I noticed three things when I first pulled the new Hoyt REDWRX Carbon RX-1 from its box. First, the twisting, tubular riser, offset stabilizer mount and multi-layered limbs cradled by Limb Shox screamed Hoyt. Second, when I wrapped my hand around the new X-Act Grip it seemed to melt into the riser and become part of the bow. (Typically, I remove bow grips and go directly to the riser, but the X-Act, with its perfectly angled, wide-but-not-too-wide and flat-backed mold, felt incredible.) Third, I wanted to shoot it. Bad.

At 32 inches axle to axle and with a fighting weight of just 3.9 pounds, my Carbon RX-1 didn’t boast chatty limb bolts (they were a little stiff but quiet), and as I pinched it between my Last Chance Archery EZ Deluxe, the bow pressed easily. The bow’s split downward cable means you don’t have to press it to tie in a drop-away rest, but I did need to insert my peep.

Setup was quick, and after tinkering with my QAD MXT rest and making a few twists here and there to the split yokes, I achieved a perfect paper tear.

After getting the Carbon RX-1 perfectly paper-tuned, I took it to the outdoor range. The draw cycle with the 85 percent letoff mod is silky smooth. (I’ll change it to 80 percent before hunting season.) The ZT Hyper Cams roll over in unison, and there is no jolt or jarring sensation when the draw-stop pegs contact the inner cable. This smoother-than-most draw cycle, in concert with the offset stabilizer position and front- and rear-stabilizer usage, made the bow ultra-steady at full draw.

At the shot there is a tiny bit of hand vibration. Overall bow oscillation isn’t much, but it is detectable. As for the bow’s accuracy, well, this bow, with its 6-inch brace height, is going to be an in-the-woods assassin for many bowhunters in the coming months. The list of reasons why is long, but the biggest, in my opinion, is Hoyt’s ability to provide effective string angle at full draw. I found I was never reaching my head forward or moving at all to achieve perfect peep-to-target alignment, and I shot the bow from a number of body positons, as well as at drastic up- and downhill angles. This made me more relaxed, and a more relaxed bowhunter is a more efficient bowhunter.

Hoyt engineers achieved the above by increasing the distance between the ZT Hyper Cams. The broader cam-to-cam distance at full draw creates a flatter string angle and basically brings the peep to you. I loved it.

Advertised with a 340-fps speed rating, the Carbon RX-1 powered my Easton 5MM FMJ 340 shafts (finished weight of 391.7 grains) downrange at 270 fps. That’s plenty fast for me considering my draw weight is 28.5 inches and I cranked the bow down to 68 pounds.

I fired field points and fixed and mechanical heads from the bow out to a distance of 100 yards without a problem, and the more I shot the RX-1, the more balanced it seemed to become. This is the sort of bow that isn’t easy to put down. It’s smooth, fast and efficient, but like a good friend it just seems to latch on to you and not let go. Yep, it’s a provide-the-warm-fuzzies type of bow.

The REDWRX Carbon RX-1 is available in peak draw weights of 40, 50, 60, 65, 70 and 80 pounds, and in cam-specific draw lengths of 24.5 to 28 inches, 27 to 30 inches and 29 to 31 inches. The rig is offered in a number of color options (I recommend the Buckskin), with several Custom Hunting and Accent Color options also available.