Innovation is the name of the game in order to stay competitive in
the archery market place. Especially when it comes to bow accessories
such as sights. Montana Black Gold has been maintaining leading edge
innovations for over 10 years and backs it up with a lifetime guarantee.
"If the original owner has a part break for any reason, it will be repaired
or replaced at no charge." Bold words but they have been in place
since 1993 and Montana Black Gold is the only bowsight manufacturer
to make it. That statement holds true for any bowsight manufactured
by Montana Black Gold and I had the chance to evaluate the Grand Slam Hunter
#7.
The Grand Slam utilizes some of the best features that can be found
on a true hunting bowsight. First of all it is compact which means
on a stalk it isn't going to snag on everything that tries to jump out
at you when pursuing a trophy animal. Every ounce counts when putting
in a hard day of hunting and the compact design also means a reduction
in weight. The bowsight is manufactured from 6061 T6 aluminum which
not only significantly contributes to the lightweight but to its strength
and durability as well.
Montana Black Gold points out that the pins themselves have many features
that greatly contribute to the success of this bowsight. I certainly
have to agree. The main support or backbone of each pin utilizes
a narrow throat to aid in minimizing target blackout. When your target
is at your maximum effective range you do not want a pin that covers up
or interferes with your pin placement.
I would hate to pull up on the shot of a lifetime only to have the vitals
half blacked out from the support material of my fiber optic pin.
With the Montana Black Gold I have no problems with cover-up or blackout
of my life-size targets out to my maximum range of forty yards. You
may think that the pins are therefore very fragile and break when pressured.
The Grand Slam uses clear nylon with an integrated trough that the fiber
nestles into. This not only adds to the strength, but being clear,
it also maximizes the light insuring a bright fiber in low light situations.
A thin but stable black circle holds the end of the fiber optic in place,
which is an extension of the main support. The black circle that
encases the end serves also by alleviating pin glare in bright sunlight.
 The
Grand Slam comes with a choice of either standard (0.050), which I evaluated,
or micro (0.025) fiber optic pins. Two channels are used to house
the fiber optic pins allowing for close pin placement on today's quick
bows. Protecting the fiber optics is a polycarponate shell.
The shell is frosted so that glare is significantly reduced. Most
of the game we pursue are weary enough. There is no sense in alerting
them to your position or spooking them from glare. Finally the main
support utilizes a brass insert and washer to attach the pin to the bowsight.
The great feature of brass is that the possibility of stripping out the
threads is next to nil.
Probably the best all around feature of the Grand Slam is it has a tough
and simple means for adjusting windage and elevation. No fancy hand
tightened screws or micro knobs are needed because the sight is intended
to be a hunting bowsight. Simply loosen the hex screws for either
windage or elevation and move.
The Grand Slam has white numbered measurements along the adjustment
bars. Once set these should be noted just in case anything does go
wrong you can quickly readjust. After fine-tuning, tighten
the screws down and you are fixed for the entire season.
This brings up an interesting point. I was speaking with a couple
of my other hunting partners the other day about bowsight adjustments.
My question to them was how often after your bowsight is set do you readjust
during the season?
The only reason any of us could come up with is if something should
knock them out while traveling to and from the hunting stand. Other
than being dropped from the stand we also couldn't come up with any problems
while actually walking into or from your stand. The only other time
would be while getting into or out of your hunting rig and bumping it rather
hard.
This point emphasizes the simplicity and toughness of the Grand Slam
Hunter#7. Along both the windage and elevation bars is a machined
grove. When the hex screw is tightened it locks down for a secure
fit that is virtually unmovable. I did some testing by trying to
recreate some bumps and knocks that may happen during a day on your stand.
None caused the bowsight to move. The only test that I didn't recreate
was a drop from one of my treestands and I am in no way gonna drop my hunting
rig. If this would happen you are probably better off getting out
of the stand and inspecting your entire bow. Why end up taking a
chance of something happening when at full draw with a broadhead affixed
to the end of your arrow!
This bowsight, simply put, is one of the best available on the market
today. Don't just take my word for it because well-known hunter and
outdoor writer Greg Miller also endorses this bowsight. For all you
Mathews shooters the Black Gold Q22 model is specially designed to fit
the unique riser of the Q2, SQ2, Q2XL, Conquest 2, and Legacy.
Design 5 out of 5
The machine grooves for locking the windage and elevation adjustments
are rock solid when tightened. No daily hunting rigors should cause
the adjustments to move. The fiber optic pins are bright thanks
to a clear mounting bracket that holds them in place. They are bright
and come in 0.050 or 0.025 diameter. The bowsight incorporates a
two-channel design to accommodate tight pin gaps for today's ultra fast
bows. All mounts and adjustments on the Grand Slam are held in place by
the tough hex heads. These heads are great because a lot of torque
can be applied without messing them up. The Grand Slam Hunter#7 is a tough
design meant for all types of bowhunting situations.
Ease of use - 5 of 5
The bowsight mounts to any bow with standard AMO specifications.
Two hex screws securely fasten the bowsight in place. The pins are
easily adjusted with hex heads and brass fittings. White adjustment
numbered markings show up easily when adjusting windage and elevation.
These are great for recording settings. As mentioned in the main
evaluations the groove and hex head screw combination makes for a rock
solid foundation when windage and elevation are secured.
Price - 4 of 5
Coming in at around 70 bucks might seem a little steep for a bowsight.
Coupled with a bowsight machined from tough 6061 T6 aluminum and carrying
a lifetime guarantee I believe it is pretty much in the right ballpark.
If at any time the bowsight fails, send it back to Montana Black Gold for
repair or replacement free of charge!
Appearance - 4.5 of 5
Available in either black or Montana Black Gold's Multi Match camouflage,
you should have no problem matching it to you scheme. My evaluation
model came in black. The Grand Slam Hunter #7 was of quality machining
with no rough edges. All parts fit together well with no sloppy or
loose fittings. The four-pin design, although compact, is not crowded
and allows the option of adding more pins.
For information on these and other products
contact:
Montana Black Gold
34370 Frontage Road
Bozeman, MT 59715
Phone: 406-586-1117
FAX:
406-586-0853
Email: mtblackgold@montana.com
Web Site: www.montanablackgold.com |
