HOYT Charger?

[WaSouthpaw]

Wondering if anyone here has any experince with this bow? Looked at one today. Very tempting. Thanks Don

[D-Rock425]

Awesome bow for the money .  My cousin (16 years old) just bought one.

[h20hunter]

Agree with D-Rock...brother in law bought one. Shoots sweet, fast, and flat. Great bow.

[D-Rock425]

The 2014 charger is a little different than the 2013 model.  Not sure I like the looks of the new limb pockets.

[Gobble Doc]

I have one and I really like it.  It is my first bow so I don't have much to compare to. 

[WaSouthpaw]

Would either model of the Charger be a step up from a 1990 vintage Martin Lynx?

I have received counsel that most any current production bow would be a significant step up what I have.

The dealer did say they would have special order a left handed bow for me. This says to me I would be getting a 2014 bow.

[jason stevens]

Was gonna buy the charger until I shot the mission balistic.

[TwistedTree]

I bought a Charger earlier this year after shooting a bunch of the new top of the line bows: Spyder, Experience, Insanity, Invasion, Assassin, Creed, Chill, and a couple others. The one that really made me think was the Creed.  it had a really smooth draw and nice on the shot but the back wall didn't work for me. The Spyder was also good but not a radical difference from the Charger...especially since for the price of a Spyder - or most of the others - I could outfit a Charger with a sight, rest, stabilizer and quiver.

I've been very happy with it.  If only it would have gotten me an elk. But I guess that's my problem, not the bow's!

[RadSav]

Would either model of the Charger be a step up from a 1990 vintage Martin Lynx?

I have received counsel that most any current production bow would be a significant step up what I have.

The dealer did say they would have special order a left handed bow for me. This says to me I would be getting a 2014 bow.

BIG step up!  IMO the best bow Hoyt has made in the past three years. Same thing can be said for the Mission Ballistic! I liked the 2013 Charger better than the 2014 model, but still both are great bows for the money. 

[WaSouthpaw]

... I've been very happy with it.  If only it would have gotten me an elk...

That's the hard thing for me when it comes to my old Martin Lynx. It has my one and only spike bull elk in '92. Complete pass thru @ about 30 yds, it ran 50 yds and the work began there.

I am waiting for a call from the pro shop where I dropped it off for a new string, a new whisker biscuit rest, and 1/2 doz appropriately matched carbon arrows with 100 gr tips. I figure I need to get back into archery first before I start spending money on a new bow.

At this point I have only test fired a PSE Brute X at Cabela's, because of my left handed issue I have not been able to try out the Hoyt, only able to look and say, "gee that looks like a pretty cool bow."

The PSE bow was pretty nice. It was as described by others, very smooth, the 75% let off was real nice compared to the 50% of my Lynx. It was fast enough that I had trouble seeing the flight of the arrow, I think I flinched with the release of the arrow.
 
I just hate spending money at the big box store, I would rather deal with a pro shop instead.

Thanks for the input guys. I think I need to just shut up and shoot.

Don

[WaSouthpaw]

Would either model of the Charger be a step up from a 1990 vintage Martin Lynx?

I have received counsel that most any current production bow would be a significant step up what I have.

The dealer did say they would have special order a left handed bow for me. This says to me I would be getting a 2014 bow.

BIG step up!  IMO the best bow Hoyt has made in the past three years. Same thing can be said for the Mission Ballistic! I liked the 2013 Charger better than the 2014 model, but still both are great bows for the money.

Hey, sorry if I came across as a cocky newbie. I have read a lot of your posts and all are "with merit". Thank you for your time and the valued input.
Don

[RadSav]

Hey, sorry if I came across as a cocky newbie.

Did not come off that way at all to me.  Just sounds like your starting to get excited about bowhunting again.  And I always like the sounds of that!  Hope all works out as you hope.

It was shocking how many lefties we sold back when I had my proshop.  And when you do cater to the left hand customer it's pretty easy to gain shop loyalty from him or her.  I am always surprised how many proshops have little to no left handed bows in stock.  Especially on performance value products like the Mission Ballistic and Hoyt Charger which often times are your bread and butter.

[WaSouthpaw]

OK, Now I am going to show how rank of an old newbie I am. Who makes the Mission Ballistic? Thanks, Don

[WaSouthpaw]

OK, Now I am going to show how rank of an old newbie I am. Who makes the Mission Ballistic? Thanks, Don

Never mind - Google found it! Are these Mission Ballistic bows available in left handed models?

Thanks, Don

[Chad E.]

I was in the exact same boat as you...I picked up a old lh lynx from craigslist this year to hunt with . It was my first bow and I practiced all summer with it and outfited it with newer accessories.  I hunted with it all year but soon wanted an upgrade.  I did a ton of research and really narrowed it down and decided on the Hoyt charger.  Being left handed trying out a bunch of bows wasn't an option.  I called around and found a 2013 model at black sheep in courdlane.  I picked it up a couple weeks ago and Doug got me all lined out.  I chose to go bare bow and by saving so much on the bow compared to the flagship models I was able to outfit the bow with top of the line accessories.  I've been shooting it daily and let me say.the difference in the New and old bow isn't even comparable.  Smooth draw cycle great backwall...its just a pleasure to shoot and its super quiet.  I highly recommend the upgrade I have way more  confidence in my abilities to shoot consistently accurate.  I'm super happy with the charger if you have any other questions let me know if I can help

[RadSav]

Never mind - Google found it! Are these Mission Ballistic bows available in left handed models?

