Bear Legend XR

careyhamil

Eight Pointer
I reviewed the Bear Legend XR for a week and was quite surprised by it. I like reviewing the price point/entry level bows for a couple reasons. First, they represent the largest portion of the archery market in total bow sales. Second, I like presenting options for bowhunters that are sometimes overwhelmed by the cost of getting into the sport. Most of the price point bows I have shot are more than adequate for most hunting situations, especially stand hunting for white-tailed deer, or sitting in a blind for turkeys. Worth noting, most price points bows are not manufactured to the higher level of tight specification that flag ship bows are manufactured to. That being said, most of us bowhunters cannot shoot these bows to their highest level of capability. So for most, and entry level or mid-price point bow will equal their ability or need as an intended tool for the job of killing game species.

In the video you can see the Legend XR does a more than adequate job at holding groups at 20-40 yards. This was achieved without paper tuning and getting it as precise as possible. This is where a lot of flag ships would separate themselves from the entry and mid-level bows, as they may not require a lot of tuning out of the box. Flagship bows may be a lot easier to tune as well. After adjusting to 27.5 inches of draw, the bow scale showed 62 pounds with the limb bolts maxed out. I ended up putting 10 twists in the bottom cable and 12 in the top to get it to 69.6 pounds and to time the cams. I set the center shot of the rest and set a sight on the bow.

After a few adjustments of the sight, I had the bow hitting where I wanted it. It stacked arrows at 20 yards so tight, I broke a nock and a cock vane. Actually, I found out the vane at been knocked off when I shot the 40 yard shot video.

The bow is light compared to any flagship, and it has a nice balance. The grip is ok, as the grip is cut into the riser rather than attached. Here is the shot analysis.

Draw: at 69.6 pounds it was very easy to draw and doesn’t have a hump and dump. It’s a little stiff at the beginning, and comes gently into the back wall.

Hold: The backwall is spongy, which is my biggest criticism of the bow, but it holds on target pretty well considering this.

Shot: A little more jump and vibration than the big-name bows, but it’s to be expected from a $399 dollar bow. It would not be a point of contention if I were in the Market to purchase this bow.

Overall: Solid little bow that will serve some hunters well. It will hold on to target and deliver an arrow to your point of aim, as it should. A simple no frills, bare bone bow that will be good for someone not looking to spend a considerable amount on a bow.

Technology: It has rotation modules that allow it to hold peak weight and efficiency at any draw length, and that’s about it. It is a simple hybrid came system, that is efficient and easy to use or adjust.



Speed:

w/ 415 grain arrow: 266 avg.

w/ 470 grain arrow: 253 avg.

Vibe:

w/ 415 grin arrow: 62.86 mm/s

w/ 470 grain arrow: 90.86 mm/s

Sound:

w/ 415 grain arrow: 81.83 dB

w/ 470 grain arrow: 81.5 dB
 
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