Mathew's Monster Bow

My first impression of the Mathews Monster was “Wow, this is different”. Solo cam bows have been synonymous with Mathews but I was now looking at their first ever dual cam bow, a radical shift for them.

Also radical was the split limb beyond parallel design. The Monster was touted as Mathews speed bow coming in with an IBO rating of 353fps. Mathews offer three versions of the Monster, the XLR8, the Monster and new for 2010 the MR 7. The XLR8 is rated in excess of 360fps, while the new MR 7 is rated at 342fps. The difference in speed relates to the difference in brace heights, 5”, 6” and 7” respectively.

I had the Monster for this test. As you come to expect from Mathews the appearance and finish of the Monster was first rate. A Realtree AP, film dipped camo covered the limbs and riser. A Walnut grip, a Harmonic Roller Guard and Harmonic Dampeners were attached to the riser.

Each of the four limbs fitted into Mathews Quad V-Lock limb pockets ensuring consistency shot after shot. The limb bolts attached to the riser via an aluminium insert in the riser. The limb bolts are exceptionally long allowing the limbs to be backed off at least 10 turns. Ideal for adjusting draw weight and working on the bow.

While parallel limb designs have been standard on most top end bows the last few years some have gone the next step, beyond parallel. Beyond-parallel bows have their limbs pre-stressed giving the appearance the bow is at full draw when in fact it is not. By pre-stressing these limbs more energy is able to be transferred increasing efficiency and arrow speed. On the Monster the limbs are pre-stressed beyond, beyond-parallel. There is some serious energy stored within this design.

Putting the bow in my nock travel machine I was pleased to see the Monster had outstanding nock travel, straight and level.

The Monster tested was a 70lb model set at 30 inches with an 80% let-off. The test bow had a peak weight of 71.8 and the draw length measured 30 ¼”. The bow was set to 70lbs during testing. As expected the draw cycle was not as smooth as others in the Mathews line but this is a speed bow and to be expected. The draw cycle peaks early and doesn’t drop off until right at the end. This is typical of speed bows. However like all bows I quickly got used to the draw cycle. The valley is very definite with the bow holding very steady at full draw. The draw length range is 25 to 30”. Modules are available to change the draw length and these are available in ½” increments.

Advanced Vectoring System (AVS) is a new technology. On each side of the cams the buss cables attached to an AVS as opposed to the outside of the limbs. The AVS can be seen as a red ring which rotates off centre as the bow is drawn. This keeps the bow in time and makes it smoother to draw back. The Monster draw cycle lacks the harshness of other speed bows.

For the speed testing three weights of arrows were used. The string was fitted with a d-loop and a peep sight. These two items rob the bow of speed, around 7-10fps

Each arrow was fired three times and the average is listed in the table below.

Arrow Weight - Speed - Kinetic Energy
574 grains - 276.46 fps - 97.28 ft/lbs
477 grains - 300.3 fps - 95.35 ft/lbs
405 grains - 324.1 fps - 94.43 ft/lbs

I was quite impressed with the numbers thrown up by the chronograph and more importantly the ft/lbs derived from them. The numbers are somewhat impressive. Most who shoot a powerful hunting set up would be lucky to get 80 ft/lbs. The drop in ft/lbs as the arrow lightens is typical as bow efficiency lessens. The bow was quiet when shooting the 574 and 477 grain arrows. An increase was noticed with the lighter arrow. Vibration also increased with the lighter arrow. This would be remedied by fitting a stabiliser and dead end string stop. I was pleasantly surprised the string did not slap my wrist when I shot the bow, a problem I have experienced with other low brace height bows.

Conclusion

My overall impression of the Monster is it is well suited for our game animals, especially larger bodied ones such as reds. The Monster is able to deliver significant ft/lb numbers, something those with shorter draw lengths will definitely appreciate. I enjoyed shooting the Monster, finding it to be an accurate bow during field testing.

The price tag for one of the fastest bows available is easier on the pocket than expected at $1750. The Monster is distributed by Advanced Archery New Zealand.

Manufacturer: Mathews
NZ Distributor: Advanced Archery NZ, www.advancedarchery.co.nz, (09) 638 8409
Model: Monster
IBO Rating: up to 353fps
Axle-to-Axle length: 33.5 inches
Brace height: 6.0 inches
Mass Weight: 4.38 pounds
Draw Weights: 40 to 80lbs
Draw lengths: 25-30”
Cams: AVS Dual Cam
Let-off: 80%
Grip: Wood
Finish: Realtree AP