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Help Me Setup My Z7 Extreme

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Jarred525

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Well, I have joined the Matthews ranks for the first time and acquired a Z7 extreme. Thought I would come to the "experts" :) and ask advice on setup. The only thing the bow has on it is a QAD rest. Here are the things I would love your input on what I should go with:

Rest - Stick with QAD?
Should I go with Focus Grip?
Stabilizer?
Sight? Considering IQ
Arrows?
Broadheads? Considering 100 grain Ramcats after positive experience with them last year.

Any other input/lessons learned are appreciated. Thanks!
 
Rest: QAD is a good rest
Grip: I had a Focus grip on my Mathews but either will work fine.
Stabilizer: B Stinger stabilizers are a good choice. I like my stabilizer to extend past the riser and limb pockets.
Sight: Black Gold sights have the brightest pins and are rock solid.
Arrows: Gold Tip Prohunters or XT
Broadheads: Grim Reaper, Slick Trick, Muzzy, Magnus, etc
 
Whatever you do make sure it is setup and timed correctly, that is the most common error I see on Mathews, and it is so simple I just don't understand why I see, and have to correct, so many out of time from these dealers.

Rest: I am very partial to the Ripcord Code Red...it is easy to install, tune and it has a great track record.

Grip: I shoot better with the Focus grip due to the size of my hand�I have a tendency to torque the fat walnut Mathews grips. Do you change or not, depends on the size of your hand and do you torque with that big grip or not.

Stabilizer: I use a $20 4.5" Limbsaver S-coil on my Reezen and my brother has the same thing on his Z7�there is no need in a longer stabilizer than that, as Mathews are already top heavy and there is no sense in adding to that, and as much vibration and noise dampening as Mathews already as you are not going to achieve much more dampening than what is already there�truth be known, mine is on there to anchor my bow sling. :)

Sight: Personal preference...I like Extreme Raptor 4-pin sights, but Black Gold makes a good sight as well.

Arrows: Admittedly, I am partial to Easton because they are reasonably priced, hit like hammers and offer the widest range of spine deflections. The problem with Gold Tip is they have very limited offerings for stiffer spines. Your ideal spine is going to be around .3100-.3200 and Easton will be your best bet. The Gold Tip offerings are the lighter weight arrows. I would use the Easton Carbon Aftermath 300, if it was my setup.

Broadheads: Personal preference, but there is not a single mechanical I will recommend to anyone, because off the loss of energy and the risk of failure because of moving parts. These are the broadheads I recommend: G5 Striker, Slick Tricks, Muzzy MX-4 or MX-3 and Magnus.
 
x2 on alot of TNDEERGUY's advice
--Ripcord /QAD- very good rests
--Cheap lightweight stabilizer, limbsaver or truglo deadenator
--No need for the focus grip, just whatever fits better
--Sight is your preference, I personally wouldn't use the IQ because as stated before I would rather concentrate on the deer than looking at retina and leveling bubbles, just practice good shooting form and you should be fine for most hunting situations
--Also depending on price Truglo and Apex have some good sights, and if you want to bump up the price (and quality), Spotthogg or BlackGold.
-- Arrows, I would also go with Eastons, I always shot the ST Epics which i don't even know if they make any more. Also, if you can get them , Carbon Impact makes a very good arrow, I shot the same arrows for years.
-- Broadheads , I'm a fan of the Ramcats too, them bad boys just look wicked , fly spot on with field tips and cut a mean hole. All a matter of preference because I know people don't like bent blades which will happen but hey , to each his own. Good luck this year and hope this helped a bit.(Keep us Updated)
 
Just a note a stabilizer doesn't "stabilize" unless it puts the weight out away from the bow. A short stabilizer like the Sims S Coil does not stabilize because the limb pockets are further from the riser than the stabilizer itself. Short stabilizers can dampen some hand vibe if there is any but are not true stabilizers until they extend out beyond the bow.
 
UTGrad said:
Just a note a stabilizer doesn't "stabilize" unless it puts the weight out away from the bow. A short stabilizer like the Sims S Coil does not stabilize because the limb pockets are further from the riser than the stabilizer itself. Short stabilizers can dampen some hand vibe if there is any but are not true stabilizers until they extend out beyond the bow.
Click to expand...

