My new Renegade 8 compound by OK Archery

[sagittarius]

Received this new Renegade 8 Compound a few weeks ago from OK Archery in Germany.
It has a few unique and outstanding features.
The riser is made from 7000 series aluminum which is about twice as strong as the type American bows are made from.
The finish on the bow is done by the Carl Zeiss Optics giant and looks great.
The cams are 3 track X cams while the string and cables are a shoot thru design.
The bearings used are Z bearings which can tolerate far more heat from friction than other types.
The quad limbs are Gordon Composites material but are cut and ground in-house to specs of no more than a 1 lb differential between each section.
The Renegade 8 is the smoothest drawing bow I have owned to date and has the best balance.
It shoots a 356 grain arrow to 300 fps at a 30" draw length at 60lb pull so it has decent speed.
It is, overall, the best compound I have owned to date and will be with me this fall in the woods along with my Scorpyd Crossbow.
Just thought I would do quick review for those of you who like both compounds and crossbows, like myself.
The accessories are Spot-Hogg Hogg Father sight, Pro Tuner rest with Jesse Mount and 3-D/Hunter launcher, 6" Axion stabilizer with Mathews harmonic dampeners, Bow Rattler string stop, and Sims Alphashock limb dampeners.
Here are a couple pics.

[ET]

Nice looking bow with good features.
But definitely out of my price range. ;D

Ed

[dougedwards]

Paul.....you always have such cool looking stuff. Let us know how they shoot.

Doug

[sagittarius]

Thanks ET and Doug.
It is a pretty cool bow.
Look forward to hunting with it this season.

[Harley]

That is one wicked looking set of cams on that bow. No wonder it's so fast.

I also have the 6" Axion stabilizer; it's as good as it gets, but I was disappointed that it didn't have any forward weight on it; the bow just sat on my hand after release and didn't tend to incline at all.

I ordered a heavy pair of Mathews brass vibration dampers (found them on eBay). Just under $10 with postage. I swapped out two of the Axion-supplied dampers, the ones in the second and fourth position. Now the Z-7 tilts forward on release and seems much more solid all-around.

Harley

[sagittarius]

Harley,

Actually, I prefer a bow to just set there after the shot and always adjust my target bows to do just that.
The bow falling forward after the shot is way over-rated, imo.
Some of the best spot shooters I know set their bow up where it remains almost stationary after the shot.
But, everyone should set up their bow to their liking.

[Harley]

I have no quarrel with that preference, but I also noted that the bow just generally felt more substantial; it was easier for me to settle and hold the pin on target.

Harley

[dougedwards]

I have actually never given any thought about what the bow does after the shot. That is interesting that it would be a consideration. I have experimented with different stabilizers so that I might be able to steady my pin BEFORE the shot. I will shoot this evening and see what my bows do after the shot. I guess if you have a proper grip the bow should fall one way or the other.

Doug

[sagittarius]

I understand how you feel about it, Harley.
I use a push/pull technique to get a surprise release; when the shot is executed, my bow is still moving in a straight line toward the target, hence, the reason I prefer to balance mine the way I do.
Some archers advocate the pull, pull, pull, technique to get a surprise release and your method is better with the bow falling forward after the pull only shot.
I have had trouble getting the release to fire just pulling (a form of target panic) (freezing), so, these days, I use the push/pull technique to get my surprise release.
There is no wrong in either method and, actually, the pull only technique is, probably, the overall better method but it doesn't work too well for me anymore.
There are fans of both methods and you have to choose what works for you.
I use the old "Weaver Stance" when shooting a handgun which is a push/pull technique, also, except, both hands are gripping the handgun at the completion of the shot so the gun remains stationary instead of moving in the direction of the target.

[Harley]

I've been suffering from target panic, also, probably a hold-over from the old recurve days when I'd release as I came to full draw. I've been working on it and it is mostly a thing of the past, now.

