Hoyt CRX32 and Mathews Z-7Extreme side by side shootout...

My very stressful school semester is finally over and I took some much needed time to de-stress and having some fun by doing some investigation into my next hunting bow.

I visited a local shop this weekend and had the opportunity to do a side by side comparison of the Hoyt CRX32 and the Mathews Z-7 Extreme. This was the first time I have shot either bow and went into it with an open mind. Both bows were set at a comparable draw weight CRX32@60# and Z-7 Extreme@61#.

My first impressions when handling both bows was that the Z-7 Extreme felt more comfortable in my hand. Thinking about hunting from a ground blind and in tree stands, the compact 28" axle to axle length won me over. The CRX32 however was very light and had a great balance to it.(Z-7 seemed slightly top heavy). The CRX 32 was more stable and moved a lot less when I purposely introduced hand torque at full draw. I couldn't think of why Hoyt added the rubber coating on the riser shelf when considering all of the available arrow rests today. It seemed like an unnecessary addition to me. I couldn't wait to put some arrows down range and finally get a clear image of which one of these heavy hitters could potentially become my next hunting bow.

When I got to the shop's15yd test range I chose to shoot the CRX32 first. I shot 3 arrows and was thoroughly impressed at the smooth effortless draw. I was giddy, literally giggling at how smooth and quiet this bow shot. This bow made absolutely zero noise on the shot! I only heard the arrow hit the bag. Very impressive! I also felt absolutely no vibration in my hand! The CRX32 was an absolute joy to shoot and thought the Z-7 Extreme had its hands full if it wanted to compete.

I picked up the Mathews Z-7 Extreme and was once again pleased at how comfortable the grip felt. I nocked the first arrow and was conscious of the draw to determine any difference. The Z-7's single cam was noticeably rougher on the draw which I attribute to Hoyt's Cam &1/2 Fuel Cams. At full draw I thought to myself that I could hold this bow all day long. Prior to releasing the first arrow I reminded myself to be conscious of every detail to determine any difference between the two bows. Upon release my first reaction was to turn to the shop worker with an expression of disbelief and I threw my hands up. I could not tell any difference. The Z-7 Extreme was just a smooth, quiet, and vibration free as the CRX-32.

I repeated the process of shooting 3 arrows a piece over and over again in a feeble attempt to pick a clear favorite between the bows. I even shot one arrow a piece back to back. Instead of clearing up any questions I had about how the two performed I only complicated my decision process!

In conclusion, the Hoyt CRX32 was a bit smoother on the draw cycle which was the only noticeable difference in the two bows. This factor seemed to put the CRX32 ahead in the race by a nose. That was until I did some further investigation. Keep in mind that I didn't have the opportunity to shoot using a chronograph. According to the Hoyt website the CRX32 is listed at shooting 323fps at its max draw weight of 90#! The CRX32 also has a shorter brace height and longer axle to axle length. Taking these factors into consideration and comparing the Z-7 Extreme's stats of shooting an approximate 330fps at a max 70# draw weight and a longer brace height of 7 and 3/8 inches and a shorter 28" axle to axle the Mathews Z-7 Extreme is a much more efficient bow "on paper." If anyone has empirical data to prove this conclusion wrong please share cause I'd like to be as fair as possible.

In my honest opinion it is really going to boil down to personal preference when deciding between the two, both will make extremely good hunting bows. If I had to chose between the two I would purchase the Mathews Z-7 Extreme over the Hoyt CRX 32.

Now I'm off to find a shop to shoot a PSE X-Force Omen Pro, X-Force Dream Season EVO, a Bear Carnage and maybe one of the new G5 Quest bows!

 

Thanks for the write up! I haven't shot the Hoyt, but I did love the Z7x. I did notice the draw on the Z7x wasn't the smoothest, but I have a feeling I would get used to it very quickly. It didn't feel bad, just a lot different than my old SQ2.

 

Good write up. Best of luck finding that new hunting bow, and remember have fun shooting all the different bows. Like you said, it will come down to a personal prefernce, choose the one that fits you and you like the best.

 

its getting to the point where all the top end bows are about the same. It really comes down to what you want. They are all getting fast, so its just a matter of what you want. Shoot all you can and try to choose one, good luck.

