BowTech The General

It's tough not to notice The General's unique, pivoting limb system with its forked riser that looks like nothing you've ever seen. Its huge, oval cams are as energetic as electrons-you can see this on a draw/force curve analysis and feel it when you draw. The General is much like driving a race car with an extremely tight suspension; because of its aggressive cams it's tough to pull back and a little bit jerky, then the break-over is dramatic, and you are left holding next to nothing against a concrete-feeling back wall (the point at which the cam stops rotating and you can pull the string back no farther). Upon release, the bow makes an almost silent, deathly thook, and the arrow blisters away.

To my ears The General was the quietest bow of the lot, thanks in part to an innovative string suppression system on the cable guard-a guard that houses ball-bearing rollers instead of the typical plastic slide. Though it only measures a miniscule 31 inches axle-to-axle, The General has one of the tallest brace heights I've ever shot-8.25 inches-making it a pleasure to shoot. It retains the distinct, stiff feel for which BowTech is known. It shot a 349-grain arrow an average of 252.07 fps from a 59.2-pound draw weight and 26-inch draw. (With everything else being equal, the shorter the draw length, the slower the speed.) I shot through Bowtech's notable Hostage rest. Considering The General's congenial brace height and scary-quiet report, its numbers are impressive, to say the least. What's more, it is the first and only bow that allows the option of a drop-in Crimson Trace Lasergrip. The high-tech setup offers many advantages. This partnership with a gun company is hardly surprising, considering Savage Firearms recently acquired BowTech. I'll take a Savage rifle and a BowTech General, thank you, and hunt every season possible.

Type: dual-cam compound bow
Riser: machined aluminum
Draw Weights: 50, 60, 70 lbs.
Draw Length: 26"-30"
Brace Height: 8.25"
Let-Off: 65, 85%
Advertised Speed IBO: 307-315 fps
Overall Weight: 4.5 lbs.
Axle-to-Axle Length: 313⁄16"
MSRP: $799