Martin Cougar Elite

This is one great bow...

Ever shot a bow where you don't have to worry about cams that may lean on the axles and torque the wheels, bend the axles or have the limbs twist? I have shot several. Ever had a cable guard that pulled the wheels and cables to one side? Ever have to worry that the cable slide might squeak? Ever want your bow to shoot faster, quieter, and be more comfortable in your hand? I have worried about and wanted all listed above. 

If this describes the bow you want, take a look at this marvel of engineering designed by a pro shooter and Vegas Champion, James Despart. This bow smokes and is unique by anyone's standards — its unique cams make it a shooters dream.

This bow has no cable guard; hence, it doesn't have cam lean or limb twist. The secret is in the cam — the Fury X. The cam features a tri-track that eliminates string wear, cable wear, limb torque, cam lean and even cable guards. The cam has two inner tracks that attach the cables to the opposite limbs on the outside of the limbs. The same is true of the opposite end, therefore, giving the bow cables that cross in the middle of the bow but leave a gap of 1 3/4" to the outside cables and 1 5/8" opening where the arrow's fletching pass through. The bowstring is set dead in center of the limbs and cams. This is something single-cam bows do not do. 

The bow is made-up with two cables, one on each side, that ride on the outside of the limbs and two cables that ride on the inside of the limbs. Both ends of the bow are set-up identical with the bowstring directly on the centerline of the bow. No cable guard necessary!

Some might say that this sort of set-up would be hard to load. This is not the case and it is actually safer! Why? The arrow is snapped on the bowstring, between the cables, and is dropped down to the arrow rest. I have seen people load an arrow by pushing the arrow forward and cutting the bowstring or cables as tip passes through. 

This is a truly unique bow in many ways. Because the cables are synthetic, there is little wear. Because the cables sit in grooves on the outside of the limbs, pressure can be applied to the limbs to allow twisting and tweaking of the cables without bow twist. Who else can do that?

The Tests
Using the newest technology in chronographs that mount in the stabilizer hole, I tested the bow for Big Al's archery. Using a Huntmaster 2000, 27 ½-inch 2213 arrows and 60 pounds of draw weight at a 27-inch draw length, I recorded the following arrow speeds: 238, 237, 237, 238 and 239 fps.

These incredible speeds are the results from no cable-guard friction, no stress on cables or inner axles, and true center-shot from top to bottom.

Features

	Tri track X cams
	Laminated glass composite limbs
	Slim ¾-inch grip topped with wood screwed inlays
	No bow press needed cable tuning
	Loc mount system
	42 inches axle-to-axle
	6 7/8-inch brace height
	75% let off
	Weighs 3 lbs. 15 oz.
	Draw lengths from 25-33 inches
	IBO speed 308 fps
	V.E.M (vibration escape module) system
	6061 T6 aluminum machined riser
	Advantage timber or target colors

Summary
I have shot several bows over my 47 years of shooting. Some of the best bows have been fast with finger shooting, but none this fast. This bow is the most silent of the bunch. Its grip is small enough to feel good but not so small as to feel like my hand would go around it. The bow looks super in the advantage timber and is rugged and in my opinion will withstand years off shooting.

Go to your local archery shop and check one out. If they do not carry Martin, ask why not. This bow should sit at the head of its class and on your bow rack to shoot for years to come.

Arthur Champoux has years of experience in the outdoors.  He is has served on many  advisory staffs and is a member in good standing of many outdoor organizations.  Art currently works for Big Al's Archery in Seabrook, NH and writes for several publications.