What I am noticing, now, is that my bow falls forward the way it is weighted to do ONLY when my grip is correctly open; if the bow doesn't fall forward it's because I tightened my hand as I released the trigger. So, that's a learning aid and procedure check for me.

Harley

[dougedwards]

I don't hold the bow correctly because I shoot from a tree stand. Shooting downward the bow has hit the metal bar on the stand when I have shot with a completely open hand. I do concentrate on having the grip run down the crease of my hand so that I don't torque. Of course it is much easier to control the torquing of the riser if the slightly open grip is used but it just doesn't work for me in the field which is why I try to practice like I would if I were actually hunting.

Do you guys practice with the stabilizer that you would use in the field? Do you shoot with the quiver attached to the bow? Do you actually practice from an elevated tree stand sometimes?


Doug

[Harley]

Doug, ever since I got the Z7 and the Anchor Sight I've been exploring techniques. I do use the same stabilizer both for target and hunting. It's only 6" and doesn't get in the way.

My back yard slopes sharply downhill to my 40 yd target; add to that the height of the second story deck I shoot from, then add the height of the six foot stepladder I sometimes sit on to simulate a treestand. Even with that pronounced downward aim the bow stays in my hand, so I do keep my grip open. Part of that is the security of the wrist strap, part is because the bow is quiet, solid and stable.

I detach the quiver when I climb into my treestand and hang it nearby; so far I've never shot an arrow with the quiver in place. Maybe I should, just in case a deer surprises me on the way to my stand.

Harley

[dougedwards]

Funny thing is that I will probably be hunting with a Roscoby Riser Camera which inserts right into the threads that secure the stabilizer but I don't practice with it. Right before season I will install it and see if there is any difference in my shooting.

I never use a quiver. I carry my bow to my stand in a soft case to protect the sight and pull the case up the tree with me. It then attaches to the stand with a velcro strap and I pull the arrows tipped with broadheads out of a sleeve. When I used a quiver it would get caught up when I would walk through the thickets in the dark.

I haven't started to shoot from an elevation yet. I think I will probably start on that next month. Just started to shoot broadheads yesterday and didn't do well at all. Rage shot the best but my old stand by Magnus Stingers shot far to the left as did the NAP Hellrazors and Bloodrunners. I shot another mechanical called the Meatseeker and it shot well but you have to insert another small 0-ring after every shot. That gets old.

I am going to have to get another broadhead target if I continue to shoot broadheads. The Block is about done in as is my buck decoy.

I just like to get an idea of what plans others are making as we close in on another hunting season.

Doug

[sagittarius]

Doug,

I hunt with the same stabilizer but can't abide a quiver attached to my bow while practicing or on stand.
That's why I use a quick release Kwikee Quiver on all my hunting bows.
I do practice from an elevated stand at my private club's archery range.
Here's s pic of my nifty Kwikee aboard the Renegade 8.

[dougedwards]

Jul 27, 2010 0:42:02 GMT -5 sagittarius said:

Harley,

Actually, I prefer a bow to just set there after the shot and always adjust my target bows to do just that.
The bow falling forward after the shot is way over-rated, imo.
Some of the best spot shooters I know set their bow up where it remains almost stationary after the shot.
But, everyone should set up their bow to their liking.

Well, I was out shooting my Elite GTO this evening and decided to shoot with an open hand. It did quite nicely as I discovered that the bow makes a slight jump forward but suspends there momentarily before it finally falls forward. I think that I may have been putting slight pressure on the grip giving the riser a little torque as I released because my Magnus Stingers were flying great this evening as opposed to yesterday when they were all over the place. Funny how you can develop some dirty habits without realizing it.

I am still reluctant to shoot with an open hand out of a tree stand but I will start to practice just that here soon. It is great sharing information on this board.

Doug

[Harley]

Doug, you'll probably find it difficult to force yourself to keep an open hand when shooting downward from your stand; it might help to tighten your wrist strap to give you a greater feeling of security. That worked for me.

My experience with the open hand is the same as yours; every time I close my hand my groups suffer.

Harley