Bow Report
By Bill Krenz
Liberty I
Bowhunters have long been fascinated by short, light hunting bows.
Forty years ago, recurve hunting bows as short as fifty-two inches sold very well, and others that were even shorter were offered.
Short compounds have also long held appeal. There is no disputing the fact that for at least the past thirty years, popular compound
bows have been getting shorter. In 1985, the axle-to-axle length of the average compound bow was somewhere in the neighborhood
of forty-five inches. By 1995, the average compound length had shrunk to less than forty inches. Today, it seems to be hovering
between thirty-three and thirty-six inches. The three-decade progression to shorter and shorter compound bows is well established.
What is also well known is the history of indignation and alarm that has sounded as compounds bows have shrunk. Old-liners,
clinging to convention, have routinely condemned every shortening step along the way. I remember when compound lengths first
dipped into the low-forties. That seems long ago now, but back then detractors roared that such “short” compounds could never be
shot accurately. Bowhunters bought those bows and loved them anyway.
The exact same thing happened when compounds plunged with abandon below the forty-inch mark and then the thirty-five inch mark.
The howls of protest and righteous anger sounded loud and clear. “Those bows can’t be accurate.”
Yet the march continued and bows did go shorter. And deer, bears, elk and more all continued to fall.
I recently tested a radical new compound hunting bow called the Liberty I. Remarkably, the Liberty I measures just over twenty inches
axle to axle. Yes, you read that right––twenty inches! It also weighs a scant 2.3 pounds, making it the shortest, lightest adult
compound bow available at this time. In fact, it’s over a foot shorter and nearly two pounds lighter than most of today’s compound
hunting bows.
Initial reactions to the Liberty I are boringly predictable. I’ve shown my Liberty I sample to a variety of bowhunters. The first reaction is
typically one of disbelief. “Is this for real?” The second reaction is one of unbridled fascination. It’s hard to get the Liberty I out of their
hands. Sometime after that, the old biases pop predictably up. “It can’t shoot all that well. It’s definitely cool, but isn’t it too short?”
The Liberty I is an amazing bow. It’s space-age, high-tech and unquestionably far out. Its axle-to-axle length is a good eight inches
shorter than the length of my normal hunting arrows. Yet, surprisingly, the Liberty I shoots amazingly well. I must admit that I was
surprised at just how fast and accurate the Liberty I performs. But on top of all that, the Liberty I is just plain cool.
One friend called it the coolest bow he’d ever shot. That sums up the Liberty I better than more words ever could.
KEY SELLING POINTS
Astonishingly Short
At just 20.5 inches axle-to-axle, the Liberty I is a compound bow venturing off into uncharted but exciting territory. Think about just
how short that is. It’s the length of three dollar bills and two quarters laid end to end. It’s five four-inch vanes. It’s just a bit taller than a
LaCrosse rubber boot. It’s compact with a capital “C.” It’s bold to the point of being almost electrifying. Hang one up in any archery
shop in the country and I guarantee it will be the topic of conversation.
“My intent was to create a very small, lightweight hunting package,” says Howard Winther, the bow’s designer and manufacturer. “I
wanted a bow that I could hook onto my backpack and not even feel it as I hiked along. I was looking for a bow that would fit into the
corner of my car truck and carry anywhere.”
The heart of the Liberty I design is its phantom shoot-through riser. The riser and limb pockets combined only measure a bit over four
inches in height. From profile, it’s almost as if a riser doesn’t exist. When you get behind the bow to shoot it, however, the true nature
of the Liberty I’s riser emerges and a generous 2.5-inch wide shoot-through gap becomes evident. That gap is artfully curved and
ruggedly designed.
Amazingly Light
By almost totally eliminating the length and mass of a conventional compound bow riser, the Liberty I is rendered astonishingly short
and amazingly light in weight. On my scale, the Liberty I weighed just 2.3 pounds. Blend 20.5 inches in length with 2.3 pounds and
you have a compound bow that carries like no full-power compound bow you have ever picked up. Strap it onto your daypack (or
maybe even put it inside a bigger pack), hook it to your belt or just carry it in your hand. The Liberty I rides like it’s not there.
Balanced Split-Cam Design
Perfectly complementing the bow’s shoot-through riser design is its split cam design. In effect, each skeletonized cam is over an inch
wide. That extra width creates a balanced spread between the bow’s two sets of cables that is over 1.5 inches wide at the bow’s
center. An arrow is nocked and shot between those sets of metal cable, as well as between the bow’s limbs and through the bow’s
riser. It’s a riser-limb-eccentric system with excellent balance.
Erogometric Angled Cushion Grip
To keep the inside cable set from hitting your bow arm, The Liberty I features a well-shaped grip that’s angled at a pleasing twenty-
nine degrees. That angle moves your bow arm out, as well as comfortably positioning your bow hand. I shot the Liberty I without an
armguard and never experienced a problem.
Surprising Performance
The Liberty I sports an aggressive eccentric system that delivers surprising arrow speed. See the Real Performance chart. Because
of its ultra-short length, string angle at full draw is acute with the Liberty I. That means that a D-loop is a must and a special peep is
also needed. I used a camo cord D-Loop tied in place and an index-finger caliper release with excellent results. I also used a tethered
peep sight designed specifically for the Liberty I and available from Liberty Archery. That special peep sight is available in three hole-
sizes.
Because of the nature of the bow, Liberty Archery suggests that a total-containment arrow rest or a total-containment drop-away rest
be used with the Liberty I. I used a standard Whisker Biscuit arrow rest and it worked perfectly. Built into the front of my sample
Liberty I was a Vital Bow Gear three-pin fiber optic sight. It’s a light, tough sight that works like a charm with the Liberty I. A bowquiver-
mounting bracket is also cleverly integrated into the bow’s diminutive riser.
The acute full-draw string angle took a bit of getting used to as it related to my usual anchor point, but in short order I was drilling
softball-sized groups at 40 yards on a windy day. The Liberty I shoots.
CLOSING THE SALE
This ultra-short, ultra-light hunting bow really is cool, and I’d present it to customers just that way. The Liberty I measures an ultra-
short 20.5 inches axle to axle and weighs just a bit over two pounds. Hand it to most customers and they’ll immediately recognize the
handling and carrying benefits. It’s also a bow that shoots with surprising speed and accuracy.
The new Liberty I will likely be among the coolest new bows for 2005 that you or your customers will ever shoot. Circle #245.
Liberty 1
Manufacturer Liberty Archery
Santa Clara, CA
(408) 988-1127
Circle #245
Model Liberty I
Axle-to-Axle Length 20.5 inches
Brace Height 7 inches
Mass Weight 2.3 pounds
Draw Weights 50#, 60#, 70#, 80#
Draw Lengths 26.35 to 32 inches
Eccentrics High-Speed, Split-Cable Cams
Letoff 85 percent
Grip Erogometric Angled Cushion Grip
Finish Realtree Hardwoods Green HD
In two words, this bow is *JACKED. UP*! In a very cool way. 
