Arguably the most talked about archery deal of the last decade came when Bear/Jennings announced their merger with Golden Eagle/Satellite to create the world's largest archery manufacturer, the North American Archery Group. The merger allowed them to share technologies and patents, combine creative forces and produce higher quality at a more affordable price. A year later, the reports are in and the only question left is how did the new archery conglomerate do?
The North American Archery Group has had a banner year. Consumer response to their new models has been extremely positive and the old favorites from the Fred Bear line are still top sellers with the traditional crowd. In the March 2000 issue of Bowhunting, Bill Winke wrote a bow business column about North American Archery Group where he hinted about Jennings' new T-Master bow and sparked my curiosity
Most of the "natural form" that most of us start out with proves to be the exact opposite of how we really need to shoot. For example, when I first began shooting I used a high-wristed grip and later learned that a low wrist was more stable. I pulled the bow by using the muscles in my arm, later learning to shoot with back tension. Of course, I battled with the grip forever before I purchased a Savage Torque Tamer sight and learned to relax the bow hand.
Relaxing the bow hand is more important than most archers realize. Torque from the bow hand will kill accuracy as quick as any single form element. When you think about why, it makes perfect sense. Back tension, tuning, F.O.C., are all important elements to any good shot, but the last influence on the arrow is the rest which is situated above the bow hand. As if that isn't enough, bows are turning to lower brace heights with risers that have more reflex all the time, adding to the torque problem.
Fortunately, Jennings' new T-Master has a patented No-Torque grip that "floats" to accommodate your specific shooting style. The grip can be adjusted for a higher wrist or a low-wristed grip. Micro adjustments can be made to the draw length by adjusting the grip in and out. Best of all, the free pivoting zone can be adjusted to eliminate hand torque!
Using a mechanical fix to eliminate a problem with your shooting is great for the short run, but what about your next bow? What if it does not have a pivoting grip? That is the real beauty of a system like this. If torque is a problem in your shooting form, you can set the grip with a large pivot zone to completely eliminate the torque. This will allow you to begin to develop your form. Then as time goes on and your shooting improves, you can slowly adjust the grip to reduce the size of the pivot zone. As you make the adjustments to the grip, your form will also adjust to get the great groups that you are used to.
The whole concept is similar to building to a higher draw weight. You first start out at a lower weight and as you shoot more, and it becomes easier, you up the poundage until you build into your desired shooting weight. With an adjustable grip, you set it for maximum forgiveness (float) and as you practice and get better, you stiffen the grip in small increments until you have eliminated the torque induced from your bow hand.
Carbon is certainly the magic word of archery these days and the T-Master has plenty of magic. The T-Master features the Quad Straight limb system. The name is a bit misleading, this not a split limb system. Instead, the Quad refers to the way the limb is constructed using multiple interdependentwraps of carbon mesh to mutually reinforce one another for strength and stability.
Carbon limbs also provide other advantages beyond strength. Carbon is less affected by temperature than other limb materials. As a result, if you sight in early in the morning when the temperature is about 60 degrees, and by noon when you are in the middle of a 3-D round and the mercury has risen to around 85, your sight marks won't be at risk. When you are hunting in late November and there is several feet of snow around you, having weather resistant limbs becomes much more important of course.
Carbon limbs are also lighter than other limb materials, lowering the overall weight of the bow. Best of all, carbon is a natural vibration damper. First, when the vibration is dampened, noise is reduced, making the bow quieter. Second, the lighter material can release its energy faster, resulting in quicker arrow speeds. Third, it helps to reduce torque and non-linear stress, further enhancing the effectiveness of the NoTorque grip.
Overall on the range, I could see the immediate advantages on the innovations of the T-Master. The free-floating grip was a bit troublesome in the beginning, but only because it was different from what I was used to. After switching to the fixed wood side plates, the bow fit perfectly into my hand and posted groups nearly as good as my regular hunting bows, even before a complete tuning session.
The UPSHOT
How our editors rate this new bow, on a scale of 1 to 5.
CRAFTSMANSHIP GRIP ERGONOMICS FINISH DRAW CYCLE
**** ***** **** ****
A precision- Innovative, Film coated Smooth with a
machined riser new pleasant valley
that was flawless adjustable No
Torque grip
CRAFTSMANSHIP RECOIL SHOT NOISE TOTAL
**** **** **** ****
A precision- Slight Quiet A good overall bow to
machined riser vibration help correct form
that was flawless problemsSPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: North American Archery Group; Dept. PB; 4600 SW 41st Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32608; (352) 376-2327; www.beararch.com
Model: T-Master VPS
Draw weights: 60, 70, 80 pounds peak
Draw lengths: 23 to 31 inches
Mass weight: 4 3/4 pounds
Letoff: 75 percent effective
Grip: Adjustable wood No Torque or smaller fixed wood
Brace height: 7 inches
Eccentrics: Perimeter Weighted Cam II, modular
Axle-to-axle length: 37 1/2 inches
Finish: Film-coated, Break-Up, Forest Floor, Timber Advantage, blue or green target
Advertised IBO speed rating: 314 fps
Suggested retail price: $475
Comments: New performance-enhancing anti-torque grip
Source Citation
DOLBEE, DAVE. "Jennings T-Master VPS." Bowhunting Jan. 2001: 90. General OneFile. Web. 18 Jan. 2011.
Document URL
http://find.galegroup.com/gps/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=IPS&docId=A77874161&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=18551_mcpls&version=1.0
Gale Document Number:A77874161
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