Hoyt Tiburon Review

Image	Bow Weight	Bow Length	Draw Weight	Takedown?
Hoyt Tiburon Recurve Bow See on Amazon.com	3.2 lbs. How to: choose arrows, draw weight, and tune your recurve	62"	25 - 55 lbs.	Yes

The benchmark company

Today we are going to be talking about one of the benchmark companies in the sphere of archery – the legendary Hoyt USA. Since entering the market in the distant 1946, they were the first to introduce the overdraw bows and the semi-anatomic grip. Another “first” coming from them was the short recurve hunting bow, with a size of only 52 inches. Nowadays they are continuing to focus on modern technology and designs, rather than staying with the classics – something that can be seen very well in their Hoyt Tiburon 62’’.

What is the Hoyt Tiburon RH Blackout?

The main virtues of this bow can be recognized immediately – elegant, yet simple design, a tight grip and lightweight materials. It is hard to believe that it is counted by the company as a part of their “hunting bow” collections. Standing next to piercing power titans such as the Game master 2 and the Buffalo, this rather light bow was definitely a surprise for the fans. However, upon trying it, I couldn’t do anything else but admire what Hoyt had managed to achieve with this design.

The Tiburon riser

A substantial part of my admiration came from the Tiburon riser. Not too expensive and with very adequate quality
for that kind of money, it immediately stroke me as the perfect entry level riser. Shooting several groupings of 2’’ from
40 yards has never been that easy before. The adjustment process was very convenient – the term that came to mind
was even “predictable”. The stock grip can be easily changed with any of the company’s grips, including the wooden
ones. Such a flexibility in the design is, at least for me, all that can be desired in that regard.

Power and accuracy – are they balanced?

One thing is for sure – the Tiburon is definitely not a role model for a hunting bow. I shot some arrows through the thickest targets (3 inches), and the arrows pierced completely only from 17 yards. Of course, it depends on the draw weight – I was using a 40# draw weight. As far as I found out, you can use anything between 25# and 55#, even though it won’t surprise me if Hoyt have managed to increase that number. The upper values of this range can, in fact, give more substantial power,but the accuracy may be impeded.

As far as accuracy goes, this is definitely one of the easiest bows to shoot with – I had absolutely no problem with finding its “knack” and getting an intuitive feeling about how to shoot it. However, we will talk more about that in the next sections.

Vintage or not?

The answer is a definite “no”. As mentioned in the beginning, the company has always focused on the innovative and the non-standard. The glass limbs and the “plastic” looking riser definitely give a futuristic look, even in the models where the rest of the body made of wooden elements.Of course, the technological enhancements go beyond the mere looks of the bow. The space for the arrowhead is more than enough– in fact, I think that it played a main role when I managed to shoot the 2’’ groupings.

The body is somewhat thin, which completely removes the impression for a classic hunting bow. It was also a cause for a little bit of inconvenience when I was shooting, as the grips was too small for my hand. However, as mentioned above, that part is interchangeable with all other products of the company.

Hunting – is the power enough?

As the draw weights go up to around 55#, the Tiburon can definitely be considered for hunting. However, its weight and thin limbs give the impression that it should be used for smaller game, rather than bigger animals – boars for example. The light frame and the surprisingly high level of accuracy make it one of the best choices when it comes to bird hunting.

Compared to other choices for that budget

Compared to other recruve bows such as the Ragim series, the Tiburon is definitely dominant. Lighter, more accurate and very easy to handle, it maintains a perfect balane between price and quality. However if you prefer to use it for hunting, the safest thing to do would be to find something with a little bit more draw weight rather than accuracy –
after all it weighs only 3,2 lbs.

Is The Bow Suitable For Beginners?

Well, based on my thoughts from the previous sections, it will be a controversy to say that it is not. With a length of 62’’ it is definitely in the “average” length. The wide range of draw weights makes it a very flexible choice for beginners of any size and age.

The standard grip with which the bow comes is quite thin, which makes it very comfortable for younger shooters and
shorter people. The tiller locking screws are very easy to handle, and it is a matter of minutes to adjust them directly on the field. As the bow is light and not very expensive (considering its quality), I would definitely recommend it for amateurs and semi-professional archers. However, when it comes to hunting, I am not sure about naming the Tiburon as a suitable choice for a beginner.

Trying it out on smaller game is fine, but even with a 50# draw weight it is unlikely that it can cause enough
damage to stop a bigger animal.

Suitable Arrows For The Tiburon

The high clearance of the sight window and the sturdy material of the middle part makes the bow suitable for both spin wings and plastic vanes. However, I was using a modified center serving and grip – using the standard ones may impede your ability to shoot plastic vanes, as they can scratch the surface. The accuracy wasn’t affected by the type of arrow I used, which makes me think that the bow may have more hunting potential than I initially thought (using heavier arrows, with crossed edges).

Some Final Thoughts

In summary, the Hoyt Tiburon 62’’ RH is definitely an adequate choice for the higher-mid budget range.
It is easy to get used to, not to mention that almost every part of it is interchangeable with other products of the company. I wouldn’t recommend it to serious hunters (those might be better served by the Hoyt Buffalo), even though it seems very fit for smaller game and especially birds. Take a look at Today's Amazon.com price if you’re interested.