Dryad Orion ACS-RC Review
44# 58" AMO recurve
This time, I have an Orion bolt-down recurve. The 58" bow consists of a 15" riser with medium length ACS-RC limbs scaled at 44# @ 28". I had been wanting to try a set of the RC limbs for some time, so I finally put in the order during this year's Black Friday sale Dryad was having.
- Riser -
The 15" riser is attractively appointed with onyx actionwood, shedua, and red accent stripes. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love Dryad's risers. They look great and the grip feels outstanding to my hand. The Orion riser is no different. This riser is virtually identical to a 15" ILF Epic I already have with the exception of the different woods and limb fitment. The grip is a nice minimalist medium height with a wonderfully slim throat. There really isn't much of any thumb rest to speak of and that's just fine. I find the slim throat to really help minimize the risk of torquing the bow. For a stock grip, the Epic and Orion risers are my favorite.
Onyx Actionwood and shedua with black and red stripes make up the riser. Looks great and works just as well.
Being a bolt-down instead of ILF, the Orion riser has flat limb pads with a slight lip on the proximal end, two steel pins and the threaded bushing for the limb bolt. The riser is cut to center and the shelf and window are nicely crowned for maximum arrow clearance. The riser arrived with soft-sided Velcro pads already placed. Not much else you need to do other than attach limbs, string it up and go shoot!
An archer's perspective. Note the black and red lamination runouts on the shelf. These can be used as a sighting aid and probably would need to be covered with tape if used in a competition.
- Limbs -
The working end of this bow is the ACS-RC limb. In my case, I have a set of medium length limbs rated 44#@28". This is Dryad's top-shelf recurve limb constructed from carbon laminations with a composite core, and made using the patented ACS limb design. Unlike conventional recurve limbs, the ACS-RC is a static recurve, meaning the recurved section of the limb does not fully open up like a conventional working recurve. Static recurves have some advantages over working recurves in that the string lift-off point is later in the draw, creating a smoother feel in the last few inches. Additionally, because the limbs remain recurved, there is reduced noise on the shot as the string will contact and then roll back onto the limb instead slapping it.
Note the laminations in the limb and the limb-to-riser connection.
The ACS-RC construction is similar to the new ACS-LBX construction where there is a single core layer that remains continuous from tip to butt and the carbon laminations run on both back and belly sides. Like the ILF limb, the Orion RC limb also has a wedge of sorts at the limb butt, but the area where it contacts the riser is flat instead of having the rocker. Rather than being a completely squared off limb butt, the Orion RC has a back side bevel to help the limb transition into the riser for a more aesthetic appearance. The belly side has three holes - two for the alignment pins and one for the limb bolt. The limb sports Dryad's updated logo and is finished with a matte epoxy coat.
Dryad's new logo.
Being my first set of Dryad recurve limbs, I initially noticed they had a more pronounced curvature to them compared to conventional recurve limbs. A quick side-by-side with a set of medium TradTech BlackMax Carbon Extreme limbs proved my suspicions. The ACS-RC limbs are definitely more recurved than the TradTech limbs, but not nearly as recurved as the Border Hex 7. Interestingly enough, when braced to the recommended height, the ACS-RC limbs exhibit a similar profile as a conventional limb. The difference lies in how the limb uncurls as it is drawn.
A comparison of two 58" recurves. The Orion is on the left and a Dryad Epic 15" riser with medium TradTech BlackMax Carbon Extremes is on the right. Note how both brace up to have similar profiles at working brace height.
From left to right: TT BlackMax Carbon Extreme, Dryad ACS-RC, Border Hex 7. Note the greater amount of recurve in the Dryad limb compared to the conventional limb, but not nearly as much as the Border limb.
My set of limbs pleasantly came in with even tiller as opposed to the typical slight positive tiller seen with most off-the-shelf bows. This works out great for me since I shoot 3-under and even tiller is most recommended for that release style. That is one drawback of bolt-down bows - you cannot make any adjustments to tiller or draw weight. Since I pretty much always run even tiller on all my bows, this one is spot on.
- Tuning -
The entire bow arrived in a zippered soft case with a separate double-sleeve case for the limbs to eliminate any of the three pieces (riser, and two limbs) from touching and marring up the finish. The soft case has two handle loops and a small zippered accessory pouch with Dryad's logo embroidered in front. It is attractive and handy for toting the bow around. I think it completes the package nicely and gives it a nice finishing touch, rather than arriving in a pile of bubble wrap and packing tape.