In case you didn't notice on the website "Mission" is the value priced division of "Mathews".

Yes, all Mission bows are available in left hand options.

[WaSouthpaw]

Tonight I went thru a book I had in my library written by Dave Holt titled Balanced Bowhunting.  Digging into the book he writes about some basic rules of thumb regarding fps vs arrow weight change and also fps vs draw weight change.  I am reading that the charger has a IBO rating of 325 fps.  Using Dave's rules of thumb, I come up with 277 fps out of the Charger @ 60lbs with a 540gr arrow.  I think I may have made a mistake putting $150 into my old Martin Lynx. 

I guess I had to see it in a spreadsheet before I saw the light!

Live and learn, Don

[RadSav]

Tonight I went thru a book I had in my library written by Dave Holt titled Balanced Bowhunting.  Digging into the book he writes about some basic rules of thumb regarding fps vs arrow weight change and also fps vs draw weight change.  I am reading that the charger has a IBO rating of 325 fps.  Using Dave's rules of thumb, I come up with 277 fps out of the Charger @ 60lbs with a 540gr arrow.  I think I may have made a mistake putting $150 into my old Martin Lynx. 

That would be roughly correct if you were shooting 70# and a 30" draw length.  But, would not be correct if shooting 60#, a shorter draw length or a combination of the two.  A 540 grain arrow shot in a Charger with 30" draw length and set at 60# would be in the neighborhood of 250 fps.  Same arrow in a 29"/60# bow would be in the neighborhood of 245 fps.

While a very good and well written book, Mr. Holt wrote that book back in 1988 when AMO standards were common place and IBO standards were pretty much unheard of.  540 grain arrow is an AMO standard arrow weight.  325 fps is the Hoyt Charger's IBO rating and 251 fps is it's AMO rating.  Two completely different measuring systems.  http://www.archeryexchange.com/shopcontent.asp?type=amoibo

If you were to shoot a Charger at 60# with a 300 grain IBO arrow @ 30" draw length you'd still be very close to the IBO rated speed (321 fps).  Thus the reason it has become a very well accepted standard of measure.  And of course manufactures jump all over it because it makes the bows seem much faster and they sell better that way!

Now for a more practical measurement lets take a 29"/60# Hoyt Charger with a 6 grain per inch "Washington" WDFW legal minimum arrow (360 grains).  You will have a hard time achieving that at 60# from the Charger due to arrow shaft choices, but let's assume you find a matched arrow shaft that allows it.  You could expect to achieve an arrow velocity of approximately 290 fps.

[D-Rock425]

I would really try to get the 2013 model.  Looked at them side by side today and the 2013 looks cleaner to me. 

[WaSouthpaw]

I would really try to get the 2013 model.  Looked at them side by side today and the 2013 looks cleaner to me.

And where might that have been? A pro shop? I saw a RH version of the Charger at Van Winkles on Thursday. Thanks, Don

[WaSouthpaw]

I figured those "old rules of thumb" of Mr. Holts would be contested. 
Sounds like my old book "Tuning Your Compound Bow 2nd Edition" by Larry Wise may not be applicable too.
1st, where did you find the AMO Rating on the Charger?
2nd, are AMO ratings available (or published) on other bows?
I am thinking I am still caught up in the old way of thinking about light weight arrows (5-6 grs/lb) being difficult to get to fly straight. My concern with a 360gr arrow is that it may not be practical for hunting purposes and that an arrow in the 450 to 475 gr range would be more realistic.
I will be switching from 125 gr tips to 100 gr tips for my old Martin Lynx.
If I purchase a new bow, should I be looking at 75 - 85 gr tips as a more appropriate choice for a 55-60 lb modern bow using modern carbon arrows?

Thanks, Don

[D-Rock425]

I would stay with a 100grain tip. The reason to stick with 100 grain head is it will give you the most broadhead options and give you a little better FOC. A 360 arrow out of a 60# bow will kill anything you can hunt in Washington.  Now for the reasons I think the 2013 charger is better than the 2014 model.  I think hoyt cut a few corners with the 14 model and tried to cut the cost down.  Limb pockets look cheaper and so is the grip.

[scottcrb]

I bought the 2013 charger last July at the Nock point and it has been great so far. I also shot some Matthews and mission and bowtech. For my price range it came down to the mission and the Hoyt.been great haven't looked back except for the bowtech experience but that way out of my price range. I think Nock point has some 2013 left.

[Sethwerf]

I love the 2014 charger. I looked at some pse, bowtech, mission and they shot great but the charger just felt better. Shoots quiet and smooth. They have a package deal but for the extra 150 it seems you can pick up something that may fit you better and still be in that same price range. Try and find somewhere that will let you shoot the bow and see what feels best for you in your price range.

[Greg Mullins]

Id look for a 2013 charger.2014 went to plastic limb pockets 2013 is built a bit better.Just my