mathews drenalin

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BOW REPORT BY JOE BELL

MATHEWS DRENALIN

H e r e ’s o n e p o t e n t , lightweight package. eatherweight bows have come and gone over the years. Past models were a joy to carry in the woods, but when it came time for accuracy performance they lacked severely, mainly due to “twitchy” shooting character and excessive shot recoil. Simply put, without weight, there’s less stability (hard to hold steady and easier to torque) and no mass to soak up shot vibrations. Yet Mathews touts “thin is in” with their new lightweight 3.85-pound shooting wonder. Following the same lines and geometry as their ever-popular Switchback—one of the best bows I’ve ever shot—is the all-new Drenalin. Though light, I must admit, this bow is no ordinary featherweight package. Just like the three-year-old Switchback, the Drenalin boasts a 7-inch brace and 33-inch axle-to-axle length—good specs for all-around hunting performance. However, this bow has two design features that make it the lightest, long-riser Mathews bow ever.

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NEW LIMB TECHNOLOGY Lets start with the new SE3 Composite limbs. At only 1 1/8-inch wide, they represent an industry first. But why go so thin? According to Mathews, a thinner, lighter limb is faster since it stores energy into a smaller mass, increasing arrowpropelling efficiency. Using new composite technology, Mathews actually discovered these limbs to be more durable as well. To compliment the new slim SE3 limbs, Mathews created a new limb-pocket system, which they call the SphereLock. The system is extremely compact and streamlined—complimenting the limbs—yet it’s a full pivoting design to promote shooting consistency. If the trend is in lighter, more compact bows, then Mathews’ new Drenalin takes first place. Its streamlined, super-slim feel is unmatched. To top it off, it shoots beautifully accurate and recoil-free. It’s the sweetest, lightest bow on the market.

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BOW&ARROW HUNTING

BOW REPORT BY JOE BELL

Like me, one of your first concerns could be how well do these little limbs hold up to torque, particularly at full draw. Well, upon personal evaluation, I constantly glanced downward while at full draw to see just how straight the bottom limb stayed. It wasn’t twisted one bit, at least not enough for the naked eye to see, and the cam was plumb straight up and down. This was impressive, considering there are lots of “wide limb” bows out there with cam lean when there’s no split-yoke in place to equalize axle/limb load.

SUPER-LIGHT RISER Like I said, this is basically a Switchback riser on a diet. At 25 inches, it’s long, but with 26 vents (versus Switchback’s 19) it’s really light. Overall, it is just a tad bit thinner and much more sculptured down. With the addition of Realtree’s unique Repeat camo pattern, the bow just looks cool.

BOW’S PRIMARY ADVANTAGE All this lightweight technology makes this one heck of a bow for the mountain hunter, or anyone who wants a “fully loaded” package that’s easy to carry. When you add a filled bow quiver, sight, and stabilizer to the mix, what you have is about 2 pounds or more of added bow weight. Throw all this onto the Drenalin, and you still have a package that weighs in at about 5 1/2 to 6 pounds. With your typical 4 1/2pound bow, you’re looking at 6 1/2 to 7 pounds. While some bows may weigh you down after several days in

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BOW&ARROW HUNTING

the mountains, the Drenalin won’t.

SHOOTING THE DRENALIN I added an Ultra-Rest LD and Fuse 7-Pin Intrepid bowsight to the bow, served in the peep, and did a quick paper tune, and it was ready for the range. Since I usually hunt and shoot without a bow quiver, I went ahead and added a few counter weights to boost bow weight a bit, to about 6 pounds. After a quick sight in, I started shooting arrows from 40, 50 and 60 yards. Like my old Switchback, this bow felt incredible right from the start. After a little bit of shooting, I began getting serious, really homing in on the 60-yard bull’s eye. When arrow after arrow went into a tight cluster, I knew right then and there this was one smooth, potent little bow. To get an idea of the bow’s quietness, I shot it next to my well-tuned Mathews XT, fully outfitted and weighing about 6 3/4 pounds. Felt shot recoil was very similar with both bows, but the XT was a tad quieter, although keep in mind the Drenalin is about 5 fps faster. I did prefer the string angle of the 33-inch Drenalin, however, as it notched the tip of my nose perfectly, making for a better overall feel when using a Scott Little Bitty Goose NCS release. With the XT, it feels better with a slightly longer draw (about 1/8 to 1/4-inch longer) and a shorter-nose Scott Wildcat NCS release. What else can I say; overall this bow really impressed me. It’s wicked smooth to draw, feels great at full

draw, and it pumps out arrows with authority. Lightweight, it is, but I don’t see a lot of loss in stability, maybe a little, but nothing to complain about. Personally, I wouldn’t have any qualms putting it to good use on any of my hunting endeavors.

BOTTOM LINE: This is one brilliantly smooth and accurate bow.

SPECIFICATIONS Model: Drenalin Manufacturer: Mathews, 919 River Rd., Sparta, WI 54656; 608) 269-2728; www.mathewsinc.com. Peak Draw weights: 40 to 70 pounds Draw lengths: 25 to 30 inches Axle-to-axle length: 33 inches Limbs: solid, SE3 Series Riser: machined aluminum Grip: narrow all-wood Eccentrics: Single Cam, perimeter-weighted Brace Height: 7 inches Mass Weight: 3.85 pounds Advertised IBO speed: 320 fps Suggested Retail: $849 Color: Realtree Repeat

PERFORMANCE RATINGS True Speed: 269 fps, 27-inch draw, 70 pounds, Fletcher Tru-Peep, string loop, Sims Silencers, Easton Super Slim 400 w/100-grain point—total arrow weight 380 grains.

NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS:

■ Top-quality craftsmanship throughout. ■ More streamlined feel overall; at home in a treestand or mountaintop.

■ SlimLimbs are efficient, generating arrow speeds at 320-fps IBO speed.

■ StraightLine Max Cam is silky smooth, blistering fast yet nearly recoil-free.