Help choosing ACS-CX or Morrison

[Crash]

Arthritis in the fingers of my drawing hand are forcing me down in draw weight so I am going to buy a high performing longbow to try and offset the loss of poundage.  I have shot the Morrison Shawnee with Dakota foam core and carbon back limbs but I have not had the opportunity to shoot an ACS-CX.  For those of you that have, which grip did you like better and which bow gives the best performance with a heavy arrow.  I will be shooting an arrow in the 530 to 550 grain range.  Thanks for the help.

[Crash]

Oh, forgot to add, I did a search and saw where some people had problems with the ACS-CX hitting their forearm.  Let me know about this as well.

[Ian johnson]

I can answer that question easy, get a static tip curve(like dryad orion or black mountain sheepeater) if you want a high performance bow, get one with tonkin cores, makes your draw wieght feel lighter, and I can tell the difference performance wise with the static tips

[DesertDude]

I have shot both and I like the Morrison grip alot better. The grip on the A&H caused the fletching to take a bite out of my hand every time. That being said, the grip is "Personal" what works for me may not fit you. Make sure if you buy a used Morrison you check the guide pin depth. Check his web site for the News.....

[amar911]

I have both bows. The ACS CX is a very nice bow, and I have nothing but good things to say about it. In my opinion you could not go wrong with the ACS CX, and John and Larry at A&H are good guys who will go out of their way to help you. HOWEVER, in my mind the Morrison has the ACS CX beat by a fairly wide margin in beauty and feel. The Shawnee with the foam/carbon limbs is just about the best longbow on the market. The Morrison ILF with the longbow limbs might just be a little better though. I have both and they are spectacular bows. If I had my choice of only one, it would be the ILF with the foam/carbon longbow limbs. Furthermore, there is no finer gentleman than Bob Morrison whom I am glad to count among my friends. There are some other bows out there that are in the running too, but none that actually top the Morrison you have shot. I assume you liked it? In response to your question about the ACS CX hitting my forearm, I have not had that problem. I believe that would be a function of the grip and how the bow is held. Everyone has different hands and some grips fit better than others. I like the grip on the ACS CX very much. It is smaller than many grips, and I have size large hands, but it feels good to me. Still, the Morrison grip, especially the "low" grip (which is not that low) fits me as well as any grip I have ever held. I would recommend the Morrison on all counts. It seems to be about the same speed as the ACS CX and in all other categories I think it is superior. That is just my opinion, but that is what you asked for and that is what you get.

Allan

[Dave Bulla]

Morrison

[RLA]

I only own 2 bows. I have had others but the 2 I still have and plan to keep are my Morrison and  A&H ACS-CX. I do have to say the ACS is the only bow I need an armguard for, not that I would need it every shot but better safe than sorry. About the fletching biting the bow hand, I prefer to shoot off an elevated rest.  I use a customized Hoyt hunter rest so it doesn't matter for me. But, when I first got my ACS I tried the stock off the shelf set up and had the same experience as DesertDude. After finding what works for me I love the performance of the bow, very fast and very quiet. I also like my new Morrison Mini 14 ilf, although it's a recurve and you ask about longbows, the Morrison low grip is the best I have tried. The Morrison ilf will let you use many different limb styles and manufactures and you have about 5 pounds of adjustment in draw weight. If you like speed you can shoot some really light arrows safely using some of the ilf limbs that are available.   You might like them both so get one of each. If money only grew on trees...

[TaterHill Archer]

Morrison.  I've owned both.  I had the problem with the ACS hitting my forearm.  The only way I could keep the string from hitting my arm was to alter my grip.  I thought I was just having bad form or something, but I talked to a few others that said the same thing.  I'm about to get my 2nd Morrison.  They are works of art and shoot great

[mikecc]

I honestly don't own either but my good friend has several of both brands and I've tried them out.
   The Morrisons are nice bows, the fit and finish was good but not the best. There was a fair amout of file marks and sanding scratches on both of his Morrisons. The performance was good but they both had fairly low brace heights which can give any bow a good boost. The grip was really nice.
   The acs I shot had a better fit and finish although the area around the limb butt didn't fit the riser as nice as the Morrison. Speedwise it seemed a fair bit quicker and it had atleast 1" more brace height. The acs seemed like a better built bow that could take alot of abuse and was pretty quiet, even without silencers.
   The best thing to do before you lay down the big money for one of these babies is try one out for yourself, everyone's different. I would get the acs myself.