Incorrect....
 
Ripcord and QAD are both great. I have had a couple issued with the newer QADs since January but if its older than that you are fine. I am very partial to Spot Hogg sights. They are a tad pricy but the best sights I have ever had. I Really like the new Easton Bloodline shafts that replaced the Epic and if you want a .001 arrow the Easton Hexx is hard to beat also.
 
x4 on ripcords, i have had the code red and now have the s.o.s version and both have been very nice. QAD is a good rest as well.

I currently shoot a Bstinger stab but ive shot a bunch of others that do as well as the Bstinger does.

Arrows - the best you can afford

quiver, my personal fav is the G5 HeadLoc. It is cheap and has a very cool quick release as well as it comes with a tree holder for when you take it off in the stand.


as far as the stab topic on lenght i have shot 3" - 12" and for hunting purposes i didnt see much of a difference minus the 12" was always in the way. I settled on 6"-7" stabs to use.
 
REN said:
x4 on ripcords, i have had the code red and now have the s.o.s version and both have been very nice. QAD is a good rest as well.

I currently shoot a Bstinger stab but ive shot a bunch of others that do as well as the Bstinger does.

Arrows - the best you can afford

quiver, my personal fav is the G5 HeadLoc. It is cheap and has a very cool quick release as well as it comes with a tree holder for when you take it off in the stand.


as far as the stab topic on lenght i have shot 3" - 12" and for hunting purposes i didnt see much of a difference minus the 12" was always in the way. I settled on 6"-7" stabs to use.
Click to expand...

If that 12" stabilizer was in the way how did you manage with a nocked arrow sticking out 2 feet from the riser?
 
I don't walk around in the woods or rideing a 4wheeler with an arrow nocked. Also that 12" is lower then a knocked arrow will I'm trying to draw or aim down.

Just my experience, I didn't like it a bit for what little benifit I got from it
 
REN said:
I don't walk around in the woods or rideing a 4wheeler with an arrow nocked. Also that 12" is lower then a knocked arrow will I'm trying to draw or aim down.

Just my experience, I didn't like it a bit for what little benifit I got from it
Click to expand...

No problem I just like to point that out when people are reluctant to try a longer hunting stabilizer. I've hunted with a longer stab for three years now and never had a problem with it. I've shot deer at steep angles and my lower limb pocket was closer to hitting something than my stabilizer.

Long hunting stabilizers arent for everyone. I've found my pin is much steadier with my 12" stab with 11 oz weight at the end vs the short dampeners that are more commonly used. The only draw back with my B Stinger is the weight when hiking into a spot.
 
UTGrad said:
REN said:
I don't walk around in the woods or rideing a 4wheeler with an arrow nocked. Also that 12" is lower then a knocked arrow will I'm trying to draw or aim down.

Just my experience, I didn't like it a bit for what little benifit I got from it
Click to expand...

No problem I just like to point that out when people are reluctant to try a longer hunting stabilizer. I've hunted with a longer stab for three years now and never had a problem with it. I've shot deer at steep angles and my lower limb pocket was closer to hitting something than my stabilizer.

Long hunting stabilizers arent for everyone. I've found my pin is much steadier with my 12" stab with 11 oz weight at the end vs the short dampeners that are more commonly used. The only draw back with my B Stinger is the weight when hiking into a spot.
Click to expand...

The length of the stabilizer is not what is making your pin steadier, it is that 3/4 of a pound of weight you have added�you could just as easy attach that 11oz to a 4" bar and actually would probably like it better....personally I don't see how you shoot something, as well as you do, when it is wanting to nose dive like a kamikaze going in for his final dive....I couldn't, I've tried. If you want to truly stabilize that Hoyt, then move about 9oz of that 11oz to the back and see what that does for your shooting. Truth be known, hunting "stabilizers" do nothing of the sort for stabilization....they are actually vibration dampeners and the length of them really makes no difference�except make top-heavy, nose-diving bows worse. :)


Sorry to the original poster for hijacking and getting off your topic!
 
