Innovation and "out-of-the-box" thinking come to mind when pondering the Accurest D/C bow designed by Jeff Anderson of Wauconda, IL. This bow has some interesting features that give the bow a "different" look and feel. 

The functionality of this bow compared to a "normal" compound is basically the same with the exception of arrow holding components. Some individuals have steered away from the bow simply because they believe the long tube-like arrow rest with attached release aid is a "cocking" mechanism. 

This is untrue and should be cleared up at the get-go.

The Accurest D/C is drawn, held, aimed, and shot through the power and effort of the shooter. The advantages it gives you are legal in all but three states and arguably ethical. The Accurest D/C is especially "friendly" to the beginner and youth archer. 

First we will cover the basics of the Accurest D/C and then move on to the testing and finish up with a general commentary. 

Basic Construction:

The centerpiece of the Accurest D/C is the 34" long arrow rest/release combination (the rest is 28" long without the release attached). This is what makes the bow unique. The aluminum arrow rest assembly is machined to accept the two arrow guide strips that form a slot to accept the fin adapters and arrow. The Accurest logo is actually an end-view of the rest. The string of the bow travels down the center of the rest. Also attached to the rest is an arrow holding spring to keep the arrow in place at all times before the shot. The release is a dual caliper model with a pistol grip handle and trigger. When the bow is drawn the release, rest, string and arrow are all in equal motion. At release only the string and arrow move forward. The rest is mounted to the bow using an aluminum fixture equipped with five rollers. These rollers allow the rest to be drawn with no noise. The attachment fixture is also hinged to allow the bow to be placed in the stored/resting position.

The Accurest utilizes the 65% let-off D/C hatchet cam system. The "D/C" stands for Differential Cam and is advertised to achieve perfectly level nock-point travel. The straight nock-point travel is produced through machining the lower hatchet cam to a smaller dimension (approximately 13% smaller) than the top cam. This allows the top cam to let out more string than the bottom cam, which keeps the nock-point travel parallel to the horizontal centerline of the bow. Level nock travel reduces the arrow spine problem. 

The limbs are manufactured from Power-Tuff (specially formulated fiberglass) blanks from Gordon, a material known for strength, durability and performance. Accurest D/C straight limbs are painted black. 

The Accurest reflexed riser is first extruded and then CNC machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and is black anodized. The riser is unique in that it is of "keyhole"/shoot through design and contains slots for direct sight pin mounting on both sides of the sight window. Just below the "keyhole" the two piece construction riser is assembled through a tongue and groove design and 6ea 10-24 flat head hex screws. The riser also includes standard AMO rest, sight, and quiver mounting holes on both sides (in case you want to try the Accurest with these standard items). Mounting holes on both sides along with a reversible Accurest arrow rest allows the bow to be shot left or right handed - a nice feature. Also, a standard quiver is not needed for hunting as the 4" hunting arrow has its own individual quiver that attaches directly to the bow. The riser is fitted with a nicely fashioned laser engraved walnut grip.

The cable is made from 12 strand Brownell S-4 Fast Flight, which is stretch resistant and long lasting. Accurest's 20-strand string is also made from a fast flight material.

To properly cover the basics of the Accurest D/C the target and hunting arrows must be discussed. Accurest has designed an arrow system that utilizes conventional arrows along with their fin adapter and nock-fin. Simply, the nock-fin is an exact match to the slot inside of the tubular rest and attaches to the rear of your arrow. The standard length target arrow for the Accurest is 18", which gives you two arrows from one shaft from the manufacturer. Accurest suggests 2212 or 2213 shafts for the 35 - 50 lb. setup, 2215 or 2216 shafts for the 50 - 60 lb. setup, and 2219 shafts for the 60 -70 lb. setup model bows. The Accurest owner's manual has a complete guide to making the suggested arrows. The "short arrow" hunting arrow comes equipped with four sharpened stainless steel blades that actually double as the fletching as well! These blades also fit perfectly into the tubular arrow rest slot. The 4" hunting arrow is available in three different weights: 420, 480, and 540 grain. Again, the owner's manual includes instruction on the care, shooting and blade changing of the short hunting arrow. As mentioned before the hunting arrow comes with its own quiver, which attaches directly to the bow.

