Hoyt Concept X 40 LD Review

Editors' review

Every other bow in the Concept X line runs Hoyt's all-new SCTR cam - the Concept X 40 LD is the one that doesn't. For its long-draw specialist, Hoyt subbed in the HBX Gen 4 cam, a deliberate choice that tells you exactly who this bow is for: the tall archer whose draw runs past where the standard target bows stop. Built on what Hoyt calls the longest riser it has ever produced, the 40 LD stretches the draw window out to 34 inches and, on that long draw, posts a genuine 360 fps by Hoyt's stricter ATA measurement. It is the long-draw member of the 2024 Concept X target family - the same wide TXL limbs, the same dead-in-hand feel and torque-resistant platform as its siblings, but geared for a shooter the Concept X 40 simply cannot reach. This is a niche tool built with intent, and for the long-draw competitor it answers a question the rest of the lineup can't.

Finish

The Concept X 40 LD wears the same deep target palette as the rest of the Concept line - ten riser colors including Red Flare, Mr. Perfect Orange, Twisted Green, Impact Blue, Blue on Black, Sassy Pink, Polar White, Ti Silver, Skeeter, and Liquid Black, with the limbs available in a standard black satin or a white-gloss or black-gloss high-gloss finish. There is no hunting camo here; this is a bow dressed for the competition line. In my experience Hoyt's target limb and riser coatings are among the cleanest in the business, and that quality carries straight across to the LD - the finish is built to stay sharp under the constant handling a tournament rig sees between ends. The ten-color program lets a long-draw archer build a rig that looks as coordinated as it shoots, and the finish spans every module and draw-weight option identically.

Riser

The riser is the LD's headline - Hoyt describes it as the longest it has ever built, and on a 40-inch axle-to-axle target bow that length is entirely the point. A longer riser widens the string angle and brings the peep closer to the eye, which matters even more for a long-draw archer whose anchor sits far back; it also adds in-hand stability and a longer sight radius for the outdoor and field shooter. The platform carries Hoyt's Modular Grip System, with interchangeable inserts that set the hand angle so the archer can hunt for a torque-free, dead-center hold. A lower rear stabilizer mount is built in for the low back bar a target archer runs. Everything about the geometry is aimed at holding a very long-draw bow rock-steady on the spot - the extra riser length is not decoration, it is the whole design brief.

Grip

The grip is Hoyt's Modular Grip System, shared across the Concept X family: interchangeable screw-in inserts let the archer choose the hand angle, with versions that also trim a small amount of draw length. On a long-draw bow this adjustability earns its keep, because the longer the draw and the longer the riser, the more a torqued hand shows up downrange - setting the grip angle to match your form is what keeps rotational torque out of the shot before it reaches the arrow. Swapping an insert is a quick hex-wrench job, so a shooter can fit the hand precisely. In my experience an adjustable-angle target grip like this rewards the archer who dials it in once and then stops thinking about it, letting the release do the work - exactly what a long-draw competitor wants from the bow hand.

Limbs

The Concept X 40 LD runs Hoyt's TXL limbs in the same wide stance as the rest of the Concept line, and that width does real work here. A wider limb set makes the bow physically harder to twist left or right in the hand - a genuine advantage for a long-draw archer chasing left-right consistency at full extension - while the more parallel geometry keeps vibration low and the shot quiet. The limbs pair with the HBX Gen 4 cam on the long riser to deliver the LD's long draw and speed. Hoyt confirms at least a 40-pound configuration; the bow is offered across target draw-weight options, and a long-draw shooter can settle into a comfortable holding weight for a full outdoor round. The limbs sit on quarter-inch axles in the platform's new pockets, and combined with the long riser they make the LD an extremely forgiving bow to shoot - the length and the wide stance both working toward a still, planted hold.

Eccentric System

The cam is where the LD parts ways with the rest of the family. Instead of the new SCTR cam that powers the Concept X 37, 40, and FX, the 40 LD subs in Hoyt's HBX Gen 4 cam - a proven system Hoyt chose specifically for the long-draw application. It keeps the family's core adjustability: a let-off module spanning 65, 70, and 75% (the percentage of peak weight your holding weight drops to at full draw), with quarter-inch draw-length adjustments to fine-tune the fit. The payoff shows up in the numbers - on a 34-inch draw the LD rates 360 fps, the fastest figure in the Concept family, and it earns that speed honestly on Hoyt's ATA scale (a 350-grain arrow at a fixed draw and weight, a stricter test than the IBO ratings other brands quote to inflate a spec sheet). The draw itself covers 32.25 to 34 inches through two modules, so a long-draw archer can settle exactly into their natural anchor rather than stretching or crowding it. It is a cam chosen for a job, and it does that job well.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

Drawing the 40 LD, the character is smooth and deliberate, and the extra-long riser makes the hold the star of the show. What I keep coming back to on this platform is how planted the wide TXL limbs make the bow - it genuinely resists the left-right torque that sends target arrows wide, and on a 40-inch bow at a very long draw that stability is exactly what a tall archer is buying. The HBX Gen 4 cam gives a defined back wall, and the 65/70/75% let-off lets a shooter tune the hold to taste. At the shot the bow is dead in the hand with little vibration, the same clean, quiet release that defines the Concept line. In my experience a bow this long and this wide-limbed is forgiving in a way shorter bows can't match - it settles on the spot and stays there, rewarding a clean release and quietly flagging a torqued one. For the long-draw competitor who has spent years fighting bows that were too short for their anchor, that steady, honest feel is the whole appeal.