This is the carry case the Orion came in. It is well padded and ought to provide plenty of protection. Just don't drop it in the woods...
Putting the bow together for the first time, I noticed the fit of the limbs to the riser was very tight. I had to really wiggle the limbs onto the alignment pins and get them as far down as I could before attempting to insert the limb bolt. Part of this tightness might be from some finish getting into the pin holes in the limbs as I noticed some finish had immediately worn off while attempting to mount the limbs. I imagine the tightness will subside with a few insertion and removal cycles, but I would prefer the fit to be in the tighter side than too loose and allow the limbs to get out of alignment.
Two pins and a single bolt to hold the limb to the riser. Simple and effective.
Speaking of alignment, the limbs and riser line up perfectly as expected of a bow of this level. The included flemish string is made from Brownell Fury material. I strung up the assembled bow with the included string and found the brace to be about 6-5/8". I figured this would likely be too short, so I added some twists till I hit about 7" which is on the lower end of common brace heights in 58" recurves. The first few shots were loud and sounded harsh, suggesting I was too low for brace, so more twists were added till I got about 7-3/4" where things started sounding nicer and the harsh sounds were gone. I later asked Mike for the recommended brace height, to which he responded 8" being a good starting point. Sure enough, once I had twisted the string to 8", the bow became much quieter even without any string silencers.
The fully braced profile of the Orion.
At this point, the string was getting pretty full of twists and I was probably looking at nearly 4 twists per inch at least. I usually dislike having that many twists in my strings as I understand too many twists can be detrimental to overall performance due to the twists acting like a spring and robbing the limbs of power. I figured I'd use the included string to determine the ideal brace height and then order up a new string at that particular length.
With the length determined at the 8" brace height, I got a custom string made by Steve of Mountain Muffler Strings. These strings are unique in that they feature wool puffs near the ends of the string where it lifts off the limb. When shot, the puffs contact the limb and muffle any sound emitted by string-limb contact. I have one on my Border Covert Hunter and I must say, they really work. Compared to a regular string, the Mountain Muffler really hushed the ACS-RC limbs a lot to the point I pretty much only hear the arrow flying and hitting the target. Nice!
A close-up of the Mountain Muffler puff at the string lift-off point.
I left the brace height at 8", but later found it to have settled to 7-7/8" after a few dozen shots were loosed. The bow didn't sound any different, so I just left it as it. I usually prefer the lowest brace height I can get away with since I only have a 27" draw and like to squeeze out as much performance as possible. Higher brace heights result in shorter power strokes for a given draw length. However, I also loathe loud and harsh sounding bows, so I follow the bowyer's recommendations when it comes to setting proper brace height. Not only does that quiet the bow, but it also helps prolong the life of your investment.
Arrows used for this review are the Easton Legacy 2018s I've been shooting with the Centaur Triple Carbon Elite TD I reviewed earlier. They come in at 540gr. and with a 41# draw weight at 27", this makes a hefty 13.2GPP (grains per pound) load. I knew this wasn't going to give me a fast arrow, so I also tested the bow with Gold Tip Expedition Hunter 3555 arrows weighing in at 410gr. for a 10GPP load. I actually do not know the minimum GPP rating for the Orion bows and really do not care, since 9GPP is usually my absolute lowest I ever go. I find beyond that, the bow will shoot louder, and a 9GPP load is usually well above any minimum recommendation a bowyer has.
- Shooting -
With two young boys at home and my wife and I working full time, I have little time to head to the archery club to do some longer range shooting. Thankfully, I have my basement/mancave range available to me 24/7. While it is just past 10 yards, it allows me enough distance to fully tune in pretty much any bow, and I can get in some good form work and target practice when shooting at sufficiently small targets. Whether it is 10 yards or 100, good form is the essence of accurate shooting and applies to all aspect of archery.
Not too shabby of a group at 12 yards. The flier on the bottom was a... umm... test shot. Really!
To round out my mancave range, I recently added a new Caldwell chronograph with IR light bars for accurate speed readings, and I put up a draw board on the wall studs to allow me to accurately measure draw weight and even plot a DFC (draw force curve). I plan to include my first DFC with this review in an effort to present more objective data. The new chronograph was added after I discovered an issue with my old one giving me false speed readings that were as much as 15fps faster. I suspected this issue was due to the fact that I used compact fluorescent bulbs as the light source and learned they actually flicker off an on 60 times a second, which is the frequency of the AC electricity we get in the US. We do not see the flickering because it is too fast for our brains to perceive, but not so for a chronograph. So, now this means there is a possibility that my speed readings on past reviews may be compromised and I will have to go back and re-test those bows and edit the review.