 

the bow actually shoots 323 at ATA (Archery trade association) Which is the same as IBO standard. Aka 30" of draw, 70 lbs.

 

Thats good to know! I was hoping that I was deciphering it wrong. I suppose that the 90# bows are the special "Dangerous Game" options heavy limbs I was just reading about. I wish I could have done a chronograph comparison.

 

awesome review thanks.

 

actually i am corrected in that IBO doesnt specify a draw length, only 5 gpi on the arrow and 70 lbs
ata does

 

I have shot the z7e and thought it was a hard draw i however dismissed this due to the fact that i was shooting a bow with 2 inch longer draw then what ii should be shooting. It seemed vibration free to me as well. I shoot the Hoyt Carbon ELement and that thing is amazingly smooth and fast. On paper it wasnt as fast as the Z7 Extreme however I felt it made up for the speed by the amount of smoothness. Take this with a grain of salt because I beleive the Hoyt was closer to my 28 draw and the Z7 extreme was at 30 inch.

 

The shop didn't have any Carbon Elements in stock, but the guy told me not to even shoot the Carbon Element if I had my wallet with me. He told me that they can't keep those in stock and that customers buy those up immediately after shooting it even with the huge price tag. He told me a story of one customer that shot the Carbon Element 3 times, then the CRX32 once and put it down and shot the Z-7 Extreme once and put that down, grabbed the Carbon element again and walked directly to the register. HAHAHA
I'm really curious how that shoots.

 

think maxxis with a cooler riser.

 

It was awesome I am glad i had a glimmer of self restrant I wish they made Carbon risers as an option. I mean do the really do anything other than increase duriblity?

 

carbon is pretty good at absorbing vibration, and doesnt get cold.
there are a few companies that hve been doing carbon risers for years

 

I was pretty sure hoyt wasn't the first one to do it. And i could see how it takes out some vibration. I think it should still be an option just my two cents lol

 

the non carbon version is the maxxis 31
carbontech,
first company i remember though is HCA with the carbon speedpro

 

Great write-up. Please get back to us when you get to the Carnage. I am a Bear fan and Truth shooter.

Have Fun!

 

Z7 is overall better buy in my opinion...but ive never used the Hoyt bow so i wouldnt really know =[] have fun shooting

 

Try out the Bowtech bows too they are somthing to look at

 

Hey Nova,

Did you get a chance to shoot the BEAR Carnage?

If so what were your thoughts?

C

 

Over the past 2 weeks I have shot the z7e, CRX32, and the Carnage. I was also able to shoot a side by side with the z7e and the CRX32 and had the same issues in terms of deciding which I liked better.

The CRX32 definitely felt more balanced in my opinion. It was very quiet and very smooth and I really like the way Hoyt bows sit in my hand.

The z7e felt smoother to me, but the draw weight was 62 where the CRX 32 was set at 67. The bow felt slightly less balanced to me, and the draw length was an inch too short so I didn't get the true z7 experience (the shop was too busy to adjust the bow). This being said, I loved shooting the z7e. Even though it wasn't set up for me, every shot I took felt great.

At this point I would choose the z7e between the two bows. I like the shorter 28 inch axle to axle length and with the slightly longer brace hight I feel like it was a more forgiving bow. This being said I need to re-shoot it set at a 29 in draw and would like to crank up the draw weight to 67 lbs.

As for the Carnage, I shot it with only a whisker biscuit (bow wasn't set up, not even a sight). I have to say, it was a blast to shoot and was definitely the fastest bow I have shot. It is much smoother to draw than the Bear Attack, and Cabelas had the draw weight set at 78 lbs and the length set at 30 inches. The first shot was tough. Once they shortened the draw length and cranked it down to 72 lbs it felt much better. I shot about 15 arrows and it felt awesome. I wish I could have compared it set up and side by side to the z7e and the CRX 32. I think it will definitely give Hoyt and Matthews a run for there money, and If you like Bear Bows (like me) I highly recommend shooting it.

I will certainly be shooting all three again soon. The goal is to make the upgrade from the Bear Strike by Spring Turkey season : )

Hope this helps, get out there and test them all!