I got my new Shrew Safari today and opened it up at work to admire another gorgeous object created by Gregg Coffey through an adaptation of Ron LaClair's original Super Shrew design. The bow looks as deadly as it is beautiful, and I'm here to tell you -- IT IS!!!
As soon as I got the bow home and had dinner, I took it out for a quick shooting session shortly before day's end. The light was fading quickly, so I "warmed up" by shooting five arrows from the Classic Hunter that Gregg built me using the same board of Koa as the one he used for the Shrew Safari. My shots from the 53 pound Classic Hunter were fine, but I was just trying to loosen up my body for the much heavier weight of the 70 pound Safari model. I pulled the five arrows from the target, then picked up the Safari, nocked an arrow, drew the bow and sent the first arrow ever shot from the Safari toward my target sitting 18 yards away. Here is what happened:
I was incredibly impressed by the stability and accuracy of the bow, but not surprised, since I have been shooting Shrews for years. The heavy 850 grain arrow hit the target with authority and almost penetrated to the back of the bag target, which is quite a feat. I retrieved a camera to document the shot, and before thinking about photographing the bow with the first arrow, I pulled the arrow out of the target. Damn it! So I shot a second arrow so I could have it in the target when I photographed my new Shrew Safari. I decided to also photograph its older, but smaller brother, the Koa Classic Hunter. (Sorry for the not-so-great picture. I had to use a flash because daylight was just about gone.)
My second shot wasn't quite as good as the first, but not a lot worse (I was aiming at the center bulls-eye both times). Most of my other shots with the Safari were similar to the ones pictured -- until I started to fatigue, that is. If I do my part, this bow and arrow combination will take care of an Asiatic buffalo. I hope not to do much damage (preferably none) to this lovely bow while hunting in the Outback, but I know it is tough as nails, despite its beauty. I will take it to the range soon to see how its speed compares with my Super Shrew Samurai that I used on my buffalo last year. I expect them to be fairly comparable since they are within two pounds of one another and are both Super Shrews. Even though the Safari model is much prettier than the Samurai, the Safari has considerably stronger construction because of the materials used, and it is built to take just about any abuse that might ordinarily be encountered.
Allan
Topic: First Shots with Shrew Safari (Read 585 times)