Usage Scenarios

This is a long-draw target specialist, and its audience is specific: the archer whose draw runs from 32 to 34 inches, longer than the standard Concept X 40 can comfortably cover. Picture a tall field archer walking an outdoor course who finally gets a 40-inch bow that fits their natural anchor without a stretched, crowded feel, or a spot shooter with a long draw who wants the extra speed and stability the long riser and HBX cam bring. The 360 fps at 34 inches suits an outdoor archer pushing an arrow across a long field or FITA shot, and the wide-limb, long-riser platform gives the calm, planted hold a competitor lives on. It is emphatically not a hunting bow - the length, weight, and target geometry are built for the line - and it is not the right pick for a shorter-draw archer, who should choose the standard Concept X 40, the more all-round Concept X 37, or the compact Concept FX. For the long-draw competitor, though, this is the bow in the family built expressly for them.

Versions

The Concept X 40 LD is offered, like the rest of the Concept line, with a choice of limb finish - a standard black-satin set or a white-gloss or black-gloss high-gloss finish - and with draw-length modules covering 32.25 to 34 inches. It shares the family's HBX Gen 4 cam, TXL limbs, long riser, and Modular Grip System across every configuration; the variables are finish, module, and draw weight. On price, Hoyt has not widely published a US figure for the special-order 40 LD; a long-draw buyer should expect flagship target pricing in line with the standard Concept X 40 (around $1,999 to $2,199 depending on limb finish) and confirm the exact figure with a dealer when ordering. The LD is a build-to-order proposition for a specific archer rather than an off-the-shelf pick, which is fitting for a bow this precisely targeted.

Hoyt Concept X 40 LD vs Mathews Conquest 4, Bowtech Reckoning 38

Bow	Hoyt Concept X 40 LD	Mathews Conquest 4	Bowtech Reckoning 38
Version	2024	2019 (MaxCam)	2022
Picture
Brace Height	7.69 "	7 "	7.125 "
AtA Length	40 "	40.625 "	38 "
Draw Length	32.25 " - 34 "	28 " - 32 "	27 " - 32 "
Draw Weight	lbs	30 lbs - 70 lbs	40 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	360 fps	310 fps	325 fps
Weight	4.9 lbs	4.4 lbs	4.9 lbs
Let-Off	65/70/75%	80% or 65%	70% / 75% / 80%
Where to buy Best prices online	Not available now. Please check later.	$275 to $449.99 Compare prices	$435 to $1099.95 Compare prices
	compare more bows

In the long target class, the Concept X 40 LD lines up against the Mathews Conquest 4 and the Bowtech Reckoning 38 - two bows a long-draw or outdoor archer would cross-shop against a 40-inch Hoyt. The Mathews Conquest 4 is the closest match on length at 40.6 inches axle-to-axle, a single-cam target bow rated 310 fps that trades the LD's outright speed and long-draw modules for Mathews' famously dead hold and single-cam simplicity. The Bowtech Reckoning 38 is the shorter, binary-cam option at 38 inches, a fast and tunable target bow for the archer who wants a slightly more compact package. Against both, the Concept X 40 LD's case is singular: its 32.25 to 34-inch draw window and HBX Gen 4 cam make it the one bow of the three built specifically for a very long draw, and it posts the fastest speed of the group at that draw. The decision comes down to priorities: the Concept X 40 LD for the long-draw archer who needs 34 inches and speed, the Mathews Conquest 4 for a dead single-cam hold at the same length, the Bowtech Reckoning 38 for a shorter, tunable binary-cam bow. Within Hoyt's own line, an archer whose draw fits under 32 inches should choose the standard Concept X 40 or the Concept X 37 instead.

Summary

The Hoyt Concept X 40 LD is the long-draw specialist of the 2024 Concept target family, and it is defined by two deliberate choices: the longest riser Hoyt has ever built, and the HBX Gen 4 cam it substitutes for the family's SCTR system. Together they give a long-draw archer a 32.25 to 34-inch draw window and a genuine 360 fps by Hoyt's stricter ATA measurement - real speed at a draw the standard bows can't reach. It shares the family's best traits: wide TXL limbs that resist torque, a dead-in-hand shot, and class-leading finishes. In my experience the combination of an extra-long riser and a wide limb stance is what makes this bow so steady to hold, which for a long-draw competitor is the entire point. Hoyt has not widely published a US price for this special-order model; expect flagship target pricing in line with the standard Concept X 40. An excellent choice for the long-draw field and FITA archer who needs a bow that finally fits a 34-inch anchor; shorter-draw shooters should look at the Hoyt Concept X 40, and those wanting a dead single-cam hold at the same length should also consider the Mathews Conquest 4.