Hoyt Maxxis- Bow review I eagerly awaited the release of various archery manufactures line ups for 2010, specifically Hoyt. I was contemplating a new bow to replace my Hoyt Katera and accompany me to South Africa in July. I knew what I wanted- a bow that shot itself... Yes big ask I know but I wanted something that would take the error out of an excited bowhunter’s lack of form at that critical point in time. 2010 saw Hoyt bring out its first beyond parallel limb bow the Hoyt Maxxis. The Maxxis like most of Hoyt’s front runner bows from years gone by is available in two axel to axel lengths- the 31 and the 35. The Maxxis is available in weight ranges from 40lb through to a whopping 90lb which should excite bowhunters chasing larger game and higher poundage. Another interesting addition to the Maxxis was the cable roller guard. Maxxis 35 specs: IBO speed: 318FPS Axle to Axle length: 35” Mass weight: 4.2lb Weight range: 40- 90lb Cam : XTR cam and ½ Brace height: 7” Draw range: 27- 31” Limbs: XTS ARC I liked the look of the Maxxis 35’s specs and I placed my order with Pat Coghlan of Pat’s Archery- (Australian Hoyt distributor) after visiting his web site (www.pats-archery.com ) his prices for Hoyt bows were terrific as were his Easton arrow prices. The Maxxis would have to come from America and I was told by Pat I would have it in 2 weeks, I liked his confidence! 13 days latter the 70lb, 28” masxxis 35 was in my hands and still warm from its apparent rocket ride from the US! Upon opening the box and removing the bow 1 thing became apparent- It was far lighter than I had imagined. The camo finish on the bow was first rate as was all machining. The stylish riser and curved limbs certainly made it an eye pleaser. I checked the brace height and cam timing and soon found myself bolting on various necessary accessories. I set the Hoyt Fall Away Tec Rest in a centre shot position, found a few arrows fitted with field points and preceded to the range. The draw: The draw is smooth with no lumps and drops of nicely to the valley. The valley is a little narrower than that of the Katera but is ample. The draw builds from the start and definitely feels like it is packing a bit more oomph than the Katera. The wall is as solid as a rock. The draw was comparable with single cam bows that I have owned in the past. The shot: The 35 really seems to “point” at the target and I found the sight wonders very little. The bow is very stable in the hand and well balanced. Upon release two things became immediately apparent, Hoyt had addressed both noise and hand shock that were noticeable with past models. I am sure the new XTS ARC limbs have a lot to do with that. I quickly had the sight set at 20m and found my arrows grouping nicely with minimal tuning. This is where things got interesting, as I finetuned the bow I noticed how broad the range of centre shot tunning was. The arrow rest couple be out up to a few mm either way yet the bow would still shoot a respectable group at 20m. With walk back tunning complete it was time to shoot some groups and see if the Maxxis 35 would live up to all expectations. I ranged 50m from the target, this is usually the limit to my accuracy using a hunting bow and hunting weight arrow. After several groups were shot and a little more tinkering my groups really shrunk, I got so excited at my groups I may have yelled out something about how good this bow shoots but you will have to ask my neighbours the exact wording... I stepped back to 60m, the 4 arrows still grouped nicely so I moved to 70m. I found at 70m I was shooting groups the size of my 50m groups with previous bows. Conclusion: Hoyt Maxxis is sure to be one of the big names of 2010 To say I am impressed with the Maxxis 35 would be an understatement. The bow possesses great out of the box accuracy. Its shoot ability, forgiveness and quietness will no doubt see this bow a favourite of mine! You’d me crazy not to pick one up yourself!
I agree that it's an impressive bow but I'm really disappointed in the grip. Hoyt used to have my favorite grips and this is one of the worst I've ever felt.
I actually like it more that the Katera, magnatec and the ultratec grips as the grip moulds into the bow nicer.
The UltraTec was in my opinion one of the best. My hand always slid to the same point on it. I'm not much for sticky grips. They may be warm but they don't promote a consistent grip on the bow from one shot to the next. To each his own though... that's why they make so many different bows.
Very nice report Cooke! I hope it treats you well in Africa. I have the 31 and love it. My last bow was a one cam Havoc-tec, which I loved for almost 10 seasons. I'm also not a fan of sticky grips but for some reason the grip seems to fall into the same place shot after shot, I actually like the grip, and will not be replaceing it with the wooden grip. How do you like the supressor though? Mine had a distinct buzzing sound at the shot, I actually had to put a slight gap between it and the string, to quiet it somewhat. I will be replaceing it with a Cool Hand Luke supressor.
