Bowtech’s Core SS is designed for the DIY enthusiast, since its cams can easily be tuned through the company’s DeadLock Technology and timed with TimeLock Technology.
November 21, 2024
By Jon E. Silks
When you think of the Bowtech Core Series — both the SS and SR models — themes of customization and security shine through. So much of the technology built into these bows allows for personalized adjustments to performance and experiential markers that you can make on your own. Things such as cam timing, cam positioning, grip angle, draw-cycle feel and even resulting arrow speeds are all in play — they really are a DIY playground!
The Core SS — SS stands for Super Smooth — combines the power of its carbon glass split limbs with Bowtech’s DeadLock Cam System to generate arrow speeds advertised to reach 337 fps. Bowtech’s CenterMass Technology anchors compatible bowsights directly through the riser’s center for enhanced balance and accuracy, while the GripLock offers a range of wrist positions to suit the shooter’s style. In addition, TimeLock Technology allows for no-hassle cam-timing adjustments, and Bowtech’s FlipDisc Technology customizes both draw-cycle feel and arrow speed.
DIY Platform When taken as a whole, the Core Series is a do-it-yourself enthusiast’s dream rig. Built to be adjusted, tuned and timed without the use of a bow press, these two bow models are super user-friendly. The DeadLock Cam System uses an adjustment block seated at the end of each cam’s axle assembly to adjust the cam’s left/right position. No bow press is needed to make this adjustment and, in true Bowtech form, there is a locking screw and a drive/adjustment screw. This cam movement aligns the arrow to the string action resulting from your form/tuning, thereby producing the fastest-recovering and straightest arrow flight possible.
The Dual Lock Pocket System is designed to lock every component of the overall bow structure together as one to produce the most rigid platform possible, enhancing accuracy. Next up on the DIY checklist is cam timing. The TimeLock feature comes into play if you find that either your cables are not located between the indented tuning marks on the cam perimeter at rest, or if the draw stops hit the cables at different times when the bow is pulled to full draw. In either case, no bow press is needed to adjust the TimeLock and bring your cams into sync, and you simply use the lock screw to secure your new setting.
Advertisement
The FlipDisc Technology changes the very nature of the draw cycle and resulting performance without the need for new cams and does not require a bow press. The Comfort setting produces a smoother draw and a letoff of 85 percent, while the Performance side of the disc is slightly more aggressive, generates faster arrow speeds and has a letoff of 80 percent. This rotating module also moves the cam through its 26-31-inch draw-length range, in half-inch increments.
Alignment and Balance The Core SS and SR models are Bowtech’s first bows to feature the company’s new CenterMass Technology. A bowsight mounting channel that is machined directly through the riser provides perfect alignment by positioning the bow sight’s mass on the rig’s centerline. This design is intended to improve balance, ease of aiming and, in turn, downrange accuracy. Bowtech also offers a CenterMass 4-arrow quiver and 6-, 8-, 10- and 12-inch CenterMass Stabilizer bars, including mounting accessories.
Other riser-based features include the molded GripLock grip system that allows the shooter to adjust the angle of the grip heel to produce a customized wrist position. Shock, vibration and noise are under assault from the rubber-tipped string stop, cable-guard dampeners and Orbit Dampeners that use a soft rubber core surrounded by a weighted outside ring. The FLX-Guard cable-containment system uses a mini, limb-like arm and rollers that flex toward the centerline of the bow during the draw cycle to reduce torque and then spring away at the shot for vane clearance.
Advertisement
Limbs and Pockets Core limbs are split, made of carbon glass, machined into their final form and matched into pairs based on deflection values. Their wide stance increases torsional stability, while the past-parallel position they reach at full draw is well-known to reduce shock, vibration and noise. Bowtech designed the Dual Lock Pocket System to lock every component of the overall bow structure together as one to produce the most rigid platform possible, enhancing downrange accuracy. Pockets extend to reach the center of each limb, which is key to Bowtech’s Center Pivot Technology (CPT). CPT has demonstrated the ability to reduce shock, vibration and noise while moving the pivot point of the limbs closer to the throat of the grip to create a more stable configuration that improves consistency while reducing torque.
At the Range Bowtech’s FlipDisc is for real — there is no mistaking the change in draw cycle, and test speeds varied by 10-11 fps. Comfort mode is consistent and easy-pulling, while the Performance side is aggressive and builds just before breaking over. Both settings result in a solid back wall that allows you to relax at full draw.
At the shot, the Core SS registers a small jump in the handle, along with low-level vibration that is only perceptible for an instant, However, a quality stabilizer nearly eliminated the jump. The GripLock, with its flat back, is built for performance while also providing a fair measure of comfort.
The Specs Manufacturer: Bowtech Archery, 888-689-1289; bowtecharchery.com Model: Core SSRiser: CenterMass, Center Pivot, machined aluminumGrip: GripLock, adjustableLimbs: Wide-stance split limbsDraw Weights: 50, 60 or 70 pounds peakDraw Lengths: 26-31 inches, in half-inch increments; rotating modulesCam System: Deadlock Cam SystemLetoff: 80% in Performance/85% in Comfort (advertised); 80.19% Performance / 84.49% Comfort (as tested)String: 452X, 63.08 inchesCables (x2): 452X, 38.22 inchesBrace Height: 6.25 inchesAxle-to-Axle Length: 31.5 inchesWeight: 4.5 pounds (advertised); 4.59 pounds (as tested)Finish: Realtree Edge plus nine other solid and camo colorsAdvertised ATA Speed: 337 fpsMSRP: $1,399Comments: A DIY dream bow that lives up to the quality and performance you’d expect from Bowtech!EDITOR’S NOTE: All of our Bow Tests are conducted using the same standardized procedures and professionally calibrated testing equipment. Speed & Energy: Comfort Mode Arrow Speed: 294 fps (375-grain arrow), 277 fps (425-grain arrow)Kinetic Energy: 71.99 ft./lbs. (375-grain arrow), 72.43 ft./lbs. (425-grain arrow)Dynamic Efficiency: 83.78% (375-grain arrow), 84.29% (425-grain arrow)Average Noise Level: 89.83 dBA (375-grain arrow), 89.7 dBA (425-grain arrow)Bows are tested with a draw length of 29 inches and a draw weight of 65 pounds, unless otherwise noted. Speed & Energy: Performance Mode Arrow Speed: 305 fps (375-grain arrow), 287 fps (425-grain arrow)Kinetic Energy: 77.48 ft./lbs. (375-grain arrow), 77.75 ft./lbs. (425-grain arrow)Dynamic Efficiency: 84.13% (375-grain arrow), 84.29% (425-grain arrow)Average Noise Level: 90.87 dBA (375-grain arrow), 89.57 dBA (425-grain arrow)
