My thoughts on the Hitman Longbow
First I would like to thank Dave for allowing us to have the opportunity to pass this bow around and try it out. Secondly, I would also like to say what a great job Thom did with his review of this bow; so please also take a look at his posts and pictures.
When I received the bow, I had a problem with lose nock fit; therefore I served over the serving with a second layer. If the guys after me have the opposite problem, the second layer will be easy to remove. I also replaced the shelf rug and strike plate with new Velcro. After that I added some string silencers to the new string that Thom built for this bow. I also tied in double nocking points at ½ inch above center. I found the bow liked a brace height of 7 5/8 inches with my setup. While I tried a lot of arrows, both carbon and aluminum; I found that this bow liked both a 2016 and a 2114 aluminum with a 175 grain point. Also, I shoot the bow three under or Apache grip.
Craftsmanship
Without question this bow features some great craftsmanship, it is evident from the way the limbs fit the riser and the quality of the limb tips as well as the glass work. The limb veneers are also flawless when it comes to their layup and finish. While I would personally prefer exotic wood in the riser, the diamond wood that this is built out of, is nicely done. The riser does show some marks and wear, however you must remember that this bow has been around the world and back.
Grip
Most of the time people will tell you that the grip of a bow is the most important thing about how a bow feels to an individual; and I would agree that the grip of a bow is very important. While there has been many, many comments about this bow Grip,both good and bad; I would like to say a few things before I comment on my personal thoughts about the grip. What makes a grip a “good grip”? For me I think that a grip that produces repeatable hand position is at the top of that list. That must be followed by a grip feeling comfortable in an individual’s hand. This is the tricky part, because we all have different sizes and shapes when it comes to our hands.
In my opinion, while this bow does not have a grip that I would call my favorite, I would still say that the Hitman’s grip is a good, if not a very good grip. This grip produces very repeatable hand position from shot to shot. That repeatability is paramount for accuracy. Also, the more I shot the bow, the more the grip became comfortable in my hand and an extension of my arm. Furthermore, if the front finger grove is a deal breaker for you, I am sure it is easy for Dave to remove it.
Limbs
This bow has 62 inch limbs and they have a fair amount of sweep in the line of the limb. My first impression was that the limbs were way too whippy or flexible when strung to be very fast. Boy was I wrong, this is a very fast and hard shooting bow.
Riser
The riser is well built as I have already stated; however, it is a little on the bulky side for my taste. But as you guys know that is a subjective thing. I also thought that the sight window was extremely small, while this did not affect me as an instinctive shooter, it may be an issue for a point of aim guy.
Draw
The draw of this bow is smooth, very smooth. While this bow is a 53 pound bow, it feels at least 3 pounds light because of the silky draw. There was not stack or rough spots all the out as far as I could draw the bow.
Vibration/Noise
I can sum it up by saying that the bow is void of a thump or noticeable vibration. This bow is also very quiet.
Performance
This bow is a rocket launcher! While my chrono has a blown bulb, I can say without hesitation that this bow is faster than the average longbow. I have shot and tested enough bows to know, so trust me on this.
Conclusion
While my preference is a shorter and slimmer profile bow, I found this Hitman to be a very nice and easy to shoot bow. I think that Dave builds a good bow at a fair price. If you are in the market for a takedown longbow, you owe it to yourself to at least give a Hitman a long look.
Once again I would like to say thanks for the opportunity to try the bow! If anyone has any questions feel free to shoot me a PM.
Charlie Goodman
Topic: HITMAN LONGBOWS PASS AROUND (Read 13773 times)
