Monday, April 12, 2010

Bear Archery Attack

Bear Archery Attack
By Jon E. Silks

While designing the 2010 Attack, Bear engineers focused their attention like a laser beam on the needs of bowhunters. Their aim was to create a true hunting bow inspired by real-life hunting situations. All the components, technologies and performance characteristics had one purpose -- to kill. Bear describes their new Attack as "the Perfect Killer."
The Attack is loaded with features, including Max Pre-Load Quad limbs, perimeter weighted E-Cam, Dual Arc Offset String Suppressors, Bear Logo grip, Zero-Tolerance Limb Pockets and pre-stretched Contra-Band HP strings and cables.

Pre-Loaded Power
One of the things that will undoubtedly catch your attention when you first lay eyes on the Attack is the profile of Bear's Max Pre-Load Quad limbs. Even at rest, they reach a markedly past parallel position. At full draw, they are just plain radical! Bear engineered the 12-inch Gordon Composite limbs with an extreme pre-load made possible by a uniform distribution of stress across the limb's structure. Sophisticated computer modeling programs allow engineers to identify and eliminate any potential stress "hot spots" before the limb is ever actually made.

Once the final design was formulated, limbs were precision CNC ground to spec and thoroughly tested. A set of four limbs is chosen for each Attack based on deflection values to ensure uniformity and consistency. At full draw, the limbs move far past parallel while utilizing the inherent stability and performance characteristics of traditional upright limb pockets. Past parallel limb angles distribute the force from release in equal and opposite directions. The opposing movements of the limbs cancel out leftover shot energy, thereby greatly reducing hand shock, bow vibration and audible shot noise.

E-fficiency
Bear's new, perimeter weighted E-Cam was designed to produce maximum efficiency and a super smooth draw. The single cam and idler wheel both ride on sealed, stainless steel ball bearings to reduce friction and increase efficiency. Friction is further reduced with Bear's proven asymmetric cable groove, which has a radius on one side to allow the cable to move in and out freely. Letoff is advertised at 80 percent. A set of modules offers draw lengths from 25-30 inches, in half-inch increments. Pre-drilled holes in the cam are clearly marked for proper placement of the adjustable draw stop. Both cam and idler wheel are CNC machined from aluminum and dark green anodized.

Bonus Features
Several other features play a supporting role in the success of the Attack. First, the pivoting Zero-Tolerance Limb Pockets serve as the connecting point at the critical limb-to-riser interface. The bow's overall alignment and ultimate performance depends on this one component. The pockets pivot as the limb bolt is turned, which maintains proper pocket-to-limb alignment throughout the weight adjustment range. A system that utilizes a pivoting pocket rather than a moving limb is generally considered more consistent and precise; and therefore superior.

Next on the list is the Bear Logo overmold grip, which is made from a proprietary synthetic material. The grip produces a neutral wrist position and adds warmth for your bow hand on cold days afield. Bear's Dual Arc Offset String Suppressors are mounted to the riser and match the curvature of the pre-loaded limbs as they reach out to the string. The arm of the suppressor is offset from the actual suppression module to increase the cushioning effect and reduce string vibration and noise. The effectiveness of the string suppressor accessory was studied with high-speed photography and tweaked to obtain maximum performance.


Impressions
The Bear Attack performed well in testing with much improved shock and vibration characteristics as compared to the Truth II. A slight bump felt in the handle at the shot was extremely short lived and no notable vibration was detected. As you might expect, the shot noise followed suit with hunt worthy output. The grip, while slightly deeper front to back than I normally prefer, was comfortable at full draw. Bear also hit the mark with a smooth draw cycle, as the attached draw force curve affirms. Overall, the Bear Attack is a solid hunting bow with excellent shooting characteristics and performance results.

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