Dryad ACS vs A&H ACS? --shots fired :) PICS 2nd page

[nineworlds9]

Been wanting to try a bow with ACS technology limbs for a while now.  I'm spoiled by my Habu and Stewart, both are my go-to's but y'all know how it is trying bows.  Living in FL with no trad shows there is no 'try before you buy' so I pretty much have to buy and sell to sample all the great bows out there.

I just got ahold of a 62" Dryad Orion ACS CG 50@28 and I'm excited to compare it to my keepers.

For those of you that have owned either the Dryad or A&H ACS bows or preferably both, what do you think???  Are they very much the same?  Is one 'more ACS' than the other?

 I had hoped to get ahold of an A&H bow, but the Dryad worked out and really I think the Dryad grip will suit me better...

[damascusdave]

Is it just me or was that new Fatal Styk not supposed to be the end of your experimental days

DDave

[nineworlds9]

Please I need bow-chemo therapy.  My Stewart and the Habu are my babies, have never shot anything better than those two, its just the freedom to try new things that &$;&:' s me up hahaha.  I need to quit posting gear threads and start posting some kill threads that's the key.  I'm also a sucker for a good deal.

[Shawn Leonard]

The limbs are the same, I too liked the Dryad grip a bit better but too small for my huge hands, Not a big fan of the ACS limbs though, but they are pretty quick not the quickest I have shot though. They do not seem all that stable to me. Shawn

[nineworlds9]

Thanks Shawn, that was my main curiosity, whether the limbs were significantly different between the two.

[mec lineman]

Hey Chuck,if it wasn't so close to bow season, I would send you mine to try out! got it in the classifieds now ,but hasn't moved. Planned on hunting with my Siren this year,but thats not going to happen.(read my post on blackcreek bows in todays pow wow)    craig

[mec lineman]

Hey Chuck,if it wasn't so close to bow season, I would send you mine to try out! got it in the classifieds now ,but hasn't moved. Planned on hunting with my Siren this year,but thats not going to happen.(read my post on blackcreek bows in todays pow wow)    craig

[SAVIOUR68]

Chuck I had a A&H ACS long bow 3 piece that was hands down the fastest longbow I had shot and shot very very good for me. I am sure that the Dryad ACS is just AS quick if not quicker. Stability in the bow limbs was also very good.

[Retnuh Wob]

I own and have shot both. I have two dryad risers, a 13" and a 15". My draw length is 29". I have three sets of Dryad ACS RC limbs: Longs rated 40# and 42#; A set of mediums rated 48#. All at 28".
I just got a A&H one piece longbow 64" 47#@ 28.  I have chronoed.
various arrow weights running from 9 gr/lb to over 15 gr/lb through these combinations (except the 48# medium limbs). I have also checked the actual draw weight at my draw length. They all seem to achieve around .8 ft. lbs. of kinetic energy per pound of draw weight with the heavier arrows and .75 to .77 with the lighter arrows. All of them will do in the mid 180 fps or more with 10 gr/lb  and get close to 180 fps with 11 gr.lb.  

None of these quite match the publicized figures, but they are not far off.

[jlowrey75]

A&H to me is better, faster, smoother, but a little louder. Dryads  performance is very good especially there newer versions.

[nineworlds9]

So I've had a chance to shoot the Dryad setup.  Crap..this thing shoots.  I think its faster than my Habu.  They both shoot very similar but the draw on each feels quite different.  The Orion has a lot of preload..I was surprised... and it feels like you're pulling more weight earlier and it smooths out.  This is exactly in line with a writeup by John Havard describing Dryad's limbs. The Habu feels lighter at the beginning then builds in the middle and then smooths out.  The Dryad riser is smaller so shooting both back to back I almost wanna call the Dryad a baby Habu just from a shooting quality standpoint haha.  Crap.  The Dryad is pretty much just as accurate for me with minimal tuning as the Habu.  The mass weight of the solid glass riser makes the Habu super stable, but the Dryad riser is 'heavy enough' yet still the bow is very light in the hand.   I need to shoot it some more but I'm at an impasse..they both shoot awesome, maybe the Habu feels just a bit sweeter?, yet I don't feel like I need both.  I like to keep 'the harem' cleaned up.  I think I like the geometry of the Dryad a little more and the lower brace height maybe being partial to longbows?...but the Habu has the edge in finish.  They look different yet they shoot so close to one another.  Suddenly I'm having thoughts of selling the Habu and getting my capital back out...especially considering I'm gonna go all out on next year's Centaur...hmmm...but the Habu is so good.  What's a boy to do?