Basic Operation:

Following is a description of the shooting procedure found on the Accurest website:

1. The unique SHOOTING ASSEMBLY is shown in the stored position. A "420 Grain" 4" Hunting Arrow can be safely carried within it to be ready for use. This is how the bow looks when put into a bow case or when you walk through heavy brush.
2. The arrow rest is pulled down and ready to pivot up to the shooting position. When pivoted up, the arrow rest contacts a stop and aligns itself into the shooting position. 
3. Pivot arrow rest up to the stop. 
4. After being raised into the shooting position, the assembly is shed forward to latch the bowstring. The trigger operates the calipers of the string release.
5. To load, tilt the front of the arrow rest skyward and insert the arrow. Lifting the arrow hold spring (located near the release) allows the arrow to slide down the last inch and rest against the bowstring. The arrow hold spring prevents the arrow from sliding out even when taking a shot straight down.
6. The arrow rest assembly containing the arrow moves quietly and smoothly on rollers when drawing. You are holding the bow with two hands allowing for a torque-free shot. Again, it cannot latch and hold itself at full or partial draw.
7. Aim and shoot as with any other bow. Keep in mind the bow is torque-free while aiming and shooting. The arrow rest does not move on the shot as the bowstring passes through the arrow rest to propel the arrow though it. The arrow leaves the bow straight so it flies straight! That's the whole idea of this system! 

On first inspection I found the Accurest D/C to be of excellent workmanship, a trait that was noted throughout the evaluation process! I began by simply familiarizing myself with the workings and accessories of the bow. This was a bit intimidating at first however it didn't take long to figure out the concept and I was on my way. The testing was conducted with a 28" draw and the provided target and hunting arrows.

One of the major claims about the Accurest D/C is that it can be picked up by just about anyone and shot reasonably accurately right out of the box. I installed one sight pin into the sight window and called my neighbor who has little knowledge of archery. After I adjusted the pin to hit the bull at 20 yards it was his turn. His first shot was off considerably but that was due to the fact that he was anticipating the shot and jerked the trigger. The next six shots were in a 3" group! That is excellent considering nothing was done to the bow as far as tuning and was my neighbor's first time shooting a modern compound. He wants one! Being an experienced archer I did not gain any additional accuracy over my own rig - at least out to 30 yards.

AMO and IBO standards call for a 30" draw length to rate a bow's speed however this bow is set with a 28" draw making it impossible to test at the necessary draw length. I still tested the speed of the bow using a Shooting Chrony Inc. Chronograph, 28" draw, 65lbs of pull and the arrows provided. Ten arrows were consistently shot through the chrony with an average 251-fps. This is an average speed for someone shooting a 28" draw and 65 lbs of pull. A variance of only 3-fps was experienced through the ten shots

One of the shortcomings of the bow is the noise level. Many of you know that I am a stickler for silence when it comes to hunting and tend to be extremely critical of gear noise. The Accurest I received had Limb-Savers already installed however the bow does not come with them. Even with Limb-Savers installed there was still some noise that comes from the arrow rest and little can be done about it. Many animals have been shot with the Accurest so apparently it wasn't too loud for the archers that harvested them.

The Accurest weighs 5.75 lbs. making it a bit on the heavy side however it was not a problem and actually helps stability while shooting. I also found it to be a little more bulky when compared to my other bows but I feel that was merely getting used to it. 

Conclusions:

The Accurest D/C is the product of original thought, good workmanship and innovative engineering. Is it the future of archery? I don't know, archery has a broad future that Accurest will most likely play a part in. This bow will have its place with the diverse mix of shooters who make up the archery and bowhunting world. How well will it be accepted? Only time will tell. The Accurest D/C does bring some advantages to the table such as no tuning needed (a big one!), greatly reduced torque (another big one!), reversible - left or right handed, no more fletching hassles, no more rest problems, and a hunting arrow that has a flatter trajectory and superior penetrating ability to conventional rigs. Not a bad list. Determine what you are looking for in a bow and then look at the advantages associated with the Accurest D/C - you may match up quite nicely with it!

Spec Sheet

• Draw weights: 50/60/70
• Draw Lengths: 25.5" - 31"
• Axle-to-axle length: 40"
• Brace Height: 6.5"
• Mass Weight: 5.75lbs.
• Let-off: 65%
• Eccentrics: Differential Hatchet Cams
• AMO speed: 234
• IBO speed: 305
• Available finish: Black only 
• Cable: 12-strand Brownell S-4 Fast Flight
• String: 20-strand generic fast flight
• Grip: Engraved Walnut
• Riser: cnc machined 6061-T6 aluminum
• Limbs: Power-Tuff solid straight
• Cable guard: none

Accurest Inc.
PO Box 566
Wauconda, IL 60084
(847) 487-0636
http://www.accurest.com
Email: info@accurest.com