Anybody with experience of changing from Hex 6.6 to CVX / Hex 7.2 / Hex 7.5 ?

AndyS

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Bad News - my Hex 6.6s along with the rest of the bow they were attached to was nicked from our field on Monday night whilst I was collecting / plotting an end :gnasher:
Good News - it looks like a "personal belongings" part of our contents insurance should cover it, so I should be able to afford to replace the Borders :relieved:

But... the Hex 6.6s are no longer available and the Hex 8s are out of budget, so I'm left with either the Hex 7.2 which I understand is a slightly detuned 7.5? or the CVX.
I'd also bought another dozen 540 ACGs a few months ago which were working nicely, and these weren't nicked because they were in the target at the time! Having just bought some, I'd like to avoid having to replace arrows as well if I can avoid it, which, from what I've found out so far I think I might get away with if I go CVX , but I doubt I would with the 7.2s, but I guess that would still be much cheaper than if the insurance didn't cover it!

I'm going to try and talk to Sid soon, but I'm also interested in people's thoughts who have made a similar upgrade from the 6.6s.

Did you stay with the same OTF or drop poundage a little given the extra pre-loading (7.2/7.5)?
Did you need to change spine, and how much of a change was needed?
Is a longer string needed for the bigger hooks on the 7 series?
What is better after the upgrade, and were there any negatives?

And anything else that you think might help me decide which way to jump (assuming that I get confirmation that the insurance will cover the theft).

Thanks in advance!
 

Timid Toad

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Yes, I've gone Hex6 BB2 (became the 6.5) Hex 7 then 7.5.
I've always kept the same weight on the fingers. Spine change was minimal - I've been shooting 500 spines with more or less point weight and more or less the same length with 42-43lbs otf for 10 years. *But* I would try the ACGs and be prepared to treat your shiny new bow to a new set if necessary.
Yes you'll need a new string either way.
For me it's always been the technical side and wanting to be at the cutting edge. I shoot Olympic recurve so I know with my 7.5s it doesn't matter what on earth the weather is doing I'll have to move my sight just a wee bit and I shoot the heaviest arrows I can for accuracy at distance. My 6BB2s were the quietest I've had and liked the lowest bh, slight more for the 7s and 7.5s.
And my Hex8s are on order!
 

AndyS

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Thanks TT, I'd been assuming that there was no chance the ACGs would work with 7.2s (assuming they are basically a 7.5) so that's good news that there might be a chance. Whatever I end up with, I will replace the arrows if necessary - I don't think there's much of point in getting kit of this quality and then not matching the arrows properly!

Even if the string was exactly the same length, I'd still need to make a new one - the other's gone! Any idea how much longer / shorter the 7.5 needed?, Extra serving length for bigger hooks? it might give me a starting point.

Enjoy your Hex8s!
 

Timid Toad

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I have mediums Hex7s on a 25" Tempest, which is a little bit bigger than some 25" risers, and I use a 67.5" ish string for a 68" bow. I like to have at least 1 twist per inch, and never ever use strings with an X in the title. These are Vectran and can damage recurve limbs - it's great on short fat and thick compound limbs. I always use Dyneema, and currently am using Angel.

If your arrows are a touch long it might be worth chopping 1/2" off if they seem a bit weak, but basically through button fiddling, over centre positioning etc I've made the same shafts behave.
 

AndyS

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No worries on strings with Vectran, I went to FF+ at Borders recommendation when I got the Hex6.6s.

I had a good chat with Sid earlier and he thinks that I'd probably need to go stiffer for the 7.2s - I guess there's only one way to find out!
At the moment I'm inclined towards the Hex7.2s even if I do end up needing new arrows - I just need to hear from the insurers first.
 
Hello Andy,

I'm shooting Hex 6.6's, and got a set of Hex 7.2's a couple of months ago, both on Tempest risers to make a 68" bow in both cases.
I have the 6.6's at 40lb, and the 7.2's at 38lb, and I'm shooting Easton FMJ Match 530's out of both (same arrows).
Work well for me in both cases, and tune well.
The only thing that made a difference to the sight marks was when I changed out the piles and fletchings on the FMJ Match's from Bohning Air's and 100 grain piles to Bohning X Vanes and 110 grain piles.
Dropped about 2 micro divisions on a shibuya sight at full extension, but worth it with the FMJ's for quicker stability.