I qualify all this with the fact that I'm shooting my Stewart for hunting this year and I shoot that better than anything I own.  The Stewart also seems as fast as the above two.  LoL

[SAVIOUR68]

Chuck shoot her for a few days til the new bow syndrome wears off and then make your decision.
And you know these threads are useless with out pics .

[nineworlds9]

Good advice Scott.  Prolly some new bow syndrome at work for sure.  I will say that I have become a pretty strict evaluator of bows and I can figure out quick what I like/ dislike about them.  My top criteria are quietness, ease of tuning, and cast.  I use my Stewart as the benchmark.  Leon has something pretty special going.  So far in two short shooting sessions the Dryad has proven itself pretty darned capable in respect to noise and ease of tuning.  I listed the Vyperkahn today, expensive as it is, to see if it gets some interest.  I didn't opt to list it because I think the Dryad is superior but more because the Dryad is so similar in performance for less invested, and freeing up the capital from the Habu will allow me to play some more.  Meanwhile I have everything I want in a hunting weapon in the Slammer.

Pics tomorrow.

[SAVIOUR68]

Chuck I hated to see this post because I have been eyeing Drayds website looking at the orions with the ACS CG limbs also for the last month or so, my A&H ACS longbow was a aluminum handle with 50@28 limbs and it was the best or both worlds speed and  accuracy so now I kick my self in the back side because I sold it. I am sure the Dryads are every bit as smooth and stable and the best part is Mike is in Texas.

[awbowman]

I just shot an A&H this weekend and it was incredibly fast.  Not that speed is everything, but efficient, yes it is!!!

Also very dead in the hand and it just may cost me money.  Why, not because of the speed, but because it shot where I was looking.


When it comes down to it, it's a very efficient bow but if it doesn't shoot where I look, then it's still not worth my money.

[nineworlds9]

LOL when I shot my second 3 arrow group ever at 22 yds with the Dryad and had em nice and tight I knew pretty quick it wasn't just fast.

[bigbadjon]

My A&H 3 piece shoots one fps slower than my Jack Howard Gamemaster Jet with 10 gpp arrows. That is pretty impressive even for a very extreme longbow. As far as stability I'm not sure what Shawn was referring to. The only thing on there that I think may lead to less stabilty is that the limb tips are very thin which may make it possible to torgue the limbs out of line, but they are still stiffer than a recurve. They riser is pretty heavy and I have not experienced much vibration. I have experienced vibration in the limbs with a flemish string but not with an endless.

[Bjorn]

bigbadjohn wrote:
My A&H 3 piece shoots one fps slower than my Jack Howard Gamemaster Jet with 10 gpp arrows. That is pretty impressive even for a very extreme longbow.
That surprises me................
I had 2 GM Jets and still have one. My ACS 3 pc bows are noticeably faster than the Jets through the chrono. I shot the same arrows through both bows and a 53# ACS CX was faster than a 57# Jet which scaled at 61# compared to the ACS scaling 53#.

[bigbadjon]

I have ran it multiple times at 10gpp and get that result consistenly, with slight variance due to hand release, shot off an elevated rest at the recommended brace height. I'd like to discuss it with you but I don't want to hijack the thread, please send me a pm when you have time.

[riverrat 2]

nineworlds9,I would suggest calling these bowyers and asking them about the construction they employ. They look a lot alike,I have owned both and prefer the A&H. Larry Hanify does quite a few things different then Mike Westvang. Ask them both. I love my A&H. It is a 1 piece,and just shoots crazy good. rat'