick Trick short ferrule with its short, steeper angled blades as being more of a "chopping" blade design. Now we're shooting 2+ inch mechs with blades damn near perpendicular to the ferrule and blowing through deer with gigantic holes. lol
We were shooting 2+ inch mechs with blades damn near perpendicular to the ferrule and blowing through deer with gigantic holes long before Slick Tricks hit the market.
Not necessarily archery gear but the string tracker was the first to market the concept of knowing what's going on in the deer woods without being there. Probably hit the market in the late 80's and then kodak film game cameras followed in the early 90's. Now just about everyone uses trail cams.
Not sure who invented it but definitely Centrifugal Force has been a game changer. Spreading the corn farther keeps the big bucks around longer and more chance of a ethical, sporting shot.
The first one I ever saw was called "The SitO Sling'n Slay"
^^^ I’m thinking it was Archimedes, Rod. Or possibly Pliny the Elder’s cousin, Moultrie.
Ranging rangefinders the unit with the dual aligning images
I used and hated those string trackers. Usually ended up with a tangled mess…
The Acorn Cruncher followed closely by the Deerview Mirror. Gamechangers.
shoot thru risers from as early as the 1890s. definitely before their time...
The double arrow rest that used to be advertised in the magazines. Could shoot 2 arrows at one time.
I'm with Blood on this one. It was the invention of Sprectra and Dynema UHMW PE fiber that was the largest single transformation to the game of archery. Both for traditional and wheel bows.
I bought a High Country Sniper in 1988 that I believe was one of the first production bows with no tear drops and spectra string and cables. Performance per pound of draw for a given DL was just a complete new realm. Quiet was one of the major features for wheel bows.
If I'm not mistaken from what 'Jake' Jacobson told me quite a number of years ago, it was at Hoyt where it was tested first, but the guy who started it all left and started High Country. Would love to hear the exact story again on that in case I have that messed up.
In any case, this is a cool thread.
Cheers, Pete
The Rocket Steelhead. If it were still made today, it would still be the best mechanical on the market!
Not really "archery" gear but google maps has been a tremendous help along with GPS.
The hunting gadget that probably accounts for a lot of the Trophy animals harvested has to be the Game camera.
"Cough Silencer" I practiced with it in church;0)
Trial153 I am still shooting ACC’s down to my last 2.5 dozen! Which reminds me I need to get fletching. Wasp Jak Hammer has stood the test pretty well. I believe 2025 will be its 30th year. Releases were huge improvement for me.
Vortex broadhead of the 90s were garbage long before rage showed up to dethrone them from the top of trash mountain.
This is a really good thread, lots of memories and things I didnt know. Very cool.
How about D loops. I went to one later than most compound shooters... But did anyone use one prior to like 2000? I dont remember seeing one until around that time.
I used D loop since at least 1990 for sure
Will , D loops were common in southern Arizona in 90s, maybe PSE factory and guys like Pearson and Ulmer were influential..
@thedude, you are wrong on Vortex heads. Simple design that flat out works.
without question, the original Rage BH, the butt-out tool, and the scrape maker...
Or on a more serious note - I can some up "ahead of their time - and most copied " in one word.... MATHEWS
Sorry but 90% of the items brought up have very little to do with “Archery” it’s either just gadgets or gizmo’s you think gives you an advantage.
