Reflex Charger

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Reflex, known for producing bows that offer great value, have taken it up a notch for 2008 with their all-new Charger. The fastest bow they have ever brought to market maintains the attractive price tag and features their FX Cam & 1/2, proven parallel split limbs, StealthShot String Suppression System and ProLink Pocket system.

Basics
Reflex designed their Charger to be ultra smooth throughout the draw cycle, which includes a gentle rollover into an easily held 75-percent letoff. Contributing to the soft ride are the steel axles and sealed ball bearings that the FX Cam & 1/2 System eccentrics rotate on. The two asymmetrical cams are home to Reflex's modular draw length adjustment system that is relatively easy to change and is well marked to allow for accurate setting.

The top module is adjusted by loosening one screw in an elongated slot and removing another and replacing it in the hole that correlates to the draw length you wish to use. The bottom cam module has only one screw anchoring it to the main cam. No bow press is required to make these adjustments. A built in draw stop with a rubber bumper for silence is also included on the bottom module.

An overall draw length range of 25 to 30 inches in one half-inch increments is covered by two cam sizes and accompanying module. A control cable links the two cams, effectively forcing them to work together eliminating many of the tuning issues common with some eccentric system types. The Charger is advertised to reach 320 feet per second making it the fastest rig they have ever put on shelves.

Another Reflex goal for their easy pulling Charger is a quiet shot. Reflex outfits the bow with their 12-inch split limbs that move into a parallel position at full draw. Limbs that are parallel at full draw move in opposite directions, vertically, at the shot and the energy leftover after propelling the arrow is largely cancelled out by this action.

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The result is a bow that has minimal jump or vibration when fired. Further noise reduction is achieved with a set of StringShox silencers set in the Fuse Custom string, a pair of AlphaShox limb silencers and the Reflex StealthShot String Suppression System. Limbs are attached to the riser with the Reflex ProLink Pocket System. These machined aluminum pockets cradle and capture each individual split limb while a tab on the end of the riser, complete with a green anodized insert, provides consistent spacing between the limbs.

The Charger's riser is machined into a reflex configuration measuring 1.75 inches. A reflex geometry increases the power stroke and in turn increases speed. Power stroke describes the distance that the archer moves the string from its "at rest" position to full draw. The draw length of your bow includes the power stroke, brace height and an additional 1.75 inches.

SPECIFICATIONS
MANUFACTURER:	Reflex, 543 Neil Armstrong Rd., Salt Lake City, UT 84116; (801) 363-2990; www.reflexbow.com
MODEL:	Charger
ECCENTRIC SYSTEM:	FX Cam & 1/2
DRAW WEIGHTS:	50-,60- and 70-pound peak
DRAW LENGTHS:	25 to 30 inches in one half-inch increments
RISER:	Reflex, machined aluminum
LIMBS:	12-inch, fiberglass
STRING:	Fuse Custom
CABLE:	Fuse Custom
MASS WEIGHT:	4.4 pounds
LETOFF:	75-percent
GRIP:	One-piece wood
BRACE HEIGHT:	6.25 inches
AXLE-TO-AXLE LENGTH:	34 inches
FINISH:	Realtree APG
ADVERTISED IBO SPEED:	320 fps
PRICE:	$549
COMMENTS:	Pleasantly smooth and quiet with a solid punch.

SPEED/ARROW VELOCITY*	KINETIC ENERGY**	STORED ENERGY***	EFFICIENCY****	DRAW CYCLE
316 fps	77.62 foot-pounds	98.0 foot-pounds	79.2 percent	An easy climb and gentle rollover to peak followed by a relatively long plateau and then another easy transition to holding weight.
*(Test result) **Product of speed and arrow weight ***Energy supplied to and held by the system ****(K.E. divided by S.E.)

The brace height is the measurement between the string and the deepest part of the grip, otherwise known as the "throat" of the grip. For the Charger it is 6.25 inches. The riser is outfitted with a one-piece laminated wood grip, stainless steel stabilizer mounting insert--front only--and a straight carbon cable guard. Riser and limbs are film dipped in Realtree's APG camo for the hunters and are also available in several anodized colors for target archers.

How's It Shoot?
I found the Charger to be as smooth on the draw as advertised. Seventy pounds feels more like 60 or 65 on this bow. We all know that practice makes perfect and a bow that is fun to shoot is more likely to see range-time than one that is hard on your body. At 4.4 pounds the mass weight of the Charger is still within the limits of my preferred weight range and the nearly shock free and quiet shot makes it easy to accept.

Editor's Note: Petersen's Bowhunting standardized testing includes the use of the same equipment and test methods.