Home > Bow Reviews > A&H ACS CX 3 PC 38#@28"

This little bow has never had a review for some reason and the last thing I need is the bow feeling upset at being left out because it's only small. So:-
At just 8# more than a TD-01 field bow what could you expect? This little bow would probably never have found it's way into my hands had I not severely bolloxed my shoulder in France last year - I like 'em a bit bigger.

Despite the fact that over the last 3 years I have come down from 63# to some 52 -53# bows which I see as my ideal weight, I would not have shot this bow for any length of time.

I would have had a few pops with it and been surprised how quick it was - for a 38#'er and then picked up a proper bow.

However months of struggling to even pull a field bow is very dispiriting, very kindly I was offered this bow by Tony to use until I was "better".

The truth of the matter is that if you are suffering from an injury the only thing to do is not to shoot, during the Autumn I had a shoot with it several times but always had to stop after a short while, over the Winter however I did not pick up a bow to shoot in earnest but spent my time looking and playing with the ACS.

It's quick - for a 38# bow, but of course there is no comparison to a bow 50# or is there??

Head to head with a 50# Widow, ACS or Pronghorn probably not but against most others this will hold it's own on the Chrono.
Shooting a 500grn arrow with 5" helical or 4 X 41/2" 60/120 it will heave them out at 150+fps - that's a big arrow for a small bow !!!
at 28 yards expect them to feel the urge to quickly return to mother Earth which initially will make you want a bigger bow - but like I said for a long while it was all I was able to draw.

Then 3 weeks ago a miracle !!! After not having shot for a couple of months I picked it up, as I said during the winter I was able to tune the little rascal just perfect and had discovered it's perfect spine arrow - turns out it just adores 52#. So I had ordered what I figured would be the ultimate arrow for this bow.
They arrived as the shoulder was found to be mended.

What a treat this bow is !!
Sure there is no great zip to the arrows, and yes they still fall away at 28-ish yards, they won't punch holes through even the thinnest of 3 D's and take an age to reach the target but.... and its a very big BUT, with the right arrow this bow will make you look good, no.... this bow with make you feel good !!!
At 38# there is no stress for anyone to pull it, I know girls with bigger bows, and although there is something to be said for shooting a bow with more weight which kind of holds the shot together but with no hand shock there is no excuse not to slaughter anything up to 30 yards, well actually you won't need an excuse cos this superb bow will put them right where you look.

Having shot it for several weeks now on a regular basis I find that even the longer shots can be tackled with confidence as the trajectory path is consistent and can be learned in the instinctive manner.

Here are a few things though that I knew but never really paid too much attention to, there is a good arrow which will fly well and give great results... I have many and they have served well, however there is the perfect arrow which will take you to a new plane, combined with a perfectly tuned bow - in terms of knocking point and brace height and string material- there is a step up in archer performance to be gained for free, I only really spent the time as I needed to wring the most from the bow to be able to compete with the big boys - am I glad I did, I won't ever have to do it again with this bow and I strongly urge you to get your kit sorted properly !!

Anyway, even though the shoulder is sorted I am not sure how often I will shoot the bigger bows as this little beauty has made me feel like I could hit anything at any distance which has been a quest of mine for the last 12 years !!! Whether I will or not is almost immaterial - This bow makes me feel great !!!!

Update.... The top limb on this bow broke, after being sent back to the A&H it transpired that they had been using Action-Boo as the core wood and there had been a number of instances of limbs with Action-Boo delaminating and splintering the carbon. They no longer use this and now use Actionwood as the central core wood which they say is much more durable. This was an early bow so if you are looking at purchasing a second hand one it will be worth checking if it is Action-Boo or Actionwood.

As I was not the original owner, limb replacement was not covered by the warranty, however after discussions with Dan Palmer at A&H the limbs were replaced at one third the cost of new - I still had to cough to the tune of $250 which for a fault with the limb still left a slightly sour taste in the mouth.

The replacement limbs came in at 40#@28" and will be reviewed shortly.

The scores shown below DO NOT reflect the limb failure as this was tested before the delamination.

Rating
Features & Design
A&H have the rights to produce this OL Adcock ACS ( Adcock Cross Section)The superb design makes this the fastest Longbow/hybrid or advanced Longbow around, it is as fast or faster than most recurves. Unlike most claims this one is backed up by scientific testing.
Performance
# for # this bow shoots as hard as any other bow 5# more in draw weight.
Value for Money
$1250 is a lot of money, but to own the fastest bow and one that shoots so sweetly it is worth every cent.
Overall
I own 4 of these.......which says it all.

 

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Essential Details
What : A&H ACS CX 3 PC 38#@28" Price : $1250

 

 

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June 2010 Bumper edition this month, a pig in armour, Geoff towers direct from Homildon Hill and a look at the Mary Rose. There is also news of the UK Atlatl championships and all the usual regular items.


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