The following review which was submitted in May 2012 still stands with the exception of the personal preference for the phenolic riser combinations.
DATE: 05/09/2012
New Dryad Orion w/ ACS RC Limbs - Exposed
The plan was to start loosing arrows out of a bow ten pounds lighter than my hunting weight after turkey season in order to more easily focus on form. My objective here was specifically form focused with a forgiving design and specs as prerequisites. The newly designed Orion riser along with new ACS RC limbs was selected for the task.
Much data, stats, hype, hoopla, rhetoric and fascination has been forth coming since the ACS RC debut earlier this year. Unless I can readily and visibly determine and/or experience the improvements and benefits, then I am not the least impressed. These attributes, to me, then are of no added value.
The following is my personal review as witnessed and experienced through my eyes after running ~700 arrows thru her.
Bow Specs: 62” Dryad Orion w/ACS RC Static Limbs
Riser: 17” Dark Diamondlux outer w/Cocobolo center
Limbs: ACS RC Longs
Draw Wt. 45 @ 28 (Note: I draw ~27 ¾”)
Nock pt: 7/16”
Brace Ht: 8 ¼”
Arrow Specs: ICS 500 - 29.0”
Insert: 50 gn
Point: 175 gn
Tot. Wt: 460 gn
Grip: The grip and I were at odds the first couple of days. However, if you try a perfectly fitting glove on the other hand, then there will be issues. I was fighting it, relaxed and soon realized that it was the best natural personal match I had ever encountered. She seats on the mark every time and is extremely stable. Was confident that I had identified my favorite grip years back, however the standard has now been updated.
Riser: Robust enough, balanced mass, yet sports a small grip. **Moderate deflex. Again, a nice match for me. Beauty was not my objective where mass and stability were, yet she is quite appealing. Numerous individuals stopped me at the TN Classic to view the riser – simple beauty. If someone wanted a fancy, then I am sure Mike would accommodate them.
Overall mass: The Diamondlux/Cocobola was very nice match for me and I would feel comfortable going with a slightly heavier combination. My propensity to bias heavier mass was quite satisfied.
Shootability: Points naturally and consistently places arrows on the mark. Shooting her seems effortless--.Likely my most accurate shooter to date.
Hand shock: None perceived- Perhaps I take this for granted in my expectations.
** A pleasant ride
Craftsmanship: Excellent
Sound: Have owned several louder bows and have made little effort to quiet her even further. She is currently one of those bows that are louder to the shooter vs. the sound perceived by those nearby.
Draw: Effortless…Smooth…Did not notice the preload as mentioned from other posts.
I was assume this was a reasonable assessment since I am drawing 10#’s less(58”) than what I was accustomed to and the static tips draw as if the bow was 64”s vs. the 62” actual.
Aesthetics – Simple beauty as I had ordered
Performance –The flat trajectory was validated by extending my point on ~ 3 yards. This is quite significant since my point on even with my other high performance bows has been 25 yards at similar gpp arrows. Since I am comfortable with my site window, I increased arrow wt and made the simple necessary adjustments to my set up.
Note: Ran into numerous curious gentlemen at the TN Classic regarding the Orion. One gentleman in particular who shoots extremely well declined to shoot it due to a sore elbow. He shoots bows in the mid to upper 50’s. When I told him that the Orion was 45#’s, he went for it yet commented that it would likely chuck his 580 gn arrows. Well all three arrows ended up in the bull at 20 yards. He looked at me in disbelieve and promptly parted to share his experience with buds, which one of them is a bowyer. Then a crowd quickly formed.
Service: It was a true honor to work with Mike Westvang. He dealt patiently with my river of flowing inquiries and expectations. I am expecting to turn to him for an additional request for I am in want of a 58” hunting bow..
Over-all Experience: Was totally taken by surprise…All expectations were either met or exceeded. My previous concerns were with the grip, shootability, and actual speed. The results far exceeded my expectations. This particular bow has actually driven me to revisit and re-evaluate my expectations. The bar has been raised to previously unchartered heights.
THANK YOU MIKE!!!!!!!!!!
Note: My tentative 2013/2014 hunting set-up
Am still in the process of setting up two Dryad ACS RC’s….one is 60”s and the other is 62”s….both are 52@28.
The 1st one , while still being honed in, is tuning well with BH’s from 3 yards to 40 yards.
Arrow specs:
Victory VForce HV300 – 29 3/8'"
Broadhead – 300 gn VPA Terminator
Insert - 50 gn
Fletch – 4” X 3
FOC - ~29%
Total wt - ~578 grains
As typical of most of my set-ups, the arrows end up having a dynamic spine ~15#s below the bow's dynamic spine requirement.
Topic: Dryad shooters (Read 1041 times)
