Ok, so the kids are in bed, and the minuets of my meeting are typed up.
So after work I went the to post office to pick up the Vixen and as I am walking to the truck I am cutting open the box it was shipped in. First impression is this thing is gorgeous. The brown glass is a phenomenal mocha color, the bubinga jumps out at me and has some streaks running thru the grain the are gorgeous. The Red elm is as beautiful as ever and the caramel color is breathtaking.
I told James I wanted the green leather and it is everything I could have asked for. His handwriting is like calligraphy, but he writes very small, much like Steve Turay does at Northern Mist. I love how it does not distract from the overall appearance of the bow. It is extremely light in the hand, or as Nate (sunset hill) says, like a wand in your hand.
The shelve is cut 1/8th from center, and it stands out because it is a much larger shelve than what comes on a NM or HHA. I like that about it, If I would have known that James cuts his shelves flat, (the sight window is radiused) I would have requested it be radiused also, but it by no means takes away from the bow. James cuts his flat because thats what he has always done.
I get it home and set the brace to around 6 3/16 (that is my fistmele) like all my other Straight limbed bows, and proceed to shoot some mismatched arrows in my quiver just to put spears downrange. At this point I have no nock or silencers on the bow. It has zero buzz, zero handshock and the draw is smooth as butter and the release is crisp quick and silent. I was stacking them in at 15 yards quite well already. The bow is balanced perfectly and handles like a dream.
I found myself just looking at the braced profile of this bow, as it is a picture that drums up sherwood. the gentle curve of the limbs to those little bitty petite tips. I will take a pick later comparing the tips to a quarter like I have seen done before.
Now one of the most amazing things about this bow is how James traps these limbs. I tried taking about 30 different pictures to capture it but can not get it on film. its a steep belly trap, but instead of a trapezoid shape there are no edges and if it were not for the glass on the belly the cross section would be a "D" like on the ELB. It is phenomenal how he pulls it off. Think a steep trap, but instead of diagonal lines to the flat spot it is a rolling curve with just about 3/4' of flat spot on the belly of the lime.
Now, I have not shot a Sunset Hill, Timberline, Howard Hill built bow, but I have shot a lot of others to include a Shultz, David Miller "old tom" multiple HHA and NM bows, and for ME the Vixen has earned its place at the very top of the list in aesthetics, balance, feel, smoothness and speed. James has done a work of not only beauty but functionality with his design of the American-Semi longbow. If you are like me and like to shoot all things Straight limbed longbow you owe it to yourself to at least shoot a Vixen or Misty Dawn someday.
Topic: The post office has my present. And she is a Vixen!! (Read 470 times)