Top photo is the ACS-RC and bottom is the BlackMax. Notice the difference in the amount the ACS-RC limb uncurls compared to the conventional limb. Both were drawn to 27".
With the bow tuned and Limbsavers added, I set about putting some arrows through the chronograph to see how fast the ACS-RC limbs were. I started with the Easton Legacy arrows first and averaged 155.8FPS. Next up were the Gold Tip 3555 arrows and they averaged 183.5FPS. The bow was wonderfully quiet with the Legacies and only a tad louder with the Gold Tips, but it was regardless a very quiet bow. No doubt the heavy arrows and Mountain Muffler string helped.
Having never drawn a static recurve limb before, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I have shot plenty of conventional recurves and I own a "super recurve" with my Border Covert Hunter (the Hex 7 is not a static recurve). From what I read about static recurves online, I was expecting to feel a smoother draw than the conventional recurve, but not nearly as smooth as the Hex 7. My expectations were correct and the DFC graph indicates as such. The Orion felt very smooth and comfortable through the last few inches to my anchor. Granted, that could have been due to the lower draw weight of the limbs, but I would have to give some credit to the overall smoothness of the ACS-RC static design.
In the last couple inches of draw to my anchor at 27", the ACS-RC was gaining draw weight at about 1.7 pounds per inch versus the 2.4 pounds per inch the conventional recurve was showing. Based upon the graph and the numbers, I could benefit from a set of long limbs on the Orion and experience as low as 1.4 pounds per inch gain. Unfortunately, Mike did not have a set of longs in my draw weight, so I had to make do with mediums (for the record, he did recommend longs, but said mediums would also work for my draw).
DFC for the ACS-RC on the right and Carbon Extremes on the left. Note how the ACS-RC limbs build up weight quickly initially, but then the curve plateaus more near anchor compared to the conventional recurve limb.
Once the data analysis was done, it was time to get down to some shooting! I spent about an hour in my basement range loosing arrows at the Block targets I have and trying to achieve the tightest group possible. I managed a few ends where I was able to keep all 6 arrows in the white hexagon of the Block target, which is about the same diameter as a large soup can. Not too bad.
On a day I had some free time, I headed to the local indoor range so I could test out the Orion at longer distances out to 40 yards. I did very well starting out at 10 yards and groups naturally opened up a bit at 20 and further at 30. I brought both the Legacy and Gold Tip arrows with me so I could see how different they were. They proved to be very different. The Gold Tip arrows showed consistently higher points of impact compared to the Legacies at all distances. I use gapping as my aiming method and discovered my point-on distance to be just shy of 30 yards with the Legacies and dead on at 40 yards with the Gold Tips. I wasn't surprised with a 28FPS speed difference between the two. I found the flatter trajectory of the Gold Tips to be more forgiving of a poorly aimed shot and shot with those arrows more, finding better success of hitting my mark.
- Final thoughts -
I've been a fan of Dryad bows for a while now ever since I got my hands on a set of their Epic longbow limbs a number of years back. Up until now, I had only stayed with their ILF longbow offerings, content with the stable of conventional recurves I had. I had been keeping an eye out in the classified listings of several archery forums, hoping to see a set of the ILF ACS-RC limbs pop up, but I had seen very little of these limbs. This suggested to me that the owners of them are rather happy and not interested in selling.
Combined with a comfortable riser, the static recurve limbs make for a smooth drawing bow that will shoot as well as the archer holding it can. When I was contemplating ordering the bow, I was on the fence about placing a custom order for a set of ILF ACS-RC or going with the Orion bolt-down. Mike mentioned the Orion would deliver better performance over ILF pound for pound due to the optimized geometry Dryad can build into the bolt-down. Since my 15" Epic riser was already mated to a set of Centaur ILF longbow limbs (that's a review for another time), I decided to not break up the happy couple and go ahead with an Orion recurve. One thing I would be interested in is to order up a set of ACS-LBX longbow limbs for the Orion riser and see how much of a performance difference there would be over the ILF version. I suppose that would be a blog entry for another day.
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