Get Your Bow Primed for Archery Season, Challenge Accepted

Selecting a hunting bow and setting it up yourself can be a daunting process. However, doing so — correctly — will ensure your setup is an arrow-flinging machine this bow season. As a short-draw archer, I look for shorter axle-to-axle bows that shoot fast (335+ fps). This year, my bow selection was the Prime Archery Nexus 2 with a 65-pound draw weight and an IBO speed rating of 341 fps.

The Nexus series bows are “Prime’s fastest, most accurate bows yet.” Its newfound speed is primarily courtesy of the new lightweight R2 cam system. Overall, the Nexus series bows are designed with comfort, accuracy, and speed in mind. On inspection, I found the bow’s fit and finish to be exceptional. I had ordered my Nexus 2 in Prime’s new Army Green color. As I pulled the bow from its box, I could envision a unique camo look stemming from the green riser combined with black limbs and Nanogrip, coupled with the addition of my bright green accessories.

Initial Setup of My Prime Bow

Following the instructions in the product manual, I set the draw length to 27.5-inches and set the cable stop letoff screw to its mid-setting. Next, I installed a Trophy Ridge Whisker Biscuit Kill Shot rest that I ordered from Lancaster Archery. With the rest installed, I tied on a D-loop, leveled the arrow perfectly perpendicular to the string, and set the center shot by eye as a starting point. Lastly, I maxed out the limb bolts to achieve the highest draw weight possible.

Quick Results

Knowing the Nexus series is touted as comfortable and quiet, I began by shooting a few arrows of various weights. The bow was quiet and remarkably dead-in-the-hand. Next, I selected a properly spined arrow that weighed close to 370-grains and fired a set of three arrows through the chronograph. The average speed shown on the chronograph was 276 fps. The result was satisfactory, but I knew something was a little off.

To check the bow’s IBO-rated performance, I turned to the Western Whitetail Arrow Speed Calculator for assistance. The result was slightly off of the IBO standard. I drew the bow using a draw board to check the timing and draw weight. The timing was perfect; however, the max draw weight on the 65-pound bow was only 61.4 pounds.

A quick consult with my local pro shop suggested measuring the brace height and axle-to-axle length to ensure the bow was still in specs. While the brace height was dead-nuts, the axle-to-axle length was about 2/8” too long. I pressed the bow, added two complete rotations to both cables. The result was a perfect axle-to-axle length, a max draw weight of 64.7 pounds, and a chronograph reading of 288 fps.

Final Setup on My Prime Bow

To complete my Prime bow (Nexus 2) setup, I installed an HHA Sports Tetra sight, stabilizer with a quick-disconnect mount, and a BOA bright green wrist sling. I pressed the bow one more time to insert a G5 Outdoors Meta Pro Peep — again, in bright green. After a few shots to check the alignment of the peep, I tied it in securely. Although not installed until setup is complete, my quiver choice was a TightSpot.

I wore out the Western Whitetail Arrow Speed and Arrow Efficiency Calculators to understand potential arrow speed, kinetic energy, and momentum from the Nexus 2 with my settings. Finally, I cut and prepared four arrows to test.

Arrow selection ranged from a lightweight arrow (332-grains) that would push arrows downrange at speeds over 300 fps to a heavy arrow (468-grains) capable of a pass-through shot on the largest North American big game. Knowing that most of my hunting this year would be for Coues whitetail, I selected an arrow near the weight of the test arrow of 370-grains that would exceed 285 fps.

With an arrow selection made and all of the necessary accessories installed to finalize my setup, I turned to paper-tuning. A few shots proved the need to move the rest up and left from my initial setup. It took a few shots to create a perfect hole in the paper. I put the bow back in the bow vise and ensured all of the screws from head to toe were tight and ready for sight-in and the fast-approaching bow season.

Final Thoughts to Prime Your Bow

I am lucky enough to own a bow vise and bow press and know how to use them to make minor adjustments. If you don’t own a bow vise or bow press, or are uncomfortable making more complex adjustments to your bow, don’t worry. If you aren’t already aware of a local pro shop near you, a quick web search will surely provide a listing or two. Stop by, they should have all of the resources to get your hunting bow primed for the upcoming season.

This year, ensure your bow is set up correctly. Then sight-in, practice religiously and hunt with confidence.

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From Prime Archery

Prime Nexus 2

By definition, Nexus means a connection or series of connections linking two or more things. At Prime Archery, the Nexus compound bow was born from the connection between hunters and innovators. At its center point, the Nexus sports Prime’s new Nanogrip with Aerogel technology. NASA developed Aerogel technology to protect astronauts from extreme temperatures. Aerogel creates an insulated barrier between the cold aluminum riser and the composite grip. It is a thin layer that wraps to cover 360 degrees around the riser to create a warm feeling in the grip, no matter the temperature. This technology also helps for more accurate and consistent shooting by not having to apply tapes or wear bulky gloves. – PRIME ARCHERY

Specs

AXLE-TO-AXLE: 32 inches

WEIGHT: 4.4 pounds

BRACE HEIGHT: 6 inches

PUBLISHED SPEED: 341 fps

DRAW LENGTH: 23-30 inches

DRAW WEIGHT: 40, 50, 60, 65, 70 and 80

FINISHES: Several solid and camo colors to choose from, as well as color options for both the riser and limbs.

MSRP: $999.00

CONTACT: www.g5prime.com

Features

• Nanogrip: Comfort is consistency, and consistency is accuracy. The most accurate bow now as the best hunting bow grip prime has ever made. The new prime nano grip offers a warm-to-the-touch grip for ultimate comfort and consistency.
• Aerogel: This NASA-developed technology to protect astronauts from extreme temperatures creates an insulated barrier between the cold aluminum riser and the composite grip.
• Lifetime Replacement of Strings/Cables: An industry first, Prime owners are eligible for a free set of string/cables every two years (from date of registration) to the original owner for the bow’s life.