I also have the ACG's in 540, and, again, they work well with both set up's, just slightly higher sight marks with the ACG's.

The string length does differ between the 6.6 and the 7.2's, but not by much.
I've got lengths of 66.5" on the 6.6's, and 67" on the 7.2's.

Win/Win all ways round, the extra speed of the 7.2's let me drop a couple of pounds, and use the same arrows, sight marks are nigh on identical betwen both set up's.
Both sets of limbs are the "H" core by the way.

Hope this helps,

Andy R

I also have a set of CVH "H" cores as well, but that's a different story (still good though)
 

dvd8n

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I had a set of Hex 6 BB2s. They were giving me 40lb on the fingers. I was using FMJ 500s.

When I broke the top limb I went back to my old CXBs. I managed to use the same FMJ 500s with the weight set to 42lb OTF.

When my Hex 7.2s arrived (42lb OTF) I had to switch to FMJ 400s to get a tune.
 

AndyS

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Thanks Andy, that does help.

I had about 42lb OTF and 540 ACGs with 110gn piles working nicely on a 68" @ 29", I got 3 480s to try when I first got the 6.6-Hs, but they looked too stiff.

Dropping a couple of lbs is an option I was wondering about.

An extra half inch on the string length is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for - the exact length will vary depending on the riser, but the difference should be usable. Having said that, I know the length that worked for the Nano-Max, but if I replace it with anything different then that goes out of the window anyway, oh well!

If you have almost identical sight marks for both set-ups, are there any subjective benefits to the 7.2s other than needing less OTF to achieve it? how noticeably smoother through the clicker are they than the 6.6s?

As an aside, I've just got back from the field and shooting my old SF limbs (same OTF) on my first riser that was still in the loft, and with just a long rod rather than full stabiliser set-up, and it just feels wrong after a few months of the Hex limbs - the whole bow is feels light anyway with the missing stabilisers, but when I start to draw it just feels broken - where's the resistance? and then through the clicker it feels like it's stacking massively, yet the SFs (Ultimate Pros) seem to be well regarded as a decent limb.
 

AndyS

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Thanks dvd8n,

Interesting, Riverrunner went from 6.6-H to 7.2H dropping 2lbs, and managed to stay with the same spine, yet you've made the same limb change but going up 2lbs and ended up having to go up 2 groups on the Easton chart!

I guess not surprisingly, the only way I'll find out is if/when I get my own! - that's two people who've managed to keep the same spine (though one by dropping OTF slightly), one who's gone up significantly with a small increase in OTF, and Sid who thinks I would need to go stiffer at the same OTF.
It all goes to show how charts etc are only a starting point once you get different people actually shooting the thing.
 

dvd8n

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Thanks dvd8n,

Interesting, Riverrunner went from 6.6-H to 7.2H dropping 2lbs, and managed to stay with the same spine, yet you've made the same limb change but going up 2lbs and ended up having to go up 2 groups on the Easton chart!

I guess not surprisingly, the only way I'll find out is if/when I get my own! - that's two people who've managed to keep the same spine (though one by dropping OTF slightly), one who's gone up significantly with a small increase in OTF, and Sid who thinks I would need to go stiffer at the same OTF.
It all goes to show how charts etc are only a starting point once you get different people actually shooting the thing.
Yes, I cannot explain the variation in results. My advice would be to buy the limbs that you want/need and accept that you may need new arrows. Don't compromise your limb choice in an effort to re-use arrows. In a year's time you'll be wanting a new set whatever happens.

By the way, I'm happy so far with the 7.2s, but I've only been shooting them a few days.
 
Still happy with the 7.2 H's, and still happy with the FMJ's going through both bows.
Should say, though, that the centreshot and button pressures varied when using the 6.6's and the 7.2's.
As they're both set up with 25" Tempest risers, I initially set the centreshot and button springs to the same setting that had been shooting well on the 6.6 setup.

