Compound Bow Comparator

At a $729 launch MSRP when it was new in 2004, the Outback was a flagship-tier Mathews hunting bow; today it is one of the better values on the used market, routinely trading for a few hundred dollars in clean condition. What that buys is a 31.5-inch, 4.3-pound single-cam hunter with a tall forgiving brace, a genuinely smooth StraightLine draw, and a shot so quiet and dead in the hand that many owners report never feeling the need for add-on string silencers. It is not fast - plan on 250 to 275 fps at real hunting weights against a 308 IBO - but it converts that modest speed into forgiveness, and it has proven nearly indestructible, with countless examples still hunting fifteen and twenty years on. After handling one, what stays with me is how little it asks of the shooter: it just points, holds, and goes off quietly. That is a rare combination at any price, and it is why the Outback endures. It is an excellent bow for the whitetail and big-game hunter who prizes forgiveness, silence, and reliability over speed, and it is particularly strong as a first serious hunting bow or a dependable used classic. Buyers who prioritize flatter trajectory and more downrange velocity should also look at the Bowtech Allegiance or the Hoyt Trykon, or step up to the Outback's faster successor, the Switchback. Read full review...

The Bowtech Allegiance is a high quality all around bow with an easily adjustable shooting style. Each Allegiance bow is available in smooth or fast modules to deliver extremely smooth draw cycle or faster speeds. In addition, the let-off can be adjusted easily from 65% to 80%. No bow press is required to change the draw length or adjust the let-off. When it comes to shootability, the bow has a smooth draw cycle and is pretty quiet on the shot even with the speed modules. Ideal for hunting, the Allegiance can also be used successfully for 3D shooting and indoor competitions. Read full review...

The Hoyt Trykon was Hoyt's mid-2000s flagship-tier hunting bow - the model that modernized the line around the hybrid Zephyr Cam & 1/2 - and today it is one of the best-reasoned used buys on the market for a hunter who wants real Hoyt engineering without a new-bow budget. The core numbers hold up: a 316 fps IBO from the Zephyr cam, a forgiving 33 inch axle-to-axle and 7 inch brace, XT500 limbs on a machined riser, a wide 40-80 lb and 25-31 inch fit range, and buyer-selectable 65% or 80% let-off. Real-world speed lands where the setup dictates - a tuned example chronographed 297 fps with a 338 grain arrow at a modest 65 lb, 28.5 inch setup - and the accuracy is treestand-lethal out to 40 yards with nothing exotic bolted on. Hoyt never published a mass weight or a launch price for the Trykon, and the honest characterization is a bow that runs heavier and livelier at the shot than a modern rig - both of which an experienced owner turns to advantage, the mass for a steadier hold and the liveliness dispatched by a low-cost string and damping kit. In my experience the Trykon converts skeptics the moment they shoot a tuned one: the Zephyr draw is the whole appeal, and it still holds up. This is an excellent bow for the value-minded whitetail hunter who wants a stable, forgiving, genuinely fast used chassis and does not mind a tune and a damping kit to bring it current, particularly strong from a treestand where its mass and geometry pay off. Buyers who rank absolute silence and single-cam simplicity first should also look at the Mathews Switchback, and those chasing the most raw speed of the era should weigh the Bowtech Allegiance. Read full review...

• Forgiving by design - a tall 7.5-inch-plus brace height on a short 31.5-inch frame smooths out form errors and rewards accuracy
• Whisper-quiet shot - the ball-bearing roller guard, string suppressors, and Harmonic Damping kill noise and hand-shock right at the shot
• Smooth single-cam draw - the StraightLine cam builds gently to peak and rolls into a soft valley, easy to pull even at 70 pounds
• Light and compact - 4.3 pounds and 31.5 inches axle-to-axle carry all day and clear treestand rails and blind windows without snagging
• Built to last - the single cam and factory finish hold up through hard seasons, with many owners still shooting theirs fifteen-plus years on

• Easily adjustable shooting style: fast or smooth modules + adjustable let-off
• Very solid back wall
• Quiet bow for the speeds it generates
• Modular-adjustable eccentric system (except 2005 version)
• Draw length can be adjusted easily without using a bow press (except 2005 version)
• Great hunting bow also suitable for 3D shooting

• The hybrid Zephyr Cam & 1/2 draws with a rounded, forgiving pull that made the Trykon Hoyt's smooth-but-fast hunting choice of the mid-2000s
• Buyer-selectable 65% or 80% let-off by module lets a shooter set the hold to match either speed-tuned or long-stand-comfort priorities
• Machined riser and XT500 limbs give the platform a stiff, durable chassis that owners still hunt hard with 15-plus years on
• Wide 25-31 inch draw and 40-80 lb range make one used chassis fit almost any adult hunter without a proprietary module hunt
• Responds strongly to a modern string set and a damping kit - a low-cost path to a quiet, dead-in-hand shot on a used bow

• Not a speed bow - real hunting-weight speeds land around 250 to 275 fps, well under the 308 IBO, so shooters chasing a flat trajectory may prefer a faster hybrid or binary-cam bow of the era
• Draw-length changes mean a full cam swap - the solo cam has no adjustable modules, so on a used bow it is worth confirming the installed cam matches your draw, or budgeting a pro-shop cam change

• Draw length specific eccentric system in 2005 (2006-2008 versions are adjustable)
• The grip on the 2005-2006 modifications could be a bit narrower

• Runs heavier in the hand than a modern hunting bow - many owners actually prefer that mass for a steadier hold on aim, but shooters counting ounces for long mobile hunts may want to weigh it in person first
• Stock 2006-07 damping is dated - an aftermarket string-silencer and limb-dampener kit takes the vibration and noise out and is the first upgrade most owners make
• Draw-length changes are a bow-press job on the Z-module string set, not a tool-free rotating module - dial in your exact draw at a shop before the season