BOW REPORT  BY JOE BELL

Magazine Bow & Arrowhuntin 

S u p e r - f a s t , l i g h t w e i g h t a n d

e x c e p t i o n a l l y q u i e t , t h i s

b o w c o u l d b e a r c h e r y ’s b e s t

While attending the

annual archery trade

show last January in

Indianapolis, I came

across a lot of folks

who were talking about certain new

products. One of the most raved-about

items—based on value and quality—

was the Martin Firecat Pro-X.

Given the case, I immediately felt

the urgency to go hold and shoot

some arrows through this bow. I did,

and, just like the others, I came away

pretty darn impressed. The bow felt

very smooth to draw, and shot

vibration and noise was minimal, if

that. The overall performance was

great. Here’s a quick rundown of this

bow’s most impressive qualities.

IT’S FAST

Arrow speed is still an eye-catcher

for many archery goers looking for

a new bow. The Firecat puts out

striking numbers. In fact, this bow is

about as fast as they come in a 7-inch

brace height. Advertised claims are

around 340-fps IBO speed! Now

that’s smokin’ fast.

From what I can tell, most of the

speed is delivered by Martin’s new

C.A.T. Hybrid Cam system, a fairly

aggressive system. I must admit, I felt

the “aggressiveness” while drawing the

bow; most of the drawing force “loads

up” toward the back end of the cycle

just before dropping into the valley.

However, after shooting the bow

several times, this area of the cycle was

less and less of a distraction, and the

draw valley felt great—not too short

and with a very solid wall.

I must add, there’s smoothness

to this draw one must experience to

appreciate. I would imagine this could

be attributed to the quality of the

cams’ bearings. Martin uses their own

precision-made Speed Bearings, which

are sealed, and allow the system to

maintain peak performance, no matter

the weather and conditions. The

bearings effectively eliminate uneven

drag and keep lubrication in and

dirt out.

The cam system is totally adjust -

able by way of swiveling draw-length

modules. Each screw position offers

1/2-inch draw-length change, and is

simply done by removing and reattaching

two small Allen screws on

each cam. You can do this without the

use of a bow press, allowing you to

dial-in optimum fit with absolute

ease.

GREAT SPECS

Martin’s engineers placed high

importance on this bow’s speed, but

they also focused heavily on other

desirable specs wanted by the masses.

Bows with roughly 33-inch axle

lengths seem most sought after, and

the Firecat measures exactly that. Also,

brace heights of around 7 inches are

most favorable in terms of combining

speed with shootability. Again, the

Firecat delivers, boasting exactly
7 inches of brace height.
Another hot-button feature in the
industry is light bow weight. The
market is demanding lighter and
lighter risers, so a fully outfitted bow
with a bow quiver, a stabilizer, a sight,
and other accessories, doesn’t become a
ton of weight to lug around in the
woods. Complete setups weighing
more than 8 pounds or so are no
longer desirable to many. Again, at just
over 3 1/2 pounds, the Firecat is on
par with the lightest 33-inch bows we
know of. In terms of desirable specs,
the Firecat has it all.
UNIQUE FEATURES
The Firecat is loaded with great
features, from the best in soundeliminating
accessories, to options that
make this bow more versatile and
functional for each specific archer.
Let’s start with the bow’s grip. Only
a few manufacturers offer various grip
systems, recognizing that every archer
may prefer something different, which
I agree with 100 percent.
The Firecat’s grip choices include
the basic Thermal Grip, which is
comprised of rubber-like material for
warmth and comfort. The Thermal V
Grip is the “warmest and quietest grip”
offered by Martin. It’s made up of
Omega V vibration-dampening
material (for the front and side areas
of the grip) and a thin, leather palm
cover. The Thermal Elite, the one I
prefer, is made up of walnut sideplates
and natural leather on the palm.
To attack shot noise and vibration,
Martin decks out the Firecat with a
myriad of accessories. The bow’s
unique Vibration Escape Module
(V.E.M.) arrow shelf eliminates
the need of fleece while attacking
vibration in one critical place—at the
center of the riser and near the arrow
rest. A “flare” is found along the outer
edge of the shelf, which dampens
clanking when your arrow falls off the
rest. The shelf and flare are very warm
to the touch in cold-weather conditions
as well. Overall, the design, which is
made up of Omega V dampening
material, is very sleek and functional.
Integrated into the Firecat’s riser
you’ll find two grayish rubber buttons,
which are additional V.E.M. dampers
comprised of the same effective
Omega V material. Again, this is one
additional area to further suppress the
Firecat’s shot noise.
You’ll also find Sims Ultra
Limbsavers pre-mounted on each
limb. Shooting the Firecat is some
experience; ultra smooth and quiet, it
is a testament to the bow’s complete
vibration system at work.
Other great features include
quality Coreflex bow limbs (made
up of tension and compression
laminates), which are mounted to the
bow using a solid seven-alignment
system. Martin touts how they don’t
use plastic hardware in their limb
systems, relying only on stainless steel
pivots that align the limb perfectly to
the limb cup. The cup is then aligned
with the utmost precision to the riser
using two precision polished stainless
steel pins. According to Martin, the
system is by far the most precisionbased
limb-attachment concept in the
world.
To eliminate unwanted bow weight
without jeopardizing precision, quality
and durability, Martin added the new
Roto Limb Cup for 2008.
INCREDIBLE VALUE
Perhaps the best feature found in
the Firecat is its price. It’s loaded with
Martin’s highest-end features, yet it’s
priced at only $600 retail, which is
middle-of-the-road for a bow of its
awesome caliber.
Like the most expensive bows out
there, with the Firecat Pro-X, you
get state-of-the-art components,
precision-machined riser and cams,
super-strong and reliable limbs
and limb-attachment system, full
vibration-accessory package, and
pre-stretched custom-quality Helix
bowstrings (BCY fibers, which are
pre-stretched before, during and after
adding end servings).
Shoot the Firecat Pro-X and decide
for yourself. I’m sure you’ll agree—
with this bow, what’s not to like?