But, found that the 7.2's needed centreshot moving to the right, when looking from a shooters perspective, and button spring pressure needed increasing slightly, which seems perverse, as they were 2 lb down on poundage, and presumably not giving the shaft the same kick up the back end deflection.

However, it may just be the higher efficiency of the 7.2's that made the shaft act this way?
Whatever, they're shooting well enough for my moderate ability, it was just tweaking on the range that brought them in.
 

AndyS

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found that the 7.2's needed centreshot moving to the right, when looking from a shooters perspective
Just to clarify, are the 7.2s now closer to zero centreshot than the 6.6s, or do you mean that the centreshot for the 7.2s is now to the right of centre?

I'm relieved to say that the insurers have paid out, so I've started replacing stuff and now have a pair of 7.2-H on order and hopefully I'll find out what works for me soon. I've also managed to pick up a few ACG 480s from a well known auction site to play with. Hopefully I won't need to go up two spines as I'm staying with the same OTF and not increasing weight like dvd8n did.
 
Yes Andy,

I had to back the button off about 3/4 turn from the 6.6 setting, to move the arrow point to the right, when looking forward.
It's a midges to the right of centre shot, to my eyes, using limb alignment gauges, but we're talking small adjustments.

I was advised many years ago, that when you're making adjustments, do the initial resettings in big increments, so you can tell if you're moving in the right direction, so I backed the button off about 1 1/2 turns, which was too much, so then brought it in again, so the end result was 3/4 turn backed off, i.e screwed out from the 6.6 setting.

But, then I found I had to stiffen the spring pressure, oddly.

I think you'll like the 7.2's.
I took both my bows to our range today, and shot the 6.6's for half an hour, then changed bows to the 7.2's.
The 7.2's felt immediately much smoother when drawing, especially the last couple of inches and, as a bonus, much quieter on release.

I would love to try the Hex 8's, just to see where this Hex voyage ends, but at ?1k per set, they're going to be beyond my reach for the foreseeable future.
 

Timid Toad

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but at ?1k per set,
Teensie exaggeration there - Hex8 ILF are still in development, so any price you've been given will be someone's guess. Having seen Hex8 owners (on the Covert Hunter), they are definitely sub ?1000. And a very big step up performance wise from the 7.5s I'm shooting :)
 

AndyS

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Teensie exaggeration there - Hex8 ILF are still in development, so any price you've been given will be someone's guess. Having seen Hex8 owners (on the Covert Hunter), they are definitely sub ?1000. And a very big step up performance wise from the 7.5s I'm shooting :)
If you look on the Border website there is a 2018 pricelist: http://www.borderbows.com/uploads/Pricelists2018.pdf.html, which shows ILF/Formula HEX8-W?916 / HEX8-H?934 which as you say is sub ?1K, but not by a lot. The Hex 8-H price also matches the price I was initially quoted in an email from Ann - so they don't seem to be a guess.
Whilst like riverrunner I'd be very interested to try the 8s, I can't justify a ?200 premium over the 7.2s which by all accounts are already an awesome limb and still sound like a good improvement over my 6.6s.

I don't image though that the 8s are where the "Hex voyage ends", I'm sure Border will keep finding things to improve!
 
Yes, picked the price up from the published pricelist, and added the carriage.
Not far short of the ?1k mark.

Not sure where the Hex development will evolve to.
Any more "curvy" and I'll be buying a compound case to fit the limbs in! :mind-blow
 

ColinL

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I've ordered some 7.2h's - 66" bow 36lbs. Will a 65" string do the job? I've been told by Borders that it'll need 8-9" loop serving and I'm thinking 16 strand 8125G. Tried to contact a string maker but not received a reply and Borders haven't as yet clarified recommended string length. Any help very welcome.
 

Rabid Hamster

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Sorry for this post (its more an expression of :oops:). as a HEX 5s owner who has been gone from archery for a few years ... looked at the border price list above and HOLY SHIT was my overwhelming thought. Guess my hex 5's had better last a few more years!
 
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