Weight is best served out away from the bow. It resists the left and right tilting of the riser, thus stabilizing.

A wise man at my church said one time, "Do you want to be right or happy?"

I will keep to myself and be happy.
 
UTGrad said:
Weight is best served out away from the bow, It resists the left and right tilting of the riser, thus stabilizing.

A wise man at my church said one time, "Do you want to be right or happy?"

I will keep to myself and be happy.
Click to expand...

LOL.....whatever! :) Take the vast amount of experience you have acquired over the last few years since you started shooting archery, along with your 12", 11oz front-loaded, nose-diving weight bar....errrrrrrr, I meant "stabilizer" and be happy all to yourself. LOL :whistle:

Guess I need to email Reo, Levi, Jesse, Dan and Chance and tell them that they have been going about stabilizing their bows the complete wrong way. ;)
 
Another vote for Ripcord. I've used the originals & now have the SOS. I have the cord on it attached to the bottom limb & really like it so far. As far as grips I like Hartl custom grip. I had it before but I put in on my new ZXT because the factory grip on it seemed to hit my palm to where it seemed like it wouldn't let the grip come back between my thumb & finger good. I really like the Sword twilight Hunter sight I have now. However, if I were buying some new ones it would be the Black Gold Rush sight. I bought a Ktech stabilizer for my new bow & I like it so far. I like the Mathews quiver because I like a riser mounted quiver.
 
Mass weight can be added to the bow to stabilize the sight picture of the bow , therefore stabilizing with a short "stabilizer". But putting 11 oz. out front will definitely slow your sight picture side to side down . But you are putting yourself at risk of developing a severely bad form habit . Will elaborate if needed .
 
The main thing is to make sure the bow is in tune. To add to what TnDeerGuy said, it seems most Mathews dealers are oblivious to a single cam bow needing to be tuned. There's not two cams on them that can be out of sync...but there are plenty of other things to check on them that most seem clueless to. As a disclaimer, I am NOT referring to any dealership in particular. The last time I made a comment like that, I got jumped for saying it. Anyway...an out of tune bow wont matter what kind of goodies you put on it, or shoot through it...it simply wont be a joy to shoot and cause a lot of unneeded headaches.

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Rest -- Shoot what you got if you like it. There's really nothing new out there that you just gotta have that is going to vastly be an improvement over what you've already got. I've got nothing against drop aways; I've tried most all of them except for the 2013 offerings...and just always go back to a TM Hunter style launcher rest or a Biscuit style for hunting. If you go drop away...I do recommend a limb activated one over a cable driven one.

Grip -- Whatever you like best that is less prone to torque. The fatter the grip sides...the more prone to torque they are. The Focus grip is a nice thin grip so it should fit the bill. Either that, or just remove the grip and put some tennis racquet tape around the riser in the grip area and shoot it that way.

Sight -- Depends on if you like fixed pins or a slider sight. Black Gold is a great sight with plenty of fiber optic length...thus they are very bright. The Rush is a great sight of theirs for hunting. I'm personally partial to CBE sights...simply due to the weight. I have the Sniper Pro as a hunting sight and the Tek Hybrid as my target sight.

Arrows -- Don't spend the extra coin for .001 straightness unless you just want to. .006 to .003 is all you need and then some, and the only place you are going to see a difference is in the thickness of your wallet. Me personally, I will warn you up front that I am a staff shooter for Black Eagle Arrows. I am shooting their Carnivore shafts. But anything on the market these days are pretty good arrows.

Broadheads -- Just make sure they are scary sharp, whatever they may be.

Stabilizer -- On my hunting bows I'm rocking a short stabilizer...more for sound dampening purposes than for actual stabilization. The way I see it, the average bow shot in the whitetail woods is 20 yards...and that has always been the median from all the yrs I've been on TnDeer when we would do surveys for the season. You're not trying to hit a nickel size 12 ring at 45 yards, nor are you trying to hit 60 consecutive X's on a Vegas style target at 20 yds. You're going for something the size of a volleyball at in your face distances. Something like a Sims S-Coil or Doinker Chubby Hunter is all you really need for that IMO.
 

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