[Danny Rowan]

I have shot both and owned both. All the way from one of the first ACS longbows built by O.L. up to an A&H ACS CX. I have owned many Morrisons from the Cougar longbow to my current Cheyenne. My vote is for the Morrison and I have never seen a mark on a brand new morrison, everyone I have seen or held has been flawless. Gonna get me a mini14 ILF curve soon.

Danny

[robtattoo]

I had this same quandry earlier in the year. Of the two which to get?

I eventually decided on the Morrison (60" Shawnee, carbon/foam longbow limbs) & I loved it...right up to the very shot that broke it!  :eek:  

Now believe it or not, I'm not trying to put you off here, quite the opposite in fact. I rang Bob the same day & returned the limbs for his inspection. He could not have handled the situation better. The limbs are being replaced (as we speak) with some at 62" on Bob's suggestion. The new limbs will be of a slightly different design with a beefed up fade/taper. Mine was the 4th that had gone in exactly the same place, in exactly the same way (Whilst at full draw. No creaks, no warning at all)

As someone who's pretty much worked in customer service, in one way or another, my whole life, I've come to the opinion that the true measure of good service is how things are dealt with when they go belly-up. Bob & Barb have been the best folks I have ever dealt with in a situation like this. I am 100% confident I'll be delighted with the new limbs (I certainly was before! Talk about fast and quiet   :eek:  ) when they arrive in a couple of weeks.

Honestly, I don't regret my choice one iota & I still fondle the medium grip 'A' riser (In Ebony & Tulip) at every opportunity!

[Crash]

Looks like Morrison is winning in a landslide, wonder where all the ACS guys are?  

Thanks for the responses guys.  It's not easy laying down $1,300 for a bow.

[robtattoo]

They're all logged on to Bob's website     :D

[hunt it]

I've shot them both and own four Morrison's, that should give you my opinion. Ditto on all everyone has said about dealings with Bob and Barb, finest folks in the business.

[SHOOTO8S]

Originally posted by Crash:
Looks like Morrison is winning in a landslide, wonder where all the ACS guys are?  
 

Out killin stuff  

[CJC]

i have shot both.  I OWN AN ACS CX.  everything everybody says is true; you can encounter some forearm slap and some fletching bite on your hand IN THE BEGINNING!!! the problem is most guys shoot these bows for a week and give up. if you are committed to working at it a bit and receiving the full potential of this bows design and efficiency YOU WILL BE REWARDED!!!  this bow is beyond high performance, it is a formula one racer, and like all things that are truly high performance, a bit tempermental.   it is true that the morrison is easier to shoot from a stand point of picking both up right out of the box.  in my opinion i shoots more like a recurve.  all that being said i love morrisons and think that they are the second best bow on the market today from a STANDPOINT OF PERFORMANCE.  in my hand however there is no equal to the acs cx.  this reply is not meant to offend any of you morrison shooters out there it is simply my experience and my opinion.  get the acs, work with it, you will never look back.

[rastaman]

i own both....i've never had the problem with forearm slap....customer service is great with both companies.  i have a bum shoulder this year and can't shoot everyday like i am used to doing.  i picked up some lower weight acs limbs and they are going to save my season.  it is the only bow that i can shoot such a wide range of arrow spines and hit where i am looking with the "first" shot.   Take the time to find an A & H to shoot before you make your decision...or just go ahead and order one of each!    

[Pat B.]

I currently have 4 ACS CX bows and another on order..  They are easy to hit with, quiet and exceptionally fast. My "go to" bow without a doubt... Part of the reason for that is I can shoot them better than any of the other bows I have shot.

BTW, Larry and John of A&H are absolutely TOP SHELF folks..

[MRD]

The ACS is fast and quiet, but he grip was horrible for me.  Could not shoot the bow for beans.  I prefer the Morrison by a long shot.

Incidentally, the finish and quality of the Morrisons I've had, (and I've had a few), was always flawless.

[j.j.johnston]

I have had both.  I worked them through the chrono and the speed was virtually identical.  I ordered a new Morrison this spring and the day I got it, the riser broke.  I sent it back for replacement along with the limbs which were on it at the time, for repair.  The foam core snakeskin limbs broke on a different riser on the first shooting session with them.  I sent them back for replacement.  The limbs which were supposedly repaired arrived and mounted.  Within five arrows the carbon belly  broke at the repair point.  After arguement I got a replacement set with a statement that although they were new in stock limbs, there would be no warrantee on them.  I did get my money back for the first bow. I was told by Mr. Morrison that he was not concerned with what had happened as one unhappy  customer would not affect his reputation. I currently own 2 ACS bows with plans to get another for my wife.  I do not have any trouble with string slap or feather clearance, and the guys at A&H have been great to work with.